UCP AffNet Entrance
Parenting & Families
Safety
Disaster Preparedness Additional Information on Equipment and Supplies
If you use a wheelchair or scooter--
- Keep a patch kit and can of seal-in-air product in your portable disaster supplies kit to repair flat tires, unless these are puncture-proof. Also, keep an extra supply of inner tubes.
- Keep a pair of heavy gloves in your portable disaster supplies kit to use while wheeling or making your way over glass and debris.
- In areas prone to earthquakes, keep the wheelchair wheels locked and the wheelchair close to your bed at night to be sure it does not move or fall over.
If you use a motorized wheelchair or scooter--
- Have an extra battery. A car battery also can be used with a wheelchair but will not last as long as a wheelchair's deep-cycle battery.
- Check with your vendor to know if you can charge your battery by either connecting jumper cables to a vehicle battery or connecting batteries to a converter that plugs into a vehicle’s cigarette lighter. Caution: Charge only one battery at a time.
- If available, store a lightweight manual wheelchair for backup.
- Store a talking or braille clock or large-print timepiece with extra batteries.
- Have at least one extra white cane.
- Mark your disaster supplies items with fluorescent tape, large print, or braille.
- Mark your gas, water, and electric shutoff valves with fluorescent tape, large print, or braille.
- Store extra magnifiers.
- Have an extra pair of glasses if you wear them.
- Make photocopies of your information lists from this booklet.
- Consider getting a small portable battery-operated television set. Emergency broadcasts may give information in American Sign Language (ASL) or open captioning.
- Keep pads and pencils in your home disaster supplies kit and with your car disaster supplies. Keep them with you at all times for communication.
- Keep a flashlight, whistle or other noisemaker, and pad and pencil by your bed.
- Keep a card in the disaster supplies kits (in your home and car), and with you at all times that indicates that you are Deaf. Include any other appropriate communication information such as, "I do (or do not) know American Sign Language (ASL)," or, "My service animal may legally remain with me. "
- Consider buying a power converter if you use a laptop computer to communicate. A power converter allows most laptops (12 volts or less) to be operated from the cigarette lighter on the dashboard of a vehicle.
- Be sure to have pencil and paper with you as a backup communication resource.
- If you use an augmentative communication device (such as an electronic communicator or artificial larynx) that allows you to communicate by voice, be sure to keep it close to you at night in a safe place.
- Store copies of a word or letter board and preprinted key phrases you would use in case of an emergency in all of your disaster supplies kits, your wallet, purse, etc.
- Keep in mind that traffic delays and/or severe weather hazards can happen when you do not expect them. Be sure to carry the equipment and fluids (temperature controlled) you will need when traveling.
- Keep a copy of any instructions or information you think you will need. Also, keep a copy of this information in the disaster supplies kits you keep both at home and in your car. Prepare this information in a way that is easy for you to understand. You may want to break down the information into a step-by-step outline. This format will help you remember what to do during the confusion of a disaster.
- Have a pencil and paper ready to keep track of any new instructions or information you may receive.
Store emergency documents in sealed plastic freezer bags in your basic disaster supplies kit. Copies of lifesaving information (i. e., specifications for adaptive equipment or medical devices)should be stored in your basic disaster supplies kits and with your disability-related supplies, portable supplies kit, car supplies, and supplies you keep at work.
Keep other emergency documents in your disaster supplies kit for home so you can get to them in an emergency. (For a list of these items, see Appendix A Important Family Documents.) If you get benefits from Social Security (SSI or SSD), put a copy of your most recent award letter with these documents as well. (Note: financial assistance from the American Red Cross and other disaster recovery resources will not cause a reduction in your monthly grant. ) Be sure to send copies of these documents to your out-of-town contact person (seal and mark them "open in an emergency for [name] only").
Store your disaster supplies kit in a safe, dry place that is easy for you to get to. This place should also be easy for your network, or anyone who comes to assist you, to identify. If you are going to put the kit on a shelf, be sure to secure it so that it does not fall and become inaccessible when you need it.
Replace your supply of food and water every six months. Also, check the expiration dates of stored prescription medications. Replace items in your supplies kit that are old or outdated. Remember to do this by putting new purchases in the kit and using the old kit items you purchased earlier. However, do not borrow items from the kit with the intention of replacing them later. You may forget to do so.
Summary Checklist for Disaster Supplies
Date Completed
____ Put together a basic disaster supplies kit for your home. It should have food, water, and other essential items you would need for at least three, but preferably seven days.
____ Obtain a first aid kit and put it with your basic disaster supplies kit for home.
____ Collect items for a disaster supplies kit containing items you need that are related to your disability.
____ Put together a portable disaster supplies kit in a drawstring bag or pouch to carry with you at all times.
____ Assemble a disaster supplies kit for your car or van.
____ Assemble disaster supplies for your service animal and pet(s).
____ Obtain a UL-listed generator if you have equipment that runs on electricity and needs backup power.
____ Ask your utility company if a priority reconnection service is available in your area.
____ Get a patch kit and canned air for wheelchair tires.
____ Put heavy gloves in your portable disaster supplies kit if you use a wheelchair. Wear these gloves when wheeling over debris.
____ Keep an extra battery available for a motorized wheelchair
Source: Red Cross, Disaster Preparedness for People With Disabilities
RSS Feed