Preparing for Disasters - People with Disability
People with disability are more vulnerable to injury and social isolation during a disaster, but this risk can be reduced through emergency preparedness and having a plan. Emergency preparedness means taking steps to ensure you are safe before, during and after an emergency.
There are steps you can take to make sure you are safe before, during and after disasters or emergencies.
Support from others is important to developing your plan. You should reach out to others to get the information and support you need. Discuss your Emergency Plan with your support networks so you can all act together to stay safe during emergencies.
The Person-Centred Emergency Plan (P-CEP) Workbook helps you to create a realistic plan that considers your individual strengths, support needs and situation; steps you have already taken to prepare; gaps in your preparedness that increase your risk in emergencies; and ways to address the gaps.
This Workbook helps you take steps to increase your personal emergency preparedness. Prompts and tips help you to get started by considering your current stage of preparedness and helping you get to the next level. Spaces are provided to document your learning, reflections, and action plans.
Download the P-CEP Workbook and start your plan today, or to access a hard copy of the P-CEP Workbook, email disastermanagement@lvrc.qld.gov.
Everybody can do their part to make sure people with disability and their support needs are at the centre of emergency planning.
People with disability, their families and their carers can prepare for disasters and emergencies by creating a Person-Centred Emergency Plan (P-CEP) tailored to individual support needs.
Person-Centred Emergency Preparedness is a process for people with disability to create a plan for their needs in emergencies.
P-CEP can also help people who are ageing at home, have a mental illness, a chronic health concern, and other support needs.
P-CEP was co-designed by people with disability, carers, community organisations, emergency services, and researchers.
Disaster preparedness and response for people with disability
Overview of the project
Project Investigator Dr. Michelle Villeneuve - Centre for Disability Research and Policy, University of Sydney, introduces the Disability Inclusive Disaster Risk Reduction (DIDRR) project and the role we all play in emergency preparedness.
DIDRR means making sure the needs and voices of people with disability are included in disaster risk management.
Tools and Resources
A range of tools and resources aimed at people with disability (PWD), service providers working with PWD and emergency service organisations are available for use or to explore. The various tools have been developed into three workstreams.
1. P-CEP Peer Leadership
Person-Centred Emergency Preparedness (P-CEP) Peer Support aims to increase individual emergency preparedness of people with disability. This workstream will guide people with disability to develop their own formal emergency preparedness plan to optimise their self-reliance and planned reliance on others in emergencies. Resources will showcase how person-centred planning conversations enable individualised emergency preparedness planning for diverse people with disability in Queensland communities.
What are the three key components of P-CEP?
The P-CEP workbook is a conversation guide used by people with disability to tailor emergency preparedness planning to their individual support needs.
If you want to discuss the P-CEP with a person with disability who is developing their own emergency plan, view How to be a person-centred conversation partner at every step of the P-CEP.
2. Collaborating 4 DIDRR
This webinar series is for:
- people with disability
- community, health and disability service providers
- Government and emergency services personnel.
It aims to develop their capability to work together to ensure the safety and well-being of people with disability before, during and after disaster. The DIDRR four-part series discusses:
- person-centred emergency preparedness
- business continuity planning for the disability and community service sector
- local government leadership, support and coordination in emergency management and disaster recovery planning
- good practise examples show how to increase individual and community resilience.
3. Disability Inclusive Emergency Planning
Everybody can do their part to make sure people with disability and their support needs are at the centre of emergency planning. Access the following Queensland case studies to see what others are doing.
DIDRR Toolkit
The DIDRR toolkit includes a wide range of resources available to help you get the message out into the community and increase the uptake of the P-CEP.
The toolkit includes:
- DIDRR Framework and reports
- Resource library - quick access to tools that enable the advancement of DIDRR practices at the local community level
- Info graphic overviews, flyers and posters.
This project is proudly funded by the Queensland Government through the Queensland Disaster Resilience Fund and the Department of Communities, Housing and Digital Economy.
