Disability and Disaster Planning

Disabled people are up to four times more likely to be injured or killed in disasters – they are often left behind when disaster strikes, excluded from preparedness activities, and forgotten in community and risk mapping.

Disabled people and people with chronic health conditions are some of the people most adversely impacted by climate change.  Yet, as the COVID pandemic showed, they are often seen as the acceptable sacrifice in times of crisis.

Extreme weather, such as floods and heatwaves, and pandemics are only going to become more severe and frequent as climate change worsens. Excluding Disabled people from planning for these disasters will have grave consequences but they are currently systematically forgotten, left out of conversations and given no or little support to prepare as an individual.

  • 71% of Disabled people do not have an individual preparedness plan for disasters (UNDRR, 2013).
  • 13% of Disabled people have no one to help them to evacuate (UNDRR, 2013).
  • 85% of Disabled people have not participated in community disaster management and risk reduction processes in their communities (UNDRR, 2013). 
  • Only 20% of Disabled people say they would be capable of evacuating immediately in the event of a sudden disaster (UNDRR, 2013). 
  • The 2023 UNDRR report shows there’s been little to no progress.

Taking this action is vital for protecting many lives. Nearly a quarter of the population in the UK is disabled and an estimated 1.3 people worldwide. Disability is also the only marginalised group that anyone can enter at any time and that everyone is likely to experience at some point in their lifetime. Making disaster planning accessible is vital for everyone, whether to keep us safe now or as we age.

The disproportionate impact of disasters on Disabled people is not the result of inherent vulnerabilities but largely the consequence of inaccessible infrastructure and exclusion from planning. If they are included in the conversation this can all change. We must take urgent action to make our disaster planning accessible and inclusive now.

About the Project

P2P fellow Emma Geen has been involved in many types of climate change activism. She’s marched, occupied spaces, lobbied politicians and been arrested for the cause but since getting long COVID she has been unable to take part in the actions that were such a meaningful part of her life. After conversations with fellow Polly Meyrick, Emma started reading into how craftivism can be a more accessible way to make change and decided to embark on a craftivism project. 

Emma worked with Sophie Mellor to bring together a small group of activists who identify as disabled or having a chronic illness to discuss and take action together. After consultation with Sarah Bell of the Sensing Climate project, Emma decided to focus the protest on disaster planning.

Inspired by the Craftivist’s Collective project ‘Don’t Blow it’, the group are embroidering handkerchiefs with letters and messages advocating for Disabled people and people with chronic illness to be included in disaster planning around climate change. These are being gifted to national and local decision-makers to influence them to take action on inclusive disaster planning. Sending these gifts will be an opportunity to start a conversation with these decision-makers and to encourage them to empathise and connect with us so they don’t forget our needs.

The group met six times over Zoom to learn and craft together and continue to support each other over Whatsapp. 

Activists

A huge thank you to all the activists taking part: Sarah Bell, Priyanca D’Souzato, Sarah Hennell, Ruth Hennell, Polly Meyrick, Shelly Radford, and Phil Rushworth.

Handkerchiefs 

A huge thank you to all the activists who took part. Some people continue to work on their embroidery over the summer and we will add photos of their projects as they are completed.

Decision-Makers

The project is sending handkerchiefs to 13 decision-makers. They have been chosen for their influence over the different aspects of disaster planning, from evacuation to health, to housing.

  1. Christopher Chambers – Head of Innovation and Strategy, Avon and Somerset Local Resilience Forum,
  2. Martin Fodor – Cochair of Bristol City Council Environment and Sustainability Committee,
  3. Emma Hardy -Floods Minister,
  4. Kerry McCarthy- Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State at the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero,
  5. Pat McFadden – Chancellor of the Duchy of Lanchester at the Cabinet Office
  6. Paul Phipps-Williams – Head of Regional Resilience at the Department of Levelling Up, Housing and Communities (DLUHC),
  7. Luke Pollard – Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Minister for the Armed Forces),
  8. Angela Rayner – Sec of State for Levelling up, housing, and communities,
  9. Steve Reid – Sec of State for DEFRA,
  10. Ben Spurway – Head of UK Resilience Academy Policy,
  11. Wes Streeting – Secretary of State for Health and Social Care,
  12. Stephen Timms – Minister of State (Minister for Social Security and Disability),
  13. Lucy Vilarkin – West of England Combined Authority (WECA) resilience lead.

Learn more about disability and disaster planning