Dealing with Disabilities and Unique Needs in an Emergency Situation

If you have someone in your family that has a disability or has unique needs, the mere idea of an emergency situation can be paralyzing. Having a level enough head to rescue yourself is often difficult for some people but if you have to move or evacuate someone with special needs, the pressure can be overwhelming. The key to handling any emergency situation is to plan ahead and that goes double for when you have added responsibility. Follow the steps below and you’ll know just how to react when an emergency strikes your home.

Make a plan of action

The first step in preparing yourself and those in your care for an emergency is to simply talk about what might happen and how things would unfold. We all know that staying calm is the key to handling any emergency situation so if everyone involved knows what to expect and how to survive, it should significantly decrease everyone’s anxiety level. Talk about the various things that could happen, such as a fire or a natural disaster that is local to your area and how you would evacuate or survive for long periods of time without power. Once you remove the fear of the emergency from the situation, dealing with it becomes much easier.

A fully stocked emergency kit is key

Make sure youremergency preparedness kitis fully stocked with all of the items everyone needs, including extra medication or items that are required for everyone in your family to get by. You also need to remember to cycle things out every six months. If you have extra medication stored away, be aware of the expiration date so you aren’t left with useless drugs.

Know when to ask for help

If you need help moving someone who can’t move themselves or if you need help getting everyone in your care to a safe place in an emergency, make sure you have someone on call around the clock just in case. It could be a neighbor or a friend, but it needs to be someone who can get to your residence within minutes in case everyone needs to get out fast. Worst case scenario, you can always call 911, but if it is a disaster that is striking your entire area, they may be slow to respond. It is up to you to set up an instant response team that can help you when you need them.