United Ability

Intro…

• Write out a care plan for your loved one listing relatives or other people who know how to feed and care for them.  Keep a copy in a safe place in your home, your car and place a copy in your “Go Bag.” 
• Decide on a place away from your home for family members to gather in the event that you are separated without phone service.
• Act out a “Shelter in Place” situation and see how quickly you can move to a safe area and assess if your equipment fits.  During a tornado emergency, the safest place to shelter is often in a basement but this is often not realistic for a person who uses a power wheelchair or someone who has difficulty navigating stairs.  Make sure you know how long it takes you to move to the safest place in your home or in the community and have a backup plan. 
• Find out where accessible community weather shelters are located. Research community resources that provide transportation or assistance to people with disabilities during inclement weather and keep those numbers saved on paper and in your phone.
• Within your home, map out the safest route in your walker or wheelchair. 
• If you have a service pet, make sure you train them for inclement weather scenarios specific to your area.  
• Consider purchasing an inverter so that you can plug any necessary electric device into your car if the power is off for several days.

One of the best things you can do to keep yourself and your loved one safe during inclement weather is to be informed about the weather patterns in your area and to educate yourself on the unique issues you need to be aware of. 

Watch the weather on the news regularly or online so you always know what is coming.  Research community resources that provide aid/relief during and after inclement weather/natural disasters.

For more information on disaster preparedness, check out:

American Red Cross

Disability Checklist for Emergency Preparedness

Ready to Roll

FEMA

In the event that you have to evacuate due to inclement weather, prepare a Go Bag. You might want to consider having a bag packed and placed in a closet so that it is always ready to go.  You can pre-pack some items but for others make a list and leave it in the bag so that you can pack quickly under a stressful situation.

Things To Include

Please note that this list attempts to be as comprehensive as possible. Please assess your individual situation and prepare accordingly. It must be noted that not everyone has access to everything on this list nor does everyone have access to a support system to help. Also, if applicable, make sure that the bag you compile is maneuverable by you or your disabled family member in addition to your support people (e.g., family members or friends). Remember, at the end of the day, do what you need to do to stay alive.

• You can have non-perishable items already in it and a list of perishables so you can pack it quickly in an emergency. Include things like saline and pet food. This includes food that is non-perishable, light weight, high calorie, and that is easily prepped.
• Bottled water.
• Accessible water bottle (if applicable).
• Straws (if applicable).
• Accessible eating utensils.
• Extra clothes. (Weather appropriate! Layering can help too)
• Necessary toiletries, hand sanitizer or alcohol swab
• Rain gear (poncho, rain jacket, water resistant or waterproof pants, etc.
• Ziploc bags.
• Identification.
• Copy of the Care Plan.
• Pen and paper.
• Heavy duty tape.
• Implanted device cards.
• Medication.  Keep a list of all current medication and update it often.  This will help you to quickly grab what you need.
• Necessary medical equipment.
• Transfer boards or equipment
• Wound care supplies or supplies needed for ostomy or urostomy bags.
• Incontinence supplies (Catheters, Diapers, Wipes (Both for toiletry use and hand sanitization), etc.)
• Supplies for your service animal: food, harness, medications, weather gear.
• G-tube supplies: saline, extra tubing.
• Equipment needed for manual wheelchairs such as spare cushions, air pump, or replacement tubes.
• Chargers for power wheelchair, AAC devices and other necessary medical equipment.
• Small tool bag with the essentials such as allen wrench set, bearings, or small wrenches, etc.

If you have to evacuate:

• Consider attaching the g-tube extender to your loved one’s shirt so that you can easily feed them on the road if you have to leave quickly. 
• You can also place several diapers on a person who is incontinent and pull off the inner one to quickly change while on the road.

Often when a weather alert is issued, people have no shortage of available information on where and how to get to a safe place but what about when you or your family member has a physical disability that makes it difficult to walk without assistance? What if they use a large, motorized wheelchair? What if they have many essential pieces of equipment that have to come with them? What do these people do?

If you or your family member fits into any of these categories, the first thing you have to do is plan ahead. You don’t have the luxury of waiting until the last minute to figure out how to navigate safely to a place of safety. You have to plan for a potential scenario where you may have to move quickly to a specific area or evacuate for several days.

 In the chaos of an emergency, you could be separated from your family members. If you, or they, are non-verbal or have physical and medical issues, this can increase one’s risk.  With proper planning you can decrease the risks and increase the chances that you or your loved one is kept safe.

Getting Started

• Make a list of all the medications with names and dosages and include the names and prescribing doctors.
• When, and if possible, consider what medications can be stockpiled. Additionally, this includes oral medication if you have something like a baclofen pump. Please keep in mind that this is not always doable due to insurance and drug regulations. Also, make sure that the medication is not expired!
• When possible, create an equipment stockpile of small items that can be quickly grabbed and stashed in your go bag when necessary or ahead of time (for example, manual wheelchair tire tubes, a portable air pump, stoppers for crutches, or diabetes pump supplies).
• If possible, acquire a bag that is waterproof or otherwise will provide some protection to the items inside.
• Make sure that the clothing is weather and season appropriate.
• Consider purchasing a “Medical Alert” identifying bracelet or necklace for any non-verbal person which lists their name as well as their medical conditions. 

More Preparation

• Write out a care plan for your loved one, listing relatives or other people who know how to feed and care for them.  Keep a copy in a safe place in your home, your car and place a copy in your “Go Bag.”
• Decide on a place away from your home for family members to gather in the event that you are separated without phone service.
• Act out a “Shelter in Place” situation and see how quickly you can move to a safe area and assess if your equipment fits.  During a tornado emergency, the safest place to shelter is often in a basement but this is often not realistic for a person who uses a power wheelchair or someone who has difficulty navigating stairs.
• Make sure you know how long it takes you to move to the safest place in your home or in the community.
• Find out where accessible community weather shelters are located. Research community resources that provide transportation or assistance to people with disabilities during inclement weather and keep those numbers saved on paper and in your phone.
• Within your home, map out the safest route in your walker or wheelchair.
• If you have a service pet, make sure you train them for inclement weather scenarios specific to your area.
• Consider purchasing an inverter so that you can plug any necessary electric device into your car if the power is off for several days.

 

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