“The disaster doesn’t know no one. Once the disaster strikes, it will not discriminate against anyone.”

This was bared by Joel Tangunan, vice president of the Pangasinan Persons with Disability (PWD) Federation, who noted that once disaster strikes, persons with disabilities are twice more likely to lose their lives or be injured than the general population during disasters.

Being part of the vulnerable sector, Tangunan said disaster preparedness and mitigation should always be part of the daily life of PWDs.

“Hindi porket PWD ka, hindi ka na pwedeng maghanda. Hindi pwedeng aasa na lang tayo (PWDs) sa mga kapwa natin when it comes to disaster preparedness. We should get involved and know the hazards to prepare for it,” he said.

“Because we never know when a disaster or an emergency will happen,” said Tangunan, adding that “PWDs should always be on guard, take necessary safety and prevention measures and communicate with their network.”

Aiming to empower his fellow PWDs, Tangunan shared his experience during the disastrous earthquake that hit Dagupan City in 1990 in a Facebook post that reads:

“Before I became fully aware that preparing can be a way of life for people with or without physical and non-apparent disabilities, I thought it was only for people who didn't have any illnesses. My crippled mindset made me feel insecure most of the time. This continued until I became one of the victims of the catastrophic 7.7 magnitude earthquake that hit Luzon on July 16, 1990. I was in an institution for PWDs at the time. There was no contingency plan or training for us, the 41 PWD children in the institution. We were almost overwhelmed by our large building if I hadn't had the presence of mind to wake everyone up and help those who had difficulty transferring from their beds to their wheelchairs. Since then, I realized that this should not always be the case for people with disabilities (PWDs) when it comes to dealing with emergencies and disasters.”

Awakened by the tragedy and with help from his mentors, Tangunan now believed in his capabilities and that disaster preparation is not only for physically fit people, on whom he was dependent before.

“Who I am now is not just a person with a disability, but a self-proclaimed prepper with determination,” he said in his post.

Tangunan shared that to make preparation work for PWDs, they should first assess the preparation they need to do based on their abilities, capabilities, and conditions.

“Learn to identify your risk map in terms of your physical limitations, and evaluate them in a way that fits your lifestyle,” he said.

To further instill the importance of preparation, Tangunan shared the following basic, appropriate, modified, and applicable emergency and disaster preparedness and modified mitigation system for Filipino PWDs based on his experiences and learnings:

1. Learn to identify your risk map and hazards around you, both on health and situation. This includes knowing the types of disasters that are common in your area, as well as the specific risks that you face due to your disability. For example, if you are a wheelchair user, you will need to be aware of the availability of ramps and other accessible facilities in your area.

2. Evaluate your physical limitations and weaknesses. This will help you to develop a disaster preparedness plan that is realistic and achievable. For example, if you have difficulty walking, you may need to make arrangements for someone to help you evacuate in the event of a disaster.

3. Learn to adapt your evaluated physical limitations and weaknesses to your risk map and hazard around you. This means finding ways to mitigate the risks that you face due to your disability. For example, if you are blind, you may need to learn how to use a cane or guide dog to help you navigate your environment.

4. Start your network of disaster resilience with your own family and later expand it to your community. This will help you to get the support that you need in the event of a disaster. For example, you could develop a buddy system with a friend or neighbor who can help you to evacuate or to get to safety.

5. Have a regular dialogue with your immediate network about what to prepare with you as a part of the contingency and as one strong member of your network. This will help to ensure that everyone in your network is prepared for a disaster. For example, you could discuss what supplies you need to stockpile, or what first-aid skills you need to learn.

6. Create a regular drill with your family network's contingency plan and mitigation, including stockpiling, (if possible learning to produce your own food like vegetable plants), learning first-aid, portable or water filter systems, basic ham radio, and other necessary things to start working on your prepping. This will help you to practice your disaster preparedness plan and to identify any areas that need improvement.

In preparation for any kind of disaster, Tangunan noted the participation of the community in helping vulnerable populations.

He also shared the additional considerations for modifying emergency and disaster preparedness and mitigation systems for Filipino PWD that the community should take into account to further help empower vulnerable populations during disasters:

* The specific needs of the PWD community: The needs of PWD vary depending on their disability. For example, people with visual impairments may need special maps and instructions, while people with mobility impairments may need ramps and accessible toilets.

* The availability of resources: The availability of resources will also affect the type of modifications that can be made. For example, if there is no money available to build new shelters, then existing shelters may need to be modified to be accessible.

* The willingness of the community to help: The community can play a role in supporting PWD during disasters based on the principle of Cross-Sector Helping Resilience Integrating Supporting Transformation (CHRIST). For example, they can help to evacuate PWD to safety, or they can provide them with food and water.

“Our disability, knowledge and experiences as PWD can make significant contributions to DRRM programs,” he emphasized.

He said aside from ensuring access to government services, PWDs should also be consulted and involved in crafting disaster risk reduction and management (DRRM) plans and in disaster preparedness efforts so that their special concerns will be addressed.

With these, Tangunan hoped that more PWDs will be involved in disaster preparedness to strengthen the government's DRRM programs and ensure that all citizens, especially those with special needs like PWDs, take part in disaster risk reduction efforts.

Truly, we cannot stop natural disasters, but holistically we can arm ourselves with knowledge, enough preparedness and support each other, so many lives wouldn't have to be lost during times of disaster. (JCR/MTJAB/EMSA/PIA Pangasinan)