Monthly Updates - May, 2006 - ICC Monthly Highlights

Daniel Sutherland Testifies Before the Senate Special Committee on Aging
On Thursday, May 18, 2006, Daniel Sutherland, Officer of the Office for Civil Rights and Civil Liberties within the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, testified before the Senate Special Committee on Aging led by U.S. Senator Herb Kohl (D-WI), Ranking Member of the Special Committee on Aging. The Hearing was entitled "Caring for Seniors in a National Emergency: Can We Do Better?"

The hearing included witness testimonies in two panels. The first panel included an 82 year old New Orleans resident and Hurricane Katrina survivor, as well as a registered nurse who volunteered in a Gulf Coast nursing home. The second panel included elder care experts, emergency managers, and government officials.

In his testimony, Mr. Sutherland described some of the major issues confronting people with disabilities-including the elderly-resulting from the 2005 hurricanes. His testimony also included a detailed account of the steps taken by DHS and the ICC to address these issues. Mr. Sutherland's key points included the following specific undertaking by DHS in conjunction with the ICC to address the needs of people with disabilities in disaster and emergency context:

• Co-sponsoring a nation-wide conference on emergency management and individuals with disabilities and the elderly with HHS
• Enlisted disability and aging subject matter experts in the review of States and urban areas/major cities emergency operation plans as part of the DHS Nationwide Plan Review led by DHS Preparedness Directorate, Office for Policy, Initiatives, and Analysis (OPIA);
• Participated in a seminar on seniors and emergency issues hosted by the AARP; and,
• Preparing a Hurricane Katrina "lessons learned" report that will include very specific recommendations for improving the emergency preparedness, response and recovery system-many of the findings and recommendations in that report will be directly relevant to older Americans.

Mr. Sutherland's complete testimony can be found at: http://www.disabilitypreparedness.gov/ds_congress_05_18_06.htm

Other witness testimony can be found at: http://aging.senate.gov/hearing_detail.cfm?id=270708&

Claudia Gordon Awarded Gold Medal at the DHS Secretary's 2nd Annual Award Ceremony
On Wednesday, May 10, 2006, Claudia Gordon, a Senior Policy Advisor with the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Office for Civil Rights and Civil Liberties (CRCL), was a recipient of the DHS Secretary's 2005 Hurricane Response Gold Medal-the highest level award offered by the Secretary. This award honors select DHS employees who have gone above and beyond the call of duty and have distinguished themselves and the Department by making a significant positive impact on the mission of providing hurricane disaster response and recovery and/or a significant positive impact on the public DHS serves. Ms. Gordon was one of nine recipients of the Secretary's Gold Medal for her tireless efforts to help evacuees with disabilities that were displaced as a result of Hurricanes Katrina and Rita to receive necessary aid and accessible housing.

PETS Act Passed in the House

109th U.S. Congress (2005-2006)
H.R. 3858: Pets Evacuation and Transportation Standards Act of 2005
Official Title: To amend the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act to ensure that State and local emergency preparedness operational plans address the needs of individuals with household pets and service animals following a major disaster or emergency.

Status: Passed House (Bipartisan support.) (as of May 22, 2006)
This bill has been passed in the House. The bill now goes on to be voted on in the Senate.

The PETS Act requires local and state emergency preparedness authorities to include in their evacuation plans how they will accommodate household pets and service animals in case of a disaster. Local and state authorities must submit these plans in order to qualify for grants from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA).

Furthermore, the Senate version of the PETS Act (S. 2548):

• Grants FEMA the authority to assist in developing these plans
.
• Authorizes financial help to states to create emergency shelters for people with their animals.
• Requires the provision of essential assistance for individuals with household pets and service animals, and the animals themselves, following a major disaster.

In addition to the trauma experienced by evacuees who are forced to abandon their animal companions and the subsequent suffering the animals endure, there are serious health and safety risks to disaster areas that are exacerbated by the abandoning of pets. Many of these problems can be mitigated or eliminated simply through the proper planning and response.

Information regarding this Bill is available at following sites: http://www.hsus.org/pets/pets_related_news_and_events/no_pet_left_behind_the_pets.html and http://www.govtrack.us/congress/bill.xpd?bill=h109-3858

ICC Private Sector Coordination

CRCL Representatives Attend National Volunteer Organizations Active in Disasters (NVOAD) Annual Conference

CRCL representatives attended the NVOAD Convention in Raleigh, NC, from April 9-12, 2006. The CRCL representatives contributed to various discussions including a discussion on mass care. CRCL representatives also used the opportunity to network with key VOAD member organizations thus paving the way for future follow-up dialogue on disability related disaster issues.

ICC Health Subcommittee

Identifying guidelines to identify persons with disabilities and individuals with medical conditions for the purpose of emergency planning and response
The Office on Disability continues to address operationalizing disability health-related emergency planning and response issues. Recently, the Office on Disability along with several other HHS and interagency partners met for a half-day working meeting to develop guidelines to help identify persons with "disability" and individuals with medical conditions, in an effort to distinguish between the array of current terms including "special populations", "special needs populations", "disabled", and "vulnerable populations". All four terms are referred to in the National Response Plan, but without definition. To date, the terms have been used interchangeably by emergency planners and responders and the disability community has been reluctant to include the term "special needs" in reference to persons with disabilities.

As a result of the meeting, the Health Subcommittee drafted guidelines for distinguishing between person with disabilities and persons with medical conditions that need professional intervention. The Guidelines include triage questions suitable for being asked at a reception center and during shelter intake. Using these guidelines, emergency workers can identify the assistance and support needed by all persons to maintain the highest level of individual functioning/independence to help ensure that they are assigned to a shelter that can meet these needs.

Discussions are now underway between HHS and the Red Cross to create a Memorandum of Agreement to use these Guidelines for shelter eligibility/assignments.

Office on Disability to Participate in TOPOFF 4
As a direct result of the Health Subcommittee's work, the Office on Disability has been invited to participate in TOPOFF 4 as a "player." This exercise specially targets responding to the needs of special populations and mental health.

ICC State, Local and Tribal Government Subcommittee

Hurricane Preparedness Exercises
The devastation caused by hurricanes Katrina, Rita and Wilma has initiated a series of plan, policy and procedural revisions at all levels of government to be completed by June 1, 2006. In support of this initiative, at the direction of DHS Secretary Michael Chertoff, the DHS Preparedness Directorate, Office of Grants and Trainings (G&T) in coordination with FEMA, is spearheading five tabletop Hurricane Preparedness Exercises encompassing all of the Gulf Coast and Eastern Seaboard States and Territories structured by FEMA regions I, II, III, IV and VI. Participation includes appropriate Federal, State, Territory and Tribal representatives, in addition to nongovernmental organizations and private sector partners.

Consistent with Secretary's commitment to examine how communities plan to prepare, inform, evacuate and care for people with disabilities, G&T requested CRCL's disability subject matter expertise in the exercise development, as well as, participation in the actual Regional exercises. CRCL and disability advocacy representatives participated in exercises in Philadelphia, PA (Region III) and New Orleans, LA (Region IV) identifying gaps and asking questions to ensure that disability preparedness and response issues and expertise were thoroughly represented. In June, representatives will participate in the Region IV exercise and combine exercises for Regions I and New York and New Jersey from Region II.

For more information, the Office of Grants and Training Information Bulletin No. 203 is available at: http://www.ojp.usdoj.gov/odp//docs/info203.pdf.

Upcoming Events

May 31-June 1, 2006
2006 Long Island/New York City Emergency Management Conference
Melville, New York
http://www.linycemconference.com/

June 2-4, 2006
International Association of Emergency Managers (IAEM) Mid-Year Conference
Emmitsburg, Maryland
The IAEM 2006 Mid-Year Meeting is for IAEM members, emergency management professionals, Congressional staffers and federal officials with a role in homeland security and emergency management. Sessions will include briefings from top DHS officials. The purpose of the meeting is to advance IAEM committee work. The 2006 Mid-Year Meeting program is planned to address Key Results Areas in IAEM's Strategic Plan, including specific tasks identified by the President as priority and other current IAEM business.
http://www.iaem.com/events/MIDYEAR/INTRO.htm

June 1-2, 2006
National Citizen Corps Council Meeting and Affiliates Meeting
Washington, DC

The National Citizen Corps Council annual meeting is confirmed for June 1, from 8:30 - 5:30 at the U. S. Chamber of Commerce building in Washington, DC. This meeting will be followed by a half day Affiliates meeting on June 2 at the Chamber building from 8:30 until noon. Following the National Council meeting, Citizen Corps Affiliates will meet to discuss priorities and share effective strategies for supporting community and citizen preparedness in partnership with Citizen Corps. Presentations and workshops will focus on strengthening the Affiliate partnerships with the nationwide network of state and local Citizen Corps Councils.

Leaders of national organizations that share Citizen Corps' preparedness mission and participate on the National Citizen Corps Council are invited to attend this annual meeting to work with DHS leadership on priorities for a culture of preparedness.

Program Partners and Affiliates will have an opportunity to provide table top exhibits for the June 1 Annual Meeting. For more information about the conference and to reserve exhibit space visit: http://www.citizencorps.gov.

June 7, 2006
EEOC to Hold Employer Roundtable on Emergency Preparedness and People with Disabilities
Washington, DC

As a follow-up to the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) meeting on Emergency Preparedness and People with Disabilities held last October, EEOC will hold a roundtable on the same topic with employers from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. on June 7, 2006.

Commissioner Christine Griffin will moderate a panel discussion, which will include company representatives from J.P. Morgan Chase, TecAccess, Prudential, Agilent Technologies and Pitney Bowes. Speakers will review their companies' preparedness plans and how accommodations are made for persons with disabilities. Also, plans for continuity of operations and recommendations for other private employers will be discussed. Questions will be accepted from the audience. Please mark your calendar.

Questions about the roundtable should be directed to Mildred Rivera, Special Assistant to Chair Cari M. Dominguez, at (202)663-4590 or by e-mail at mildred.rivera@eeoc.gov.

June 28 - 30, 2006
Federal Conference on Emergency Management and the Disability and Aging Populations
Washington, DC

Department of Health and Human services and DHS Office for Civil Rights and Civil Liberties are jointly sponsoring a conference entitled "Federal Conference on Emergency Management and the Disability and Aging Populations." The purpose of this conference is to bring together Governor-appointed State teams to connect State emergency management officials with key disability and aging experts to work toward integration of efforts within their jurisdiction's emergency management framework; to facilitate cooperative planning with senior officials of the Federal Emergency Management Agency regions; and, to identify and institute measurable outcomes and systems for tracking results.

This conference is unique both because of its content and its structure. This first of its kind conference will be exceptional, with presentations by key national leaders on the complex issues facing the disability and aging populations in the face of natural or man-made disasters.

Senior officials from both HHS and DHS will make keynote presentations and will be joined by colleagues from other federal agencies and departments. Top experts from state and local governments and the private sector will also address this conference.

Conference attendance is by invitation only. Each state will appoint a delegation of officials from respective State Emergency Management Agency, State Department of Health, State Office on Aging, the State/Governor's Special Needs Task Force/Office and State Homeland Security Advisor.

September 18-22, 2006
NEMA 2006 Annual Conference
Orange, AL
http://www.nemaweb.org/

October 24-26, 2006
Pacific Northwest Preparedness Society
http://www.epconference.ca

November 12-15, 2006
International Association of Emergency Managers (IAEM) 2006 Annual Conference & EMEX Exhibit
"Going All the Way.Putting Plans Into Action"
http://www.iaem.com

Recently Released Resources

AHCA/NCAL Releases "Disaster Planning Guide: A Resource Manual for Developing a Comprehensive Preparedness Plan"
The Florida Disaster Preparedness Committee and the Florida Health Care Association developed a "Disaster Planning Guide: A Resource Manual for Developing a Comprehensive Preparedness Plan" that is now being offered by the American Health Care Association (AHCA) and National Center For Assisted Living (NCAL).

This 150 page resource manual addresses both natural and man-made disasters, such as: fires, tornados, bomb scares, hazardous accidents in the community, bio-terrorism, hypo- and hyperpyrexia, and hurricanes. It considers disaster plans with evacuation and without evacuation; transportation; housing; finance; insurance; and legislative and legal issues. It has 22 appendices, and is filled with helpful checklists (implementation, administration, supplies, evacuation, etc.) that can be duplicated for immediate use, or as a guide to help disaster planners develop their own. The text is of general applicability although some of the appendices information is specific to the State of Florida; these have been left in as a model for the types of state specific information that planners should consider. This resource manual can also serve as a planning tool for all long term care providers.

For more information and/or to order visit: www.ahca.org. The resource manual can be ordered from the bookstore tab at the top of the page, or by calling 1-800-321-0343 and mentioning product number 6844. The guide is $75 for AHCA/NCAL members and $100 for non-members.

Public Education and Training to Improve Building Occupants Preparedness for Evacuation
Dennis S. Mileti, Professor Emeritus, University of Colorado at Boulder
A White Paper prepared for the National Institute of Building Sciences/Multihazard Mitigation Council (NIBS/MMC) Committee to translate the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) World Trade Center (WTC) recommendations into the model building codes to support the implementation of the NIST Recommendation 16 in the Final Report on the Collapse of the World Trade Center Towers.

National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) Disability Access Review and Advisory Committee (DARC) Recommends Guidance Documents to Address Emergency Procedures for People with Disabilities
The NFPA Disability Access Review and Advisory Committee (DARAC) recently recommended that a guidance document for persons with disabilities be developed to address emergency procedures for persons with disabilities. A draft is currently being assembled by NFPA staff. This guide will provide a list of systems, resources and options for employers and occupants to assist those with disabilities.

The entire list of NIST recommendations can be found at:
http://wtc.nist.gov/recommendations/recommendations.htm.

Accessible Emergency Notification and Communication:
State of the Science Conference ~~Conference materials now available!!
Print materials are now available online from the conference, Accessible Emergency Notification and Communication: State of the Science, held at Gallaudet University in November, 2005 and sponsored by the RERC on Telecommunications Access. The materials are in accessible format.

The conference brought together experts in emergency communications, telecommunications, mass media, and accessibility to share information, develop new partnerships, and create a literature that can serve as groundwork for improvements in the accessibility of notification and communications during emergencies and recovery.

The site features:

Text of speakers' remarks or summaries (22 speakers)
PowerPoint slides from presentations (18 speakers)
Speaker Bios
Links to Exhibitors
Link to Video Archive
Resources page linking to other reports and organizations doing related work

For additional information, contact EmergencyConf@tap.gallaudet.edu

The RERC on Telecommunications Access is a joint project of Gallaudet University's Technology Access Program and the University of Wisconsin-Madison's Trace Research and Development Center. The RERC is funded by the National Institute on Disability and Rehabilitation Research.

University of Washington Unveils Campus Emergency Preparedness Special Needs Study
After nearly 10-months of study, hard work and literally hundreds of interviews, site-visits and meetings, the University Of Washington Office Of Emergency Management is happy to announce that we have completed the first-ever comprehensive "Report on Emergency Preparedness for Special Needs Populations"

This FEMA-funded study, compiled by Ms. Kate Nickel from the UW Office of Emergency Management, demonstrates the current special needs populations on our main Seattle Campus (the "census"), identifies current laws, regulations and requirements as they relate to our special needs populations, and concludes with a number of short- and long-term recommendations to ensure that our Special Needs populations are provided the same level of emergency preparedness as the remainder of the campus community.

The 70-page study and related web-based resources can be found at:
http://www.washington.edu/admin/business/oem/special_needs_resources/

Responding to an Emerging Humanitarian Crisis in Louisiana and Mississippi: Urgent Need for a Health Care "Marshall Plan" released by Operation Assist
The Children's Health Fund has provided urgently needed medical assistance via its state-of-the-art Mobile Medical Units to victims of Hurricane Andrew in Florida in 1992, and at ground zero in New York City after the terror attacks of 9/11. With this experience gained in working with communities in crisis, CHF responded to the urgent health and public health needs of the Gulf Coast region that resulted from Hurricane Katrina by establishing Operation Assist (http://www.childrenshealthfund.org/op_assist.php), in collaboration with the National Center for Disaster Preparedness (NCDP) at the Mailman School of Public Health at Columbia University.

The report is available at http://www.ncdp.mailman.columbia.edu/files/marshall_plan.pdf.

About the Interagency Coordinating Council on Emergency Preparedness and Individuals with Disabilities

The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Office for Civil Rights and Civil Liberties oversees the implementation of Executive Order 13347, Individuals with Disabilities in Emergency Preparedness, which was signed by President Bush in July 2004. This Executive Order is to ensure the safety and security of individuals with disabilities in all-hazard emergency and disaster situations. To this end, the Executive Order created an Interagency Coordinating Council (ICC) on Emergency Preparedness and Individuals with Disabilities. The ICC is comprised of senior leadership from more than 20 Federal departments and agencies. Its mission is to ensure that people with disabilities and their specific needs are fully integrated into all aspects of our nation's emergency management system; including mitigation, preparedness, response, and recovery. The Secretary of Homeland Security is the Chair of the ICC, and he has delegated that role to Mr. Daniel Sutherland, the DHS Officer for Civil Rights and Civil Liberties. The Council has concentrated its work in eight major areas:

1. Emergency Communications;
2. Emergency Preparedness in the Workplace;
3. Emergency Transportation;
4. Health;
5. Private Sector Coordination;
6. Research;
7. State, Local and Tribal Government Coordination; and
8. Technical Assistance and Outreach.