Disabilities in Disaster Situations How a Rescuer Handles What They Encounter
Main Article Content
Keywords
Disaster, Responders, Disability
Abstract
Individuals with disabilities are often disproportionately affected by disaster. With little research focused on rescue operations impacting individuals with disabilities during large disasters, three themes are reviewed: re-leveling expectations; misunderstanding of triage and crisis medical protocols; and light switch fallacy by responders and individuals with disabilities before, during, and after rescue operations.
References
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Van Willigen, M., Edwards, T., Edwards, B., Hessee, S. (August 2002). Riding out the storm: Experiences of the physically disabled during Hurricanes Bonnie, Dennis, and Floyd. Nat. Hazards Rev., 2002, 3(3): 98-106. https://doi.org/10.1061/(ASCE)1527-6988(2002)3:3(98)
White, B. (2006). Disaster Relief for Deaf Persons: Lessons from Hurricanes Katrina and Rita. Review of Disability Studies: An International Journal, 2(3).
White, G. W., Fox, M. H., Rooney, C., & Cahill, A. (2007). Assessing the impact of Hurricane Katrina on persons with disabilities. The Kansas nurse, 82(6), 9.
Alexander, D. (2015). Disability and disaster: An overview. Disability and disaster, 15-29.
Americans With Disabilities Act of 1990 (ADA), 42 U.S.C. ch. 126 et seq. PL 101-336 104 Stat. 327 (1990).
Americans With Disabilities Amendments Act of 2008. Public Law 110-325, 122 Stat. 3553 (2008).
Benda, E. (December 4, 2020). 2014 Oso landslide, Washington. Environmental Systems Research Institute. Retrieved February 2, 2022 at https://storymaps.arcgis.com/stories/ebdfd4e93aa747dabede00d50b5019f8
Clarkson L, Williams M. (August 13, 2021). EMS Mass Casualty Triage. In: StatPearls [Internet]. Treasure Island, FL: StatPearls Publishing; 2022 Jan-. Retrieved from https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK459369/
Edwards, B. (2000). Disasters, diversity and equity: Disproportionate impact and uneven access to recovery resources among residents of eastern North Carolina following Hurricanes Bonnie, Dennis, and Floyd. 25th Annual Workshop on Hazards Research and Applications, Boulder, CO.
Fay, R. (personal communication, January 26, 2022).
Fjord, L., & Manderson, L. (2009). Anthropological perspectives on disasters and disabilities: An introduction. Human Organization, 68(1), 64-72.
Fugate, C. (July 27, 2009). Written statement. In Subcommittee Hearing: Post‐Katrina: What it Takes to Cut the Bureaucracy and Assure a More Rapid Response After a Catastrophic Disaster. House Subcommittee of Economic Development, Public Buildings and Emergency Management. Washington, DC: Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure, US Congress. House of Representatives.
Fugate, C. (May 4, 2011). Written statement. In Subcommittee Hearing: Understanding the Power of Social Media as a Communication Tool in the Aftermath of Disasters. Subcommittee on Disaster Recovery and Intergovernmental Affairs. Washington, DC: Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs, US Congress. Senate.
Fugate, C. (October 25, 2011). "Written statement." Five Years Later: An Assessment of the Post Katrina Emergency Management Reform Act. House Subcommittee on Emergency Preparedness, Response, and Communications. Washington, DC: Committee on Homeland Security, US Congress. House of Representatives.
Golshani, N., Shabanpour, R., Mohammadian, A., Auld, J., & Ley, H. (2019). Evacuation decision behavior for no-notice emergency events. Transportation research part D: transport and environment, 77, 364-3 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.trd.2019.01.025
Grajdura, S., Qian, X., & Niemeier, D. (2021). Awareness, departure, and preparation time in no-notice wildfire evacuations. Safety science, 139, 105258.
Institute of Medicine (IOM) Gostin, L. O., Hanfling, D., Hanson, S. L., Stroud, C., & Altevogt, B. M. (Eds.). (2009). Guidance for establishing crisis standards of care for use in disaster situations: a letter report. National Academies. Washington: The National Academies Press.
Jones, N.L. (December 29, 2010). The Americans with Disabilities Act and Emergency Preparedness and Response. Congressional Research Service (CRS Report No. RS22254).
Kahn, C., and Pierre, J. (January 12, 2020). A ‘Lost decade’: Haiti still struggles to recover 10 years after massive earthquake. National Public Radio. January 12, 2020. Retrieved November 27, 2020 from https://www.npr.org/2020/01/12/794298546/a-lost-decade-haiti-still-struggles-to-recover-10-years-after-massive-earthquake
Keating, F. (April 20, 2020). Compilation of coronavirus and the military war-gaming the next pandemic. Wall Street Journal. Retrieved November 27, 2020 from https://www.wsj.com/articles/war-gaming-the-next-pandemic-11587310321
Kelman, I., & Stough, L. (2015). Disability and disaster: Explorations and exchanges. Palgrave MacMillan. https://doi.org/10.1057/9781137486004_1
Leong, G., Stodden, R., & Balikuddembe, K. J. (2020). Disability and Disaster: What to Know - What to Do. Pacific Rim International Conference on Disability and Diversity Conference Proceedings. Honolulu, Hawai'i: Center on Disability Studies, University of Hawai'i at Mānoa.
Lewis, J. (1999). Development in Disaster-Prone Places: Studies of Vulnerability. Intermediate Technology Publications.
Lombardo, K., Boggs, J., Boudreau, J., Chiles, P., Erickson, J., Gerstel, W., Montgomery, D., Shipman, L., Radcliff-Sinclair, R., Strachan, S., Sugimura, D., Trimm, B. (December 15, 2014). The SR 350 landslide commission final report. State of Washington.
McEntire, D.A.; Fuller, C; Johnston, C.W.; & Weber, R. (May-June 2002). A Comparison of Disaster Paradigms: The Search for a Holistic Policy Guide, Public Administration Review, May-June, 2002, 62(3), 267-281, https://www.jstor.org/stable/3110212
Neal, D.M. (August, 1997). Reconsidering the phases of disaster. International Journal of Mass Emergencies and Disasters. 15(2), 239-264.
Post-Katrina Emergency Management Reform Act of 2006. Public Law 109-295, 120 Stat. 1394 (2006).
Priestley, M. & Hemingway, L. (February 15, 2007) Disability and disaster recovery: a tale of two cities? Journal of Social Work in Disability & Rehabilitation. 5(3-4), 23-42.
https://doi.org/10.1300/J198v05n03_02
Pyke, C. & Wilton, R. (December 2020) Planning for inclusion? An assessment of Ontario's emergency preparedness guide for people with disabilities. International Journal of Disaster Risk Reduction. 51. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijdrr.2020.101888
Schaffer, D. (2021). The light switch fallacy: Emergency management and recovery in an on-demand world. Journal of Emergency Management, Vol 19, No 3. (2021, May/June).
https://doi.org/10.5055/jem.0545
Schaffer, D. (March 1, 2022). Disabilities and disasters: How a rescuer handles what they encounter. [Conference session, on-demand]. 37th Annual Pacific Rim International Conference on Disabilities and Diversity, University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa.
Schwab, J. (2010). Hazard Mitigation: Integrating best practices into planning. American Planning Association, Planning Advisory Services Report No. 560. Federal Emergency Management Agency.
Smith, G. (2011). Planning for Post-Disaster Recovery: A review of the United States disaster assistance framework. The Public Entity Risk Institute.
Steenhuysen, J. (October 6, 2020). Moderna vaccine trial contractors fail to enroll enough minorities, prompting slowdown. Reuters News. Retrieved November 27, 2020 from https://www.reuters.com/article/us-health-coronavirus-vaccine-moderna-ex/exclusive-moderna-vaccine-trial-contractors-fail-to-enroll-enough-minorities-prompting-slowdown-idUSKBN26R1SP
Stough L.M., & Kelman I. (2018). People with Disabilities and Disasters. In: Rodríguez H., Donner W., Trainor J. (eds) Handbook of Disaster Research (pp. 225-242). Handbooks.
of Sociology and Social Research. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-63254-4_12
Stough, L.M., & Mayhorn. (2013). Population segments with disabilities. International Journal of Mass Emergencies and Disasters. 31(3), 384-402.
Taubenfeld, E. (March 23, 2017). The culture of impatience and instant gratification. Study Breaks. Retrieved November 28, 2020 from https://studybreaks.com/culture/instant-gratification/
Ton, K.T.; Gaillard, J.C.; Adamson, C.E.; Akgungor, C.; Ho, H.T. (March 2019). Expanding the capabilities of people with disabilities in disaster risk reduction. International Journal of Disaster Risk Reduction, 34:11-17. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijdrr.2018.11.002
Townsend, F.F. (February 2006). The Federal Response to Hurricane Katrina Lessons Learned. George W. Bush White House archives. Retrieved December 6, 2021 at https://biotech.law.lsu.edu/katrina/govdocs/katrina-lessons-learned.pdf
Twigg, J., Kett, M., & Lovell, E. (2018). Disability inclusion and disaster risk reduction. Briefing Note. London: Overseas Development Institute.
United Nations International Strategy for Disaster Reduction (UNISDR). 2015. Sendai framework for disaster risk reduction 2015–2030. Geneva: UNISDR
United States Department of Justice (USDOJ), Code of Federal Regulations, General Requirements, 28 CFR 35 et seq. (2010).
Van Willigen, M., Edwards, T., Edwards, B., Hessee, S. (August 2002). Riding out the storm: Experiences of the physically disabled during Hurricanes Bonnie, Dennis, and Floyd. Nat. Hazards Rev., 2002, 3(3): 98-106. https://doi.org/10.1061/(ASCE)1527-6988(2002)3:3(98)
White, B. (2006). Disaster Relief for Deaf Persons: Lessons from Hurricanes Katrina and Rita. Review of Disability Studies: An International Journal, 2(3).
White, G. W., Fox, M. H., Rooney, C., & Cahill, A. (2007). Assessing the impact of Hurricane Katrina on persons with disabilities. The Kansas nurse, 82(6), 9.
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Mar 20, 2023
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Research Articles and Essays
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Author Biography
Daryl Schaffer, University of Alaska Fairbanks
Daryl Schaffer is a retired US Coast Guard Captain; he holds a Certificate in Instructional Design, Masters in Human Resource Management, Marymount University; he also holds a Masters in Homeland Security and Disaster Management University of Alaska Fairbanks (Aug 2022); and participates in Military Wounded Warrior.