Georgia Emergency Preparedness Coalition for Individuals with Disabilities & Older Adults

Prepare. Plan. Stay Informed.

A graphic of nine icons representing the following: sign language interpreting available, wheelchair accessible, a phone handset is equipped with a volume control to amplify sound, symbol indicating access for individuals who are blind or have low vision, audio systems compatible with hearing aids may be available, braille available, a location is equipped with a TTY or TDD telecommunications device for the deaf, audio description available, closed captioning available.

The Georgia Emergency Preparedness Coalition for Individuals with Disabilities and Older Adults (Coalition) is an ad-hoc committee and a key component in statewide emergency preparedness efforts. It consists of stakeholder agencies throughout Georgia. The mission of the coalition is to serve as a comprehensive clearinghouse between local advocacy groups serving individuals with disabilities and older adults, and state agencies responsible for emergency preparedness and response under the Georgia Emergency Operations Plan (GEOP).

A photograph of a tornado touching land and another photograph of two houses partially under water due to a flood.

Committees

Functional Needs Support Services

Community Outreach

Training & Technical Assistance

Functional Assessment Service Teams

Updated: December 2014

Projects & Activities

·        First Responders Tips Guide: A quick reference guide that provides specific, practical tips for working with people who have a wide range of abilities.

·        Emergency Preparedness Brochure for Individuals with Disabilities & Older Adults: Created as a handy reference to help individuals with disabilities and older adults prepare for emergency situations.

·        Establishment of the Disability Community Network: A network consisting of approximately 50 disability service providers around the state, established to provide emergency preparedness information to agencies and organizations that serve individuals with access and functional needs.

·        State of Georgia Functional Needs Support Services (FNSS) Resource Guide: A resource guide intended to identify specific functional needs support services throughout the State of Georgia.

·        Communication Access Options for Individuals Who Are Deaf, Hard of Hearing Or Have Speech Difficulties: A guide that outlines the various communication options available during disaster/ emergency incidents.

·        American Red Cross Shelter Drills: The ARC includes individuals with disabilities in yearly drills to better identify challenges that may arise when sheltering people with disabilities.

·        Be Prepared Radio Broadcast - Be Prepared is a short public service announcement program featuring emergency preparedness tips/information for individuals with disabilities developed through GARRS and featuring Coalition Partners.

·        NOAA Weather Radio with Accessories for Individuals with Disabilities Brochure: A brochure that explains the use of the weather radio and the accessories available for alerting individuals who are blind, deaf or hard of hearing.

·        Functional Assessment Service Teams (FAST): Proposal developed to identify resource specialists that can be deployed to shelters to specifically assist individuals with access and functional needs.

·        Ready Georgia Campaign (www.ready.ga.gov): This website includes planning tools for individuals with disabilities and access to American Sign Language Preparedness videos and Braille documents.

Partner Agencies

All Hands On, Inc.

American Red Cross of Georgia

Atlanta Autism Consortium

Center for Advanced Communication Policy, Georgia Tech

Dekalb County Emergency Management

Federal Emergency Management Agency

Friends of Disabled Adults and Children

GACHI, Serving the Deaf & Hard of Hearing

Georgia Advocacy Office

Georgia Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Disabilities

Georgia Department of Human Services

Georgia Department Public Health

Georgia Emergency Management Agency

Georgia State Financing & Investment Commission-State ADA Coordinator's Office

Gwinnett Coalition for Health and Human Services, Emergency Preparedness Committee

Gwinnett, Newton, Rockdale Public Health District

Joseph's Network

Project Independence: A Function of the Georgia Vocational Rehabilitation Agency

Southeast ADA Center

Shepherd Center

Tools for Life-AMAC

For more information about the Coalition, go to: http://ada.georgia.gov

The "Ready Georgia" logo.