Rocky Mountain ADA Center Unveils Emergency Management Webpage During National Preparedness Month

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. - Sept. 23, 2013 - PRLog -- Coinciding with National Preparedness Month, the Rocky Mountain ADA Center (http://www.adainformation.org/), which provides information on the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) to individuals and organizations in Colorado, Montana, North Dakota, South Dakota, Utah and Wyoming, today announced that it has launched a new webpage with a plethora of emergency preparedness resources for individuals with disabilities and entities with responsibilities under the law.  The Emergency Management page (http://adainformation.org/emergency-management) furnishes preparedness tips, links to organizations, lists of regional resources and general support for the 1.15 million citizens with disabilities in the region.

The ADA Center’s Emergency Management page provides planning support so that persons with disabilities can stay safe, healthy, informed, mobile and independent in an emergency event. By sharing emergency preparedness resources, the ADA Center hopes that individuals and communities will be able to maximize resources and be better prepared to respond to and recover from disaster situations.

“We created the Emergency Management landing page in response to the outpouring of calls and emails we receive each time our region incurs a natural disaster,” stated Candice Adler, technical assistance and training director for the ADA Center. “With the high susceptibility of the Rocky Mountain region to fires, flooding, tornadoes and blizzards, we hope individuals will utilize the resources provided to prepare for future events.”

To prepare for an emergency situation, the ADA Center recommends the following actions for persons with disabilities:

• Be informed. To adequately prepare for an emergency situation, research available resources for people with disabilities. Individuals who use durable medical equipment should locate a service that provides back up equipment (or batteries or oxygen tanks, etc.) in times of emergency.  Verify access to public transportation or find other community organizations who will evacuate persons with disabilities if public transit isn’t available or running.

• Be prepared. Because the Rocky Mountain region is characterized by diverse weather and terrain, it is vitally important to prepare for possible disasters. Use the Emergency Preparedness site to research the ADA requirements for access to emergency services including access to temporary shelters and disaster recovery centers. Register phone numbers with county E9-1-1 services to receive emergency notifications in a timely manner.

• Get involved. It is important for people with disabilities and others interested in access issues to get involved with efforts at the local and state levels to ensure future responses to disasters are more inclusive of people with disabilities. Log on to ready.gov (http://www.ready.gov/) to find ways to participate in emergency preparedness activities in your community.

For more information and links to specific resources and emergency preparedness planning support, visit http://adainformation.org/emergency-management. The ADA Center is a valuable resource for individuals with disabilities and organizations with rights and responsibilities under the ADA and can answer questions about emergency preparedness for individuals with disabilities. To contact the ADA Center directly, e-mail adainfo@adainformation.org or call (800) 949-4232.

About the Rocky Mountain ADA Center
The Rocky Mountain ADA Center is operated by Meeting the Challenge, Inc. and provides information, training and informal guidance to individuals and organizations with rights and responsibilities under the Americans with Disabilities Act. The Center is one of 10 regional centers funded by the National Institute on Disability and Rehabilitation Research, a division of the U.S. Department of Education, and serves a six-state region including Colorado, Montana, North Dakota, South Dakota, Utah and Wyoming. For more information, visit www.adainformation.org.