Disaster Preparedness for Vulnerable Populations
- Post Hurricane Katrina
January 17th 2006
Center for Infectious Disease Preparedness UC Berkeley School of Public Health Âna-Marie Jones, Executive Director CARD - Collaborating Agencies Responding to Disasters
Course Overview
• • • • • • • •
Defining Vulnerable Populations Traditional Emergency Preparedness Examine Alternative Approach Marketing, Media and Outreach Implications to Public Health Lessons Learned / Not Learned Solutions and Opportunities Class projects
Learning Objectives
Participants will:
Learn which populations have “special needs” related to emergency preparedness and disaster response
Understand why people with special needs remain underserved and unprepared Learn about an alternative approach to reaching and serving the preparedness, response and recovery needs of our most vulnerable populations
How to benefit from this class
• Send in your questions • Invite your circle of influence to participate • Share your experience – word of mouth, email, website, blog, articles, media outreach, etc. • Play real time, real life • Use the tools • Be solution focused • Have fun!
CARD History
• 24/7 Media Attention – 1989 Loma Prieta Earthquake pre-empted the World Series. • Government, Red Cross and traditional response organizations could not address the level of need and diversity of need over the short-term or long-term. • United Way of the Bay Area stepped forward to help community based organizations and their clients with special needs. These organizations helped create a “Vision” of a humane, inclusive, prepared community. • CARD and PrepareNow partners are the keepers of that original vision.
CARD serves the organizations that serve:
Physically/mobility impaired Low/no vision Seniors/frail/elderly Infants/children/teens Limited /no English Culturally isolated Geographically isolated Homeless/shelter dependent • Ex-convicts/registered offenders
• • • • • • • •
• Medically /chemically dependent • Low/no hearing • Medically fragile • Mentally disabled • Low-income/poor • Undocumented persons • Single parents • Owners of pets • Transient/emerging needs
CARD Trainings for Community Service Agencies and Nonprofits
• Basic Agency Emergency Plan
• Incident Command System (ICS) for Community Responders
• Self & Home Preparedness • Disaster Exercise Scenario / hands-on practice • Disease Containment and Prevention Strategies • Agency Cluster Meetings • Shelter-in-Place
• Preparedness for Childcare Providers & Parents
• PIO / Disaster Media Relations for Nonprofits
The People of Hurricane Katrina
• • • • • •
Residents of the Gulf Coast Disaster Victims Refugees Evacuees Displaced Medically compromised, sick & fragile
What if they had been contagious?
“Traditional” Emergency Service Agencies Department of Homeland Security FEMA Government American Red Cross Military Forces (Army, Navy, Air Force, Marines, National Guard, etc.) • Fire Departments • Police Departments • Office of Emergency Services
Are these organizations designed to address the preparedness, response and recovery needs of our most vulnerable communities?
• • • • •
How Are They Similar?
Top-down command structure Disaster-focused Response-driven Inherent bureaucracy issues Success depends on compliance, standardization, shared protocols, etc. • Infrastructure maintenance is critical • Challenged by change • Exclusionary appearance/practices What happens to people and agencies whose needs cannot be fully addressed by these organizations? • • • • •
Disaster Response Models
Traditional response agencies • • • Mass-care (i.e., “one-size-fitsall”) Short-term commitment of national resources Externally supported • • • • • • CARD/Nonprofits/CBOs Special-care (i.e., customized) Long-term commitment of local resources Internally supported Focused on ongoing community needs “We are only as strong as our weakest link” Viable in all types of incidents including those that do not trigger mobilization of traditional emergency services resources
•
• •
Focused on “disaster-caused” emergency needs
“Survival of the fittest” Only partially viable in bioterrorism incidents or public health emergencies such as SARS, pandemic flu, or where containment is the necessary response
Why We Remain Unprepared
Faulty Assumption – If We Tell Them – They Will Do It Information is NOT Information is NOT -- Inspiration Inspiration -- Implementation Implementation -- Legislation Legislation -- Incentive for participation Incentive for participation
Why We Remain Unprepared – # 2
Wrong Campaign Strategy
Branding campaigns by mass care, Branding campaigns by mass care, disaster response agencies DO disaster response agencies DO NOT translate into specific, NOT translate into specific, measurable, preparedness results for measurable for people with special needs. people with special needs
Every Message Appeals to a:
• Want • Need
“
• Desire • Fear
Examples: Car, Tax Service, Toothpaste
Traditional emergency services organizations use disaster threats and fear to „motivate‟ the public to prepare
For more information contact:
Âna-Marie Jones
Collaborating Agencies Responding to Disasters (CARD)
1736 Franklin Street, Suite 450
Oakland, CA 94612 www.FirstVictims.org
Phone: 510-451-3140 Fax: 510-451-3144 AMJ@FirstVictims.org