FEMA Promising Practice: Inclusive Emergency Management Practices in Vermont

On August 28, 2011, the State of Vermont was devastated by Tropical Storm Irene, resulting in several deaths, hundreds of homes destroyed, over a thousand Vermonters displaced, damage to hundreds of businesses and farms, and thousands of roads and bridges being washed out. In the aftermath of this historic natural disaster and with funding made possible by the Vermont Department of Public Safety, Disability Rights Vermont and the Vermont & New Hampshire Valley Region of the American Red Cross worked collaboratively to survey emergency shelters for accessibility and develop emergency planning processes inclusive of people with disabilities and others with access and functional needs in disaster planning, preparedness, response, relief, and recovery efforts.

Learning Objectives:

• Describe processes for surveying and adapting emergency shelters to ensure accessibility and sheltering of people with disabilities in an integrated environment.
• Name best practices for training emergency management staff and volunteers in working effectively with people with disabilities.
• Identify strategies for building effective partnerships between state governments, emergency preparedness/disaster recovery agencies, and the disability community.