If disaster strikes, will you be prepared?

At about one o’clock in the morning on January 16, we were awakened by the sounds of screaming sirens.  We looked out the front door to see at least ten fire trucks lined up on our small street.  Our neighbor’s home was engulfed in flames, and the skies were filled with smoke.  It was a terrifying moment -- looking out our door, seeing orange flames in the sky, and not knowing if the couple who live there and their 90-year old mother were trapped inside.

Thankfully, the smoke detectors woke them up and they had time to exit the house safely, but the next two hours felt like an eternity.  While the fire department contained the fire to keep it from spreading to the wooded preserve in the canyon behind our homes, neighbors and the devastated family huddled across the street and watched in disbelief as their home and all their possessions went up in smoke and flames.

In the days that followed, we all helped the family try to rebuild their lives.  My husband and I couldn’t help but wonder what would have happened if the same fire occurred in our house.  Were our smoke detectors functional?  When was the last time we checked the batteries?  How would we get three little kids and 2 dogs out of the house?  Where would we go?   What if there was a disaster at the kids’ school?   Would Hannah line up with the other kids, or would the noise unnerve her and send her into hiding?  Are the teachers equipped with a plan to handle her needs?

If disaster strikes, would your family be ready?  The following tips from “Preparing for Disaster for People with Disabilities and other Special Needs,” co-authored by the American Red Cross, Department of Homeland Security, and FEMA, will help your family develop an emergency plan.

Create a Personal Network

• The people in your network should know your family’s needs and capabilities and be able to provide help within minutes.
• Include a minimum of three people at each location where your loved one with Down syndrome spends a lot of time (home, school, work, therapist offices, etc.).  They should know your child’s capabilities and needs, and be able to provide help within minutes.
• Post the plan where it can be easily seen, distribute to the people in your network, and keep a copy with you.

Get informed

• Be aware of specific hazards in your community (e.g. hurricanes, tornados, earthquakes).  
• Learn about community response plans, evacuation plans and designated emergency shelters that are near your home, places of employment, schools and child care-centers.
• Consider calling your local fire or police department to register your child with a disability so that needed help can be provided quickly in an emergency.

Make a plan
Consider the following when developing your family’s plan and be sure to share your plan with your entire family, as well as with your child’s school, daycare center, or other care providers. 

• After a disaster, it is often easier to make a long distance call than a local call from a disaster area. Develop a communications plan.  Choose an "out-of-town" contact that your family members can call to check in with.  Make sure all adults have contact numbers for parents, work, school, or other care providers.
• Plan escape routes and decide where to meet in the event that you become separated from your family during an emergency (e.g., in case of fire, meet at a nearby neighbor’s home; a location outside your neighborhood in case you can’t return home). If you live in an apartment, ask the management to identify and mark accessible exits and access to all areas designated for emergency shelter or safe rooms.
• Be sure everyone knows how to use your fire extinguishers and where they are kept. Install smoke alarms on each level of your home, especially near the bedrooms. Individuals with sensory disabilities should consider installing smoke alarms that have strobe lights and vibrating pads. Also, consider installing a carbon monoxide alarm in your home.
• Check to see if you have adequate insurance coverage for fire, flood, or other hazards.
• Store important information in a flood/ fire proof box or other location:  
• inventory of home possessions;
• photos or videos of interior and exterior of your home as well as cars, boats and recreational vehicles;
• appraisals or receipts for jewelry, collectibles, artwork
• vital records and documents (birth and marriage certificates, social security cards, passports, wills, deeds, and financial, insurance, and immunizations records)

Assemble a kit
Every household should assemble a disaster supplies kit of basic items a family would need to stay safe and be more comfortable during and after a disaster. Store in a portable container near the exit door, and consider storing back-up kits in each vehicle and at your place of employment.  Kits should contain the following items:

• Three-day supply of nonperishable food, can opener, and water
• Flashlight and extra batteries
• First aid kit
• Sanitation items (hand sanitizer or towelettes; tissues)
• Whistle
• Photocopies of identification and credit cards
• Cash and coins
• Prescriptions or medications
• Items for infants  (formula, diapers, bottles)
• Blanket (in cold weather)

Maintain your plan and kit
Quiz: Review your plan every six months and quiz your family about what to do.
Drill:  Conduct fire and emergency evacuation drills on a regular basis.
Restock: Replace stored water and food every six months.
Test: Read the indicator on your fire extinguisher(s) and follow the manufacturer's instructions to recharge. Test your smoke alarms monthly and change the batteries at least once a year. Replace alarms every 10 years.

For more information
www.redcross.org/www-files/Documents/Preparing/A4497.pdf
www.redcross.org/services/disaster/beprepared/disability.pdf
www.ready.gov/america/getakit/disabled.html
www.ready.gov   (contact cards)
www.redcross.org/contactcard (contact cards)
www.hazardmaps.gov  (information about local hazards)

Sincerely,

CONTACT US
3710 Cedar Street, Box 3
Austin, Texas, 78705
Phone: (512) 323-0808
E-mail: info@dsact.com
Fax: (512) 451-3110

Please indicate on cover page:
Attn: Down Syndrome Association of Central Texas

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