Special Populations: Emergency and Disaster Preparedness
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Disabled
-- Accessibility Toolkit for People with Disabilities to Use Social Media in Emergencies
Accessibility Reference Group - Community Planning Toolkit for State Emergency Preparedness Managers
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services - Disability Preparedness
Disability.gov - Disaster Risk Management for Health: People with Disabilities and Older People (PDF, 73.2 KB)
World Health Organization - Emergency Evacuation Planning Guide for People with Disabilities (PDF, 900 KB)
National Fire Protection Association - Departmental Guidelines on Emergency Preparedness and Individuals with Disabilities
Departmental Office of Civil Rights, U.S. Department of Transportation - Emergency Preparedness: Addressing the Needs of People with Disabilities (PDF, 900 KB)
National Center for Disaster Preparedness, Mailman School of Public Health, Columbia University - Evacuation Preparedness Guide
Center for Disability Issues and the Health Professions, Western University of Health Sciences - Fire Safety for People with Disabilities
U.S. Fire Administration, FEMA - A Guide for Including People with Disabilities in Disaster Preparedness Planning (PDF, 1.3 MB)
Connecticut Developmental Disabilities Network - Making Community Emergency Preparedness and Response Programs Accessible to People with Disabilities (PDF, 3,613 KB)
Civil Rights Division, U.S. Department of Justice - Preparing Makes Sense for People with Disabilities and Special Needs
Ready.gov - People with Disabilities
National Fire Protection Association - Preparing for Disaster for People with Disabilities and Other Special Needs (PDF, 731 KB)
American Red Cross - People with Disabilities and their Caregivers
U.S. Fire Administration, FEMA - Resources on Emergency Evacuation and Disaster Preparedness
U.S. Access Board - Training Program on Emergency Preparedness for Adults with Intellectual Disabilities
Westchester Institute for Human Development - World Disasters Report 2007 - Focus on discrimination (PDF, 3.8 MB)
International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies
Older Adults
-- Emergency Preparedness for Older Adults
U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention - Disaster Planning Tips for Older Adults and their Families (PDF, 105 KB)
U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention - Disaster Prepaedness for Seniors
State of Florida, Department of Elder Affairs - Disaster Preparedness for Seniors by Seniors (PDF, 521 KB)
American Red Cross - Emergency Assistance Guide (PDF, 81 KB)
U.S. Administration on Aging - Emergency Preparedness Tips for Older Adults
American Geriatrics Society - Guidelines for Mainstreaming the Needs of Older Persons in Disaster Situations in the Caribbean (PDF, 1.5 MB)
- Just In Case: Emergency Readiness for Older Adults and Caregivers (PDF, 874 KB)
U.S. Administration on Aging - Nursing Home Emergency Prepardedness and Response During Recent Hurricanes (PDF, 1.2 MB)
Office of the Inspector General, Department of Health and Human Services - Older Adults and Fire (PDF, 131 MB)
U.S. Fire Administration, FEMA - Older Americans (PDF, 545 KB)
FEMA
Hearing Impaired
-- Emergency Warnings for People Who Are Deaf or Hard of Hearing
National Weather Radio - Special-needs NOAA Weather Radio for deaf and hard-of-hearing persons
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration - What to Do In an Emergency
American Association of the Deaf-Blind
Visually Impaired
-Health Care Providers and First Responders
-- Epilepsy and Seizure Response for First Responders
Epilepsy Foundation of America - Guidance for Non-HIV-Specialized Providers Caring for HIV-Infected Residents Displaced from Disaster Areas: Essential Information for Managing HIV-Infected Patients Receiving Antiretroviral Therapy (PDF, 53 KB)
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (Panels that develop AIDS treatment guidelines) - Guidance for Integrating Culturally Diverse Communities into Planning and Responding to Emergencies: A Tool Kit (PDF, 438.4 KB)
National Consensus Panel on Emergency Prepardness and Cultural Diversity - Meeting the Needs of Vulnerable Populations in Emergency Response
Public Health - Seattle and King County, Washington State - Tips For First Responders
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Office on Disabilities
Women and Gender
-- Disaster or Emergency Preparedness Plan for Women
National Women's Health Information Center, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services - Gender and Disaster Sourcebook
Gender and Disaster Network - Gender and Disaster
World Health Organization - Gender Perspective: Working Together for Disaster Risk Reduction. Good Practices and Lessons Learned
International Strategy for Disaster Reduction, United Nations - The IASC Handbook for Gender Equality in Humanitarian Action
World Health Organization
Pregnancy
-- How Midwives Can Prepare Their Practice for Disaster
American College of Nurse-Midwives - Prepare for a Disaster: Pregnancy
March of Dimes - Prepare for a Disaster: Information for anyone caring for a newborn
March of Dimes
Children
-- 2010 Report to the President and Congress
National Commission on Children and Disasters - Children and Disasters
American Academy of Pediatrics - Coping with Crisis - Helping Children with Special Needs
National Association of School Psychologists - Emergency Preparedness for Children with Special Health Care Needs
American Academy of Pediatrics - Helping Children Cope with Crisis: A Guide for African American Parents
U.S. National Institute of Child Health and Human Development - Ready Kids
U.S. Department of Homeland Security - National Child Traumatic Stress Network
National Child Traumatic Stress Network - Trinka and Sam: The Rainy Windy Day (PDF, 1.54 MB)
National Child Traumatic Stress Network
Diabetes
-- Diabetes: Tips for Emergency Preparedness
American Diabetes Association - Diabetes Disaster Preparedness (PDF, 210 KB)
Division of Family Health Services, State of New Jersey - Diabetes Care During Natural Disasters, Emergencies, and Hazards
U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
American Indians
-- Tribal Prepardedness for Emergencies and Disasters
National Library of Medicine
Latino Communities
-- Emergency Managers Tool Kit: Meeting the Needs of Latino Communities
National Council of La Raza
Foreign Language Materials
-- Emergency and Community Health Outreach
Emergency and Community Health Outreach - Emergency Preparedness Resources
Center for Multicultural Health, Utah Department of Health - Emergencies
Healthy Roads Media - Other Languages
FEMA - Multilingual Health Information for Refugees and their Health Providers
Refugee Health Information Network (RHIN) - Translated Materials: Brochure/Handout
National Resource Center on Advancing Emergency Preparedness for Culturally Diverse Communities
Información en Español
-- Preparación para casos de desastre para personas con discapacidad y otras necesidades especiales (PDF, 8 MB)
Cruz Roja Americana - Preparación para Enfrentar Catástrofes
Especialmente Dedicato a Personas de Edad Avanzada y Realizado por Personas de Edad Acanzada
Cruz Roja Americana - Seguridad contra incendios para personas con discapacidad
La Seguridad de Fuego, FEMA
Training and Education
-- Cultural Competency Curriculum for Disaster Response
National Resource Center on Advancing Emergency Preparedness for Culturally Diverse Communities
Guidance for Organizations and Governments
-- Accommodating Individuals with Disabilities in the Provision of Disaster Mass Care, Housing, and Human Services
FEMA - At-Risk Populations in Emergencies: A Review of State and Local Stories, Tools, and Practices (PDF, 792 KB)
Association of State and Territorial Health Officials - Barriers to and Facilitators of Effective Risk Communication among Hard-to-Reach Populations in the Event of a Bioterrorist Attack or Outbreak (PDF, 1.23 MB)
This 2004 report discusses barriers as well as preferred communication channels across Hispanic, African American, Asian American, and Native American populations. Various appendixes provide tools for structuring interviews and developing questionnaires as well as supplementary demographic information by region. Texas Department of Health and State Services - Culturally-Specific Populations Emergency Communications Project: Synthesis Chart (PDF, 80 KB)
This matrix presents in depth results of a pilot study conducted by the Northwest Oregon Health Preparedness Organization. The tables display findings from a survey that examined barriers and facilitators to emergency preparedness and response activities by distinct cultural group. Findings on issues such as trust in government and communication needs are broken down by specific racial and ethnic communities. Northwest Oregon Health Preparedness Organization - Emergency Readiness Resources
American Hospital Association - Functional Needs of People with Disabilities: A Guide for Emergency Managers, Planners and Responders (PDF, 166 KB)
National Organization on Disability - HIPAA Privacy Rule: Disclosures for Emergency Preparedness - A Decision Tool
Office for Civil Rights, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services - Making Community Emergency Preparedness and Response Programs
Accessible to People with Disabilities: An ADA Guide for Local Governments
U.S. Department of Justice - National Disaster Life Support Program
American Medical Association - National Resource Center on Advancing Emergency Preparedness for Culturally Diverse Communities
Guidance for Employers
-- Effective Emergency Preparedness Planning: Addressing the Needs of Employees with Disabilities
Office of Disability Employment Policy, U.S. Department of Labor - Emergency Procedures for Employees with Disabilities in Office Occupancies (PDF, 1.25 MB)
U.S. Fire Administration, FEMA - Employers' Guide to Including Employees with Disabilities in Emergency Evacuation Plans
Job Accommodation Network
Law and Policy
-Lessons Learned from Prior Disasters
-- Hurricane Katrina Bulletin: HIPAA Privacy and Disclosures in Emergency Situations (PDF, 30 KB)
Office for Civil Rights, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services - Lessons Learned From the World Trade Center Disaster:
Emergency Preparedness for People with Disabilities in New York (PDF, 355 KB)
Center for Independence of the Disabled - The Impact of Hurricanes Katrina and Rita on People with Disabilities:
A Look Back and Remaining Challenges
National Council on Disability - We Can Do Better: Lessons Learned for Protecting Older Persons in Disasters (PDF, 474 KB)
American Association of Retired Persons