Emergency Planning For People With Disabilities
The 2006 Hurricane Season is upon us. As many learned last year, it is important to be prepared for all emergencies, including hurricanes, flooding, fires, tornadoes, severe weather or even terrorist activity. If you have special needs, it is important that you take the time now to prepare. There are many things you can do to get ready - below are some suggestions.
Identify a personal support network to help you to get prepared before a disaster and to help you cope during and after a disaster. This network should include at least 3 people. Decide what assistance you may need after the disaster. If necessary, ask your support network to help you anticipate your post disaster needs. Be sure to discuss your plans for various types of emergencies.
Call your parish office of emergency preparedness to discuss your current and anticipated needs, evacuation plans, and preferred method of communication so that you can be notified if a disaster is imminent. Be sure to discuss your needs for electricity, refrigeration for medicine, transportation (especially accessible transportation), and pca services. Also discuss the needs of your service animal. Contact information for Offices of Emergency Preparedness (OEP) are listed below.
Sign up with http://www.emergencyemail.org/Default.asp This site will notify you via email or text message when emergencies are announced by your local, regional, or national government.
Make a disaster supply kit. This kit should include:
- List of model numbers or serial numbers of medical devices and equipment.
- Medical alert tags or bracelets and written description of your disability-related or health care conditions.
- Medications and copies of all prescriptions, including a list of the prescription name, dosage, frequency, doctor and pharmacist. Also consider if medications need to be refrigerated and if so, bring a cooler with an ice pack or other coolant system. Be sure to have extra supplies of medication and durable medical equipment at all times. When you evacuate, be sure to take your prescription bottles with you. This will make it easier for you to refill your prescriptions accurately if you must use a different pharmacy.
- Hygiene supplies including absorbent pads and urinal as needed and personal grooming items such as toothbrush, toothpaste, deodorant, soap, towel, washcloth, comb, or brush.
- Phone numbers and names of your physicians or other health care providers, health insurance information, emergency contact information including your support network members.
- Supplies for a service animal including food, identification tags, proof of up-to-date vaccinations and veterinarian contact.
Talk to your case managers and providers about how to contact them in an emergency.
Set up alternate means of communication in case phone lines are not operational. This could include assigned meeting places, the use of pagers, text messages or email or a contact in an alternate location, preferably another state.
If you need more information about emergency preparedness for people with disabilities or are not able to contact your OEP, call the Advocacy Center at 1-800-960-7705.
http://www.dars.state.tx.us/announcements/20060601emergencykit.htm
Parish Emergency Plans for Individuals with Disabilities and the Elderly
Calcasieu Parish
For more information, call: (337) 439-9911.
Cameron Parish
For more information, call: (337) 912-7418.
East Baton Rouge Parish
For more information, call: (225) 389-2100.
Iberia Parish
Individuals with disabilities must first register with the city. The number to call to register is listed in the newspaper. Buses equipped to pick up individuals with disabilities will be used for emergencies. No shelters are being offered below
I-10, however shelter of last resort will be available for extreme emergencies.
For more information call: (337) 369-4427.
Jefferson Parish
In Jefferson Parish a phone number will be displayed on TV and radio. At that time those needing assistance, who are not serviced by a home healthcare agency, are to call the publicized number to determine their eligibility. If eligible, a bus will then pick them up. Medically needy individuals who do not have assistance from able-bodied relatives/friends and are too ill to leave the area will be categorized and housed, along with one caregiver only, in a designated Jefferson Parish hospital refuge.
For more information, call: (504) 349-5360 or visit the Jefferson Parish Website at http://www.jeffparish.net/index.cfm?DocID=1531).
Jefferson Davis Parish
For information call: (337) 821-2100.
Lafayette Parish
Each resident in Lafayette Parish needs to provide their own evacuation plans. There will be no shelters south of I-10. There may be a special needs shelter after the emergency in which medical personnel will be available.
For more information, call: (337) 291-5075.
Lafourche Parish
Individuals with special needs should register with the Department of Public Health at (985) 447-0916. They will let you know if you qualify for special services. If you have special needs and need transportation to evacuate you must call the number above after you have registered. People are advised to listen to media for more specific information at the time of a storm. There will be vans, ambulances and possibly buses to transport people with special needs.
For more information, call: (985) 537-7603.
Livingston Parish
Livingston Parish does not accommodate for individuals with disabilities if are in a Home Health Organization. The nursing home will be responsible for their care. Everything else will be on a case by case basis. Residents must call the number below to make accommodations.
For more information, call: (225) 686-3066.
Orleans Parish
Resident with disabilities must register with the parish by calling 311. Their eligibility for special services will be determined and someone from the New Orleans Department of Health will get back to them. There are currently 4-5 buses available now with wheelchair accessibility. The city is working on getting more. Everyone will be allowed at least one caregiver to accompany them on the bus. Residents with special needs should go to one of four locations around the city where they will be banded and processed according to needs. There will be a tracking system in place. From these locations, they will be transferred to the Union Passenger Terminal on Poydras. Going directly to the train station is not advised.
To find out more information or to find the location where you should go to be processed, call: (504) 658-8700.
Other number available for Orleans: Office of Homeland Security (504) 658-6904 or
New Orleans Dept. of Health (504) 658-2500.
Plaquemines Parish
Anyone diagnosed with conditions that require special needs should make their plans and arrangements well in advance with a private physician, clinic and your family. Regular shelters are not equipped to handle evacuees requiring special medical attention.
Any Plaquemines Parish resident who is now totally bed bound and may require assistance during an evacuation must contact the parish now. Persons requesting assistance must currently be a permanent resident of the Parish and must currently be living within the boundaries of the Parish.
Responses and/or questions regarding should be directed to the Plaquemines Parish Government Public Health Nurse, Linda Ramil or Health Department Staff.
Contact the Plaquemines Parish Health Department at
(504) 394-3510 or through the Parish switchboard at (504) 297-5000
Other information lines are: 504-392-6690 or 504-297-5500.
St. Bernard Parish
St. Bernard is currently in the process of creating their new emergency plan. They will accept phone calls from anyone who has questions. The public will be alerted to new plans through a series of article in the St. Bernard newspaper. They are currently working on a better plan to alert the public.
For more information, call: (504) 278-4267.
St. Charles Parish
St. Charles is considered a high risk area. There will be mandatory evacuations even for tropical storm status. Residents will be sent a “Special Needs Card” to indicate any disability that they may have that may require special needs. These cards will be sent to nursing homes as well. The cards will be sent out every year. Emergency alerts will go out through radio, TV, internet, outdoor siren system, and possible PA/public address announcement system. People with hearing or sight disabilities will be alerted through other methods. This will be known to the office by cards on file. The parish will utilize school buses to transport individuals with disabilities who do not have means of transportation to a pick up point for further evacuation. The parish will provide transportation to the general public as well. For those in FEMA trailers, there will also be pickup points for further evacuation to a shelter
For further information, call: (985) 783-5050.
St. John the Baptist
St. John the Baptist is a risk area due to nearby chemical plants, nuclear plants. There will be no shelters for general population. There will be no special need shelters. The parish is currently encouraging and working with families to create their own evacuation or emergency plan. They are also working with DHH and DOTD concerning the issues of emergency preparedness. They have sent out (this April) a safety brochure and a form asking whether there is a person with a special need and these forms will be filed in the office. People will also receive safety information whenever they set up their utilities (especially for new residents); the brochures warn them of potentially dangerous conditions such as a nearby nuclear power plant, an area that floods easily, etc… There is an outdoor siren system used to alert the community of an emergency situation (such as chemical spill, hurricane, etc…). The residents are encouraged to listen to their own specific radio station and/or to watch channel 15 for cable viewers (government access channel) for more information.
People with special needs will be moved to Baton Rouge or Alexandria, but transportation may be an issue because this parish does not have many resources; the best that the parish can do is to coordinate transportation with local school buses and ambulances (for those who have a special needs) and then ask the state for more resources when necessary. For individuals who are hearing/speech impaired, residents may call Louisiana Relay Service. This is a toll free number that is available for people who have a hearing or speech impairment and need to communicate w/ someone who is not equipped with ADD or ADA telephone equipment. That number is 800 846-5277 for TTY users or 800 947-5277 for voice users.
The parish is current working with the families and caregivers of the elderly to create an emergency plan.
The local fire department is currently gathering information on the inhabitants of trailer villages. During a tropical storm, inhabitants of FEMA trailer villages will move to a temporary shelter set up by the Red Cross. The inhabitants must bring their own food/supplies because there is no guarantee that such things will be provided. If the tropical storm becomes a category I the Red Cross will close these temporary shelters.
For more information, call: (985) 652-2222.
St. Martin Parish
St. Martin Parish will have no shelters in the area. Home Health Agencies should have their own plans. The community will be alerted through the media.
For more information call: (337) 394-3071 or
www.stmartinsheriff.org (under the links: Departments & Bureaus: Homeland Security).
St. Mary Parish
Residents with disabilities in St Mary Parish who have a special need for transportation need to contact Mr. Duval Arthur, Jr. at (985) 385-2600. These people will be sent to The Heymann Center in Lafayette, La or Nicholls State University (the nursing department) in Thibodaux, La.
For more information, call: (985) 385-2600.
St. Tammany Parish
For more information, call: (985) 898-2359.
Tangipahoa Parish
There is one special needs shelter at the Kinesiology Building of Southeastern Louisiana University and there is a committee that oversees it. Only the special needs person and one caregiver is allowed admission. The parish has already been working with the Home Health Homes around the parish about coordinating transportation. This office also has the information regarding the special needs residents of these Home Health Homes.
If someone with a special need does not live in a Home Health Home and needs transportation or help, then he/she needs to call Tangipahoa Government Office (985) 748-3211. Informational booklets available at libraries and Wal-Mart. Transportation will be available for residents in FEMA trailer villages by school buses.
For more information, call: (985) 748-9602 (main number for information)
For individuals with special needs: (985) 748-3211
Terrebonne Parish
People with special needs should register with the Department of Public Health at (985) 447-0916. They will let you know if you qualify for special services. If you have special needs and need transportation to evacuate you must call the number above after you have registered. People are advised to listen to media for more specific information at the time of a storm. There will be vans, ambulances and possibly buses to transport people with special needs.
For more information, call: (985) 873-6357
For individuals with special needs: (985) 447-0916
Vermilion Parish
There will be no shelters in Vermillion Parish. For people with special needs, it must be determines whether the person falls within DHH’s definition of a special needs person. If they qualify, they may receive they may receive transportation by ambulance at the Medical EOC. Medical EOC coordinates the transportation of people with special needs.
For more information, call: (337) 898-4308
Individuals need to contact Willis Hebert at (337)-893-5466. This service is indicated more for individuals who are bed ridden.
Washington Parish
For more information, call: (985) 732-5200.
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