Earthquake Tips for the Hearing Impaired

This fact sheet is designed to provide a checklist for activities for People who are Deaf or Hard of Hearing to improve your emergency preparedness in an earthquake. It is designed to be used in conjunction with Independent Living Resource Center San Francisco's general EARTHQUAKE TIPS FOR PEOPLE WITH DISABILITIES, TIPS FOR COLLECTING EMERGENCY DOCUMENTS, and TIPS FOR CREATING AN EMERGENCY HEALTH INFORMATION CARD. Without all four tip sheets, you do not have all the information you need to be prepared. Preparation may seem like a lot of work. It is. Preparing does take time and effort. So do a little at a time, as your energy and budget permit. The important thing is to start preparing. The more you do, the more confident you will be that you can protect yourself, your family, and your belongings.

DATE COMPLETED / ACTIVITIES

__________ Store and maintain extra Batteries.

__________ Store Hearing Aids.

__________ Install both Audible Alarms and Visual Smoke Alarms.

__________ Written Communication for emergency personnel.

Batteries

• Store extra batteries for hearing aids and implants. If available, store an extra hearing aid with emergency supplies
• Maintain TTY batteries (consult manual).
• Store extra batteries for your TTY and light phone signaler. Check the manual for proper battery maintenance.

Hearing Aids

• Store hearing aid(s) in a strategic, consistent and secured location so they can be found and used after a quake.
• For example consider storing in a container by bedside which is attached to night stand or bed post using string or velcro. Missing or damaged hearing aids will be difficult to replace or fix immediately after a major disaster.

Alarms

• Install both audible alarms and visual smoke alarms. At least one should be battery operated.

Communication

• Determine how you will communicate with emergency personnel: if there is no interpreter; if you do not have your hearing aid(s). Store paper and pens.
• Consider carrying pre-printed copy of key phrase messages with you such as 'I speak American Sign Language (ASL) and need an ASL interpreter,' 'I do not write or read English." "If you make announcements, I will need to have them written or signed."
• If possible, obtain a battery operated television that has a decoder chip for access to signed or captioned
  emergency reports.
• Determine which broadcasting systems will be accessible in terms of continuous news that will be captioned and/or signed. Advocate so that television stations have a plan to secure emergency interpreters for on camera
  emergency duty.

Advocacy

• Recruit interpreters to be Red Cross emergency volunteers.
• Maintain pressure on TV stations to broadcast all news and emergency information in open caption format.
• Ensure hotels have access packets for deaf and hearing impaired persons, including audible alarms, when you travel. Ask for them when you check in.

Developed and Distributed By
Independent Living Resource Center San Francisco
70 10th Street, San Francisco, CA 94103
415-863-0581, TTY 415-863-1367, FAX 415-863-1290
In cooperation with June Kailes, Disability Consultant
through a grant from The American Red Cross'
Northern California Disaster Preparedness Network