Research & Reports

Assessing the impact of Hurricane Katrina on persons with disabilities (PDF) 200, Lawrence, KS: The University of Kansas, The Research and Training Center on Independent Living, last accessed 01/24/08

Disabled People and Disaster Planning a group of people primarily from Los Angeles County who met during 1996 and 1997 and formulated recommendations to reduce problems with accessibility that many people with disabilities experienced after the Northridge Earthquake of 1994. This group included individuals with disabilities and individuals from the disaster planning and response professions. last accessed 01/17/08

Disaster P115%; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">GenDisasters looks at the events that touched our ancestor's lives - tornadoes, fires, floods, hurricanes, train wrecks, mine explosions, and tragic accidents that became a part of history and our genealogy. (last accessed 09/18/08)

Kobe, Japan’s Great Hanshin‑Awaji Earthquake, January 1995 – People With Disabilities And Other Access And Functional Needs - Given the 9.0 Earthquake in northeastern Japan on March 11, 2011, it is important to review the lessons documented from the Kobe (Great Hanshin‑Awaji) quake January 1995, regarding integrating people with disabilities and other access and functional needs into emergency planning, response and recovery. Kailes, J. (2000) Creating a Disaster - Resistant Infrastructure for People at Risk Including People with Disabilities - Title: Care for Those Most Vulnerable to Disaster: Tasks and Methods. The Great Hanshim-Awaji Earthquake, Assessment Reports of the Global Assessment of Earthquake Countermeasures - People Most Vulnerable to Disaster, Volunteers, Hyogo Prefectural Government  Committee for Global Assessment of Countermeasures5-10-1 Shimoyamate-dori, Chuo-ku, Kobe, Hyogo 650-8567 Japan, Report 1999, 19 pages. Powerpoint Deck

Primary focus of report covers people who cannot always comfortably or safely access and use some of the standard resources offered in disaster preparedness, relief and recovery. People who are "disproportionally impacted." This includes, but is not limited people with limitations in vision, hearing, mobility, and cognition as well as older people, people who use life-support systems, people who rely on service animals, people who are culturally isolated, and people who are medically or chemically dependent. A significant number of these people don't identify as having any form of disability or limitation.

These groups represent a complex variety of concerns and challenges.  Many have very little in common beyond the fact that they are often left out of disaster preparedness planning and emergency response.

Report is based on lectures, interviews, and site visits with government and community representatives, as well as reading materials gathered during August 31 - September 4 1999. Most recommendations are accompanied by rationale and suggestions for specific content as well as reference to other resource materials.  Key recommendations include:

• People with disabilities, their families, friends, neighbors and disability-related organizations should play an active role in all planning for, and activities of, emergency preparedness, response and recovery.
• Significant FUNDS and energy be devoted to applying what has been learned to prepare and plan for the next disasters.
• Government needs to promote, fund and reward the development of disaster preparedness and response plans for all work, school, human service and non-government organizations sites.

Other recommendations cover:

• Role of People with Disabilities in Disaster Preparedness and Relief Planning
• Role of Disability-related Organizations in Disaster Preparedness and Relief [Non Government Organizations and Community-based Organizations]
• Shelters and Evacuation Centers / Temporary and Permanent Housing
• Communication Access
• Reconstruction and New Construction
• Disaster Preparedness and Response Training