Site makes emergency info readily available

(from the Longview News-Journal)

A new Web site compiled by the Northeast Texas Public Health District seeks to make emergency preparedness information accessible to residents with special needs, Longview city spokesman Shawn Hara said.

The site, accessibleemergencyinfo.com, includes videos with American Sign Language interpreters advising how to prepare for 18 topics, ranging from anthrax and botulism to pandemic flu and plagues, according to Stephanie Walker, the district's Anderson County coordinator.

The videos also have voice audio and text appearing alongside the interpreter, she said.

The site includes emergency preparedness guides formatted in Braille, large print and regular font for download. All of the information is free for public use, and any group may link to the site, Walker said.

Preparedness information for deaf populations is limited, she said. In less than one month, the site's home page has received nearly 7,000 visits, and Walker has gotten responses from public health officials in several states from Washington to South Carolina, she said. The Federal Emergency Management Administration has asked Walker to host a Webinar to tell other officials how to compile such a site.

"A lot of people don't realize that there's about 10 percent of the population that's deaf," Walker said. "When we don't give them the information, how can we possibly expect them to be prepared when disasters strike?"

"We hope the information will assist at-risk populations and serve your organization as a tool to become prepared for all hazards," Walker said in a Dec. 1 e-mail to other health and government officials. "We also hope this project serves as a springboard for further development of materials for at-risk population preparedness." The Northeast Texas Public Health District includes Wood, Smith, Rains, Van Zandt, Henderson and Anderson counties.