Emergency and Disaster Planning For Women With Disabilties

WWDACT is working with the ACT Disability and Community Services Commissioner to prepare and to protect women with disabilities in times of emergencies or disasters.

Every emergency or disaster incident goes through four phases:
•	Prevention
•	Preparedness
•	Response
•	Recovery
Don’t be fooled into thinking this will never happen to you.  Have a plan!

Prepare a personal plan!  Here is an example:  
The Emergency Preparedness Centre’s emergency plan workbook is available from our website

Keep an evacuation kit handy!  Here is an example.
Red Cross Australia has useful guides and checklists.  See:
http://www.redcross.org.au/step-4-get-packing.aspx
http://www.redcross.org.au/emergency-services.aspx
Did you know that hygiene is the biggest problem during an evacuation?   Pack waterless hand wash in your evacuation kit.

Keep up to date with the latest information! 
http://esa.act.gov.au/
The ACT Emergency Services Agency website is the ‘single point of truth’ (SPOT) for all emergencies and disasters in the ACT.  Consult this website with the knowledge you will find the most up-to-date and accurate information on emergencies and disasters available anywhere in the ACT. 
Listen to Radio 666 AM Canberra!

E-Health Records
In times of evacuation, it may be important to access individual health records.  For example, to verify the medications you need.  Now in Australia, there is a way for individuals to ensure emergency services personnel have easy access to this data.  Register online:
http://www.ehealth.gov.au/internet/ehealth/publishing.nsf/content/home

Gender matters at times of emergencies and disasters.  Here are some links that tell you why.

The ACT Emergency Plan describes the responsibilities, authorities and the mechanisms to prevent, or if they occur, manage emergencies and their consequences within the Australian Capital Territory. See: 
http://esa.act.gov.au/emergency-management/emergency-arrangements/
WWDACT is working on making this plan even more gender and disability inclusive! 

Women’s Health Victoria has collected a number of very useful resources on disasters and gender.  However, there is nothing specific on gender AND disability.   See: 
http://whv.org.au/publications-resources/clearinghouse-connectors/chc-disasters-and-gender

In 2013 the United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction and UN Enable conducted an international survey on disability and disaster planning.  See the survey results:
http://www.unisdr.org/2013/iddr/#survey

“Gender and disaster recovery: strategic issues and action in Australia” by Tricia Hazeleger from Volume 28 Issue 2, 2013 Australian Journal of Emergency Management 
This article highlights the different experiences women and men have to disasters.  It highlights the need for gender specific approaches.  Did you know the incidence of domestic violence against women increases dramatically after a disaster?  See:
https://ajem.infoservices.com.au/items/AJEM-28-02-12

The UNDP recognizes the strong relationship between gender equality and disaster resilience. See:
http://www.undp.org/content/dam/undp/library/crisis%20prevention/disaster/7Disaster%20Risk%20Reduction%20-%20Gender.pdf

The Australian Government has a national emergency and disaster management plan.  See:
https://www.ag.gov.au/EmergencyManagement/Pages/default.aspx