911 system upgrade would let you text

New upgrades for the 911 system in Washington would allow easier and timelier access to emergency calls for those who are deaf and hard of hearing. Story from Saturday's News Tribune here.

FEMA is on YouTube!

Check out the Federal Emergency Management Agency - FEMA - on YouTube! Some pertinent and up-to-date videos, up to and including the flooding this past weekend on the Red River in Fargo, North Dakota. And it is captioned!!

Emergency preparedness information for kidney dialysis patients and providers

One distinct group in the high risk population is those who need kidney dialysis. Due to the life-threatening nature of not recieving regular dialysis, there are plans available to help patients and providers prepare for disasters. The Northwest Renal Network is a private, not-for-profit corporation independent of any dialysis company, individual unit, or transplant center. Their mission is to promote optimal dialysis and transplant care for kidney patients in Alaska, Idaho, Montana, Oregon, and Washington. The network has a website with more information on emergency planning for both patients and providers

New FEMA on-line course - Special Needs Planning

Just found out that there is a new FEMA on-line course for "Special Needs Planning Considerations for Emergency Management (IS-197.EM)." There is also another one for "Special Needs Planning Considerations for Service and Support Providers (IS-197-SP)." I believe the difference is the audience that the course is aimed toward, but I haven't taken both courses. I'd love to hear feedback on either one or both, to see if they are courses we should be recommending to all of our partners.

Coordinated transportation

This past week I had the opportunity to meet the coordinator for the Pierce County Coordinated Transportation Council (PCCTC) which works with various agencies and organizations to locate transporation options for low-income or high risk populations. One of the issues when putting together a robust emergency plan for a long term care facility is when one has to evacuate the building. Finding another location and the transportation to get the guests there can be challenging. We will be looking at the PCCTC to maybe help transportation providers partner with some of these facilities in case of a facility-wide event.

Another definition - special needs populations

This definition is from the National Response Framework (FEMA's response plan) for special needs popuations. They define the group as "populations whose members may have additional needs before, during and after an incident in functional areas, including but not limited to:

• Maintaining independence
• Communication
• Transportation
• Supervision
• Medical care

What do you think?

Long term care facilites wanting to prepare

The Red Cross of St. Louis is test piloting a program that will soon spread to other Red Cross organizations nationwide. The Red Cross Ready Rating™ Program is a first-of-its-kind program designed to help your business or organization become better prepared for an emergency or disaster. The Red Cross Ready Rating Program provides a framework for businesses to get prepared at the office and help their employees get prepared at home.

Incidentally, it coincides with an effort that King. Pierce and Snohomish (WA) counties have been trying to put together on their own - a way to encourage long term care facilities to beef up their emergency plans. After talking with some facility managers and owners, they felt they needed something that would help them in the marketing of their facility - and thus the idenification as a "Red Cross Ready Rating" business would be a selling point. We are looking into utilizing this Red Cross program that has already been set up to encourage long term care facilities to go beyond their fire safety plans and their required-by-law plans to a full and robust disaster plan that will benefit their clients, staff and the company. The program

We'll keep you updated on the progress. Our first test site is in Everett, WA. Washington Oakes Retirement Community has been working with our group for the past year to help move this project along.

When you can't Drop, Cover, and Hold On

For people who cannot safely DROP, COVER and HOLD ON in response to an earthquake, there are still many protective measures that can be practiced. Some of the most valuable:

• Use arms, to protect head and neck.
• Close eyes, as eyelids provide some protection from dust and debris.
• Lock wheels, if in a wheelchair, to prevent extra movement.
• Learn how to fall, to minimize injury if you are thrown to the ground.
• Reduce or remove hazards, to make the physical environment support personal safety. Example: use museum wax to keep pictures and breakable items in place.
• Practice “safety eyes”, taking care to notice and avoid any particular danger zones.

Have more questions about what to do if you can’t Drop, Cover and Hold On? Share your comments on this 5-Minute Message on CARD's Blog from your partners in preparedness,
Ana-Marie Jones and Scott McCormick CARD -- Collaborating Agencies Responding to Disasters 1736 Franklin Street, Suite 450 Oakland, CA 94612-3456phone: 510-451-3140 fax: 510-451-3144

Preparedness workshop for people with disabilities

I just participated in the second of several preparedness trainings for people who are clients of The Center for Independence in Lakewood, WA. The Center received a grant last fall from the Christopher and Dana Reeves Foundation to provide these workshops, which includes each person going away with a three-day kit, and some knowledge of how to prepare and how to ask if the homes they are living in are prepared for emergencies and disasters.

I was extremely impressed with the staff's commitment to this workshop - for a demonstration, each staff member showed what part of the preparation they themselves each did. They also talked about the measures they've added in their own agency as a result of their researching the preparedness workshop. The first training was held only two days before a major snowstorm, and Sue Thompson, one of their staff, said it made her feel a little better knowing that there were a dozen or so more people out there ready for the winter.

Definition of High Risk Populations?

This is a big question. My short answer, when anyone asks me, is "anybody who thinks they are" - because that is how they are going to act in a disaster. This is also my reasoning for preparing people for emergencies and disasters, so they then "don't think they are."

I'd love to hear how you define this unique group. At one workshop I attended several years ago, the presenter asked us to help her list the members of this population. After she filled a white board with (legitimate) high risk groups, it seemed like the only group that wasn't listed was healthy white males between the ages of 21 and 39.

I participated in a state after action report for the 2006 December Western Washington windstorm event, and the 'official' definition of high risk populations for this document (which we adopted for our county planning purposes as well) is "Individuals who have high risk for harm from an emergency due to significant limitations in their personal care or self-protection abilities, mobility; vision, hearing, communication, or health status. These limitations may be the result of physical, mental or sensory impairments; or medical conditions. Some of these individuals may be reliant on specialized supports such as mobility aides (wheelchairs, walkers, canes, crutches, etc.), communication systems (hearing aides, TTY’s, etc.), medical devices (ventilators, dialysis, pumps, monitors, etc.), prescription medication, or personal attendants. For some individuals, loss of these supports due to emergency related power and communication outages, or transportations and supply disruptions, may be the primary or only risk factor."

Any opinions out there?

April 21 Seminar "Death in Disasters"

The Pierce County (WA) Department of Emergency Management High Risk Populations Disaster Planning Coalition is pleased to present its next quarterly Disaster Readiness Seminar "Death in Disasters: Fatality planning and response for disasters" on April 21 (see attached flyer). The seminar is being held at the Weatherly Inn, 6016 North Highlands Parkway in Tacoma, from 9 to 10:30 a.m.

Panelists for the seminar include:
-Onora Lien, Mass Fatalities Response Planner
Public Health of Seattle-King County

-Frank Sebastian,Team Leader (Acting)
DMORT Region 10 (Disaster Mortuary Team)

-Gini Dryer-Dow,Funeral Director
Weeks-Dryer Funeral Home, Spanaway

The seminar is free of charge, and open to anyone who is interested. Please RSVP by April 17th to sbadger@co.pierce.wa.us or 253-798-2204.

To registry or not to registry...

One of the issues that always comes up in discussions regarding high risk population disaster planning is the issue of registries - should those that have challenges evacuating or those that need welfare checks after disasters be put on a 'list' for first responders? What type of list? How is it maintained? Who has access to it?

If you have any examples, or viewpoints on this issue, please comment.

Emergency Planning Institute Spring Class

The Emergency Planning Institute is a 12-hour class sponsored by the Pierce County (WA) Department of Emergency Management which is targeted toward social service agencies, long term care facilities and anyone else who is interested in putting together or improving their organization's emergency plan.

Due to the great response from the participants in the first Emergency Planning Institute class, we will be offering these classes twice a year. The next class schedule is:

Friday, April 24 from 8 am to 12 p.m.
at Pierce County Emergency Operations Center in Tacoma
Session 1: Incident Command/Introduction to Disasters - Overview

Monday, May 4 from 8 am to 12 p.m.
at TACID (Tacoma Area Coalition of Individuals with Disabilities) in Tacoma
Session 2: Plans and Procedures

Friday, May 22 from 8 am to 12 pm
at TACID (Tacoma Area Coalition of Individuals with Disabilities) in Tacoma
Session 3: How to…Update, Train and Exercise

We ask that participants commit to all three classes. Click here for the registration form. Classes are limited in size to 20 people. The application deadline is April 8.

For more information, contact sbadger@co.pierce.wa.us at Pierce County Department of Emergency Management.

'Carrier Alert' partnership to help vulnerable adults

People who live alone and consider themselves vulnerable can feel a bit safer thanks to Carrier Alert, a new partnership between the Tacoma Post Office and the Pierce County Aging and Disability Resource Center.

Carrier Alert utilizes the unique daily presence of local letter carriers who keep a watchful eye on seniors and individuals with disabilities. Carriers notify the Aging and Disability Resource Center if they have a concern about one of their customers. An ADRC specialist then makes safety checks with calls to the home or the emergency contacts of registered participants.

The free program is designed to assist older adults and people with disabilities who live alone. There is no qualification to participate other than for Individuals to identify themselves as potentially vulnerable and to complete a Carrier Alert application form. They must have their own mail box.

Participating communities include Browns Point, Fife, Fircrest, Lakewood, Parkland, Steilacoom, Tacoma, Tillicum and University Place. Application forms for Carrier Alert are available at post offices in participating communities as well as Tacoma Public Libraries and Pierce County Library branches in those areas.

If something raises concerns, a carrier calls the Aging and Disability Resource Center at 253-798-4600. ADRC specialists then call the home, contact emergency numbers or make a physical check of the home.

CONTACT: Dennis Shimomura, Customer Relations Coordinator, Tacoma Post Office, 253-471-6028 or dennis.m.shimomura@usps.gov; Bob Riler, Pierce County Aging & Long Term Care, 253-798-7384 or briler@co.pierce.wa.us.

Flyer for High Risk Populations Disaster Planning Summit

Click here for the invitational flyer for the 2009 Pierce County High Risk Populations Disaster Planning Summit.