Florida community plans conference on disaster preparedness for people with disabilities

From The Suncoast News in Pasco County, Florida:

PORT RICHEY - The worst nightmare for many West Pasco residents could be surviving a devastating hurricane or other disaster.

So imagine the challenges a person who is blind or has some other disability would face trying to recover from an emergency.

Pasco leaders are starting to walk a mile in the shoes of disabled people while putting together an Emergency Preparedness Conference for residents with special needs later this spring.

Sylvia Stinson-Perez, executive director for the Lighthouse for the Visually Impaired, played host to county emergency officials and executives of nonprofit community groups at a preliminary meeting last week. The Florida Department of Health has selected Pasco as one of four counties to present such a conference in 2009, Perez explained.

Perez, who is legally blind, said with a chuckle that she only recently learned that shoppers can buy peanut butter and jelly blended in a single jar. Sighted residents take such things for granted.

At a shelter, "it's a simple matter" to guide a blind person through the unfamiliar surroundings, Perez said.

Hearing-impaired individuals could be too timid to ask a lot of questions, Perez added. Interpreters definitely are needed during a crisis.

"It's real important to have pictures" for people who don't read, Perez pointed out.

The same skills for surviving a hurricane can be applied to other emergencies, Margaret "Peg" Thomas, a Pasco emergency management coordinator, said.

"That's why we call them disaster kits now instead of hurricane kits," Thomas commented.

The county bases a special needs shelter at River Ridge High School, Thomas noted.

The emergency preparations conference for disabled could piggyback on the annual hurricane expo the county sponsors in May or June, organizers said at the planning
session.

Thomas said plans haven't been finalized for the expo this year.

Last year the event moved to the New Port Richey Recreation and Aquatics Center.

In previous years, the expo was based at the Gulf View Square mall, in Port Richey.

"That's the big push this year," Thomas remarked about post-disaster planning. "What if your home is too damaged to return to it?"

Shelters usually house people up to three days. Displaced residents need to have contingency plans after they leave shelters.

"It's up to the community to heal," Thomas concluded.