Answers to Questions Disaster Survivors Have Video

Answers to Questions Disaster Survivors Have video now available.  


The video is in ASL, narrated English and open caption.  It is about 9.5 minutes. http://www.fema.gov/medialibrary/media_records/6347

Emergency Alert System Nationwide Test (EAS) 2:00 pm (Eastern Standard Time) on November 9, 2011

Below is the information about the Emergency Alert System (EAS) Test. The website is: http://www.fcc.gov/guides/emergency-alert-system-nationwide-test-EAS. Please spread the word especially in the deaf and hard of hearing communities.

Emergency Alert System Nationwide Test (EAS)

Background

The first nationwide test of the Emergency Alert System, or EAS, will take place at 2:00 p.m. (Eastern Standard Time) on November 9, 2011. The purpose of the test is to assess the reliability and effectiveness of the system in alerting the public.

What exactly is the EAS?

The Emergency Alert System is a media communications-based alerting system that is designed to transmit emergency alerts and warnings to the American public at the national, Tribal, state and local levels. EAS participants broadcast alerts and warnings regarding weather threats, child abductions and other types of emergencies. EAS alerts are transmitted over television and radio broadcast, satellite television and satellite radio, cable television and wireline video services.

When is the EAS used and when would a national EAS alert be sent?

The EAS is often used by state and local emergency managers to alert the public about emergencies and weather events. The system provides the ability to send messages regionally or nationally, though it has never been tested at these levels. A major disaster such as an earthquake or tsunami could require the use of the system to send life-saving information to the public.

Why do we need a nationwide test?

Although local and state components of the EAS are tested on a weekly and monthly basis, there has never been an end-to-end nationwide test of the system. We need to know that the system will work as intended should public safety officials ever need to send an alert or warning to a large region of the United States. Only a complete, top-down test of the EAS can provide an appropriate diagnosis of the system’s performance.

How will the national EAS test be conducted?

The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), along with the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), will conduct the nationwide test on November 9, 2011 at 2:00 p.m. eastern standard time. The alert will be transmitted throughout the country and will be monitored by the EAS participants. After the test has been completed, the EAS participants will report back to the FCC on the results of the test.

What will people see and hear during the test?

Although the nationwide EAS test may resemble the periodic monthly EAS tests that most consumers are familiar with, there will be some differences in what consumers may see or hear, which is one reason for conducting a nationwide EAS test. During the test, the public will hear a message indicating “this is a test”. The audio message will be the same for everyone, however due to limitations of the EAS, the video test message may not be the same and may not indicate “this is a test”. This is due to the use of a “live” national code – the same code that would be used in an actual emergency. Also, the background image that appears on video screens may indicate “this is a test” but in some cases there may be no image at all. FEMA and the FCC plan to reach out to organizations representing people with hearing disabilities to prepare that community for the national test. In addition, FEMA and the FCC will work with EAS participants to explore whether there are solutions to address this limitation.

How long will the test last?

We anticipate that the test will last approximately 3 minutes.

Why is the national test being conducted at this particular date and time?

In order to minimize disruption and confusion during the EAS test, it is being conducted on November 9 because this date is near the end of hurricane season and before the severe winter weather season begins. The 2 p.m. EST broadcast will minimize disruption during rush hours while ensuring that the test occurs during working hours across the country.

Will the test involve mobile communications devices?

No. The test will involve only those communications service providers – broadcast radio and television, cable television, satellite radio and television and wireline video services – that participate in the EAS.

For More Information

For more information about EAS, visit the FCC’s EAS webpage. For more information about AMBER Alerts, see our consumer guide. Finally, for information about other telecommunications issues, visit the FCC’s Consumer & Governmental Affairs Bureau website. 

September is National Preparedness Month

In his proclamation designating September as National Preparedness Month, President Barack Obama stated, “In April of this year, a devastating series of tornadoes challenged our resilience and tested our resolve. In the weeks that followed, people from all walks of life throughout the Midwest and the South joined together to help affected towns recover and rebuild…Disability community leaders worked side-by-side with emergency managers to ensure that survivors with disabilities were fully included in relief and recovery efforts. These stories…underscore that in America, no problem is too hard and no challenge is too great.”

Disability.gov’s Emergency Preparedness section has many tools and resources that can help people with disabilities and others prepare for, and recover from, emergency situations and disasters.

Here are a few examples of the resources you’ll find on Disability.gov

•    Tips for people who have pets or service animals
•    Information about emergency kits and supplies
•    Preparing for emergencies at work and school
•    Accessible shelters and emergency housing
•    Help recovering from a disaster

You can also find help in your state by visiting Disability.gov’s Information by State section and going to the Emergency Preparedness section for your state. Disability.Blog also has information about the importance of including everyone in emergency management planning, preparing for emergencies in the workplace and taking into account service animals when planning for emergencies.

Stay safe, be prepared, and check out these other resources for more information

•    Ready.gov (Listo América)
•    Are You Prepared? Video Contest
•    FEMA’s Office of Disability Integration and Coordination
•    DisabilityPreparedness.gov
•    National Preparedness Month Coalition
•    DisasterAssistance.gov
•    Emergency Preparedness and You
•    Citizen Corps
•    American Red Cross

Getting Real II- Promising Practices in Inclusive Emergency Management for the Whole Community

Please plan to join the Office of Disability Integration and Coordination and the National Council on Disability by webcast on Sept 12-14 for “Getting Real II- Promising Practices in Inclusive Emergency Management for the Whole Community” http://GettingReal-II.WebCastOn.TV

Amy Goldman of the Institute on Disabilities at Temple and manager, Emergency Preparedness Initiatives for the Pass It On center, and Martha Rust, Georgia Tools for Life and the Pass It On Center, Georgia Department of Labor, are among the presenters at this national conference.

Emergency and Disaster Planning for People with Disabilities and Others with Access and Functional Needs

On June 22, 2011 St. Petersburg College's National Terrorism Preparedness Institute (NTPI), a division of the Center for Public Safety Innovation, hosted a Webcast/Satellite Broadcast on the FEMA/DHS initiative, Planning for the Whole Community. This broadcast can be viewed by visiting the Live Response website. The program highlighted FEMA’s Office of Disability Integration and Coordination (ODIC) and explained the importance of including people with access and functional needs in emergency and disaster planning. Guests included Marcie Roth, Director of the ODIC; Richard Devylder, Senior Advisor for Accessible Transportation at the U.S. Department of Transportation; and June Isaacson Kailes, Disability Policy Consultant/Associate Director, Harris Family Center for Disability and Health Policy at WesternU. 
The broadcast can also be found under ODIC News – 06/28/11 http://www.fema.gov/about/odic/

Survey for Personal Assistant Services Users re: Emergency Experiences

The Center on Disability the Public Health Institute along with the Center for Personal Assistance Services at UC San Francisco is conducting a research study to determine promising practices in preparing for emergencies among individuals with disabilities who use personal assistance services (PAS).  If you use PAS and have experienced disasters or emergencies we would like to hear about your experiences.  
Please go to  http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/ZTXYZ69  to give your experiences. 

Accessible Emergency Alerting

Because of recent weather-related emergencies in many parts of the country, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) is reminding video programming distributors – including broadcasters, cable operators, satellite television services and other distributors of video programming – of their obligation to make emergency information accessible to persons with hearing and vision disabilities. 

For more information visit https://www.disability.gov/technology/news_%26_events.

Recovering from a National Disaster

Many people across the nation are still recovering from the widespread damage caused by a series of destructive spring tornadoes and thunderstorms. Others are dealing with the impact of flooding from the Mississippi River. And now, with hurricane season approaching, it is important to be aware of the many disaster recovery resources and forms of assistance that are available to help you.

Read more at www.disabiity.gov in their May 2011 newsletter

https://www.disability.gov/home/newsroom/disability_connection_newsletter/2011/may#recovering-national-disaster

Iowa AT Act collaborates with Iowa FEMA and Emergency Managers: Some Recommendations

Below are some key points shared by Jane Gay with the Iowa Program for Assistive Technology

Pre-1: 

• Adequate personal emergency planning with support systems will help people with disabilities (PWD) shelter at home or go to supportive environments rather than community shelters if possible rather than planning on Emergency Mnagement Agency (EMA) shelter and questionable services. 
• Continuity of Operations Planning (COOP) for basic and essential community based disability/health services is also well worth the EMA time so these services remain or return to functioning ASAP after a disaster. This allows PWD to shelter at home, provide services for shelter or elsewhere in the community.

Helpful Tips:

• Any EMA alerts or warnings to evacuate need to include "be sure to bring with you any medicine, medical supplies or adapted equipment you need".  It has to be a short message, but this has been re-enforced with the EMAs that this is all specific to the individual and needs to come with them. At shelter or disaster registration be sure to clearly label all medicine, medical supplies and adapted equipment. Evacuation procedures need to also encourage and allow persons to bring medicine, medical supplies and adapted equipment (like wheelchairs, scooters, power chargers, transfer boards or benches/chairs, walkers, and augmentative communication devices). This might mean in the evacuation vehicle with the person or plan to have a follow-up vehicle to label and transport AT devices to same location as owner. Again, part of EMA transportation and evacuation is to plan ahead of time.

• It is also strongly encouraged that all general shelters have and pass an ADA access survey. Survey is attached to PDF below. If not accessible and still plan to use, then shelter may need AT on hand to quickly make accessible: raised toilet seat with grab bar, shower bench, TTY, portable ramp, accessible parking signs.

• The IOWA AT Program provided to each EMA the Pennsylvania TEMPLE UCEED picture communication board to laminate and have on hand.

• The FEMA guidance for Functional Needs Support Services (FNSS) (http://www.fema.gov/pdf/about/odic/fnss_guidance.pdf) has a long list of medical supplies and DME to have on hand. It's recommended that EMA have Memorandum's of Understanding (MOUs) with DME and CMS suppliers in increasing distances from county, so if a town is hit by a disaster DME in the next town or county could be brought over. Necessary to have ahead of time with large list of types of devices DME will have on hand to provide and plan to get into disaster area. As people sign into shelter or disaster services the specific type of AT can be identified and ordered. While the prelist is good for some things like CME for injuries, I doubt the FEMA list can accurately guess the specific CME and AT needs that will actually show up at a shelter.

• Then if they are going to have things on hand, practical in some cases:
• Use a washcloth to build up handles 
• Paper and pen, chalk/board, etc for communication 1-1 and for posting announcements at same time as speaker/loud speaker. 
• Flex straws 
• Quick AT repair kit: duct tape, etc 
• If they know shelter is not fully accessible, be ready to provide a shower bench, transfer board, Temporary signs for accessible parking, 
• TTY if not available already in general shelters as identified in ADA survey 
• ADA shelter cots (explain why more space is needed near a wall)

• Then also provide a cheat sheet or decision tree on how to replace AT/DME.  If possible, provide them with info on how to start with funding sources and proceed for Medicaid, Medicare, VR, Education, Veterans. Also established Gov and Non-Gov disaster services that have funds to replace, then go to recycling programs. Plus provide how to match AT to user instead of one size fits all.

Fire Preparedness for Wheelchair Users

http://www.unitedspinal.org/pdf/WheelchairFireSafety.pdf

Disaster Preparedness for People with Autism

Based on the background research of Stephen M. Shore, the Autism Research Institute website noted that many of the ideas relevant to disaster preparedness for the Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) population are already being used and materials already exist that can push education and awareness.

http://www.mb.com.ph/articles/318412/disaster-preparedness-persons-with-autism

Considering Donations after a Disaster: Goods vs. Junk

This is a recent article in the Atlanta Journal Constitution that discusses donations of items not easily used during times of disasters.

After tornadoes, junk donations become challenge - http://www.ajc.com/news/nation-world/after-tornadoes-junk-donations-946616.html

FEMA Bulletin Encourages Collaboration with Disability Stakeholders

In the Informational Bulletin #361 issued May 13, 2011, FEMA announced that, along with the availability of funds for state planning efforts,  "we strongly encourage grantees to address how your Investments will increase the effectiveness of emergency preparedness planning and response and to increase the involvement of disability inclusion experts as partners across all aspects of emergency management.  FEMA expects that integration occurs at all levels from planning, to purchasing of equipment and supplies and exercises/drills. "  This underscores FEMA's commitment to meeting the needs of persons with functional needs in all planning activities, and provides an opportunity for disability stakeholders to engage with FEMA.

Disability in Conflict and Emergencies Fact Sheet

Disability in Conflict and Emergencies Fact Sheet - http://www.cbm.org/article/downloads/71140/Fact_sheet_Disability_in_Conflict_and_Emergencies.pdf

A new “Disability in Conflicts and Emergencies” fact sheet is available from The Atlas Alliance and CBM, which provides analysis and suggestions for decreasing risk to individuals in emergency situations.