Nebraska Emergency Management And Functional Needs Resources

Emergencies and disasters can strike at unexpected moments and it’s important to take the time now to do some simple things to prepare for emergency situations and keep your family safe during disasters.

Launched in February 2003, Ready is a National public service campaign designed to educate and empower the American people to prepare for, respond to and mitigate emergencies, including natural and man-made disasters. The goal of the campaign is to promote preparedness through public involvement.

Everyone knows the Red Cross helps people during emergencies. But you may not know that it’s also part of our mission to help you help yourself! Becoming “Red Cross Ready” for an emergency means following our simple steps in advance to ensure you can weather a crisis safely and comfortably. Being prepared may not prevent a disaster, but it will give you confidence to meet the challenge.

SAMHSA’s Disaster Distress Helpline provides 24/7, 365-day-a-year crisis counseling and support to people experiencing emotional distress related to natural or human-caused disasters.

A one-stop source of information for people in need of assistance. When you reach out to 211, they’ll assess your situation and then utilize an extensive, up-to-date database to find the best resource(s) to meet your needs. They act as a single point of contact for thousands of health and human service programs, community services, disaster services and governmental programs.

Our mission is to spread help, hope & answers

Easterseals Nebraska provides exceptional services to help ensure all people with disabilities have an equal opportunity to live, learn, work and play.

Nebraska Relay is a free service that enables people who are Deaf, Hard of Hearing, DeafBlind or those with a Speech Disability to place and receive phone calls.

Explore the services here to determine which one best meets your needs!

Nebraska has made huge strides in planning and strengthening its emergency response to bioterrorism and other public health emergencies. Coordinating local, state, and federal resources is critical in strengthening our public health system and protecting people against future threats.

The federal government provides financial aid to the states through grant funds to assist with bioterrorism and emergency response planning at the state and local levels.

NAEM is a professional organization that promotes and supports emergency management partnerships with public & private agencies for the preservation of life safety and property and for the purpose of developing disaster resilient communities.

The Nebraska Emergency Service Communications Association (NESCA) is an organization of Public Safety Communicators in Nebraska.  The Association was created with the adoption of a Constitution and Bylaws on October 10, 1985.  Since that time, the organization has grown to over 300 members.

Nebraska Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) works to reduce the vulnerabilities of the people and communities of Nebraska to damage, injury and loss of life and property resulting from natural, technological or man-made disasters and emergencies. NEMA coordinates the response to large-scale events, such as a tornado, flood or wildfire, and ensures effective response and recovery.

If an emergency happened in your community, would you know what to do? Would you have the right kinds of supplies to stay safe and healthy at home? What if offi cials ordered you to evacuate? How would you get to safety? Have you spoken with a member of your support network about help you may need?  If these questions give you pause, that means it’s time to get prepared. And there are some extra steps you should consider if you’re living with a vision disability.

Part of staying safe during a disaster is following instructions from emergency offi cials. It also means being prepared and acting quickly. If you’re living with cognitive or developmental disabilities, this could be diffi cult. Luckily, there are things you can do to get ready.

When a disaster happens, getting to safety — whether it be to an evacuation shelter or to a safe room in your home — is critical. And if you’re living with a mobility disability, there are some extra steps you should take to get ready to stay safe and healthy during an emergency.  

What would you do in an emergency? How would you stay on top of the latest updates? How would you communicate with emergency responders? So you have supplies to stay safe and healthy on your own? It’s a lot to think about, which is why planning ahead is critical. And if you’re living with a hearing disability, there are some extra things you should keep in mind. 

An emergency can happen anywhere and anytime. And while you can usually expect some help from emergency response offi cials, it might not come right away. That’s why it’s critical that everyone take steps to protect themselves and make sure they can stay safe and healthy if help isn’t around. If you’re living with a disability, there are a few extra tips you should keep in mind to get prepared. 

This checklist is for emergency planners, managers, responders, and public information officers (PIOs) who have responsibility for developing, maintaining, testing, delivering, and revising emergency plans and its associated annexes, plans, procedures, and supporting material.

This guidance and checklist is for all organizations that focus on supporting the health, safety, and independence of people with disabilities and others with access and functional needs.  This includes non-governmental organizations and government agencies such as: The Veterans Administration, local disability service providers, disability-specific organizations (muscular dystrophy, cerebral palsy, multiple sclerosis, blind, deaf, hard of hearing, autism, mental health, developmental disability, etc.), Easter Seals, community clinics, Federally Qualified Health Centers, equipment vendors, and home health agencies.

This guidance is for a broad audience, including emergency professionals across settings and sectors of government, education, business, and nonprofits.  People with disabilities and others with access and functional needs1 are a diverse and large part of every community. Combined, these individuals can represent over 50 percent of your population and include people who have no or limited abilities to run, walk, stand, climb, see, hear, read, speak, understand or remember.

Planning is key to surviving and recovering from an emergency. This is especially true if you use personal assistants (PA). A Personal assistant (PA) is someone who helps you with bathing, dressing, eating, grooming, toileting, transferring, shopping or communicating.