In the last month, from just before Hurricane Helene’s landfall through the two weeks since Hurricane Milton barreled ashore in Central Florida, The Partnership for Inclusive Disaster Strategies’ (The Partnership) Disability and Disaster Hotline has actively responded to over 300 requests for assistance. We continue to support more than 450 people with disabilities impacted by Hurricanes Helene and Milton, from Florida, Georgia, South Carolina, Tennessee and North Carolina that have contacted us. The majority of requests continue to come from western North Carolina and Florida, the two areas that will have the longest recovery from Hurricanes Helene and Milton.

Interacting with callers has helped us establish lines of communication in multiple communities and stay up-to-date with local conditions and unmet needs.

The Disability and Disaster Hotline continues to help with:

• Information and referral resources 
• Immediate assistance with basic needs, such as food and water
• Durable medical equipment replacement 
• Connecting callers to their local Centers for Independent Living and other disability and aging resources
• Escalation of FEMA denials, and referrals for help with appeals
• Referral to other sources of financial assistance, including American Red Cross

The largest needs and barriers we are currently hearing through the Hotline and with our local partners: 

• Housing needs

• • • Assistance with landlords demanding that renters leave the property within a matter of days, or giving notice of eviction.
    • Temporary housing needed while waiting on FEMA inspection, or for landlords to make repairs.
    • FEMA Transitional Housing Assistance (TSA) Program is lacking in participating hotels, advising callers to search 50+ miles out, which removes their access to home and community based services, jobs, healthcare, and schools.

• Lack of accessible transportation to Disaster Recovery Centers, Points of Distribution (PODs), and shelters.

• Ableism continues to put disabled people in life or death situations

• • The Partnership has joined a robust working group of government and non-government organizations focused on preventing institutionalization, specifically in the wake of Hurricanes Helene and Milton.

The Partnership has been supporting the disability and aging networks in Florida, Georgia, South Carolina, North Carolina, and Tennessee with technical assistance and resource coordination as they respond to the needs of the disability and aging communities in their state. 

• From September 25 through Friday, October 18, the Florida Independent Living Council (FILC) with the Centers for Independent Living (CILs) in the state continued their daily check in calls to share vital information, coordinate response efforts, and support each other. They have now transitioned to the recovery phase, and a twice-weekly call, which we participate in to support their work.
• We attend the regular calls hosted by the Disability/Access and Functional Needs Lead for North Carolina Emergency Management, where CILs, the North Carolina Developmental Disabilities Council, NC Health and Human Services, FEMA, American Red Cross, and many other government and non-government agencies and organizations. We share information from these meetings with our hotline callers, CIL partners, and others working to meet the needs of the disability community.
• We continue engaging and collaborating with CIL and SILC partners in Georgia, South Carolina, and Tennessee, supporting their work with disabled disaster survivors.

Early on: The largest needs and barriers

• Oxygen replacement and support

• • • Spartanburg, SC: On 9/27, a caller from Sunset Circle reported that they were running out of oxygen due to a prolonged power outage. They had no means to recharge their portable oxygen equipment.
    • Spartanburg, SC: Another caller expressed concern for their spouse who they shared cannot get out of bed and requires over 4 liters of oxygen per minute. With the power out and no clear timeline for restoration, their oxygen supply was critically low.
    • Arden, NC: A family reached out about a relative who is on a ventilator. Their generator failed, and inaccessible roads prevented them from obtaining necessary supplies. 
    • Asheville, NC: Multiple cases involved individuals with oxygen needs, including one report of a person living in a car with diminishing oxygen supply due to power failure.
    • Georgia: Since 9/29, a disabled person has been dependending on a portable oxygenator (Inogen One), which only lasts for 4 hours and requires frequent recharging at a local fire station because of lack of power to run the oxygenator. The caller, who has COPD, high blood pressure, and a history of heart attack, was staying with their niece, but neither home has power.

• Power dependency to charge devices, particularly oxygen concentrators

• • • Many callers with prolonged power outages impacting their medical equipment, such as CPAP machines and refrigerated medications. 
    • Notable Case: A family in Anderson, SC, with a disabled member reliant on oxygen, has been charging their portable oxygen tank in their car every two hours due to a power outage.

• Shelter and housing needs

• • • North Carolina: Callers seeking assistance for emergency shelter. In cases where individuals could not access or stay in traditional shelters due to noise or overcrowding. A Center for Independent Living reported a shelter denied access to a person on oxygen because the person was not accompanied by an attendant.
    • Florida: A disabled and homeless individual with their caregiver faced challenges in accessing shelter and maintaining their health due to a lack of accessible housing options.

• Medical supplies and medication

• • Number of calls from disabled people seeking information on how to store medicine that requires refrigeration during a power outage, and replacement of medication.