Emergency Preparedness and Disaster Relief for People with Chemical and Electrical Sensitivities

(Thanks to Mary Lamielle)

Providing Services for People with Chemical and Electrical Sensitivities (CS/ES) in Emergency Management

Educate yourself and your agency or organization about the needs of people with chemical and electrical sensitivities (CS/ES).

Identify and work with the CS/ES in your community to determine how to best meet their needs.

Provide notification to people with CS of any toxic event so that they can take precautions or evacuate as necessary.

Establish a registry as a means to provide advance notification.

Keep the needs of those with CS/ES in mind as emergency preparedness plans are developed.

Work to ensure emergency services and shelters are accessible for people with CS/ES.

Be prepared to respond to any emergency affecting the CS even if the balance of the population is not significantly affected.

Provide for the safe evacuation, if necessary, for those who cannot use public transportation.

Provide outreach to people with CS/ES who are unable to get to or be accommodated in a shelter.

Prohibit smoking in the vicinity of people with CS and protect those with CS from exposure to combustion sources including gasoline and diesel exhaust, propane, and similar exposures.

Use least toxic/allergenic cleaning and maintenance products and Integrated Pest Management (IPM) practices with least toxic/low impact products, if necessary.

Adopt and promote best practices policies that restrict the use of fragrances and the purchase and use of fragranced and scented products in emergency services.

Restrict the use of cell phones, smart phones, and similar devices in the vicinity of people with ES.

These tips were provided by Mary Lamielle,
National Center for Environmental Health Strategies, Inc.
“Addressing the Needs of People with Chemical and Electrical Sensitivities and Fragrance-Free Policies in Emergency Preparedness,”
New Jersey GAINED, January 25, 2012.

RE: Emergency Preparedness and Disaster Relief for People with Chemical and Electrical Sensitivities, Hurricane Sandy, October 29, 2012

The National Center for Environmental Health Strategies (NCEHS) is a national, nonprofit, tax-exempt organization that focuses on creative solutions to environmental health problems. The mission of NCEHS is to protect the public health and improve the lives of people affected by chemical and environmental exposures. NCEHS works to reduce hazardous exposures and promote safer alternatives; to improve indoor environmental quality; to educate professionals and the public about environmentally-induced illnesses; to advocate for the rights of people disabled by environmental exposures; to effect research and policy change in the public and private sector; and to prevent environmental illnesses and injuries.

National Center for Environmental Health Strategies, Inc.

Mary Lamielle, Executive Director

marylamielle@ncehs.org

3 responses to “Emergency Preparedness and Disaster Relief for People with Chemical and Electrical Sensitivities

  1. Thank you for your valuable post. The problem I’m having is getting any doctor to certify that I have any residual MCS or ES, as this seems to be a political issue within government circles and the medical community.

  2. The thought has occurred to me “What would I do if we were requested to evacuate?” Being chemically sensitive, I know I couldn’t be in a shelter. The shelter itself might be okay, but once people started walking in with chemicals on their clothes, I’d be in trouble. I do everything in my power to be self reliant and not need to leave my home (I have food and provision for power outages, etc.). If we had to evacuate, I’d probably go to a shelter for my family’s sake and I’d stay in the car for my sake. Good article to create awareness.

  3. TIPs for first responders (which is really insufficient, people with MCS/ES really need to carry a detailed emergency plan to share with first responders)
    http://cdd.unm.edu/dhpd/tips/tipsenglish.html

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