 Special needs information |
This page is to help share information being generated as a result of Hurricane Katrina that may impact on individuals with disabilities and other special needs. Please feel free to contact ctcameron@inclusioninc.com if you have information that you would like posted here. The Disabilities Preparedness Center will review all postings to ensure that the messages are legitimate and will have a positive impact.
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From the Disabilities Preparedness Center (DPC)
(September 1, 2005)
From: Dawn Heinsohn
IL NET: ILRU/NCIL National Training and Technical Assistance Project ILRU
Program 2323 S. Shepherd, Suite 1000 Houston, TX 77019 713.520.0232 ext. 130 (v)
713.520.5136 (TTY) 713.520.5785 (fax) Worldwide Web Site:
http://www.ilru.org
ILRU is a program of TIRR (The Institute for Rehabilitation and Research), a
nationally recognized medical rehabilitation facility for persons with
disabilities in Houston. http://www.tirr.org/
FODAC (Friends of Disabled Adults and
Children), http://www.fodac.org ,
is an Atlanta based organization on whose board I used to serve which
distributes medical equipment to people with disabilities around the world.
Evacuating the Most Vulnerable
www.ssa.gov/emergency/
Information for leaders in The Arc
Houston Katrina
Information
DHS National Emergency Resource Registry Activated
IMPORTANT!! FEMA Individual
Registration Information
200 brand new wheelchairs of all sizes that
we'd like to donate to the relief effort
Need to help Katrina victims - Here is a
special opportunity and need for the next week or two:
COLLABORATION IN FOCUS - FEDERAL AND NON-PROFIT DISABILITY RESPONSE TO HURRICANE
KATRINA - Information for People who are Deaf and Hard of Hearing
Katrina, NPR & people with disabilities
SECRETARY LEAVITT TAKING HEALTH, SOCIAL SERVICES
RESOURCES TO EVACUEE LOCATIONS THROUGHOUT GULF REGION
Dear Leaders from Private, Non-Profit, and Government
Organizations Nationwide
Disability Expert
Volunteers Needed
Katrina, Disability Specific
Funds Update
Katrina, Coordination Update
National Strategy Update
Conference call Tuesday afternoon
Katrina, help build this site
Katrina, 10 Ways to Support Disability Related
Relief Efforts
NCD Calls for Federal Disability Recovery Plan
in Response to Hurricane Katrina
CMS ACTIONS TO HELP BENEFICIARIES, PROVIDERS IN KATRINA STRICKEN AREAS
Assistance Available for Hurricane Victims who are Deaf or Hard of Hearing
Katrina
Deaf Victims and Louisiana School for the Deaf = what donations are appreciated?
Federal contact
information
American Network of Community Options and Resources [A national network of
providers offering quality supports to people with disabilities]
http://www.ancor.org
NCD's 9/7/05 Advisory on Hurricane
Katrina
SUPPLIES UPDATE
[katrinadisability] Info from the Louisiana P&A about problems at shelters, etc.
Computer donations
Katrina, disability issues
in The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
[katrinadisability] Re: want to continue to express the need for direct help
1. The event of the last few days have created a catastrophe for individuals with disabilities and other special needs, particularly for those who are trapped in the New Orleans area. It is apparent to me that the situation is still deteriorating, as the emergency preparedness for people with disabilities appears to woefully inadequate. I have received a few calls from other disability organizations related to Katrina, and I have been pondering what to do in response to this crisis. As an organization, Inclusion Research Institute, which operates the Disability Preparedness Center in Washington, DC focuses primarily on emergency preparedness for individuals with disabilities and other special needs. In light of what is happening, it is apparent to me that we need to help in the response as well. You only have to see the pictures and hear the reports coming from that region to to know that the people most at risk are in the most need. The dramatic picture (CNN, September 1, 2005) of the woman in a wheel chair who has expired and her body parked at the door to the Superdome could not be more tragic.
I am writing this with the thought that we might want to poll the disability and special needs organizations to see what interest there is in developing a coordinated response. If there is interest, the DPC will host a toll free conference call to see if we can together create a response to help our colleagues and friends in the impacted area. I have already spoken with Sue Swenson from the ARC who has indicated as desire to participate with others. I am also preparing a spot on www.disabilitypreparedness.org that we could use to coordinate as another communication alternative.
Please let me know what you think, as time is critical, and I hope that in some way we can all contribute.
Carl T. Cameron, Ph.D.
President and CEO
ctcameron@inclusioninc.com
2. Dear IL Colleague,
As you may know, the Centers for Independent Living in Biloxi, Mississippi and
New Orleans have been gravely affected by the hurricane. In fact the Biloxi, MS
center was totally destroyed. Many of you are asking how you can help. Here is
what we have learned from colleagues in those states.
Sending money is the first priority. Sending supplies to those centers is
helpful too but NOT RIGHT NOW, because they can't get through the water.
Here are the suggested options for right now:
1) Send a check or credit card payment to the Red Cross and designate it for
Hurricane Relief, or designate it for people with disabilities in the
Biloxi/Hattiesburg or New Orleans areas.
2) If you want to send money for the CILs that are dealing with this disaster
directly, here are your options:
For the Biloxi Center, mail the check (payable to LIFE of Central MS and
designated for the Biloxi Center) to:
LIFE of Central Mississippi
754 North President Street, Suite 1
Jackson, MS 39202
For the centers in Louisiana (make checks payable to Resources for Independent
Living - this is a branch of the N.O. center - and designate for the New Orleans
center) and mail to:
Resources for IL
11931 Industriplex Blvd. Suite 200
Baton Rouge, LA 70809
We have also learned from Mack Marsh of the Shreveport Center that centers in
Shreveport, Baton Rouge, and Lake Charles are assisting evacuees. Mack says they
would also appreciate supplies if there is any way to get those supplies to the
centers. His list includes: manual wheelchairs, hospital beds, adult diapers,
bed pads, catheters and other supplies. The address for the Baton Rouge center
is shown above, addresses for the Shreveport and Lake Charles centers follow.
Southwest LA Independence Center, Inc.
Mitch Granger
1202 Kirkman, Suite C
Lake Charles, LA 70601
New Horizons, Inc.
Jerry Kidwell
9300 Mansfield Road, Suite 204
Shreveport, LA 71118
We will keep you informed of any additional ways that you can help. Feel free to
forward this information to other people interested in the needs of people with
disabilities affected by this disaster.
--ilru: over 25 years of creating a world of independence--
Tens of thousands of people with advanced medical needs have been displaced by Hurricane Katrina, and thousands more are hurt or will sustain injuries and illnesses during the long recovery ahead for the four-state zone hammered by the storm.
Yet over much of the affected Gulf Coast region, hospitals, nursing homes and group homes have been left so damaged or cut off from supplies that they must be abandoned. Some 4,800 patients have been evacuated to other cities, or are still trying to get out of the disaster zone in and around New Orleans, officials said.
According to the Census Bureau, 15 percent of New Orleans' residents aged 5 and older have some type of disability, and it appears certain that much of their city won't have any housing to offer them for months, perhaps years.
"I don't think there's any recent precedent for taking care of a large, medically fragile population like that for the length of time they're likely to have to be in temporary shelter," said Patrick Libbey, executive director of the National Association of County and City Health Officials. "We may have to rethink what we mean by the terms 'temporary' and 'interim.' "
From Star News Services:
Along the highway, Aleck Scallan, 63, sat in his wheelchair.
A group of police officers in a boat had rescued him from his home, which quickly flooded Tuesday morning, and dropped him off on the interstate on-ramp.
Then, they left. Scallan was left with a frail, elderly companion on a stretch of highway that fell below two giant humps, leaving them in the valley of the concrete slopes.
“Where am I going to go?” he said. “They were supposed to pick us up and take us to the dome.”
"I don't treat my dog like that," 47-year-old Daniel Edwards said as he pointed at the woman in the wheelchair.
"You can do everything for other countries, but you can't do nothing for your own people," he added. "You can go overseas with the military, but you can't get them down here."
Several corpses lay in nearby streets. The body of one elderly woman was abandoned in her wheelchair, covered with just a blanket.
From the New York Times News Service:
Another concern, Dr. Irwin Redlener said, is that people may have lost or become separated from the drugs they rely on daily for diabetes, heart disease and other chronic ailments. Pharmacies in the affected areas may have insufficient stocks of vital drugs like insulin for diabetics, creating a need to organize efforts to import and distribute essential medicines in the area. The shortage could go on for months, Redlener said.
Many people who stayed in affected areas probably had disabilities that prevented them from leaving before the hurricane, Redlener said.
There were people in wheelchairs, people in hospital gowns, people still strapped to gurneys with IVs in their arms. There were amputees, blind people, mentally ill people.
They were people who thought they might not make it.
Albert Hall was one of them. He's got a prosthetic leg and uses a wheelchair. He said as the water rose to the second floor of his 350-unit apartment building, others were able to get up on the roof of the building.
"I couldn't get on the roof with this thing," he said, pointing to his prosthesis. "So I stayed on the balcony. I kept hollering and hollering 'Help, help!' every time a boat came near, but no one could hear me. I was down and crazy with hollering. It was awful. I really thought I was done for."
By the time a police boat picked him up, he was nearly out of insulin.
So was Irene Williams, another one of the evacuees. Diabetes has left her with poor circulation that makes it difficult to walk. And driving wasn't an option for her and her sister.
"We would have liked to go, but we didn't have the funds to go," Williams said. "We're used to storms, though. So we thought we could ride it out."
From Cox News Service:
Alone in her one-bedroom house, Fluffy Sparks sat in her wheelchair and did the only thing she could think of when Hurricane Katrina's floodwaters rushed into her home: she prayed.
"I prayed like I've never prayed in all my life," said Sparks, 46.
Unable to leave, she sat terrified as the water slowly rose past her ankles, up her shoulders and finally to her chin.
"I told God, 'I can't believe you're ready for me now. Don't let me die in this water here by myself.'"
Sparks managed to haul herself onto her small kitchen table. Miraculously, the water stopped rising just as it reached the table's top.
"I'm breathing," she said Tuesday morning, sweating in a mud-stained gown while watching a parade of people wading and passing by in small fishing boats on Fremaux Street, which was covered by thigh-deep, but receding, waters. "It was horrible, and it's still horrible, but I'm breathing."
Sparks' terrifying story is just one of hundreds, possibly thousands, that will be shared for generations in Katrina's aftermath.
Adrian Ory, 57, arrived in Houston today with her deaf daughter, Adrian Munguia, 39, and her 10-year-old granddaughter, Angel, who uses a wheelchair that had to be left behind in New Orelans. Angel was lying on a cot under a blanket.
Ory and Munguia live in different apartments near Legion Field in New Orleans, but they were together when the water started rising.
Munguia hadn’t wanted to leave.
“She didn’t think it would do all this, and I didn’t think it would either. So I stayed with her,” Ory said.
“That wind started cutting up. It was blowing and blowing. Man, that water started rising — you couldn’t see no cars. I opened the front door and it was right up to here,” she said, holding her hand chest-high.
“I saw bodies floating by, dogs on top of roofs, dogs swimming.”
As the water kept rising, the family escaped to a second-floor hallway, where they shouted for help out of a window and waved towels to attract attention. Eventually they were rescued by a National Guard boat.
4. They have the following available to
ship to the Gulf coast:
-100 manual wheelchairs
-40 hospital beds
-1/2 pallet adult diapers
-several pallets of liquid nutrition drinks
-1/2 pallet catheters...
We need about $5000.00 to hire and truck, driver, and helper, pay for gas
and get this stuff down there....
Tax deductible contributions should be made and sent as follows:
Portlight Strategies, Inc.
3614 Back Pen Road
Johns Island, SC 29455
If you are inclined to contribute to this, please e-mail me a 'heads up' so
that I can track where we stand...
Thanks!
Paul Timmons
Presslord@aol.com
5. Evacuating the Most Vulnerable
The recovery period following Katrina’s assault on the Gulf Coast this week demonstrates that the most vulnerable members of the population are those with special needs in emergencies because of disability, medical conditions, age, cultural limitations, or related causes.
Those who could not evacuate before the storm because of special needs – and those who chose not to evacuate – now face horrendous conditions in New Orleans and elsewhere in the affected Gulf Coast area.
Efforts are being made by public and private agencies to evacuate identifiable groups of individuals with special needs, such as residents of veterans’ homes or people with developmental disabilities whose lives are endangered by interruption of normal routines of care.
One of these efforts is being organized by the Arc of the United States, the national organization of and for people with mental retardation and related developmental disabilities and their families. The Arc’s 140,000 members are affiliated through approximately 1,000 state and local chapters across the nation.
The Arc’s state and local chapters are working to provide locations around the country that will accept people with developmental disabilities (DD) who need to leave Louisiana and Mississippi. Evacuees’ lives will be endangered in such relocation unless they are matched with facilities in other areas that can provide for their medical and other personal needs.
The great complexity and difficulty of this undertaking demonstrates the need for investment in emergency preparedness, including planning and mitigation activities to reduce risks and organize response in advance of catastrophic events.
Sue Swenson, the Executive Director of the Arc of the U.S., reports that a network of concerned people is working on this problem, including State directors of DD services and community providers other than The Arc. The group has been talking to CMS (Medicaid) and has found ways to approach FEMA and the White House in the midst of their hectic efforts to respond to the ongoing catastrophe in the South.
Key challenges include trying to arrange ways to identify people with DD in Louisiana and Mississippi who are in danger now, and finding ways to move them to Arc facilities in other states. Many people with DD in Louisiana and Mississippi live in nursing homes or other institutions which probably have been damaged by Katrina. Staff of these institutions may not be able to reach the people in these institutions who rely on their help. Many other conditions are possible, including structural damage to buildings that make them unsafe for staff and residents. Bureaucratic policies and regulations, including limitations on Medicaid payments that support many people with DD, may hamper evacuation to facilities in other states if those payments cannot be transferred across state lines.
The Arc web site is http://www.thearc.org/ .
Media reports are beginning to appear of other efforts to
evacuate groups of those with special needs in emergencies. Disability-oriented
research, service, and advocacy groups are organizing other efforts, notably the
ILRU (Independent Living Research Utilization). Their web site is
http://www.ilru.org/ .
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This is Eric Rigaud, Director of TouchDC, an e-philanthropy initiative of Washington Grantmakers.
I’m looking for Guidestar info on the Disability Preparedness Center and can’t find anything. I’d like to direct local DC metro region residents to TouchDC.org, which licenses Guidestar information for all charities in the Greater Washington region as well as provides online donation capaibilities, so they can donate $$$ in support of your efforts. TouchDC is the local affiliate of Network for Good.
Eric
TouchDC (an initiative of Washington Grantmakers)
1400
16th St. NW
Suite 740
Washington, DC 20036
Tel: (202) 939-3433
Fax: (202) 939-3442
Mobile: (202) 374-5735
rigaud@TouchDC.org
:Give Where
You Live". Visit www.TouchDC.org
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National Council on Disability on Hurricane Katrina Affected Areas
Basic Info
People with disabilities in the Gulf Coast areas of Alabama, Mississippi, and Louisiana are experiencing tremendous loss of life and devastation caused by Hurricane Katrina. Current data indicates that people with disabilities are now most at risk in this situation—and will need recovery assistance for months or years. A disproportionate number of the Hurricane survivors are people with disabilities whose needs for basic necessities are compounded by chronic health conditions and functional impairments.
For example:
In Biloxi, Mississippi, a city of about 50,000 people, 26 percent of residents are people with disabilities. This means that there are 10,700 people with disabilities 5 years of age and older who live in Biloxi.
In Mobile, Alabama, a city of 198,915 people, 24 percent of the residents are people with disabilities. This means that there are 43,000 people with disabilities 5 years of age and older who live in Mobile.
In New Orleans, a city of about 484,000 people, 23.2 percent of residents are people with disabilities. This means that there are 102,122 people with disabilities 5 years of age and older who live in New Orleans.
Who are the 102,122 people with disabilities who live in New Orleans? About 10 percent (or 12,000) of them are people ages 5 to 20 years old; 61 percent (or 63,000) of them are aged 21 to 64 years old; and 29 percent (or 27,000) of the people are 65 years of age and older.
The 102,122 people with disabilities living in New Orleans include people who are blind, people who are deaf, people who use wheelchairs, canes, walkers, crutches, people with service animals, and people with mental health needs. At least half of the people with disabilities in New Orleans who are of working age are not employed. Many of the people rely on a variety of government programs such as Supplemental Security Income and Medicaid to help them meet their daily service and support needs.
Implications
The total destruction of the physical environment and public/private infrastructure and communications systems in the Gulf Coastal areas affected by Hurricane Katrina has life-threatening implications for all citizens with disabilities, and those without disabilities. The implications for these people include:
· for people with physical disabilities and who are over 65 years of age, being unable to leave their homes, group homes, nursing homes, hospitals without significant assistance;
· for all people with disabilities, being prevented from using any type of accessible public transportation which in all likelihood do not exist anymore;
· for people who are blind, being unable to even get around in their own flooded neighborhoods because they can no longer navigate the environmental landscape;
· for all people with disabilities driven by floods from institutions or group homes or nursing homes, needing to be housed in less than satisfactory conditions with considerably less than the necessary range of services and supports they need for an indeterminate amount of time;
· for people with disabilities who have service animals, are unable to rely on those animals outside of the house or group home because these animals cannot navigate safely in the flooded streets;
· for people who are deaf, being challenged to access emergency information through television, radio, TTY, etc. because public communications systems are somewhat compromised;
· for all people with disabilities, being unable to secure life-saving food and water because many of them are trapped within the confines of inadequate supplied shelters, stadiums, etc.; and
· people may have lost or become separated from the drugs they rely on daily for diabetes, heart disease and other chronic ailments. Pharmacies in the affected areas may have insufficient stocks of vital drugs like insulin for diabetics, creating a need to organize efforts to import and distribute essential medicines in the area. In addition, many pharmacies have been raided by looters.
Where to go for help?
People with disabilities affected by Hurricane Katrina should try to contact their local emergency response officials by using the 9-1-1 system. This system will handle voice and TTY callers.
Louisiana government officials advise that in addition to the existing special needs shelters that have opened in Alexandria and Monroe, shelters have been opened in two other communities in Louisiana. These shelters are staffed by the Department of Health and Hospitals and Department of Social Services. While these shelters are open it is strongly encouraged that citizens first try to evacuate to the north with their families and get out of harm’s way. These are shelters of last resort and are not for the general public.
At 10:00 am this morning, an additional shelter was opened in Lafayette. At this time, special needs shelters have been opened in Alexandria, Monroe, Lafayette, and Baton Rouge. Due to the uncertainty of the damage that Baton Rouge and Lafayette will sustain from the storm, DHH officials stress that it is very important to move to a shelter further north in Alexandria or Monroe if at all possible.
Special Needs Shelters are designed for individuals who are homebound, chronically ill or who have disabilities and are in need of medical or nursing care, and have no other place to receive care.
Those seeking shelter will be screened by nurses to determine the level of care needed. Only people who meet admission criteria can be sheltered. If their condition is too critical, they will be referred to a hospital for sheltering, or admission. If their condition is not severe enough for Special Needs Sheltering, they will be referred to a general shelter.
Special triage telephone lines are being established in each region to accept the calls of citizens seeking special needs sheltering. Citizens with special needs seeking shelter must call telephone number in their area BEFORE attempting to access a shelter. These numbers are listed below.
Alexandria:
800-841-5778 Shreveport: 800-841-5776
Baton Rouge: 800-349-1372
Monroe: 866-280-7287
Houma/Thibodaux: 800-228-9409 Slidell/Hammond:
866-280-7724
Lafayette: 800-901-3210
Lake Charles: 866-280-2711
Special Needs Shelters are not designed for the general public or for nursing home patients. Nursing homes in Louisiana are required to have emergency evacuation plans in place that ensure the health and safety of their residents. In most instances, these plans allow for homes in affected areas to transport their patients to nursing homes in areas safe from the storm.
Health officials note that if individuals have health problems that require medical expertise and must evacuate, it is best for them to go with family members or caretakers north and west to areas that are out of harm’s way. These will provide medical support services only. Because of limited staffing, those going to a Special Needs Shelter must have a caretaker to assist with ongoing support and they should bring all necessary supplies including sheets, blankets and pillows.
Community And Residential Services Association (CARSA), a trade organization for providers of services with developmental disabilities, in cooperation with the ARC of Louisiana, the Developmental Disabilities Council and The Advocacy Center, is available to assist families who may have relatives who were evacuated from community homes and other service programs in the Greater New Orleans area.
Families seeking information may call the following numbers for assistance:
CARSA – 225-343-8811
The ARC of Louisiana – 1-866-966-6261
Developmental Disabilities Council – 1-800-450-8108
The Advocacy Center (Baton Rouge) – 1-800-711-1696
The Advocacy Center (Lafayette) – 1-800-822-0210
How can we help?
(This note was distributed by an Independent Living Center)
Dear IL Colleague,
As you may know, the Centers for Independent Living in Biloxi, Mississippi
and New Orleans have been gravely affected by the hurricane. In fact the
Biloxi, MS center was totally destroyed. Many of you are asking how you can
help. Here is what we have learned from colleagues in those states.
Sending money is the first priority. Sending supplies to those centers is
helpful too but NOT RIGHT NOW, because they can't get through the water.
Here are the suggested options for right now:
1) Send a check or credit card payment to the Red Cross and designate it for
Hurricane Relief, or designate it for people with disabilities in the
Biloxi/Hattiesburg or New Orleans areas.
2) If you want to send money for the CILs that are dealing with this
disaster directly, here are your options:
For the Biloxi Center, mail the check (payable to LIFE of Central MS and
designated for the Biloxi Center) to:
LIFE of Central Mississippi
754 North President Street, Suite 1
Jackson, MS 39202
For the centers in Louisiana (make checks payable to Resources for
Independent Living - this is a branch of the N.O. center - and designate for
the New Orleans center) and mail to:
Resources for IL
11931 Industriplex Blvd. Suite 200
Baton Rouge, LA 70809
We have also learned from Mack Marsh of the Shreveport Center that centers
in Shreveport, Baton Rouge, and Lake Charles are assisting evacuees. Mack
says they would also appreciate supplies if there is any way to get those
supplies to the centers. His list includes: manual wheelchairs, hospital
beds, adult diapers, bed pads, catheters and other supplies. The address for
the Baton Rouge center is shown above, addresses for the Shreveport and Lake
Charles centers follow.
Southwest LA Independence Center, Inc.
Mitch Granger
1202 Kirkman, Suite C
Lake Charles, LA 70601
New Horizons, Inc.
Jerry Kidwell
9300 Mansfield Road, Suite 204
Shreveport, LA 71118
Coordinated Federal-State-Local response
A coordinated Federal Disability Recovery Plan for Hurricane Katrina should be immediately developed and implemented. The decisions the Federal Government makes, the priority it accords to civil rights, and the methods it adopts to ensure uniformity in the ways agencies handle their disability-related responsibilities are likely to be established in the early days of this emergency situation and be difficult to change if not set on the right course at the outset. This response must include people with disabilities.
An urgent priority is to provide funds and secure resources that specifically meet the critical needs of Katrina survivors with disabilities, help to rebuild the organizations that serve them, identify accessible temporary and permanent housing and address the specific requests being made by leaders in the devastated areas and those in the areas that people with disabilities are being evacuated to. At the minimum, this response should include:
Accessible Disaster Facilities and Services. Communications technology is vital for people with disabilities during this disaster to help assess damage, collect information, and deploy supplies. Access to appropriate facilities -- housing, beds, toilets, and other necessities -- must be monitored and made available to individuals with disabilities before, during, and after a disaster. This access also must be ensured for those who incur a disability as a result of a disaster.
Accessible Communications and Assistance. As communications technology and policy become more integral to disaster relief and mitigation, providing accessibility to the technology for people with disabilities will be life-saving. For example, people with hearing impairments require interpreters, TTY communications, and signaling devices. People with cognitive impairments, such as those with developmental disabilities, Alzheimer's disease, or brain injury, will likely require assistance to cope with hurricane-ravaged surroundings and to minimize confusion factors.
Accessible and Reliable Rescue Communications. Accessible and reliable communications technology is critical to ensuring fast, effective, and competent field treatment of people with disabilities. Communications technologies can assist field personnel in rescue coordination and tracking and can be combined with databases that house information on optimal treatment for particular disabilities or that track the allocation of post-disaster resources.
Note: The National Council on Disability is an independent federal agency making recommendations to the President and Congress to enhance the quality of life for Americans with disabilities and their families.
Mark S. Quigley
Director of Communications
National Council on Disability
1331 F Street, NW, Suite 850
Washington, DC 20004
202-272-2004
202-272-2074 TTY
www.ncd.gov
RELIEF FOR KATRINA VICTIMS WITH SPECIAL NEEDS
INDIANAPOLIS, INDIANA, SEPTEMBER 2, 2005 – In the wake of Hurricane Katrina and the subsequent flooding, there are now hundreds or thousands of people with special needs and their families with no homes, no jobs, and in need of urgent assistance. TheArcLink has created a central online clearinghouse so that family members, case managers, service coordinators or advocates can list people or families who need support.
In addition, people from anywhere in the country can use the site at www.thearclink.org to offer housing and supports, employment, and other assistance.
“There are many people who can offer their personal services to assist in the transition of people into new locations and services, or to contribute other volunteer time, either in person or via telephone,” said TheArcLink’s President Elbert Johns. “In some cases reimbursement may be available, and in those cases payment delays may or may not occur. We’d like to offer the site as a means to post announcements of a number of different types of support.”
Anyone who knows of hurricane victims in Alabama, Louisiana, or Mississippi with special needs and/or families who need immediate services and supports can list them on the site. The site will be particularly useful for case managers, service coordinators, state officials and other advocates, but the site is open for use by anyone.
Site visitors can submit the names of those in need of temporary or permanent jobs and can relocate or people in need of assistance can list themselves.
Employers with job opportunities can list them on the site, particularly jobs with disability services organizations or other human services agencies. The site is open to any employer in any field that has jobs to offer displaced hurricane victims. In addition to employment postings, the site can be used to offer short-term or long-term housing to those fleeing from areas affected by Hurricane Katrina. Specific to people with disabilities, group home vacancies and related day services opportunities can be listed. Reimbursement by Medicaid or state funds may or may not be immediately available.
Those wishing to make a financial donation to people with intellectual disabilities affected by Hurricane Katrina can visit The Arc of the United States’ web site at www.thearc.org and click on the red Donate Now button. The Arc will channel 100 percent of all funds donated to its chapters in the affected areas. There will be no overhead costs deducted and funds will be used to meet the most immediate needs of food, clothing, medicine, and shelter.
To visit the Katrina Special Needs Assistance Page, go to www.thearclink.org and click on “Katrina Special Needs Relief.” This page is a free public service of TheArcLink Incorporated and The Arc of Louisiana.
TheArcLink Incorporated is the first web site to provide customized, specific information on the various sources of assistance available to individuals with disabilities and their families on a state-by-state basis as well as information on almost 30,000 providers.
The Arc of the United States is the nation’s largest volunteer-based organization devoted to issues concerning people with intellectual disabilities and their families. The Arc has 130,000 members and nearly 1,000 chapters nationwide.
Elbert Johns Chris Privett
(812)327-2955 (301) 565-5454
ejohns@thearclink.org privett@thearc.org
KEY POINTS FOR INDIVIDUALS WITH DISABILITIES AND THEIR FAMILIES FROM TEXAS GOVERNOR RICK PERRY’S PRESS RELEASE SEPT. 1, 2005
http://www.governor.state.tx.us/divisions/press/pressreleases/PressRelease.2005-09-01.2818
All: See the HHS Actions, including the designation of a new toll free number to use when seeking assistance: 2-1-1 Texas system has implemented a toll-free number, 1-888-312-4567, for disaster information
· Perry has asked the Texas Department of Housing and Community Affairs (TDHCA) to identify all vacant income eligible housing units for use by refugees. TDHCA has sent a letter to the IRS requesting a waiver for the use of Housing Tax Credit units for transient use by the Hurricane Katrina disaster victims. So far 7,000 units have been identified east of I-35.
· Perry has asked that, once available units are identified, FEMA to distribute vouchers to victims requiring housing. Information on voucher distribution will be disseminated through the media and through briefings on site at the Astrodome. Written notification from the federal government is pending at this time. The state of Texas is also partnering with the Texas Apartment Owners Association to identify vacant units which will also be handled through the FEMA voucher process.
SHELTERS
HEALTH & HUMAN SERVICES ACTIONS
PRIVATE ASSISTANCE
Go to www.ssa.gov/emergency/
For more information from the American Red Cross, call (866) GET-INFO or (713) 313-5480.
The Houston Food Bank, 3811 Eastex Freeway, (713) 223-3700, is in need of the following items to help Katrina victims. To volunteer at the Food Bank, call (713) 547-8609 or (713) 547-8657.
Note: Many religious organizations are holding their own collection and/or donation drives. Please check with a church, synagogue or facility near you. Due to the huge number of places organizing drives, Click2Houston regretfully cannot post every location.
The U.S. Coast Guard in Houston is asking for donations to help about 50 workers in New Orleans on rescue efforts who are running out of basic supplies. Donations can be dropped off at the Coast Guard office at Ellington Field.
Items in need include:
(a) Provision of temporary housing(1) In general(b) Temporary mortgage and rental payments
The President may--
(A) provide, by purchase or lease, temporary housing (including unoccupied habitable dwellings), suitable rental housing, mobile homes, or other readily fabricated dwellings to persons who, as a result of a major disaster, require temporary housing; and (B) reimburse State and local governments in accordance with paragraph (4) for the cost of sites provided under paragraph (2).(2) Mobile home site
(A) In general(3) Period
Any mobile home or other readily fabricated dwelling provided under this section shall whenever possible be located on a site which--(i) is provided by the State or local government; and(B) Other sites
(ii) has utilities provided by the State or local
government, by the owner of the site, or by the occupant who was displaced by the major disaster.
Mobile homes and other readily fabricated dwellings may be located on sites provided by the President if the President determines that such sites would be more economical or accessible than sites described in subparagraph (A).Federal financial and operational assistance under this section shall continue for not longer than 18 months after the date of the major disaster declaration by the President, unless the President determines that due to extraordinary circumstances it would be in the public interest to extend such 18-month period.(4) Federal shareThe Federal share of assistance under this section shall be 100 percent; except that the Federal share of assistance under this section for construction and site development costs (including installation of utilities) at a mobile home group site shall be 75 percent of the eligible cost of such assistance. The State or local government receiving assistance under this section shall pay any cost which is not paid for from the Federal share.
The President is authorized to provide assistance on a temporary basis in the form of mortgage or rental payments to or on behalf of individuals and families who, as a result of financial hardship caused by a major disaster, have received written notice of dispossession or eviction from a residence by reason of a foreclosure of any mortgage or lien, cancellation of any contract of sale, or termination of any lease, entered into prior to such disaster. Such assistance shall be provided for the duration of the period of financial hardship but not to exceed 18 months.(c) In lieu expenditures
In lieu of providing other types of temporary housing after a major disaster, the President is authorized to make expenditures for the purpose of repairing or restoring to a habitable condition owner-occupied private residential structures made uninhabitable by a major disaster which are capable of being restored quickly to a habitable condition.(d) Transfer of temporary housing
(1) Direct sale to occupants(e) NotificationNotwithstanding any other provision of law, any temporary housing acquired by purchase may be sold directly to individuals and families who are occupants of temporary housing at prices that are fair and equitable, as determined by the President.
(2) Transfers to states, local governments, and voluntary organizations
The President may sell or otherwise make available temporary
housing units directly to States, other governmental entities, and voluntary organizations. The President shall impose as a condition of transfer under this paragraph a covenant to comply with the provisions of section 308 [42 U.S.C. 5171] requiring nondiscrimination in occupancy of such temporary housing units. Such disposition shall be limited to units purchased under the provisions of subsection (a) of this section and to the purposes of providing temporary housing for disaster victims in major disasters or emergencies.(1) In general(f) Location
Each person who applies for assistance under this section shall be notified regarding the type and amount of any assistance for which such person qualifies. Whenever practicable, such notice shall be provided within 7 days after the date of submission of such application.
(2) Information
Notification under this subsection shall provide information
regarding--(A) all forms of such assistance available;
(B) any specific criteria which must be met to qualify for
each type of assistance that is available;
(C) any limitations which apply to each type of assistance;
and
(D) the address and telephone number of offices responsible for responding to--(i) appeals of determinations of eligibility for assistance;
and
(ii) requests for changes in the type or amount of assistance provided.
In providing assistance under this section, consideration shall be given to the location of and travel time to--(1) the applicant's home and place of business;
(2) schools which the applicant or members of the applicant's
family who reside with the applicant attend; and
(3) crops or livestock which the applicant tends in the course
of any involvement in farming which provides 25 percent or more of the applicant's annual income.
DHS National Emergency Resource Registry Activated
Marcie Roth
Executive Director/CEO
National Spinal Cord Injury Association
6701 Democracy Blvd Suite 300-9
Bethesda, MD 20817
(301)
717-7447 (Direct)
(301) 214-4006 (VM)
(301) 963-1265 (Fax)
(800)
962-9639 (Helpline)
mroth@spinalcord.org
www.spinalcord.org
Goodwill of Greater Washington has 200 brand new wheelchairs of all sizes that we'd like to donate to the relief effort, but we are having a difficult time reaching the appropriate people at the Red Cross or other relief agencies due to the high volume of phone calls they are receiving. If someone can assist us in this effort, we'd greatly appreciate it. I can be reached at 202-715-2605.
Thank you!
Brendan Hurley
Senior Vice-President
Marketing & Communications
Goodwill of Greater Washington
Phone: (202) 715-2605
Fax: (202) 715-2643
web:
www.dcgoodwill.org
Building Dignity Through Work for the Disadvantaged & Disabled for 70 Years!
CFC #8825 - Please remember us!
COLLABORATION IN FOCUS - FEDERAL AND NON-PROFIT DISABILITY RESPONSE TO HURRICANE KATRINA - Information for People who are Deaf and Hard of Hearing
Hello everyone,
I would like to share with you a press release that the Community Emergency Preparedness Information Network (CEPIN) has issued last Friday, announcing points of contact for deaf and hard of hearing people who are impacted by Katrina.
Jim House
National CEPIN Coordinator
Assistance Available for Hurricane Victims who are Deaf or Hard of Hearing
CEPIN Regional Centers Standing by to Assist Displaced Individuals and Families
Emergency assistance plans have been put in place for Hurricane Katrina victims who are deaf or hard of hearing and their families. The Community Emergency Preparedness Information Network (CEPIN) Project has designated CSD of Oklahoma and Northern Resource Virginia Center for Deaf and Hard of Hearing Persons (NVRC) as CEPIN contact centers for Hurricane Katrina victims and their families.
Agencies serving deaf or hard of hearing individuals in the areas affected by Hurricane Katrina are reporting that their phone lines and offices are shut down for the time being. Coverage for pagers may be weak at times due to loss of network capabilities. As a result, people wanting to find information on recovery and rescue efforts in the areas devastated by Hurricane Katrina are encouraged in Louisiana or displaced westward in Texas to contact CSD of Oklahoma during regular business hours at:
www.c-s-d.org (click on locations, then Oklahoma)
(866) 845-7445 Voice/TTY (Toll Free)
(918) 835-7445 Voice/TTY
(918) 835-6459 FAX
csdoklahoma@c-s-d.org
“We have people standing by at the CEPIN regional center, which is being facilitated by CSD of Oklahoma Division Director Glenna Cooper," said Dr. Benjamin J. Soukup, CSD CEO. "We recognize that people who are deaf or hard of hearing are often overlooked in disaster recovery and rescue efforts, and we are working hard to ensure that this does not happen with Hurricane Katrina. CSD of Oklahoma is working closely with the local Red Cross and other appropriate organizations, and they will be
able to provide assistance."
"In addition to the victims, our office is also providing support and resources to the responders and volunteers to ensure that deaf and hard of hearing refugees are getting much-needed assistance," added Soukup.
For those wanting information in other states affected by Katrina such as Florida, Alabama or Mississippi, and displaced refugees in the Mid-Atlantic area, contact Northern Virginia Resource Center for Deaf and Hard of Hearing Persons (NVRC).
"We are heartbroken seeing all the devastation that Katrina has brought upon people in the Gulf States, especially those who are deaf, hard of hearing, deaf-blind and late-deafened," said Cheryl Heppner, Executive Director of NVRC.
Heppner added, "As part of CEPIN, we are eager to work with organizations and agencies to ensure that people who are deaf or hard of hearing get the services they need, especially hearing aids or other devices vital to effective communication. At a time when their lives are turned upside down, we hope the last thing worry about is how they will be able to communicate with others."
NVRC may be contacted during regular business hours at:
www.nvrc.org
(703) 352-9056 TTY
(703) 352-9055 Voice
(703) 352-9058 FAX
info@nvrc.org
Volunteers who have experience in working with deaf and hard of hearing people and have training in First Aid, CPR, CERT, and other rescue efforts should contact one of the two regional centers to offer their services. The CEPIN website also has a list of statewide resources available at www.tdi-online.org/tdi/emergencypreparedness/cepin.htm for the areas affected by the hurricane.
If you need assistance in recovering from the disaster, contact the nearest Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA):
www.fema.gov
1-800-462-7585 TTY
1-800-621-FEMA (3362) Voice
For a list of organizations to donate money to:
www.fema.gov/press/2005/katrinadonations.shtm
(Please note that FEMA and other organizations are asking for monetary donations, not donations in the form of food, clothes or other goods).
If you need food, clothing, shelter or medicine, contact the American
Red Cross:
www.redcross.org
If you need to find your family members, go to the American Red Cross
FamilyLinks website at:
www.familylinks.icrc.org/katrina
If you receive social security benefits, Social Security Administration is working to ensure that individuals continue to receive their
retirement or disability checks. More information is at:
www.socialsecurity.gov/emergency/
1-800-325-0778 TTY
1-800-772-1213 Voice
“It’s critical that we have this information on hand for victims, and that people are aware of these resources,” said Jim House, CEPIN Project National Coordinator. “The CEPIN Project will continue to be very supportive, and to monitor the recovery activities and provide assistance as needed. CEPIN will be adding information to its website and sending out information as news develops, and we encourage people to check our website for updates.”
About the CEPIN Project: The U.S. Department of Homeland Security awarded TDI nearly $1.5 million for the two-year CEPIN Project, which focuses on developing model community education programs for deaf and hard of hearing consumers about emergency preparedness. For more information about the CEPIN Project, please visit www.tdi-online.org/tdi/emergencypreparedness/cepin.htm.
About TDI: TDI is a non-profit advocacy organization that promotes equal access to telecommunications and media for individuals who are deaf, late deafened, hard-of-hearing or deaf-blind. Since 1968, TDI has successfully advocated for federal legislation such as the Telecommunications Act of 1996, the Americans with Disabilities Act and the Television Decoder Circuitry Act, both of 1990, as well as other legislation and policies mandating greater access to wireless technology, captioning as well as other telecommunication and media technologies. Since its inception, TDI has been promoting access to 9-1-1 centers and other public safety answering points, and is now working to ensure full access to information during natural or manmade disasters and other types of emergencies. TDI publishes annually, a National Directory & Resource Guide, commonly known as The Blue Book, a popular resource book for people with hearing loss, as well as the GA-SK quarterly news magazine. For more information about TDI, visit www.tdi-online.org.
For more information about the CEPIN Project at TDI, contact:
Jim House
National CEPIN Coordinator
Community Emergency Preparedness Information Network
TDI
8630 Fenton Street, Suite 604
Silver Spring, Maryland 20910-3822
jimhouse@tdi-online.org
www.tdi-online.org/tdi/resources.emergency.asp
TTY or VP: 301-589-3006
AIM: JimHouseCEPIN
Fax: 301-589-3797
Voice: 301-589-3786
Step in with CEPIN - Your life may depend on it.
SECRETARY LEAVITT TAKING HEALTH, SOCIAL SERVICES RESOURCES TO EVACUEE LOCATIONS THROUGHOUT GULF REGION
FOR IMMEDIATE
RELEASE
Contact: HHS
Public Affairs
September 4, 2005
(202) 690-6343
Headline:
SECRETARY LEAVITT TAKING HEALTH, SOCIAL SERVICES RESOURCES TO
EVACUEE LOCATIONS
THROUGHOUT GULF REGION
Secretary Mike
Leavitt is taking a team of health care, public health and
social service
leaders to Louisiana and the Gulf Region today as part of
ongoing efforts to
extend care and services to where evacuees of Hurricane
Katrina are
located.
Secretary Leavitt
said the team would build upon existing state, local and
federal efforts to
provide for the immediate health care needs of evacuees
by extending
services for ongoing medical, mental health and social services
needs as well as
public health and disease prevention. HHS health care
experts and
medicines were pre-deployed to the region before the hurricane
and subsequently
delivered immediately following to augment the needs of
FEMA and state and
local health agencies.
Secretary Leavitt
will be accompanied by the following HHS leaders: Dr.
Julie Gerberding,
Director of the Centers for Disease Control and
Prevention; Dr.
Richard Carmona, Surgeon General; Wade Horn, Assistant
Secretary for
Children and Families; Charles Currie, Administrator of the
Substance Abuse
and Mental Health Services Administration; Dr. Mark
McClellan,
Administrator of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services;
Dr. Garth Graham,
Director of Office of Minority Health. In addition to the
HHS leadership
team, the Secretary will be joined by Dr. William
Winkenwerder,
Assistant Secretary of Defense for Health Affairs; General Joe
Kelly of the
Department of Defense; and Joe Becker of the American Red
Cross.
"We've spent this
important first week providing for the immediate health
care needs of
hurricane victims and the public health needs of the Gulf
region, which will
remain ongoing efforts. Now, we want to make sure the
full reach of the
federal government's health and human services are being
extended to every
area where evacuees are being located," Secretary Leavitt
said. "We have a
great deal of work to do to help the victims of Hurricane
Katrina get back
on their feet and begin recovering from this tragedy. We're
going to be where
they are in order to help them every step of this
journey."
Over the next
several days, the Secretary and his team will be going to
evacuee locations
throughout the Gulf Coast region, including Louisiana and
Texas. At evacuee
locations, the Secretary will make sure HHS resources are
stood up or
expanded where necessary to meet the ongoing needs of hurricane
victims.
Today, the Secretary will be going to the following sites in Louisiana:
12:10 p.m.
(Central Time) New Orleans Airport
The team will be
working with evacuation efforts at the airport, where
medical facilities
are in operation.
3:45 p.m. (Central
Time) Baton Rouge, Louisiana
The team will go
to the Pete Maravich Assembly Center (Entrance) on the LSU
Campus, where
evacuees are located as well as health care facilities that
HHS personnel are
helping to staff and operate.
5 p.m. (Central
Time) Media Availability
At approximately
this time, Secretary Leavitt will hold a media availability
at the Entrance to
the Pete Maravich Assembly Center on the LSU Campus in
Baton Rouge.
Please understand
that times are approximate and may alter depending on the
work needed to be
done in these communities. HHS will keep media apprised of
any significant
time changes.
After Louisiana,
the Secretary and team will be going to sites in Texas,
including Houston,
Dallas and San Antonio. More specific information will be
forthcoming as
locations and times are confirmed.
Note: All HHS press releases, fact sheets and other press materials are
available at
http://www.hhs.gov/news