Challenges After Natural Disaster for Rural Residents with Disabilities

Abstract

Natural disasters occur frequently and displace people from their homes; disrupt work, school, and services; create high costs in damages; and cause emotional pain and physical injury. Four primary phases of emergency management of preparedness, response, recovery, and mitigation are important on the local, organizational/infrastructure, and federal levels. Both prevention and mitigation activities lessen the severity and impact a potential disaster may have on services and operations. In addition, preparedness builds capacity and identifies resources that may be useful in the event of a disaster or emergency (USA Center for Rural Public Health preparedness, Partnering to achieve rural emergency preparedness: A workbook for healthcare providers in rural communities, 2007). Timeliness of response to and recovery after natural disaster are critically important to persons with disabilities in rural setting, especially when considering individuals who have less access to resources and are isolated by geographic barriers and population sparseness. Although this chapter addresses the disruption of natural disasters (e.g., floods, drought, heat waves, tornadoes, earthquakes, hurricanes, mudslides, severe storms including rain, hail, snows, winds, freezing temperatures, wildfires, volcanic eruptions, lightening), many of the same challenges exist for persons with disabilities (PWDs). The purpose of this chapter is to discuss existing preparedness and response protocol in rural communities and the role of the rehabilitation counselor. Incorporated in this discussion is the impact of poverty on response to natural disaster for PWDs. Information will include a review of the national framework for disaster recovery; rural aspects of social vulnerability; the role of rehabilitation counselors in the process of recovery and agency strategies to minimize disruption of services during and after natural disasters including challenges of PWDs in rural, frontier, and territory (RFT) communities; standards for disaster crisis counselors and credentialing and competency; and counselor self-care issues. Attention is given to interagency collaboration and ways to address gaps in response to assist PWDs.