Earthquake Tips for People With Visual Disabilities

PrepareNow.org

This fact sheet is designed to provide a checklist for activities for People with Visual Disabilities to improve your emergency preparedness in an earthquake. It is designed to be used in conjunction with Independent Living Resource Center San Francisco's general EARTHQUAKE TIPS FOR PEOPLE WITH DISABILITIES, TIPS FOR COLLECTING EMERGENCY DOCUMENTS, and TIPS FOR CREATING AN EMERGENCY HEALTH INFORMATION CARD. Without all four tip sheets, you do not have all the information you need to be prepared. Preparation may seem like a lot of work. It is. Preparing does take time and effort. So do a little at a time, as your energy and budget permit. The important thing is to start preparing. The more you do, the more confident you will be that you can protect yourself, your family, and your belongings.

DATE COMPLETED / ACTIVITIES

__________________ Store extras Canes.

__________________ Alternate Mobility Cues in each room.

__________________ Label Emergency Supplies with Braille, large print, or fluorescent tape.

__________________ Secure Computers and important information.

Canes

• If you use a cane, keep extras in strategic, consistent and secured locations at job, home, school, volunteer site, etc. to help you maneuver around obstacles and hazards.
• Keep a spare cane in your emergency kit.

Alternate Mobility Cues

• If you have some vision, place security lights in each room, to light paths of travel. These lights plug into electrical wall outlets and light up automatically if there is a loss of power. They will, depending on type, continue to operate automatically for 1 to 6 hours and can be turned off manually and used as a short-lasting flashlight.
• Store high-powered flashlights with wide beams and extra batteries.
• If you wear soft contact lenses, plan to have an alternative because you will not be able to operate the cleaning unit without power.
• Service animals may become confused, panicked, frightened or disoriented in and after a disaster. Keep them confined or securely leashed or harnessed. A leash/harness is an important item for managing a nervous or upset animal. Be prepared to use alternative ways to negotiate your environment.
• Plan for losing the auditory clues you usually rely on after a major quake.

Label Supplies

• If helpful, mark emergency supplies with large print, fluorescent tape or Braille.

Secure Computers

• Anchor special equipment such as computers. Create a back-up system for important data and store it off site.

Advocacy Issues

• Advocate that TV news not only post important phone numbers but also announce them slowly and repeat them frequently for people who cannot read the screen.

PrepareNow.org
Independent Living Resource Center San Francisco
70 10th Street, San Francisco, CA 94103
415-863-0581, TTY 415-863-1367, FAX 415-863-1290
In cooperation with June Kailes, Disability Consultant
through a grant from The American Red Cross
Northern California Disaster Preparedness Network