County preparedness to address needs of people with disabilities in an emergency

Background: Events in recent years have highlighted the vulnerability of people with disabilities to widespread emergencies. Yet many emergency planning efforts continue to overlook people with disabilities. The purpose of this study was to determine whether the needs of people with disabilities were included in County Emergency Plans in one state.

Methods: We sent a brief survey to each County Emergency Manager in our state. Survey questions were based on the U.S. Department of Justice publication, An ADA Guide for Local Governments Making Community Emergency Preparedness and Response Programs Accessible to People with Disabilities.

Results: We received responses from 78% of the counties. More than half (56%) said they had solicited and incorporated input from people with disabilities regarding all phases of their emergency management plan. Most counties (81%) had identified accessible methods of transportation to help evacuate people with disabilities during an emergency. Nearly two thirds (63%) of counties had surveyed designated emergency shelter areas for barriers to access. However, many fewer (36%) had invited individuals with disabilities to participate in shelter planning. Less than half of responding counties indicated that shelter staff had been trained to address the needs of people with disabilities utilizing alternative communication methods (38%) or service animals (42%).

Conclusions: It is encouraging that many counties have solicited input from people with disabilities and have measures in place that will benefit people with disabilities in the event of an emergency. However there are still gaps in county emergency preparedness planning that need to be addressed.