Red Cross Officials Advise Disabled on Emergency Readiness


By SHARON WATERS
Gannett New Jersey

Published in the Courier News on June 12, 2004

NEW BRUNSWICK -- While everyone should make preparations for a disaster, readiness is especially important for people with disabilities, representatives from the American Red Cross of Central Jersey and county and state government said.

A forum Tuesday on emergency preparation for the disabled and their families was sponsored by the Middlesex County Commission for Persons with Disabilities and held at the Middlesex County's administration building.

"Disasters don't follow ADA (Americans with Disabilities Act) regulations," said Mary Goepfert, a training specialist with the New Jersey Office of Emergency Management. "They just sort of go where they want and do what they please."

Specific emergency preparation tips offered to people with disabilities included:

-- Contact local office of emergency management to learn what resources are available for the disabled.

-- Instruct co-workers and others in your support network how to help during an emergency, such as directions on manually pushing a power wheelchair if it can't be recharged because electricity is out.

-- Create a special disaster supply kit with disability-related items such as an extra cane, spare wheels for a wheelchair, hearing-aid batteries, special medications and supplies for a service pet including a harness, food and copies of vaccination records.

-- Put a card in your wallet listing medications and information about your pharmacy account.

Some municipalities, such as Piscataway and East Brunswick, maintain registries of disabled people so local emergency management personnel can reach out to them during a disaster. Utility companies also maintain rosters of people who use special electrical equipment for medical reasons and will try to give priority to those people, if possible, during a power outage, according to John Ferguson with the Middlesex County Office of Emergency Management.

The panelists emphasized people with disabilities must contact municipalities and utilities to be placed on those lists.

Goepfert noted that people with disabilities may have special coping skills for dealing with disasters. On a daily basis, they cope with altered or difficult environments and often must plan ahead for things such as transportation or backup care plans, she said.

"In some ways you have an advantage over the able-bodied population because of what you have experienced," Goepfert said.

Fords resident Barbara Finan, who is blind, found the workshop helpful.

"The whole thing was informative. There are people here who will help us," said Finan, 56.

More information is available by calling the county at (732) 745-4519.


© copyright 2004 Gannett News Service