Dr. Wood: If you have special needs, planning for an emergency is essential

Conversations around town have turned to winter storms. Ice, snow and wind are common at this time of year, and it can be hard to know how to be prepared.

For those in our community who have disabilities, special needs, or who need electricity to function, the threat of power outages and winter weather can be more than just a little scary — it can be life-threatening.

Luckily, there are a number of things that can help people with disabilities make a plan. Some of the key tips offered by ready.gov include:

• Make and communicate your plan for children with disabilities and people who may have difficulty in unfamiliar or chaotic environments. Communication is important, and talking about your plan for emergencies in advance can help it become more familiar.
• Practice your plan. Going through the steps will help people visualize what to do, reduce anxiety, and help identify unanticipated problems.
• Build an emergency kit. Making sure you have food, water, extra medications, clothing, glasses, shoes, and blankets as well as copies of your most important papers can bring peace of mind, as well as provide what you need when an emergency actually happens.
• Create a support network. Keep a contact list in a water-tight container in your emergency kit. For people who require medical devices, the FDA offers a printable “booklet” that you can keep with your kit to collect and share important information in an emergency.
• Inform your support network where you keep your emergency supplies; you may want to consider giving one member a key to your house or apartment.
• Contact your city or county government’s emergency management agency or office. Many local offices keep lists of people disabilities so they can be helped quickly in a sudden emergency.
• Be ready to explain to first responders that you need to evacuate and choose to go to a shelter with your family, service animal, caregiver, personal assistant, and assistive technology devices and supplies.
• Wear medical alert tags or bracelets.
• If you have diabetes, there are additional steps you should take to be prepared. For example, you not only need to plan for insulin storage, you need to know how to prevent dehydration, blood sugar issues, and infections.
• If you use medical equipment in your home that requires electricity, talk to your doctor or health care provider about how you can prepare for its use during a power outage.
• Remember that if you purchase a generator, consult a professional to help install it, and never run a generator inside your home or garage.
• If you’re dependent on dialysis or other life-sustaining treatment, know the location and availability of more than one facility. Call and ask about their emergency preparedness plan.
• If you depend on Social Security or other regular benefits, consider switching to electronic payments.

There are very specific steps you can take to protect yourself during a power outage. For people who are disabled and reliant on electricity, you should plan to have alternative charging methods available for devices. Visit Get Tech Ready to learn more.

It’s also a good idea to keep a NOAA weather radio turned to a local emergency station. FEMA also provides a weather alert app through which you can receive weather alerts from the National Weather Service for as many as five different locations.

All of us need to think ahead and prepare ourselves and our families for the possibility of an emergency. For those in the community who have additional needs, disabilities, or reliance on electricity, it’s especially important to be as ready as possible for the unexpected. Make time to think through your plan, and work toward emergency resilience.

This story was originally published January 6, 2018 at 5:43 AM with the headline "Dr. Wood: If you have special needs, planning for an emergency is essential."