“I have Juvenile Rheumatoid Arthritis and use a wheelchair.  We had a bomb threat at work, which was very scary. Everyone evacuated, but I was still left on the 3rd floor by the stairwell for the firefighters to come get me. But, no one came. Finally, I just struggled and used pure fear to get myself down the stairs and out.” - Los Angeles , CA

We, at the University of Kansas , recently investigated 30 randomly selected U.S. sites that experienced a natural or man-made disaster. Our goal is to learn about their emergency response systems and the impact of disasters on people with mobility impairments. We are also exploring Best Practices models in the hopes of preventing injuries, saving lives, and assuring that . . . Nobody Is Left Behind.

Respondents from an on-line survey reported encountering problems during disasters or emergencies including:  

• No evacuation plans in multi-storied buildings, such as shopping malls and business offices, leaving people who are unable to walk abandoned at stairwells or at inoperable elevators without assistance.
• No accessible shelters or shelter bathrooms.
• No accessible and/or affordable alternative temporary shelter.
• No provision at shelters for service dogs.
• No power to run assistive equipment such as power chairs and medical devices during a power outage.
• No accessible public or paratransit transportation systems for getting to and from shelters, medical care, jobs, and stores.
• No contractors who can make needed repairs in a reasonable time frame to restore independence at home and in the community.

Here’s some of what survey respondents who “have been there” told us about how to be prepared and survive a disaster or an emergency.

• PREPARE, PREPARE, PREPARE
• “Have your own medical and other supplies.”
• “Plan in advance for accessible services.”

• “Know where the exits are. Don’t go up in a building if you don’t know how to get out.”
• “Have a way to call someone away from the area to report your health or location.”
• “Make sure a plan for assistance is in place.”
• “Improve the sensitivity of emergency service providers.”
• “Have adequate home owner’s insurance, including renter’s insurance.”
• “Evacu-tracs should be standard equipment in every building.”
• “Involve people with disabilities in planning.”
• “Have a community list through 911 of all mobility-impaired people and their contact information.”
• “Hospitals should be included as potential evacuation centers for people who use power wheelchairs and/or use oxygen, etc.”
• “Develop better escape ways for getting out of tall buildings.”

For additional information on disaster and emergency planning for persons with disabilities, check out the websites for:

   · The American Red Cross · National Organization on Disability · Federal  

   Emergency Management Agency · National Center on Emergency  

   Preparedness for People with Disabilities · and more resources · listed on                  

                                  http://www.nobodyleftbehind2.org/resources/

A Call to Be Part of this Research: We want to hear from persons with mobility limitations who have experienced a disaster or an emergency. Please refer to the accessible on-line survey at www.nobodyleftbehind2.org and click on “Consumer Survey.”  These responses will remain anonymous and will help direct researchers, emergency managers, responders, and volunteers in the field how to better meet the needs of people with disabilities during a disaster or an emergency.