April 22, 2009 Sara Sack Assistive Technology for Kansans

Preparing For and Responding to a Disaster: Equipment Reutilization

Programs Can Be An Important Part of Disaster Planning

April 22, 2009Sara Sack

Assistive Technology for Kansans

Lessons Learned in Responding to Seven Disasters

Prepare both as an organization and as an individual Have your own 72 hour kit and family plan

Learn as much as you can from the experts—National Organization on Disability, Emergency Management Agency, Red Cross, Nobody Left Behind, etc.

Conduct a program analysis to figure out how you can respond

Lessons Learned (Continued) Get connected with the key players in your state

—Red Cross, EMA, Health and Human Services, etc.

Develop a plan for disaster response Obtain training so you can respond when

needed Recognize that disasters are different—be

prepared to match your response to the disaster

Lessons Learned (Continued)

Debrief after responding to a disaster and modify your plan based on experiences and other’s recommendations.

Preparing For A Disaster

Step #1: Consider What Your Reutilization Program Can Contribute to Disaster Planning and Response

Knowledge about assistive technology, durable medical equipment, and disability

Direct source of equipment for shelters and individuals

Indirect source of equipment—we know who else has equipment (vendors, loan closets, etc.)

Statewide presence and connections

#1 Contributions: Continued

System for moving equipment Connected to the national reutilization

network to respond to large disasters

Step #2: What Equipment Can Your Program Provide?

What inventory do you have to deploy? All categories of AT collected in our

reutilization program How do you know what you have at any

given point in time? Real time online inventory system

Hosted out of state Backed up daily off-site

Where is the equipment? At 6 AT Access Sites across the state

Equipment: Continued

How quickly can you reasonably collect the equipment? 24 hours

What other equipment might be available? Use network established with 31 loan closets across

the state. Know general categories of equipment that they share and have disaster agreements in place

Equipment: Continued

How could we get the equipment to the disaster site? Use the delivery system of our Reutilization

Program, coordinate with Red Cross, use commercial carriers (Over The Road Carriers, UPS, Fed Ex, etc.)

Step #3: How Do We Match Equipment To The Individual’s Needs?

How do others know what we have and how do we know what individuals need? Share PDF of available equipment pulled from

online inventory Obtain equipment needed list from Social and

Rehabilitation Services, Red Cross, and other coordinating entities

Available Inventory by Regional Site

Matching Equipment: Continued

How can agencies share this information without violating Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPPA)? Reutilization program has a Business Associate

Agreement with state agency and is bound by regulations and protection standards

Individual can authorize sharing of needed information

Matching Equipment: Continued

Who assumes responsibility for matching equipment and arranging for transportation? Follow chain of command: Reutilization

Coordinator, if unavailable then Program Director, management staff, AT Access Site Reutilization Coordinator from unaffected area

Step #4: How Do You Budget for Disaster Response?

Who pays for transportation of equipment? Used volunteers and associated staff to

transport When expenses were incurred, billed as

reutilization program transportation expenses Exploring becoming trained in Emergency

Management and eligible to bill for disaster recovery expenses

Step #5: How Do You Become A Part of Your State’s Disaster Management Plan?

Get connected with disaster management entities in your state. Listed in Disaster Management Resource

Directory Obtain appropriate training

Introduction to Disaster Services video http://www.redcross.org/flash/course01_v01/

Modify disaster response plan to reflect state plan Become part of the EM plan in the region,

participate in drills, etc.

Responding To A Disaster

What Do We Know About The Disaster?

What is the scope? Will individuals be in the area or will they be

scattered to various shelters, relatives, etc? What specific equipment is needed and

how do we know? Used lists and because people were dispersed

ran Public Service Announcements (PSAs) to locate persons who needed technology

What sources of equipment are nearby?

What Do We Know About The Disaster? (continued)

Where should the equipment go? Expect that access to the area will be

controlled and that number of entries will be limited

Have a contact name and delivery information How can we get the equipment there?

What Do We Know About The Disaster? (continued)

Who is onsite to help with reassignment of the equipment? Staff and associated staff

Who will receive and sign for the equipment? Consumer or family member Case manger or other representative Disaster Response Team

What Happened When We Responded To A Disaster

Responded to 7 disasters to date: 1 Level 5 tornado, 2 level 3 tornadoes, 1 fire, and 3 floods

Response under way within 24 hours, equipment moving by 48 hours

We’re Still Learning But Efforts Seem To Be Going In The Right Direction

“I can’t tell you how much we appreciated the help during Greensburg. Not knowing what types of evacuees we were going to have, it was comforting to have KEE on hand. It’s also nice to know that if we have a disaster at home, I have the resources and partnership for helping our disabled victims. We are glad to have the KEE program.” Carolyn Henry, Executive Director, Garden City

Red Cross serving SW Kansas

Questions?

Sara Sack, [email protected]