Washington – The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and their partners are attempting to assist persons with disabilities before, during, and after the storm, reported by Bay News 9.
“There are disability organizations that are actively engaged all across Florida right now who are standing ready,” said Linda Mastandrea, FEMA Director for the Office of Disability Integration and Coordination.
“Particular accessibility features of the home that are damaged or destroyed may take additional time and resources to repair,” she explained during an interview with Spectrum News inside FEMA Headquarters.
“If you’re a wheelchair user, you may want to think about bringing extra tires or tubes for your wheelchair. If you have diabetes, you need to bring your diabetes supplies. If you’re deaf maybe you need to bring batteries for hearing aids. If you have autism, you might want to think about noise canceling headphones if you’re heading into a shelter,” Mastandrea said.
FEMA has already deployed disability integration advisors to all of the impacted states to ensure programs and resources are accessible before during and after the storm.
