Inform caregivers, friends, family, neighbors or others who might be able to help during an emergency. For example, clinics might close, streets and sidewalks might be impassable, or caregivers might be unable to travel.Īmong the tips Nickole learned from Oregon’s “Ready Now!” training are: She felt better informed about the potential risks people with disabilities could encounter during a disaster. Nickole said the training was empowering, and reinforced her ability to live independently with a disability. I made sure I had a generator, batteries for my wheelchair, and at least a week’s supply of food, water and prescription medication.” “When I heard the snow storm was coming, I emailed all my caregivers to find out who lived close by and would be available. “The most important thing I learned from ‘Ready Now!’ was to have a back-up plan in case of an emergency situation,” she said. So Nickole signed up for “ Ready Now! pdf icon external icon ,” an emergency preparedness training program developed through the Oregon Office of Disability and Health external icon. Being alone for eight days was not an option. For Nickole, whose muscles are too weak to support her body, those eight days were potentially life-threatening.īorn with spinal muscular atrophy, a genetic disease that progressively weakens the body’s muscles, Nickole is fully reliant on a wheelchair and full-time caregivers for most routine tasks. Many people would consider that an inconvenience. Nickole Cheron was stuck in her home for eight days. In 2008, a rare winter storm buried Portland, Oregon under more than a foot of snow.
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