About the author: Kathleen Jacoby is the disaster preparedness project coordinator for the Center for Independence of the Disabled in Belmont. For information about setting up a presentation, call her at 595-0783, ext. 124.
By Kathleen Jacoby
We are all familiar with the scene played over and over again on our televisions from the Gulf Coast during Hurricane Katrina. We’ve had front row seats to the tsunami in Indonesia that devastated an entire region, and recently we saw the effects of wildfires in San Diego.
All these scenarios had one thing in common: Sudden events that disrupted normal everyday living. The lessons we learned from these disasters point to the importance of having a plan of action in case of emergency before it happens.
The Bay Area is due for a large natural disaster within the coming years, and there is no greater need for emergency planning than among special needs communities, including our seniors and individuals with disabilities.
The Center for Independence of the Disabled (CID) in Belmont has received a grant from the Sequoia Healthcare District to provide emergency preparedness presentations to seniors and the disabled, and we have put together action plans and talks for these groups free of charge.
A representative of CID will go over important guidelines for seniors and disabled individuals. Presentations will include how to set up an emergency support team and emergency plan in case of disaster; creating a personal ability self-assessment list, and creating home, bedside, and grab-and-go emergency supply kits. A free emergency kit will be given to anyone attending the presentation.
CID is a nonprofit organization whose function is to assist senior and disabled people to lead independent lives; it provides services at little or no cost to the recipient.
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