News
People with disability can face greater risks during storms, floods,
bushfires and other emergencies, making accessible and individual
emergency planning increasingly important as Australia’s climate
changes.
Australia has warmed by around 1.5°C since national records began in
1910. The Bureau of Meteorology and CSIRO report that extreme heat
events are becoming more frequent, heavy short-term rainfall is becoming
more intense, and extreme fire weather and the length of the fire season
have increased across large parts of the country.
For the 5.5 million Australians living with disability – more than one
in five people – an emergency can present additional challenges.
Evacuating may require accessible transport, mobility equipment,
medication, communication devices, assistance animals or support from
another person. A power outage can also have serious consequences for
people who rely on powered medical or disability equipment.
Mandy McCracken, a quadruple amputee and founder of Get Started
Disability Support Australia, understands how quickly those
considerations can add up.
“If I need to leave my home in a hurry, I need to bring my prosthesis, hand chargers, a wheelchair, and a shower chair,” McCracken said. “And arriving at an evacuation centre is daunting for anyone, but for someone who needs extra help, without planning they might decide to not evacuate at all, and this puts them at enormous risk.”
McCracken became a quadruple amputee after developing sepsis in 2013.
Her lived experience has since informed her work supporting people with
disability to build greater independence and prepare for situations that
may not always be designed with their needs in mind.
And emergencies aren’t limited to natural disasters.
“I fell over at home, and my husband wasn’t due home for eight hours. It was going to be a very long day for me sitting outside on the ground in the sun,” McCracken said.
The University of Sydney’s Person-Centred Emergency Preparedness
approach encourages people with disability to consider their individual
needs before an emergency occurs, including what equipment they require,
how they would evacuate, who could assist them and what they would do if
essential services such as electricity were disrupted.
The Victorian Government’s State Disability Plan also recognises that
people with disability can experience increased risks during emergencies
and commits to improving disability inclusion across emergency planning,
response and recovery.
As climate-related risks increase, disability-inclusive emergency
planning is becoming even more critical.
For people with disability, being prepared can mean knowing what you
need, who you can rely on and how you will stay safe – before an
emergency begins.