2015, 03-18, Committee on People with Disabilities Minutes

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NEW BUSINESS Discussion Regarding the Lava Flow J. Floyd would like to have an agency attend the meeting to discuss what worked for the County, issues they saw as barriers to the delivering of effective and efficient services to people out there, what resources they need to have, and also what resources they had a hard time incorporating. Discussion could also include what the County did well, not just the providers, but the recipients of services, the people with disabilities, and family members; what they need to do to better prepare themselves and provide a basis for future responses. S. Nagasawa suggested Hawai‘i Island United Way who was spearheading services in the community to provide supplies and services to Puna. Civil Defense was another option. J. Floyd stated that to help insure that the results are systematic, they need to be engrained and built into the system now so the next time it happens we don’t have to invent the wheel. We know that years from now we are going to have new people come in. If we don’t do this now, when that happens say 30 years from now, there is going to be a lot of rehashing the same old things. It should be done now. P. AugheA. Mitchener felt the committee should start with Civil Defense. agreed and also felt that it would be good to understand what services were offered by the County and which were not. There also was support and services that came from agencies and non-profits and individuals who were stepping up to the plate in an emergency situation. And that’s what an emergency is. It is not the County that is going to rescue everybody. The County has specific duties. Pauline had concerns about whether or not the National Guards and other groups that were patrolling had disability awareness where they would know what to do to help the disabled person. Some of the things that were needed were how to get people who are severely disabled out of there before the road is closed, make sure they have enough food and assure that they are monitored and all that stuff. A. Mitchener stated that in past discussions on emergency preparedness for people with disabilities, the emphasis was not on the services that others offered but on being independent and self-sufficient in times of an emergency. There were trainings and support systems which promoted independence and helping people to prepare for them because each person’s unique needs would be different. And their support systems would be different. She stated that what was always emphasized was that we cannot offer a false sense of security by saying the County is going to rescue you. This is what you need to prepare. You have your evacuation backpack, you have your neighbor on call, you have a place to go when you evacuate. Getting out is one thing, but where do you go? Helping people by talking through how they could be better prepared helps to alleviate fear, gives them an action plan. How you re-enter your community psychologically is something you also need to prepare for. Those kinds of support systems might be something that would be offered. But again folks need to understand that we are in it together, and have every individual do as much as they can to protect themselves and to plan for situations like this. -2-