Powerd Media
PEOPLE with disability are being urged to prepare early for storms, floods, bushfires and other emergencies, with evacuation often far more complicated than simply grabbing a bag and leaving home.
For the 5.5 million Australians living with disability, an emergency can bring additional challenges including finding accessible transport, moving essential equipment and medications, caring for assistance animals and ensuring support is available at evacuation centres.
Power outages can pose another serious risk for people who depend on electrically powered medical or disability equipment.
The need for preparation is becoming increasingly important as Australia’s climate changes, with Bureau of Meteorology and CSIRO data showing the country has warmed by about 1.5C since national records began in 1910.
Extreme heat events are becoming more frequent, heavy short-term rainfall is becoming more intense, while extreme fire weather and the length of the fire season have increased across large parts of Australia.
For disability advocate Mandy McCracken, preparing to leave home during an emergency involves considerations many Australians may never have to make.
Ms McCracken, a quadruple amputee and founder of Get Started Disability Support Australia, said evacuating required taking several pieces of essential equipment.
“If I need to leave my home in a hurry, I need to bring my prosthesis, hand chargers, a wheelchair, and a shower chair,” she said.
“And arriving at an evacuation centre is daunting for anyone, but for someone who needs extra help, without planning they might decide to not evacuate at all, and this puts them at enormous risk.”
Ms McCracken became a quadruple amputee after developing sepsis in 2013 and has since drawn on her lived experience to help people with disability build greater independence and prepare for situations that may not always accommodate their needs.
But she said emergency preparation was not only important during major natural disasters.
“I fell over at home, and my husband wasn’t due home for eight hours. It was going to be a very long day for me sitting outside on the ground in the sun,” Ms McCracken said.
Her experience highlights the importance of having a plan not only for evacuation but for unexpected situations at home when regular support may not immediately be available.
The University of Sydney’s Person-Centred Emergency Preparedness approach encourages people with disability to identify their individual needs before disaster strikes.
That includes considering what essential equipment and medication they would need to take, how they could evacuate their home, what accessible transport might be available and who could provide assistance.
People who rely on electricity for medical or disability equipment are also encouraged to consider what they would do during an extended power outage.
The approach places people with disability at the centre of their own emergency planning rather than relying on a one-size-fits-all response.
Emergency planning authorities have increasingly recognised that people with disability can face greater risks before, during and after disasters.
Those risks can be even greater when people live alone, have limited support networks or depend on equipment and services that may be disrupted during an emergency.
With Australia facing increasing risks from extreme heat, bushfires and intense rainfall, disability-inclusive disaster planning is becoming an increasingly important part of community preparedness.
