|Emergency Planning for Persons with Disabilities| | || | When a
disaster occurs, the first priority of disaster relief
organizations and government agencies is to provide basic
needs—food, water, and safe shelter—to everyone who needs them.
Your personal needs, such as replacing medications, replacing
adaptive equipment, restoring electricity for power-dependent
equipment, and restoring your regular ways of support for daily
living activities may not happen right away. It is important for
everyone to be prepared to meet his or her own basic needs by
storing food and water for a minimum of three days or more. Be
ready to meet your specific disability related needs by storing
sufficient oxygen, medications, battery power, etc., for at
least seven days after a disaster. Knowing about disaster
threats and being prepared are critical for staying self-
sufficient after a disaster. It is also important that you know
how a disaster may affect your independence. Anticipate for your
lowest level of functioning in your