Disabled and the Elderly
Prepare Yourself
For residents who have medical special needs or will need transportation during an evacuation of Terrebonne Parish, please contact the Terrebonne Council on Aging at (985) 868-8411.
To pre-register for Disaster Food Stamp assistance, please call 1-888-LA-HELP-U (1-888-524-3578).
To be better prepared as a community, we all must do our part to plan for disasters. Individuals with or without disabilities can lessen the impact of a disaster by taking steps to prepare before an event occurs.
Downloadable Readiness Guides are available for
Build a Support Network
Establishing solid relationships with other people is one of the most effective means of surviving a disaster. Create a network of trusted individuals such as family, friends, co-workers, personal attendants, and others who can assist you during an emergency. Familiarize your network with your functional abilities and limitations, and include them in your emergency planning process.
Consider the following when developing your plan:
- Do you use communication devices?
- Do you depend on accessible transportation to get to work, appointments, or to other places in your community?
- Do you receive medical treatments (e.g. dialysis) on a regular basis?
- Do you need assistance with personal care?
- Do you rely on electrical equipment or other durable equipment?
- Do you use mobility aids such as a walker, cane, or a wheelchair?
- Do you have a service animal?
Ready Kit and Go Bag
A Ready Kit is a supply of items that you will need if you have to shelter in place or rely on your own resources for a few days. A Go Bag has fewer items, but they are the essential ones to take with you if you must evacuate quickly.
Service Animals Are Not Pets
The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) defines a service animal as “any guide dog, signal dog, or other animal individually trained to provide assistance to an individual with a disability.” They are not pets. Their jobs include: guiding people who are blind; alerting people who are deaf or hearing impaired to doorbells, fire alarms, or a baby’s cry; pulling wheelchairs for people with mobility impairments; protecting a person who has seizures; and performing a therapeutic function for persons with mental illness or autism. The overwhelming majority of service animals are dogs, but a few horses have been trained to guide people who are blind, and a small number of monkeys assist people with quadriplegia.
Although service animals should wear identifiable collars, the ADA does not require identification, licenses, or training. Unlike pets, service animals may enter a wide range of public accommodations with their owners, such as stores, restaurants, museums, and transportation systems. A service animal can be excluded from such places only if its behavior is a direct threat to the life or safety of people, or if it becomes a nuisance, for example, by incessant barking. The animal’s owner is responsible for its behavior and for supplying any food, water, or medication it may need, even during a disaster. In times of disaster, a service animal is permitted in a shelter, clinic, or any other facility related to the emergency, such as a Federal Recovery Center.