By Elizabeth Murphy
Watching the national news has been particularly devastating lately. With the most recent natural disaster, Hurricane Milton, headed for Florida, many individuals are fleeing from its path. While evacuation orders cover large parts of the state, for many individuals with disabilities, leaving their homes is easier said than done. For some, this is due to a lack of transportation that is accessible for wheelchair users, while for others, it is due to having medical equipment that is difficult to move. For others who are D/deaf or hard of hearing, safety warnings and instructions are not always available in sign language, leaving them without access to crucial updates.
Even individuals who are able to reach immediate safety before a natural disaster hits are not in the clear. During the evacuation leading up to, and the weeks or months following, a natural disaster, access to mental and physical healthcare services are often limited. Power outages following disasters can be devastating for people who rely on corded medical supports and those who take prescription medications may be unable to access refills. In addition, people with disabilities are more than twice as likely to live in poverty than people without disabilities which can limit the accessibility of emergency planning. Poverty decreases the likelihood that individuals can create an emergency kit, take steps to mitigate damage to their homes, and purchase generators or extra supplies of medications. These factors have devastating effects – people with disabilities are up to four times more likely to die from natural disasters than those without disabilities.
There is a desperate need for increased emergency planning to ensure the safety of individuals with disabilities as much as those without disabilities. I did learn about shelters specifically for the former population while reading about Hurricane Milton. Florida has “special needs shelters” specifically for individuals with disabilities and complex medical needs. Complex medical equipment and care are not available at these shelter locations, but they have back-up electricity sources to power necessary medical equipment and lights. As of the morning of October 8, 2024, there were 15 of these shelters across seven Florida counties and more are expected to open in additional counties as the hurricane draws closer. As of a few hours later, there were 700 individuals sheltering in these locations, not including caregivers, who were encouraged to accompany the people they support when applicable.
While I was encouraged by learning of these shelters for Florida residents with disabilities, I am still painfully aware of how ill-prepared society is when it comes to supporting individuals with disabilities during natural disasters. In times of crisis, we strive to have plans and resources mapped out, but like in many other circumstances, individuals with disabilities have fallen through the cracks. We must do better to protect the lives of individuals with and without disabilities equally, in and out of times of crisis.
Sources
Center for Disaster Philanthropy (CDP). (n.d.). People with Disabilities. Center for Disaster Philanthropy. https://disasterphilanthropy.org/resources/people-with-disabilities/
Florida Department of Health (FDOH). Special Needs Shelter Program (n.d.) https://www.floridahealth.gov/programs-and-services/emergency-preparedness-and-response/disaster-response-resources/spns-index.html
Kekatos, M. (2024, October 8). Special needs shelters open across Florida ahead of Hurricane Milton’s landfall. ABC News. https://abcnews.go.com/US/special-shelters-open-florida-ahead-hurricane-miltons-landfall/story?id=114591006
Wolfe, L. (2023, January 27). Left Behind: Disabled People and Natural Disasters. Women’s Media Center. https://womensmediacenter.com/climate/left-behind
