For the millions of Americans with mobility problems, emergencies, such as fires and floods, present a special challenge. Protecting yourself and your family when disaster strikes requires planning ahead. This checklist will help you get started. Discuss ideas with your family, friends, or personal care attendant, and prepare an emergency plan. Post the plan where everyone will see it.

Check Out Our Disaster Information For People With Disabilities!

Emergency Checklist

• Ask questions.

• Contact Us or your local County or City Office of Emergency Management.

• Ask what kind of disasters could occur in your area and how to prepare for each.

• Ask how you would be warned of an emergency.

• Ask about special assistance that may be available to you in an emergency.

• Many communities ask people with a disability to register, usually with the local fire department or emergency management office, so needed help can be provided quickly in an emergency.

• Ask your supervisor about emergency plans at your workplace.

• Ask your childrens' teachers and caregivers about emergency plans for schools and daycare centers.

• If you currently use a personal care attendant obtained from an agency, check to see if the agency has special provisions for emergencies (e.g., providing services at another location should an evacuation be ordered).

Create a Plan

• Meet with household members or your personal care attendant. Discuss the dangers of fire, severe weather, earthquakes, and other emergencies that might occur in your community.

• Determine what you will need to do for each type of emergency. For example, most people head for a basement when there is a tornado warning, but most basements are not wheelchair-accessible. Determine in advance what your alternative shelter will be and how you will get there.

• Post emergency telephone numbers near telephones and teach your children how and when to call for help.

• Learn what to do in case of power outages and personal injuries. Know how to connect or start a back-up power supply for essential medical equipment.

• If you or someone in your household uses a wheelchair, make more than one exit from your home wheelchair-accessible in case the primary exit is blocked in a disaster.

• Teach those who may need to assist you in an emergency how to operate necessary equipment.

• Arrange for a relative or neighbor to check on you in an emergency.

• Learn how to turn off the water, gas, and electricity at main valves or switches.

• Plan and practice how to escape from your home in an emergency.

• Consider getting a medical alert system that will allow you to call for help if you are immobilized in an emergency.

• If you live in an apartment, ask the management to identify and mark accessible exits.

• Learn your community's evacuation routes.

• Listen to a battery-operated radio for emergency information.

• Pick one out-of-state and one local friend or relative for family members to call if separated by disaster.

• Pick two meeting places:

  1. A place near your home in case of fire.

  2. A place outside your neighborhood in case you cannot return home after a disaster. Keep family records in a watertight, fire-proof container.

Prepare a Disaster Supplies Kit

Assemble supplies you might need in an evacuation. Store them in an easy-to-carry container, such as a backpack or duffel bag.  The American Red Cross of King & Kitsap Counties offers a variety of Disaster Supply Kits. 

Include:

• A battery-powered radio, flashlight, and plenty of extra batteries for them.

• A first aid kit, prescription medicines, and an extra pair of glasses.

• A supply of water (one gallon per person per day). Store water in sealed, unbreakable containers. Identify the storage date and replace every six months.

• A supply of non-perishable food and a non-electric can opener, plus any special foods you require.

• If you have a baby, include extra diapers and other infant care items.

• Extra wheelchair batteries, oxygen, medication, catheters, food for guide or service dogs, or other special equipment you might need.

• A change of clothing, rain gear, and sturdy shoes.

• Blankets or sleeping bags.

• A list of family physicians and the relative or friend who should be notified if you are injured.

• A list of the style and serial numbers of medical devices such as pacemakers.

• An extra set of car keys.

Also. . .

Store back-up equipment, such as a manual wheelchair, at a neighbor's home, school, or your workplace.

Do a Home Hazard Hunt

In a disaster, anything that can move, fall, break, or cause a fire is a potential hazard.

• Repair defective electrical wiring. Smell for leaky gas connections. If you smell gas, turn the gas off and call a professional to restart it.

• Keep the shut-off switch for oxygen equipment near your bed or chair, so you can get to it quickly if there is a fire.

• Fasten shelves securely to the wall. Place large, heavy objects on lower shelves or the floor.

• Hang pictures and mirrors away from beds. Bolt large pictures or mirrors to the wall.

• Secure the water heater by strapping it to a nearby wall.

• Repair cracks in ceilings or foundations. Brace overhead light fixtures.

• Store weed killers, pesticides, and flammable products away from heat sources.

• Have chimneys, flue pipes, vent connectors, and gas vents cleaned and repaired by a professional.

If You Need to Evacuate. . .

Listen to a battery-powered radio for the location of emergency shelters.

Know in advance the location of wheelchair-accessible shelters. Follow instructions of local officials.

• Wear appropriate clothing and sturdy shoes.

• Take your Disaster Supplies Kit.

Lock your house.

Use the travel routes specified or special assistance provided by local officials.

If you are sure you have time...

Shut off water, gas, and electricity if instructed to do so.

Let others know when you left and where you are going.

Make arrangements for pets. Animals other than service animals may not be allowed in public shelters.

Prepare a Car Kit

Include:

• Battery-powered radio, flashlight, extra batteries, and maps.

• Blanket and first aid kit.

• Shovel

• Tire repair kit, booster cables, pump, and flares

• Fire extinguisher (5 lb., A-B-C type).

• Bottled water and non-perishable foods such as granola bars, raisins, and cookies.

Fire Safety

Plan two escape routes out of each room. If you cannot use the stairways, make special arrangements for help in advance. Never use the elevators.

Install smoke detectors. Clean and test smoke detectors once a month. Change batteries at least once a year.

Consider installing home sprinklers.

If there is a fire, do not try to fight the fire. Get out fast. Do not stop for pets or possessions. Call the fire department after you are outside. Never go back into a burning building.

Feel the bottom of the door with the palm of your hand. If it is hot, find another way out.

The Text on this page is in the public domain. We request that attribution to this information be given as follows: From "Checklist for People With Mobility Problems." developed by the Federal Emergency Management Agency and the American Red Cross.