Alameda County Transportation Improvement AuthorityNEWS RELEASE* ACTIA sends letter to public agencies about disaster preparedness for seniors and disabled *OAKLAND, Calif. (May 25, 2006) -- Some elderly and disabled Alameda County residents are concerned that there has not been adequate planning or education in their community about responses to major community-wide disasters, such as earthquakes, floods or health emergencies, that specifically addresses the special needs of their population.. The governing board of the Alameda County Transportation Improvement Authority voted Thursday to do its part by sending to all of its sponsor agencies, including transit districts and all 14 cities in the county, the results of a survey of concerns that was conducted by members of ACTIA's Paratransit Advisory Planning Committee (PAPCO.) The 28-member volunteer group advises ACTIA on how best to spend more than $10 million each year serving the special transportation needs of seniors and disabled persons. "The horrible effects of Hurricane Katrina and the challenges of that disaster response have brought home the importance of preparing well before such disasters," ACTIA's letter notes. The recent passage of the 100th anniversary of the 1906 San Francisco earthquake and reports about the likelihood of future quakes, particularly along the Hayward Fault, reinforced the sense of need. In February, the letter says, PAPCO surveyed its members "to identify particular needs of this population and to share those with jurisdictions responsible for preparing disaster plans." The results were perhaps not surprising, yet for this particular population they need to be accounted for in public disaster plans. While communitywide disaster plans tend to focus on meeting dramatic issues like fire and threats to sanitation, the mobility needs of seniors and people with disabilities may be as simple as someone with a steady arm and good vision to lead them from a damaged residence. Some may need to be wheeled out, and others carried. In a disaster of more than 72 hours, members of this community might need life-sustaining items like power for oxygen delivery systems and for electric wheelchairs and other battery-powered equipment, food and water. They may also need care or consideration for pets or service animals. And they may need help specifically communicating with their health providers. The survey notes the important role that family, neighbors and friends must play in these circumstances, but it also notes the need for someone to check to be sure all who need help are receiving it. People who need this assistance and their families and other care givers also need advance training about where to go, what to do, and what to expect in the event of an emergency. They may need special training in how to be prepared. PAPCO members were especially pleased with a presentation along these lines that they received from Collaborating Agencies Responding to Disasters (CARD.) They also invited the Alameda County Office of Homeland Security to come talk to them at two separate meetings. The letter notes, "They inexplicably declined." # # # For more information about ACTA and ACTIA, please visit www.ACTIA2022.com ACTIA and ACTA logos and photos of a number of other previous ACTA projects, all scanned specifically for print publication, can be easily downloaded, either from the news page of the ACTIA Web site, or from http://www.GiveMeMore.com/ACTIA. *For Immediate Release: *May 25, 2006 *Contacts: |