National Evacuation Conference New Orleans, LA Wednesday, February 8, 2012

1. National Evacuation Conference New Orleans, LA Wednesday, February 8, 2012 Promising practices in evacuation for people with disabilities Lewis E. Kraus, MPH, MCP Center on Disability at the Public Health Institute Oakland CA June Isaacson Kailes, MSW Disability Policy Consultant Playa Del Rey, CA http://www.pascenter.org Funder: National Institute on Disability & Rehabilitation Research; Grant #H133B080002

2. Recent Evacuation Events for People with Disabilities • After September 11, people confined without electricity, fresh supplies, medications, & communication. • In Hurricane Katrina, many deaths were among older & disabled adults; evacuated had no access to medications, DME, CMS, etc. • Some ended up stranded in institutions because shelters and systems were unprepared for their needs. • At least 13 million people age 50+ would need help to evacuate

3. Public Policy Context • Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) 1991 • • Title II program accessibility requirement • • Reasonable modifications in policies, practices, and procedures • Olmstead Supreme court decision, 1999 • provide services in the community, rather than in institutions • Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act, as amended 2007 • statutory authority for most Federal disaster response activities especially for FEMA and FEMA programs – nondiscrimination clause • Post Katrina Emergency Management Reform Act • Structural changes to FEMA and Homeland Security

4. Center for PAS Research • Focused on shelter needs & community plans • Research on Emergency plans • Review of available materials • Key Informant interviews with • Shelter provider (1) • State and American Red Cross emergency planners (6) • Community based organizations (4)

5. Today’s Conversation • Less about evacuating people with disabilities from the scene • What are promising practices when people with disabilities get to public shelter • Language • People with disabilities • Functional Needs • Personal Assistance Services • 3:45pm presentation

6. Findings – Research on Plans • Administration on Aging – emergency readiness for older adults and caregivers • Department of Justice - ADA guidance for local governments to make emergency shelters accessible • National Council on Disability – Effective Emergency Management report and Functional Needs for emergency mangers guide • Homeland Security – National Response Framework • FEMA – Integrating Functional Needs into Shelters • City of Oakland – lawsuit agreement to include people with functional needs in emergency plans

7. Findings – Promising Practices • Using Medical Reserve Corps (MRC) for PAS in shelters if emergency is declared. • Shelter Volunteer Caregiver Training • Caretracker • Preparing for AT Needs in Advance of a Disaster • See promising practices for inclusive EM at http://www.fema.gov/about/odic/gettingreal2.shtm

8. Promising Practices • 1. Using Medical Reserve Corps (MRC) for PAS in shelters if emergency is declared. • What it does: • Uses existing resources to provide personal assistance services (PAS) in general population shelters • Contact: Dante Gliniecki, Missouri Statewide Volunteer Coordinator, State Emergency Management Agency dante.gliniecki@sema.dps.mo.gov

9. Promising Practices • Using Medical Reserve Corps (MRC) for PAS in shelters if emergency is declared. • Background • MRC is a Citizen Corps program • Overseen through the regional FEMA office • All MRC are registered in a central registry • Wide range of health professionals – licensed and unlicensed, but all are vetted (license and background check)

10. Promising Practices • Using Medical Reserve Corps (MRC) for PAS in shelters if emergency is declared. • Experience and Funding • Goal - integrate into the emergency plan – and into the state sheltering Annex. • MRC was alerted during severe storms: tornadoes and flooding in 2009, but not activated • Funded by several grants (CDC, Public Health) – for administrative staff

11. Promising Practices • Using Medical Reserve Corps (MRC) for PAS in shelters if emergency is declared. • Characteristics • Not specific to scale of hazard • Not specific to geographic area • Not warning specific • Realistic to deliver; periodically evaluated for resources and breaking points • Applicable for all functional needs

12. Promising Practices • 2. Shelter Volunteer Caregiver Training • What it does • Trains volunteers who will assist general population shelter residents with disabilities and/or who are elderly by assisting them with: activities of daily living; companionship; shelter layout; and shelter schedule • Contact: Jeanne Abadie, Advocacy Centerjabadie@advocacyla.org

13. Promising Practices • 2. Shelter Volunteer Caregiver Training • Background • Developed by EMDAC in Louisiana • If individual presenting at shelter is not receiving paid support, DHH contacts a volunteer caregiver and assigns to shelter resident. • Provides volunteer with contact info for someone at the shelter and provides shelter staff with information regarding incoming caregiver

14. Promising Practices • 2. Shelter Volunteer Caregiver Training • Experience and Funding • Funded by grants • Involves US Health & Human Services; LATAN; LAVA; American Red Cross • Passed legislation to allow for immunity for volunteers acting under the auspice of the state • Training for volunteers

15. Promising Practices • 2. Shelter Volunteer Caregiver Training • Characteristics • Scale of hazard: needs declared state of emergency • Not specific to geographic area • Not warning specific • Realistic to deliver; periodically evaluated for resources, but not breaking points • Applicable for all functional needs

16. Promising Practices • 3. Caretracker • What it does • During disaster, pre-existing electronic information is sent to emergency personnel in the area about functional needs and evacuation needs of “high-risk” individuals. • Contact: Jan Pollard Department Business Services Analyst, Santa Barbara County (CA) j.pollard@sbcsocialserv.org

17. Promising Practices • 3. Caretracker • Background • Every IHSS recipient in local area is mapped. • Individuals permit identification as potentially high risk when a disaster is imminent (can opt out) • Degrees of functional needs are considered

18. Promising Practices • 3. Caretracker • Experience and Funding • In predicted hazard, report is run mapping people by degree of potential danger. Contacted to determine if assistance is needed in evacuation. • Supervisors have list as well in case system fails • This system has been successfully used several times in major fires in the area. • No budget noted.

19. Promising Practices • 3. Caretracker • Characteristics • Not specific to scale of hazard • Not specific to geographic area • Warning specific for extreme temperature, flooding, mudslides, and fires, but not for the no warning events • Realistic to deliver; not periodically evaluated for resources or breaking points • Applicable for all functional needs

20. Promising Practices • 4. Preparing for AT Needs in Advance of a Disaster • What it does • Coordinates assistive technology (AT) retrieval or replacement & delivery of lost or left-behind assistive technology • Contact: Jamie Karam, Program Director, AT Reuse and Emergency Preparedness, Louisiana Assistive Technology Access Network (LATAN)jkaram@latan.org

21. Promising Practices • 4. Preparing for AT Needs in Advance of a Disaster • Background • After Katrina, many people spent weeks trying to reunite with lost or left-behind AT, or how to replace it. • Flow chart to determine, at shelter intake, if AT is lost or can’t be recovered • Will loan potential replacement (if available) until staff can finish replacement process

22. Promising Practices • 4. Preparing for AT Needs in Advance of a Disaster • Experience and Funding • Service is in agency funding from State for identifying, procuring, inventorying, and pre-staging cadres of AT in state-run emergency shelters per Memorandum of Agreement • About $200,000 per year • 5-10% of program director’s time is devoted to emergency management.

23. Promising Practices • 4. Preparing for AT Needs in Advance of a Disaster • Characteristics • Scale of hazard: needs declared state of emergency • Not specific to geographic area • Not warning specific • Realistic to deliver; not periodically evaluated for resources or breaking points • Applicable for all functional needs

24. For More Information, Contact Lewis Kraus deputy@adapacific.org 510-285-5600 Center for Personal Assistance Services http://www.pascenter.org/ emergency/index.php