Emergency Preparedness Made Accessible
National Manager Emergency Services Andrew Coghlan said the resources were developed to acknowledge the added impact that emergencies can have on some members of the community.
Emergencies by their very nature leave people vulnerable be it in the early relief stages or into the longer term, Mr Coghlan said.
But for many in our communities, the impact of an emergency can be particularly severe. Our priority is to ensure that people more vulnerable to the impacts of emergencies, as well as their families and carers, have access to appropriate information and materials to assist them prepare their households for an emergency.
Mr Coghlan said the two guides had been developed in consultation with disability peak bodies, service providers, advocacy groups and consumers.
Emergency REDiPlan: Household preparedness for people with a disability and Emergency REDiPlan: Easy English (developed with assistance from Scope Victoria) both contain an assessment tool for individuals and/or carers, and a household plan for completion.
The guides are part of the organisations wider Emergency REDiPlan household preparedness project and follow four simple steps to assist households prepare for an emergency.
Audio files covering Red Cross preparedness and recovery materials and large text print formats are also available to assist people with a vision impairment.
Red Cross Emergency REDiPlan guides are free for individual households and are available on www.redcross.org.au or by phoning Red Cross in your state or territory or emailing rediplan@redcross.org.au
Media enquiries: For more information or to arrange an interview, please call Jacqui Pringle on 0448 571 484.
