Emergency Preparedness
Disaster planning for people with disabilities in western North Carolina: a free preparedness checklist, your rights in a disaster, and the 24/7 Disability & Disaster Hotline.
Plan ahead. Your rights don't pause in a disaster.
Floods, storms, fires and power outages hit people with disabilities first and hardest. A personal plan does not have to be finished in a day: knowing what you will do, how you will do it, and who is in your support network is already preparedness. Start with the checklist below, and keep the hotline number where you can find it.
Disability & Disaster Hotline: call or text 800-626-4959, 24 hours a day, every day. Videophone is available for Deaf callers.
Personal Preparedness Plan Checklist
A 10-page, screen-reader-accessible planning workbook from The Partnership for Inclusive Disaster Strategies (updated April 2025). It covers:
- Disability rights in disasters
- Staying informed
- Emergency kit checklist
- Disability-related preparedness checklist
- Your personal planning guide
Download the Disaster Preparedness Plan for People with Disabilities (PDF)
Need a printed copy or help filling it in? Call or stop by either office.
Your rights in a disaster
Disability rights are never suspended in an emergency. When disaster programs and services are offered to the public, they must be accessible to and inclusive of people with disabilities. That means:
- A shelter cannot turn you away because you have a disability.
- You have the right to a shelter that is physically accessible and ADA compliant.
- You have the right to effective communication: ASL interpreters, large print, braille, assistive technology.
- You can ask for reasonable changes to policies and practices.
- Your service animal can stay with you in shelters, recovery centers and other disaster services.
- You cannot be made to go into a nursing facility or institution against your wishes.
If your rights are not being respected during a disaster, call the hotline above or Disability Rights North Carolina (opens in new window) at (919) 856-2195.
Emergency preparedness resources
- The Partnership for Inclusive Disaster Strategies (opens in new window) — The only U.S. disability-led 501(c)(3) focused on the full inclusion of people with disabilities, older adults and people with access and functional needs before, during and after disasters. Runs the Disability & Disaster Hotline (call or text 800-626-4959) for urgent disaster referrals, evacuation guidance and replacement of durable medical equipment.
- Ready.gov: People with Disabilities (opens in new window) — Federal planning guidance for individuals with disabilities and their families: building a kit, planning for medication, equipment and service animals, and staying informed.
- More resources — Centers for Independent Living across North Carolina, plus civil-rights and legal advocacy organizations.
Need help making your plan?
Our Independent Living staff can work through the checklist with you: your support network, your equipment and medication needs, and where you would go. Call or visit either office.