[Missouri-l] FW: [leadership] National Council on Disability Recommends Sweeping Emergency Management Changes for People With Disabilities

[Peter Altschul]

*****************************************************
	Wed Aug 12, 2009 4:21 pm (PDT)
	
	National Council on Disability Recommends Sweeping Emergency
Management 
	Changes for People With Disabilities
	
	WASHINGTON, Aug. 12 /PRNewswire- USNewswire/ -- The National Council
on 
	Disability (NCD) today released its report
	Effective Emergency Management: Making Improvements for Communities
and 
	People with Disabilities, calling on federal, state, and local 
	authorities to make sweeping changes in emergency management
practices 
	for people with disabilities.
	
	According to NCD Chairperson John R. Vaughn, "NCD's first evaluation
of 
	government work in this area was published in a 2005 report Saving 
	Lives: Including People with Disabilities in Emergency Planning.
That 
	report laid out a scenario of a major hurricane striking the Gulf
Coast 
	and outlined steps that the federal government should take to
include 
	people with disabilities in emergency preparedness, disaster relief,
and 
	homeland security. Hurricane Katrina struck four months later."
	
	As a result of NCD's work, the 2006 Homeland Security Appropriations

	bill's Post-Katrina Emergency Management Reform Act (H.R. 5441)
required 
	Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to employ a National 
	Disability Coordinator and to interact, consult, and coordinate with
NCD 
	on a list of eight other activities.
	
	According to NCD Vice Chairperson Pat Pound, "NCD identified a major
gap 
	in the government's homeland security knowledge base, which involves
the 
	availability and use of effective practices for community
preparedness 
	and response to the needs of people with disabilities in all types
of 
	disasters. In 2008, NCD began reviewing the spectrum of available 
	studies and defined a set of best/promising practices for emergency 
	management across the life cycle of disasters and geographic areas.
With 
	this new knowledge, it is time to act. The lives of people with 
	disabilities hang in the balance."
	
	Scientists report a worldwide increase in the number of natural 
	disasters over the past 25 years. In 1980, only about 100 such
disasters 
	were reported per year, but that number has risen to more than 300 a

	year since 2000. The increase is expected to continue, and
storm-related 
	disasters are predicted to increase in intensity.
	
	According to NCD Vice Chairperson Chad Colley, "NCD's report offers 
	information and advice to assist all levels of government in their
work 
	to establish evidence-based policies, programs, and practices across
the 
	life cycle of disasters."
	
	Some of the recommendations and interventions include:
	
	Federal Recommendations
	
	Continue strengthening efforts to enforce compliance with Federal 
	Communications Commission policies regarding emergency broadcasting
to 
	reach people with disabilities.
	Complete the FEMA Comprehensive Planning Guide (CPG) series --
including 
	301 Special Needs and 302, which includes service animals -- in sync

	with other CPG series guides.
	Hire disability coordinators at the FEMA regional offices.
	
	State-Level Interventions
	
	Task a state official with disability and disaster issues.
	Involve disability community organizations and state offices or
agencies 
	in all state efforts regarding natural hazards, terrorism,
technological 
	or hazardous materials concerns, and pandemic planning.
	
	Local-Level Interventions
	
	Local jurisdictions should create working groups to review and
revise 
	emergency operations plans, mitigation plans, and recovery plans to 
	address the issues of people with disabilities.
	Cross-training on disability and disaster issues should be conducted

	among emergency managers, first responders, voluntary agencies, and 
	disability agencies.
	
	Individual-Level Interventions
	
	Accept personal responsibility for preparedness in a disaster
context; 
	where that is challenging, involve caregivers in such efforts.
	Create contingency plans for evacuation and other protective action,

	shelter life, medical care, and service animals.
	
	SOURCE National Council on Disability
	http://news. prnewswire. com/DisplayRelea seContent. aspx?ACCT=
104&STORY= /www/story/ 08-12-2009/ 0005076272& EDATE=
<http://news.prnewswire.com/DisplayReleaseContent.aspx?ACCT=104&STORY=/www/s
tory/08-12-2009/0005076272&EDATE=>  
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104&STORY= /www/story/ 08-12-2009/ 0005076272& EDATE=
<http://news.prnewswire.com/DisplayReleaseContent.aspx?ACCT=104&STORY=/www/s
tory/08-12-2009/0005076272&EDATE=> >



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