Accessibility in Emergency Planning: Inclusive Disaster Response
Looking Back to Hurricanes Carol and Edna
Perhaps etched into the collective memory of Cape Cod locals, and more broadly New Englanders, is the sheer destruction of 1954 Hurricanes Carol and Edna. The storms, occurring within two weeks of each other, pounded the Cape with winds between 111 and 130 mph, according to the Cape Cod Times. With hundreds of homes damaged, thousands of people sent to shelters, and over 21 deaths across New England reported by Mass.gov, the storms rattled northeastern coastlines.
Years after Carol and Edna struck, recollections of both hurricanes still flood locals’ minds. You can almost hear the snapping of branches and the wind howling in their stories. In an online article, Thomas Kingman of Pocasset’s Kingman Marina shared his experience during Carol. “Six guys in the boatyard and me, age 13, had to swim for about 300 feet…One of the men shoved me underwater as windblown sheets of plywood were cartwheeling all around thru the air.” Other reports from the Cape Cod Times echoed the sheer physical force of the storms, noting that “Even at 6 feet and 210 pounds, [one individual] found it hard to stand against the wind.”
There is a common narrative that storms act as “great equalizers” — meaning that regardless of factors like socioeconomic status or race, everyone is impacted equally by disasters. But stories from Carol make one question whether outcomes are truly equal amongst all populations. What happened to the people that, for example, did not have the physical ability to resist gusting winds—who did not have the capability to swim 300 feet through surging waters? How did communities with disabilities fare during the storms?
Disability and Natural Disasters
In recent years, a growing body of research has addressed the experiences of people with access and functional needs during disasters. Highlighting the, often dire, outcomes of this community during disasters, research pushes back against the idea that disasters equally impact all communities. According to the National Council on Disability (NCD), for example, people with disabilities are 2 to 4 times more likely to be injured or killed during a disaster than those without a disability. During Hurricane Katrina, the NCD reported that 73% of deaths were of people over the age of 60, many of which were disabled. Over the years, many of these disparities have been attributed to insufficient planning practices, whether that be failing to provide electricity to individuals reliant on medical devices during power outages or inaccessible emergency evacuation transportation.
In an effort to acknowledge the role of human systems in determining disaster outcomes, geographers like Neil Smith have coined phrases like, “there is no such thing as a ‘natural’ disaster.” Smith argues that while disasters present physical hazards, like wind, water, and fire, humans also create hazards during disasters which are entirely avoidable and anything but ‘natural’. Whether these human-made hazards take the form of inadequate housing infrastructure, poorly constructed levees, or ineffective emergency communications, there is no doubt that preparedness efforts impact disaster outcomes.
State and Local Efforts for Disability-Inclusive Disaster Response
Cape Cod is unique in its demographics. As of 2021, American Census Data reported the Cape’s median age was 53.9 years, compared to the states median age of 39.6 years, and 40.1% of the County was over the age of 60. For Barnstable residents between 65 and 74 years old, 14% of residents reported at least one disability, and for individuals over 75, four out of ten individuals reported at least one disability, according to 2015 University of Massachusetts Boston data. With this data in mind, Cape Cod has a particular need for disaster planning and response that can accommodate people with access and functional needs.
The good news? In September of 2023, the Massachusetts Department of Emergency Management (MEMA) took a step towards more inclusive emergency efforts. In formalizing a partnership with the Massachusetts Office on Disability (MOD), MOD was established as MEMA’s Access and Functional Needs Officer (AFN). In this role, MOD serves as a subject matter expert on compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act, and the needs of people with access and functional needs during disasters. This partnership will also aid in creating inclusive emergency plans.
While the Access and Functional Needs Officer will be a new addition to Command Staff during disasters, MOD currently serves on the State’s 911 Commission and has provided emergency preparedness services to the disability community for over a decade. Prior to its ending in July 2024, MOD’s Personal Emergency Preparedness Program trained thousands of individuals with disabilities across the Commonwealth on tools and resources for preparing themselves for various emergencies and educated countless local Emergency Preparedness Directors (EMDs).
For an emergency preparedness checklist catered towards individuals with access and functional needs, visit FEMA’s online resource.
You can read through the Mass.gov website to learn more about building an emergency kit and creating an emergency plan. If you rely on electricity for medical devices, Eversource keeps a high-priority list of customers to notify before a potential power outage. You can contact Eversource at (800) 592-2000 or follow this link to learn more about their services.
This article was written by Leeza Bernstein, Americorps Cape Cod Member, and Intern with the Barnstable County Regional Emergency Planning Committee