Access & Functional Needs
Populations with access and functional needs or special needs, are diverse and present unique challenges for emergency planners. The Federal Government, in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina and Sandy, have continued to push for plans that address the diversity encountered in access and functional need groups. One topic that caught our coastal communities attention are the transportation requirements of the groups.
Transportation Requirements & Special Needs Populations
U.S. coastal communities have unique and difficult transportation needs during major disaster situations. Compounding the problem are many differences in the transportation resources required for access and functional needs populations. Individuals that represent special needs populations require additional planning to ensure their safe evacuation and well-being following a major disaster. Among those populations, there are three distinct transportation challenges: those with transportation; those without transportation; and those who cannot or do not want to evacuate.