FINAL REPORT

1
Emergency Preparedness Survey

• FINAL REPORT
• November 30, 2004

2
Table of Contents
3
Background Objectives

• The National Organization on Disability (N.O.D.)
  commissioned Harris Interactive to conduct a
  study among emergency management officials at the
  state and local level in the United States about
  how they have incorporated the emergency needs of
  people with disabilities in their emergency
  plans.
• Key objectives of this study were to
• Understand whether the needs of people with
  disabilities have been incorporated into
  emergency planning
• Identify the elements of emergency plans for
  people with disabilities
• Measure the level of involvement by people with
  disabilities in the planning process and
• Understand perceived adequacy of resources.
• Results from this survey are intended for public
  release.

4
Sample Methodology

• Total sample includes 197 emergency management
  officials in the United States, comprised of 34
  state, 31 big city, 62 midsize city, and 70 small
  city officials.
• Officials are defined as those who are in charge
  of emergency preparedness for their jurisdiction.
  
• Big cities are defined as areas with a population
  of more than 344,000 people, midsize cities have
  a population of 150,000 to 344,000, and small
  cities have a population of 149,000 people or
  less. These definitions are based on Census
  figures.
• Interviewing was conducted between August 24 and
  September 10, 2004.
• All respondents received an alert letter on
  N.O.D. letterhead that described the purpose of
  the survey and the importance of their
  participation.
• Respondents could choose to participate online by
  accessing the URL provided in the alert letter or
  by telephone. All interviews were conducted by
  telephone by Harris Senior Council, a specialty
  team of executive interviewers.
• Interviews averaged 10-15 minutes in length.
• The margin of error for the total sample for this
  study is /- 7 percentage points.
• Questions may not add up to 100 due to rounding,
  the acceptance of multiple responses or the
  exclusion of any not sure or decline to
  answer responses.

5
Overview of Findings
6
Overview
The National Organization on Disability (N.O.D.)
Emergency Preparedness Survey represents a unique
effort between the National Organization on
Disability and the Department of Homeland
Security, Office of Domestic Preparedness to
examine the efforts being made to incorporate the
emergency needs of people with disabilities into
the emergency planning process. Given recent
events (e.g. acts of terrorism, hurricanes in
Florida) and the considerable attention to
emergency planning in general, it is perhaps no
surprise that N.O.D. is focusing on what is being
done for the disability community and their needs
through its Emergency Preparedness Initiative. As
further evidence to its importance, a January
2004 N.O.D. survey conducted by Harris
Interactive showed that Americans with
disabilities remain unprepared for emergencies
and are anxious about their safety. (For more
information please see www.nod.org/emergency). Th
roughout this report, where results are nearly
similar for each level of jurisdiction (state,
big city, midsize city and small city) the data
is presented based on the total officials
interviewed. Where results between the groups
(i.e. state, big city, midsize city and small
city) are statistically significant, these
differences are noted in the findings. The
survey findings suggest that steps are being
taken to ensure people with disabilities will be
served in the event of an emergency.
Specifically, the majority of officials claimed
to currently have a plan or one under development
that incorporates the needs of people with
disabilities. Further, there is a wide variety of
groups and facilities (e.g. seniors, people with
disabilities living independently, medical and
residential facilities) that are included in the
plans. Also, the majority of officials report
that they have an emergency transportation plan
in place that involves assigning accessible
vehicles for people with disabilities. This
project was supported by Grant Number
2004-TH-TX-0003 administered by the U.S.
Department of Homeland Security, Office for
Domestic Preparedness. Points of view or opinions
in this document are those of the author and do
not represent the official position or policies
of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security.
7
Overview Contd
About half of officials report that members of
the disability community have participated in the
emergency planning process about half say their
agency has participated in a special working
group or task force and roughly half say they
have a public outreach campaign to provide
emergency planning information to people with
disabilities. On the other hand, many officials
say the disability community has not participated
in emergency planning, that their agency has not
participated in a special working group or task
force and they do not report having a public
outreach campaign in place. Furthermore, while
some have developed a public information
campaign, most say it is not in an accessible
format although the information is being directed
to people with disabilities. These findings are
coupled with distinct examples of areas that will
need more attention. The majority of officials
report they have not received nor do they plan
to receive funding to assist their efforts
towards emergency planning for people with
disabilities. And, officials are nearly twice as
likely to say that the current resources are
inadequate rather than adequate. Looking at
the results from the perspective of the size of
the jurisdiction, the data reveals that there is
quite a lot of consistency in some areas of
emergency planning for people with disabilities.
Majorities of officials at the state, big city,
midsize city and small city levels claim to have
a plan in place or one that is under development
that includes several types of groups and
facilities.
8
Overview Contd

• Where officials appear to differ is in three main
  areas
• Who has been included in the process of
  developing the emergency plans state officials
  are more likely than officials in other
  jurisdictions to report that they received input
  from the disability community by way of a task
  force or special needs expert on staff.
• Training states are more likely than all other
  jurisdictions to have provided training on
  emergency issues for people with disabilities to
  other agencies and organizations.
• Activating emergency plans states and midsize
  cities are more likely than other jurisdictions
  to have ever activated an emergency plan for
  people with disabilities.
• What are the implications from these results? It
  is true that officials should be commended for
  what they have done so far with the disability
  community and the actions that have been taken
  especially since these efforts have largely been
  done without funding that specifically addresses
  the emergency needs of people with disabilities.
• But the fact remains that more can be done
  particularly since emergency planning is an issue
  that will remain at the forefront for many
  policymakers and the public. These survey
  findings will serve as a starting point on which
  future investigation can build upon for a wide
  range of interested parties such as
  decision-makers, emergency management officials,
  policymakers and the disability community.

9
Executive Summary
10
Executive Summary

• People with disabilities and the emergency
  planning process
• In general, a large majority of officials say
  they have taken into account (or are in the
  process of taking into account) the needs of
  people with disabilities into their emergency
  plans. These plans encompass a wide range of
  groups and facilities.
• Nearly seven out of ten emergency officials
  (69) report they have a plan in place that
  addresses the needs of people with disabilities,
  while 22 claim to have a plan under development.
• A full all-hazards plan (that is, one that can
  be implemented for a wide range of emergencies)
  is the most common type of plan officials have
  incorporated the needs of people with
  disabilities into (80).
• Many types of groups are represented in the
  plans such as senior citizens, people with
  disabilities living independently and people
  receiving some form of home-based care as well
  as types of facilities such as medical and
  residential facilities.

11
Executive Summary

• People with disabilities and the emergency
  planning process contd
• There have been some steps taken to include the
  disability community in the planning process.
• Just over half of officials (55) say that they
  received input from members of the disability
  community when creating their emergency plans.
• Nearly half of officials (47) are part of a
  task force or group that specifically address the
  emergency issues of people with disabilities.
• Aside from an emergency transportation plan and
  having specialized equipment, officials are less
  likely to include other specific elements in
  their emergency plans for people with
  disabilities.
• Three-quarters of officials (75) claim to have
  an emergency transportation plan in place for
  those with disabilities.
• Just over six in ten (61) has purchased
  specialized equipment.
• Nearly four out of ten officials (37) have
  identified but not activated a special needs
  shelter.
• Half of emergency planning officials (50) say
  they do not maintain a special needs registry.
• Just under four out of ten officials (37) have
  actually activated an emergency plan for people
  with disabilities.

12
Executive Summary

• Information and Resources
• Emergency planning has included to some extent
  establishing channels to provide information
  for people with disabilities.
• Just over four out of ten officials (42) have a
  public information program however, of these
  officials, only 16 say the outreach campaign is
  in an accessible format.
• About four out of ten officials (39) do not
  have a public awareness campaign specifically for
  people with disabilities in place.
• Just over half of emergency officials (52)
  report that regulatory codes or standards that
  specifically assist in providing for people with
  disabilities in emergency planning or response
  have not been established, nor are currently
  being worked on.
• Most emergency planning officials feel that the
  resources available to them are not adequate to
  meet the needs of people with disabilities.
• The majority of officials (73) have not received
  funding (and do not plan to receive funding)
  earmarked to address the emergency needs of
  people with disabilities.
• Emergency planning officials are twice as likely
  to feel that the resources they do have are
  inadequate (41) than they are to say resources
  are adequate (18).

13
Executive Summary

• Analysis by Size of Jurisdiction
• There are many similarities between the state and
  city level in terms of having an emergency plan
  in place and what is covered under these plans.
  However, states are more likely to include the
  disability community in their planning process.
• State officials are more likely to have included
  members of the disability community in the
  planning process (66 vs. 62 big city, 53
  midsize city and 49 small city).
• State officials are more likely to have a paid
  special needs expert on staff (31 vs. 17 big
  city, 29 midsize city and 13 small city).
• State officials are more likely to participate
  in a task force specifically to focus on issues
  of emergency planning and people with
  disabilities (65 vs. 42 big city, 45 midsize
  city and 43 small city).

14
Detailed Findings
15
Who have emergency preparedness officials
included in their emergency plans?
16
The vast majority of emergency management
authorities say they have incorporated the needs
of people with disabilities into their emergency
plans, or have a plan currently under development.
Whether Needs of People with Disabilities Have
Been Incorporated into Emergency Plan(s)
Total State Big City Midsize City Small City
Base 197 34 31 62 70

Have incorporated needs of people with disabilities or plan is under development (net) 91 85 94 94 90
Yes, have incorporated the needs of people with disabilities 69 65 77 69 66
No, but plan is under development 22 21 16 24 24
No, have not incorporated the needs of people with disabilities 9 12 6 6 10
Not sure 1 3 - - -
Decline to answer - - - - -
Q500 Have you incorporated the needs of people
with disabilities in your emergency
plan(s)? Base All respondents (n197)
17
Those who have incorporated the needs of people
with disabilities have most commonly done so in a
full all-hazards emergency plan.
Type of Plan that Incorporates Needs of People
with Disabilities
Total State Big City Midsize City Small City
Base 179 29 29 58 63

A full all-hazards plan 80 72 86 88 73
A plan annex 28 34 24 26 30
A specific hazards plan 13 10 14 16 13
Other type of plan 6 7 7 3 6
Not sure - - - - -
Decline to answer - - - - -

• Q505 Which plans have you incorporated the needs
  of people with disabilities into? Please select
  all that apply.
• Base Have plan or it is under development
  (n179)
• Full all-hazards plan An emergency plan that can
  be implemented for different types of
  emergencies. It lays out a plan for response that
  is general enough to be used in different
  scenarios.
• Specific hazards plan A plan implemented for a
  specific disaster (i.e., hurricane plan,
  earthquake plan, etc.)
• Plan annex May be a part (annex) of a larger
  plan that was added to address specific needs of
  people with disabilities (i.e.,
• special needs annex, special needs shelter annex,
  etc.)

18
Emergency planning officials have included a wide
variety of groups in their plans, including
senior citizens, people with disabilities living
independently, and those who receive home care.
Whether Groups Included in Emergency Plan
Total State Big City Midsize City Small City
Base 179 29 29 58 63

Senior citizens 84 86 86 83 84
People with disabilities living independently (net) 83 90 83 83 81
People with mobility or physical impairments living independently 79 90 76 72 81
People with hearing impairments living independently 70 76 66 74 67
People with vision impairments living independently 67 79 69 64 63
People with developmental disabilities living independently 66 72 62 64 67
People receiving some level of home-based care (e.g., visiting nurse, home attendant, etc.) 77 79 69 78 78
Pediatric populations 41 48 34 45 38
None of these 7 3 3 10 8
Not sure 1 3 - 2 -
Decline to answer - - - - -
Q510 Which of the following groups are included
in your emergency planning for people with
disabilities? Please select all that apply.
Base Have
plan or it is under development (n179)
19
Officials have also included a wide variety of
facilities such as medical and residential health
care in their emergency planning.
Whether Facilities Included in Emergency Plan
Total State Big City Midsize City Small City
Base 179 29 29 58 63

Medical facilities (e.g., hospitals, community health clinics, etc.) 89 90 90 90 87
Residential health care facilities (e.g., nursing homes, skilled specialty care facilities) 85 90 79 91 81
Congregate care (e.g., individuals with special needs who live together in a supervised setting but do not require skilled nursing care) 64 66 59 69 62
Schools for people with disabilities (e.g., boarding and day schools) 54 55 59 50 56
Dialysis or other chronic care offsite clinic 39 48 38 33 41
Other 7 14 14 3 5
None of these 4 3 3 5 5
Not sure - - - - -
Decline to answer - - - - -
Q515 Which of the following types of facilities
are included in your emergency planning for
people with disabilities? Please select all that
apply. Base Have plan or it is under development
(n179)
20
In general, a paid special needs expert on staff
is somewhat uncommon. However, states are more
likely than big or small cities to have this.
Whether Have Paid Special Needs Expert
Total State Big City Midsize City Small City
Base 179 29 29 58 63

Yes, have paid expert (net) 22 31 17 29 13
Yes, a full-time paid expert 11 21 10 12 5
Yes, a part-time paid expert 5 7 7 9 -
Yes, a paid expert as needed 6 3 - 9 8
No, do not have a paid expert 76 66 76 69 87
Not sure 2 3 7 2 -
Decline to answer - - - - -
Q525 Do you have a paid special needs expert
responsible for emergency preparedness planning
for people with disabilities? Base Have plan or
it is under development (n179)
21
Who have emergency preparedness officials
included in the emergency planning process?
22
Many officials report that members of the
disability community have participated in the
planning process. This is especially true at the
state level.
Whether Members of Disabled Community Participate
in Emergency Planning Process -- Yes
(N179)
(N29)
(N29)
(N58)
(N63)
Q520 Have members of the disability community
participated in your emergency preparedness
planning process? By participation, we mean
attending meetings, conferences, or conference
calls. Base Have plan or it is under development
(n179)
23
About half of officials have participated in a
task force that is designed to address the
emergency needs of the disability community. This
is far more common for those at the state level.
Whether Participate on Task Force that
Specifically Addresses Emergency Needs of People
with Disabilities -- Yes
(N197)
(N34)
(N31)
(N62)
(N70)
Q530 Do you participate on a task force or
working group that specifically addresses the
emergency issues and needs that affect people
with disabilities? Base All respondents (n197)
24
How have emergency planning officials included
the needs of people with disabilities?
25
About four out of ten officials who have a plan
have identified but not activated a special needs
shelter.
Whether Identified/Activated Special Needs Shelter
Total State Big City Midsize City Small City
Base 179 29 29 58 63

Have identified but not activated a special needs shelter 37 24 31 40 43
Have activated a special needs shelter 28 31 21 34 25
Have not identified or activated a special needs shelter 32 41 45 24 29
Not sure 3 3 3 2 3
Decline to answer - - - - -
Q540 Have you identified and/or activated a
special needs shelter that takes into account the
emergency needs of people with disabilities? Base
Have plan or it is under development
(n179) Note While there appear to be
significant differences between states and all
other jurisdictions, based on information
provided by N.O.D. states are not responsible for
identifying or activating special needs shelters.

26
While a modest majority has purchased specialized
equipment for people with disabilities, there is
a substantial minority that has not.
Specialized Equipment for People with Disabilities
Total State Big City Midsize City Small City
Base 197 34 31 62 70

Have purchased specialized equipment (net) 61 56 68 65 59
TTY/TDD (e.g., Teletype/Telecommunications Device for the Hearing Impaired) 46 38 45 50 46
Evacuation chair 25 15 32 34 20
Alpha pager 14 26 23 10 9
Special needs accessible cots 13 3 16 24 6
Evacuation slide 5 6 6 3 4
Other 7 12 3 5 7
Have not purchased specialized equipment 39 44 32 35 41
Not sure - - - - -
Decline to answer - - - - -
Q570 Which of the following types of specialized
equipment for people with disabilities has your
agency purchased? Please select all that
apply. Base All respondents (n197)
27
Three-quarters of officials claim to have an
accessible transportation plan.
Whether Emergency Plan Includes Accessible
Transportation for People with Disabilities
Total State Big City Midsize City Small City
Base 179 29 29 58 63

Yes, have plan 75 55 72 84 78
No, do not currently have but plan is under development 13 10 21 7 17
Do not have any emergency transportation plan 9 24 7 9 5
Not sure 2 10 - - -
Decline to answer - - - - -
Q545 Do you have an emergency transportation
plan that includes assigning accessible vehicles
for evacuation of people with disabilities? Base
Have plan or it is under development
(n179) Note While there appear to be
significant differences between states and all
other jurisdictions, based on information
provided by N.O.D. states are not responsible for
having emergency transportation plans.
28
While about half of officials have a special
needs registry in place or under development,
nearly the same number does not.
Whether Have Special Needs Registry
Total State Big City Midsize City Small City
Base 179 29 29 58 63

Yes, have registry 36 17 34 47 35
No, do not currently have but is under development 13 14 14 9 16
No, do not have any special needs registry 50 62 48 45 49
Not sure 2 7 3 - -
Decline to answer - - - - -
Q550 Do you maintain a special needs registry
that includes people with disabilities? Base
Have plan or it is under development (n179)
Note While there appear to be significant
differences between states and all other
jurisdictions, based on information provided by
N.O.D. states are not responsible for maintaining
special needs registries.
29
State and midsize cities are more likely than
their counterparts at other levels to have ever
activated an emergency plan for people with
disabilities.
Whether Have Activated an Emergency Plan for
People with Disabilities -- Yes
(N179)
(N29)
(N29)
(N58)
(N63)
Q580 Have you ever activated an emergency plan
for people with disabilities? Base Have plan or
it is under development (n179)
30
While the majority of emergency planning
officials have incorporated the needs of people
with disabilities in a variety of drills, a
substantial minority has not.
Whether Needs of People with Disabilities
Incorporated into Emergency Drills/Exercises
Total State Big City Midsize City Small City
Base 197 34 31 62 70

Table top drill 49 56 58 44 47
Full scale/field exercise 37 53 45 24 36
Simulated drill 30 41 26 29 29
None of these 33 29 29 35 34
Not sure 1 - - - 1
Decline to answer - - - - -

• Q535 Have the emergency needs of people with
  disabilities been incorporated into any of the
  following? Please select all that apply.
• Base All respondents (n197)
• Full scale/field exercise All participants
  actually play out the response as the emergency
  was happening in real time.
• Table top drill A drill conducted around a table
  with representatives from an agency or multiple
  agencies who talk through different scenarios and
  responses.
• Simulated drill A drill that is somewhere
  between a table top and a full scale drill. In
  this type of drill, certain activities may be
• actually practiced but not necessarily in all
  aspects of the response or in real time.

31
What have emergency officials done to provide
information to people with disabilities about
emergency plans?
32
Roughly six out of ten officials have a public
outreach campaign in place or under development.
Whether Have Public Awareness Campaign Directed
at People with Disabilities
Total State Big City Midsize City Small City
Base 197 34 31 62 70

Have public awareness campaign in place (net) 42 41 42 50 36
Yes, in accessible formats (e.g., Braille, open/closed captions, cassette, large type) 16 24 26 18 7
Yes, but not in accessible formats 26 18 16 32 29
Have campaign under development 16 21 19 10 19
No, do not have any campaign 39 29 35 39 44
Not sure 3 9 3 2 1
Decline to answer - - - - -
Q555 Do you have an outreach or public awareness
campaign directed at providing emergency
information to people with disabilities? Base
All respondents (n197)
33
Just over half of officials report that
regulatory standards to assist in providing for
people with disabilities in emergencies have
neither been established nor are being worked on.

Whether Codes or Standards Have Been Established
Total State Big City Midsize City Small City
Base 197 34 31 62 70

Codes have been established 17 21 23 23 9
Codes are being currently worked on 13 12 16 11 13
Neither 52 53 39 53 56
Not sure 18 15 23 13 23
Decline to answer - - - - -
Q560 Have legislative, regulatory codes or
standards been established or are they currently
being worked on to assist in providing for people
with disabilities in emergency planning or
response? Base All respondents (n197)
34
About four out of ten officials say their agency
has provided training on emergency issues for
people with disabilities. This is especially true
at the state level.
Training on Emergency Issues Related to People
with Disabilities
Total State Big City Midsize City Small City
Base 197 34 31 62 70

Yes, training has been offered to my agency by other organization/agency 40 47 42 45 31
Yes, training has been provided by my agency to other organizations/agencies 38 62 39 32 30
No 36 24 35 29 49
Not sure - - - - -
Decline to answer - - - - -
Q565 Has training been offered to or conducted
by your agency that includes emergency issues
relating to people with disabilities? Please
select all that apply. Base All respondents
(n197)
35
What resources are available for emergency
planning for people with disabilities?
36
The large majority of emergency management
officials have not received funding (and do not
plan to) specifically for emergency planning for
people with disabilities.
Whether Have Received Funding for Emergency
Planning for People with Disabilities
Total State Big City Midsize City Small City
Base 197 34 31 62 70

Yes, have received funding 14 24 16 11 10
Plan to receive funding 10 3 10 16 9
No 73 62 74 69 81
Not sure 3 12 - 3 -
Decline to answer - - - - -
Q575 Have you received or do you plan to receive
funding towards emergency planning for people
with disabilities? Base All respondents (n197)
37
Emergency planning authorities are more likely to
feel the resources available to them are
inadequate to help meet the needs of people with
disabilities.
Adequacy of Resources Available to Meet Planning
Needs of People with Disabilities
Q585 Using a scale from 1 to 5, where 1 means
Not adequate at all and 5 means Completely
adequate, how adequate are the resources
available to your agency to meet the planning
needs of people with disabilities? Base All
respondents (Total n197 State n34 Big city
n31 Midsize city n62 Small city n70)
38
Conclusion
39
Conclusion
The findings from this research reveal that
steps are being taken to ensure that the needs of
people with disabilities are being accounted for
in emergency planning. Specifically, the
majority of officials claimed to currently have a
plan or one under development that incorporates
the needs of people with disabilities. Further,
there are many types of groups and facilities
included in the plans. That said, the findings
suggest that more can be done such as including
the voice of the disability community in the
planning process and establishing channels of
communication to provide emergency information to
people with disabilities. A lack of resources
also appears to be a barrier emergency
officials are far more likely to feel that the
resources available to them are inadequate than
they are adequate. And, most officials say they
have not received funding and do not plan to
receive funding for addressing the emergency
needs of people with disabilities. The results
of this survey are useful for understanding
directionally how and whether emergency
preparedness officials are including people with
disabilities in their emergency plans. Since
emergency planning will continue to be a highly
visible public policy issue, these findings can
help serve as a benchmark for future
investigation.