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In the News

• An important message from DeafMD.org about Swine Flu (Influenza A H1N1)
• CDC Video Covering H1N1 (Swine Flu) (5/1/09)

Be Prepared

The risk of injury or death because of a disaster is increasing.  It is no longer enough to react to a disaster once it has happened.  “Emergency preparedness” involves planning for disaster before it occurs.  Make sure you know what dangers affect the communities where you live, work, and play and that you make a plan for when an emergency or disaster happens. 

Creating an emergency plan that is right for you is a three-step process:

• Step one: Have a conversation with family, friends, service providers and neighbors
• Step two: Make a plan
• Step Three: Make a kit

Here is a little more information on each of these steps:

STEP ONE – Have a conversation
These are a few of the questions you should consider:
• Why plan for emergency?
• What types of events might occur where you live, work, play, visit?
• What are your needs, child needs, pet needs, caregiver needs?
• If you stay or “shelter in place,” what do you need?
• If you go or “evacuate,” where will you go and how will you get there?

STEP TWO – Make a Plan
Meet with family, friends and neighbors to talk about the possible disasters that might occur in Maryland for both your home area and your place of work. What would you and your family do if those types of events occur? This discussion could be overwhelming if you try to do it all at one time. It is better to have several meetings and work through the plan a little each time. Once you have made a plan you and your family should practice the plan and make any necessary changes. From time to time Emergency Preparedness Managers will host practice drills. Consider participating in a practice drill if one is offered in your community. This is important for two reasons. First, it gives you and your family the opportunity to practice and judge if your community is ready for an emergency. Second, it gives emergency responders the opportunity to learn how to communicate with deaf and hard of hearing people before there is an emergency.

STEP THREE – Make a Kit
Preparing an evacuation kit takes careful thought and some time. It does not have to be expensive. Locate an old backpack or tote bag and use that as your “To Go Kit”. The guides listed above include many items that your kit should include. Deaf and hard of hearing people should also remember the following items:

-copies (not original) of important documents and licenses, certification for service animals, phone numbers and prescriptions (including contact, eye glass and hearing aids prescriptions) in a waterproof bag
- batteries for visual alerting devices, hearing aids/implants, flashlights, TTY/ pagers
- local maps whistle (to alert rescuers)
-notebook and pencil
-car chargers for assistive devices

Take time to prepare you and your family for a disaster or an emergency. You will be better able to safely reunite your family and loved ones during an emergency if you think ahead and communicate with others in advance.

RESOURCES
There are many resources available both locally in your community and online to help you develop a plan and gather supplies.
MEMA, the Maryland Emergency Management Agency, was created by the Maryland legislature to ensure our state is prepared to deal with large-scale emergencies. MEMA is responsible for coordinating the state’s response in any major emergency or disaster. This includes supporting local governments as needed or requested, and coordinating assistance with the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and other federal partners.  You can find more information about disaster preparedness and response by visiting MEMA’s website.
Maryland Department of Disabilities - Be Prepared website and the American Red Cross have easy to follow guides. Both of these guides will lead you through different parts of planning, including, sheltering in place, evacuation, hunting for home hazards and making a supply kit.

The Community Emergency Preparedness Information Network (CEPIN) project also has resources online, including videos in ASL, to help you prepare for disaster. 

A group of deaf and hard of hearing trained community emergency volunteers from Rochester, New York developed a guide specifically for deaf and hard of hearing people. This guide includes specific direction to assess and address your communication needs.

You can also visit the Center for Disease Control’s (CDC) website, where you will find many of their informational videos in ASL.