Disaster struck Chennai in December 2015, and some of the worst-affected groups were the most vulnerable: the elderly, those with disabilities, and those with chronic illnesses.
Vulnerable groups are far more badly affected than the regular population in any disaster situation, said B. Meenakshi of Equals, Centre for Promotion of Social Justice, and yet, she said persons with disabilities are rarely consulted about their needs in a disaster. “Tamil Nadu’s disaster management plan needs to be re-examined and the needs of vulnerable groups have to be taken into consideration, especially in the light of the United Nations adopting the Sendai framework, which deals with disability- inclusive disaster and risk reduction,” she said.
So what can these groups do when faced with a disaster? Experts suggest a check-list to ensure you are well prepared. However, the needs of various groups are different and not all have been covered. The lists may not apply to all.
Pregnant women: Sumana Manohar, consultant obstetrician and gynaecologist, Apollo Hospitals
1. Keep all your your medical records and medication in a safe place
2. Make sure you have the contact numbers of your doctors, an ambulance and other transportation
3. Ensure a relative or friend is available to help you get to the hospital
4. Have a bag ready with all the things the baby and you will need at the hospital
Diabetes and heart disease: Vijay Viswanathan, head, M.V. Hospital for Diabetes, Royapuram and K. Kannan, head of the cardiology department, Government Stanley Hospital
1. Make sure you have enough stock of insulin and oral medicine
2. Keep sufficient blood glucose monitoring strips to last a few days
3. Stock up on hypotab in case you experience a sudden drop in blood sugar
4. Ensure you have an extra pair of footwear
5. Have a first aid kit and supplies handy
6. If someone near you experiences symptoms of a heart attack, have them lie down, chew an aspirin tablet and take a cholesterol tablet while waiting for help to arrive. If they have breathing difficulties, they should be sat upright.
Elderly: V. S. Natarajan, senior geriatrician
1. If possible, move to higher floors, or a home that has not been affected early on
2. Keep warm clothes handy if the weather turns chilly
3. Try and get a flu vaccination before the advent of the monsoon
4. Keep stocks medicines for about a week including medicines for fever, digestive enzymes, anti-allergies and pain killers
5. Inform relatives in the country and abroad and also give them the contact number of a friend to call in case you are not reachable
Persons with disabilities: Vaishnavi Jayakumar, member, Disability Rights Alliance, Tamil Nadu; S. Vaidyanathan, co-founder, The Spinal Foundation and B. Meenakshi of Equals, Centre for Promotion of Social Justice
Prepare an Individual Disaster Preparation Plan and discuss it with family and friends.
Plan and practice an evacuation route with your family. Ask an out-of-state relative or friend to be the "family contact" in case your family is separated during a flood.
Pack an easily accessible, rugged, waterproof emergency supplies kit bag and verify that it is not outdated. This should include :
A month’s worth of individual medical supplies with photocopy of a prescription for the same
Bladder management and skin care needs. For those with spinal cord injuries this may include catheters, urine bags, surgical gloves, diapers etc., but the requirements vary from person to person. For floods an antibacterial cream is advisable.
Dry, energy-dense, packaged food, and water.
Chlorine tablets
Mosquito repellent cream
Laminated photocopies of important documents
Duplicates of essential keys (labelled)
Candles, matches, batteries and torch
Battery run radio
Heavy duty rope
Cash
Make an emergency information list for first responders and laminate the same.
Include
Instructions if you have any special needs in communication, transferring and mobility.
Medical and nutritional schedule
A list of life-saving adaptive equipment and/or body system support equipment you use.
Emergency contact information
Name and address of a relative or friend who lives in a disaster-specific safe space.
Invest in a pre-prepared medical kit, emergency lantern, small phone with long battery life, power backup, power bank and a life jacket, if possible.
Chlorine tablets that provide drinking water safe results are available in the market. Remember to stay hydrated.
Fill available water in buckets at the first hint of heavy rains. Remember that power may be turned off and pharmacies may shut down during flooding or other disasters
Stock toiletries and, non-perishable dry rations in plastic, unbreakable closed containers in case you are marooned.
Keep aside rain gear and 2 sets of accessible clothing
Obey Government authorities when they tell you to evacuate.
Try and stay at home as even generally accessible places may become inaccessible. Completely avoid historically flood-prone areas as a rule. Basements of places such as malls may get flooded, so avoid them.
Make sure all your assistive devices are fully charged, always. And know your devices -- you should be able to protect them from the rain or be able to tell others how to do so
Be a part of your neighbourhood's initiatives on disaster management and ensure the needs of persons with disabilities are covered. Speak to local authorities about their disaster mangement plans
