Special Populations
In emergency preparedness a special population is any group of people who may not be able to either receive, understand, or act on emergency information as it is traditionally given. This covers a wide range of people, from the frail elderly, people with disabilities, immigrants who don't speak English well, and the homeless.
Links:
Disaster Preparedness for People with Disabilities Red Cross (pdf)
Preparing for a Disaster FEMA (pdf)
Preparedness Information for Seniors written by Seniors
Emergency Preparedness at Home (doc)
Emergency Preparedness on the Job (doc)
Prepare.org - Preparedness for Seniors by Seniors
Disability Preparedness Center
National Organization on Disability
Local Initiatives
The Lansing Area Emergency Preparedness for Special Populations Taskforce is working on a variety of projects to make residents with special needs more disaster resilient.
- Assessing and improving dissemination of emergency information
- Developing planning resources for businesses and individuals
- Developing procedures for to identify and provide additional assistance to those who need it during a disaster
Taskforce member agencies: Lansing Emergency Management, Ingham County Emergency Management, Tri-County Office on Aging, the Capital Area Center for Independent Living, Salvation Army, Mid-Michigan Red Cross, St Vincent Catholic Charities/Refugee Services, Michigan Commission on Disability Concerns/Division on Deaf & Hard of Hearing, Visiting Nurse Services of Michigan Hospice, Lansing Human Services and Community Relations, Capital Area Critical Incident Stress Management Team, and the Retired and Senior Volunteer Program.
