- Hello everyone and welcome.
I wanna thank you all for joining us today.
We are excited to bring you this training
as part of the first ever
Disaster Resilience Awareness Month.
Throughout the month of March
Equal Justice Works is teaming up
with different legal aid organizations
who are collaborating with a diverse group
of subject matter experts to spread awareness
about disaster related issues and share resources
for disaster preparedness and recovery efforts.
So for more information
and to join us in spreading the awareness,
follow Equal Justice Works on Twitter and Facebook.
The discussion today is brought to you
by Disability Rights, Texas
and the American Red Cross
to inform you about the services provided in a disaster.
So if you have questions during the session
please do not hesitate to post them
and we will answer them as we can.
I have the pleasure of talking
to you some amazing and wonderful people from Red Cross.
So first we have Sherry Myers
she's the Disability Integration coordinator
then we have Karen Koski Miller.
She's the Program Manager for Disaster Mental Health
and Mary Casey Lockyer,
Program Manager for Disaster Health Services.
So let's start with the big picture.
What does Red Cross do?
- Don't everybody jump at once.
I'll take it from the Disability Integration perspective.
Our aim is to make certain
that everyone is welcome in our shelters
and other service delivery sites like food distribution
and bulk distribution and that kind of thing.
We within our shelters
have a number of ways to support people with disabilities.
We do have RDI team goes out
and assesses
and surveys the facility
usually, before a disaster but sometimes not.
It depends on where we're told
that emergency management would like us to open a shelter.
And if we need to bring in accessible shower trailers
additional portalets,
anything that makes the facility accessible
and allows people with disabilities
to maintain their independence
in the least restrictive setting.
That's the main focus of our Disability Integration team.
- Thanks Shari it's Mary.
I'll just broaden it a little bit.
That our mission is to alleviate suffering
for those have incurred a disaster.
So we provide preparedness education.
We provide response which is sheltering, feeding,
Disaster Health Services,
mental health and Disability Integration
as Sherry had outlined.
We also have a recovery arm
where we provide financial assistance
to those who have incurred a disaster.
We have an immediate assistance program
shelter transition program and long-term recovery
which is usually a grant type program.
That is what disaster cycle services provides
to those individuals who experienced a disaster.
And that's a broader picture.
And our mission statement says that we alleviate suffering
through volunteers and other methods.
And that is what we Red Cross likes to do.
Karen.
- And from that Disaster Mental Health perspective,
we are available to both clients
within shelters or the community and the workforce.
So that would include our paid staff
as well as the volunteers.
And we essentially provide enhanced psychological first aid
as it's appropriate.
We take a look at people's reactions,
any risk factors and then we focus on helping them
to build their resilience.
- Thank you.
- Stephanie, I'd just add
from a particularly Disaster Health Services lens.
We have licensed healthcare professionals
who are volunteers
and they assist clients to maintain their optimal health.
We assist clients to replace medications
durable medical equipment, consumable medical supplies
and we provide hands-on care as needed
because our registered nurses have full scope of practice.
So this assistance can include financial assistance
but is not tied to a damage classification.
So anyone can have this type of assistance.
- So Mary with that,
are licensed professionals at the shelters
when they opened?
- This is Mary.
Yes, well, not necessarily when they open
but we get them there as quickly as we can.
We have over about 2,500 volunteers
in Disaster Health Services
but not everyone deploys nationally.
So we depend on regional volunteers also,
but we also, and I know you have some here
personal care attendants, we are very committed
to providing assistance with activities of daily living.
And sometimes that's hard to stand up immediately.
And so our licensed healthcare professionals will assist
with activities of daily living.
- Okay, thank you.
Okay.
The next question is that kind
of the broad spectrum,
when does Red Cross provide these services
and how does that activated
at the local level when there is a disaster?
- Well, I can take that.
Usually emergency management activates the Red Cross
and it depends on some previous planning.
Of course, we don't want this to be, never planned for.
So all of our relationships with government
both at the state, local, tribal level
we have government operational volunteers and employees
who maintain the relationships
with the state, local and tribal governments.
And that is how we are activated.
However, we didn't talk about what we do 60,000 times a year
and that is our disaster action team response.
And that is the response to a single and multifamily fires.
And that is usually activated by the fire department
usually by calling the local Red Cross region.
And then we can assist those single family fires
and the multifamily fires, those survivors of those events.
And that's very important work that we do
that's the basis of all our work.
So we do that every day in every part of the country.
- So Mary, is there any costs to Red Cross services for--
- Absolutely no cost?
This is a donor gift from the American people
to anyone incurring a disaster.
- Okay, so next question,
since we have concurrent disasters going on with COVID-19,
as well as natural disasters
what kind of procedures do we have in place
to protect from the pandemic?
- I'll start and then we'll go to some others,
Shari and Karen,
we have really changed many of our processes
to account for the COVID pandemic.
We have personal protective equipment.
We promote social distancing of six feet or more.
We have changed our congregate shelter set up
to accommodate for isolation care area.
Okay?
And then we also want non congregate sheltering
which is usually in a hotel setting.
However, in this last disaster with Texas, for instance
we had congregate shelters
and we provide for much more space
around an individual or a household,
110 square feet in a congregate setting
during the COVID pandemic.
And we try to use non congregates settings if possible
but that's at the behest usually
of state and local government.
- Okay, thank you for that.
So you already kind of touched on how Red Cross is activated
at the request of local emergency management
or fire department for local fires.
How was that information made public?
- I'm gonna take a shot at this one
'cause it's not something that I'm as familiar with as Mary,
Mary's been around longer than I have
and she's kind of my brain, my memory
but the government will make their public announcements
about open shelters, evacuation orders, that kind of thing.
I think one thing that we
with our focus on Disability Integration are trying to do
is make certain that that's communicated
in a number of different formats
so that everybody has access to that information.
And then we have on our website, we have a list of shelters.
You can see it on a map
but you can also choose a list option
that that is compatible with a screen reader.
And so,
it's basically and the other thing that we do too,
is activate our relationships with community partners.
I know that I've worked very closely
with some organizations,
for people who are deaf or hard of hearing
to get information out to do little short videos,
explaining where shelters are.
We did that.
We did it during Harvey, was probably the first time
that I remember us doing specific videos
telling people which counties had been declared disaster
with disaster declarations
and communicating where shelters were.
So I think that's kind of a continuous
improvement thing for us.
We continue to look for ways
to make certain that everybody has access to information.
- Okay, so in thinking about the preparedness piece,
who, I mean, obviously they don't,
there's not going to be shelter set up in blue sky times
when there's not a disaster going on.
So if preparing, what kind of contact lists
should somebody make in the event they lose power or,
what would you say to prepare for that side of it?
- I think the main thing is knowing your network,
knowing how to contact your power company,
being on their list
if you are reliant upon power for equipment
life sustaining equipment, especially
and being certain that you have a way to notify them,
that you're not gonna be able to stay at home for long
before the power situation is going to affect you.
So, and then two, and this is something that Mary and I
continually educate on is that we can support usually
about 99% of the population of people with disabilities
even people on a ventilator,
there's not a push to send people to
in some states and I don't know that Texas still does this,
but special medical needs shelters and that kind of thing.
We can support them just fine in a Red Cross shelter.
And that's a group effort,
it's Disaster Health Services, it's disaster mental health
it's DEI, it's our sheltering folks.
It's everybody understanding just how to assist
and how to support people who have some additional needs.
I think that contact list we have
and I think we sent you some resources
but we have some materials, preparedness materials
for people with disabilities and get a kit
make a list to be sure that
you're trusted neighbors as Mary likes to call them
are on your list of people that you call.
And you have people who can assist you if necessary
to help you evacuate, if you need to.
I think we all know there are some challenges
with transportation
within our communities
for people who either don't have a car or need
a paratransit type of assistance.
- Karen, I have a question for you.
So as far as Disaster Mental Health services
is that available outside of a shelter not being set up
or is that when a disaster is activated,
if you could talk about how that comes into play
in the process.
- So with disaster mental health
we do have licensed social workers, psychologists,
marriage and family therapists.
We also, and I'm sure there are high school counselors
and some others.
And we also have parameters by which retirees
who at the time of their retirement
had a license in good standing
can also be Disaster Mental Health volunteers
and these volunteers are available regionally.
For example, as Mary mentioned
for responses to single and multi-family fires,
we have Disaster Mental Health workers on call
and they can be available
often in COVID, it's mostly virtual at this point
but they are available depending upon the needs
of the disaster response, either virtually or on the ground
to both assist shelter clients
as I mentioned the workforce.
But also if there are individuals in need with the community
within the community, I'm sorry
we are available to them as well.
- Great, so that kind of goes into my next question.
And how does, and Shari's already talked about this,
Red Cross develop inclusive practices
not only for individuals with disabilities
but limited English speakers
and how are those services provided
when a shelter is actually stood up?
- I can take that one.
As far as non-English interpretation
we have a contract with a language line
and they provide us with,
I believe it's over 70 different languages
that we have access to.
And we use that in data as well.
When we have someone who's been affected by a home fire
multifamily fire, who does not
is not comfortable communicating in English
we're able to just, it's a quick dial up punch in a number
and we have access to an interpreter.
So we also work very closely with Sorenson
and we have their ntouch app on computers
that are set up in our shelters to allow people access
to video relay services
so that they can stay in touch with
their families, friends, other people in their network
who are not in the shelter
and also with services and things that they need access to.
We are working with them to develop a disaster response,
video remote interpreting setup,
so that we have essentially the same thing that we do
for non-English language interpretation.
We have access to that as it is,
but we don't have a formalized arrangement with them.
So we're working toward that with Sorenson,
mainly because it Sorenson as opposed to anybody else
because they are the largest provider
of sign language interpreters on a national level
and have access to so many interpreters.
They allow their interpreters to volunteer with Red Cross.
And so if we have a volunteer who is deployed
and is deaf or hard of hearing,
needs a sign language interpreter
we have volunteer interpreters who will go with them
and accompany them for the entire time
that they're deployed.
And one other just quick kind of plug.
A lot of our volunteers who are deaf
have been bringing the masks with the clear openings
for lip reading.
That has really been helpful, especially
we maintain six feet of distance.
We can't give people a hug like we're accustomed to
we can't put an arm around the shoulder.
So it really helps for people to be able to see our faces
and see our expressions and see the compassion
and kindness behind the mask.
But that's pretty much it, in a nutshell,
we have other organizations occasionally that will say,
"Hey, I have a team of six volunteer interpreters,
ready to go, where do you want me to send them?"
And those usually come from our centers
for independent living.
- All right.
The next part, let's see.
So how do shelters provide food accommodations
for somebody that might have restrictions,
dietary restrictions?
- I'll take that one.
What we have developed is
we have taken on the model of C-MIST that was developed
by June Kailes out of California,
it's communication maintaining health,
independence, safety, security
and self-determination and transportation.
We have added a pre disaster housing along with that.
And we do a C-MIST interview of the household
to assist the household
to understand what their needs might be.
And if we hit find that one of the household
needs a unique diet, then we procure that.
We might go to a local hospital, for instance
because they have all special diets
and we can maybe get a, procure a special meals
that way we've gone to other providers, caterers, et cetera.
And we provide that kind of meal.
We've one story is we simply got a blender for our household
because they needed us off diet.
And that's how we did that.
But the C-MIST interview is very important
to really assist the client, to identify their needs
because most clients, when they come to a shelter
they're just happy to be safe.
And they don't really know what their needs are.
Maybe not even for two or three days till they figure out,
Johnny didn't put his inhaler in his backpack.
So we try to do this interview
so that they can think about what their needs might be.
Yeah.
- And Karen, I'm gonna have you tag along that.
So if an individual needs mental
and behavioral health support,
what kind of things could Red Cross provide within those
whether it's a congregate setting
or even non congruent at this point?
- Sure, often what we see would be the initial reaction
to what they've been through.
So you might see some level of tears, anxiety,
perhaps anger or frustration.
What generally happens is those who have, for example
not brought their necessary psychotropic medications.
That's not something we may notice right away
but we might see that over time.
And so health services and disaster mental health
do share financial resources that can be used
for medication replacement
for those who need that sort of thing.
We also, if they've been working
with a community mental health provider,
our first step would be to try to relink them
to those services so that they have the necessary continuity
of care and comfort level.
That's super important after a disaster.
And then if that's not available to them,
we do as the regional Disaster Mental Health volunteers
maintain resource lists.
So we have an idea of the resources within the community.
So it's about linking people to the services
that they've been getting and are comfortable with.
- Okay.
So then I guess the question is
if individuals come to the shelters
and for whatever reason, these services
aren't readily available, how does an individual
request or find out who to talk to,
to get these services
whether it's accessibility or a dietary thing
or the mental health aspect, is there one person
that they should go to in the shelter or?
- I can take that.
Well, our workforce, the most important thing is
that they're communicating with one another.
So Disaster Mental Health would perhaps
in a congregate shelter be
if we're on the ground, walking around,
if not, having a list of the clients in the shelter
and their contact information
and just reaching out and checking in
with people and seeing how they're doing.
The other piece of it is with the shelter workers
they communicate with Disaster Health Services,
with Disaster Mental Health, with Disability Integration
and with our other functions,
just to see if there's a person or group of people
who have particular needs
and then contacts within Disaster Mental Health,
Health Services, Disability Integration and others
are available to the workforce.
So it could be a face to face referral
or it could be a phone call or a text.
- So you're saying when people come in
and the ones that they're actually communicating
whether interacting with are gonna be able to say,
"Hey, this is who I need to figure out
to put you in touch with."
- Yes, then the other piece is
people have the right to self-determination.
So the offer can be made, would you like to speak to someone
about what you're going through?
And it's up to the client to decide
if they're ready to do that at that time
and who they'd like to speak with.
- And I was just gonna add that
in general, we have a shelter site manager
even in a non congregate setting.
And certainly,
and this is an important learning that we've found is that
the clients need to self-advocate
for some of these resources.
And I think that that is little communicated
to communities that if you need something say something
and we'll do our very best
to get the resources and staff that you need.
But sometimes it's just,
well, I'll just sit here on on my cot
or I'll just stay in the lobby and someone will come along
but you really have to advocate for yourself.
We had, I think he was a deaf gentleman, wasn't he Shari?.
And he sat in the lobby and he just waited to hear
what his next steps were going to be.
This was after hurricane war.
And finally someone sat down near him and said,
"What can I help you with?"
Or some other way of communicating with them.
And so we really encourage people
as they're preparing for disasters,
if they're in a high threat state
to please understand that we can only help you if we know
what we need to do to help you.
So please speak up.
That's very important.
I also wanna point out that if you have a kit,
you need to have a list of your medications.
That's very important.
Who your healthcare providers are.
charging cables, extremely important.
If you have an electric wheelchair,
do you have an extra battery?
I know that that's difficult and cumbersome,
but that is something that you need to think about
bringing along.
And again, I'll just emphasize the trusted neighbor approach
to your support system.
You'll need to know how to evacuate
if you have to evacuate your home.
And it may be not through government
people, it might be that trusted source.
So that's all.
- And if I can,
I wanna just kind of elaborate a little on the story
Mary was talking about this gentleman
was all by himself and he would sit in the lobby
and he sat there the first day he was in the shelter.
One of our DHS nurses
was really just trying to find a way to communicate with him
writing on paper wasn't working.
I think she was new so she wasn't quite aware
that she might could tap into VRS or VRI
and communicate that way.
But she found an app
with stick figures
and a way to kind of point and click.
And she finally figured out that all he wanted to know
was if he was going to be allowed to stay in the shelter
and for how long.
And so between her and our Disability Integration worker
they got together they went over to FEMA's ODIC folks
and got an interpreter.
And he'd lost his cell phone.
And we knew that he had friends
who were trying to communicate with him.
And so they went to the local cell store,
I'm not sure which one they went to, it doesn't matter,
but they got him a phone
and got him back in touch with his friends.
And he disappeared that afternoon.
And someone I think, wanted to kind of talk to him about
how we had worked together with him to resolve the issue.
And he had gone upstairs and gone to sleep.
He had been waiting for that news.
And once he said, once I knew that I was fine here
until I could make other arrangements
I was able to get a good night's sleep.
So it really is important that people understand that
if we haven't asked you
please don't hesitate to tell us if you have a need
and let us know how we can help you
because that's why we're there.
It's what we do.
- Right.
- And I can jump into one of the phrases
that we really, really believe in
is getting to yes on behalf of the clients.
So as Shari said and as Mary has said
once we know what they need
we do our best to meet that need.
- Perfect, so this is kind of a good way to wrap up.
We are gonna provide resources and links that are
at the end of this session
but this is about building resiliency
and resiliency comes back to preparedness and planning.
So for each one of you
what is the most important thing someone could do to prepare
and plan for disasters?
Mary, you wanna start?
- Yes, it's Mary.
I think having that support system
that trusted support system that you can depend on
that isn't governmental.
I think that's the most important thing for this community.
- Shari?
- So in addition to that,
because I agree that's probably the top priority,
being aware of what you'll need you,
knowing that you don't have to stock pile medications
but throw your medications into a bag.
Know where you're going to go with those
as you're preparing to evacuate.
One of the happiest days of my life
was at a multifamily fire shelter
in Charleston, South Carolina where I lived at the time
and I watched as all of the people
who came from this apartment complex,
walked by and they were all older people,
people with disabilities.
And every one of them had some kind of a bag
with their medications in it.
And that's just such a,
it's a small piece but it's a huge piece.
And being able to have those meds
because sometimes pharmacies are closed.
Sometimes, it's difficult to replace those medications
if you forget them.
So we do it, we do it every day,
but that and
things you need,
we have sensory kits for autistic children and adults.
But if you have your own and you have certain things that
make you more comfortable help you deal with
that sort of chaotic environment of a shelter,
please try to remember to bring it with you
assistive communication devices, just,
it's so important to have a list
of those things that help you throughout the day
and trying to remember to bring them with you
and chargers and all those things.
And a list is the best thing you can do.
Just make that list and then follow it
- Karen.
- And beyond what Mary and Shari have mentioned.
I think the other thing
from a mental health perspective
is that it's important for the clients
to recognize that they do have strengths
that they can get through whatever they're going through
and that sometimes and I'm sorry
I have a dog barking, of course,
and that sometimes they just need to be helped
to recognize how they've gotten
through adversity in the past
and figure out the small steps they need
to take to go forward rather than looking at it
as an absolutely overwhelming situation.
Small steps.
- Perfect, as I had said a little bit ago
we will post some resources and links
to those resources when we stop this video.
But ladies, I wanna thank you for the work that you do
and I know it's crazy.
That's the world we live in
but y'all are definitely, definitely people to note
and to go to when we need help.
So thank you and thank you for doing this with me as well.
- Thank you, Stephanie.
- Yeah, thank you Stephanie.
- Thanks for the opportunity.