Source: UNISDR –The Americas

August 29, 2013, PANAMA –"We can expect that as many as 30 million people living with a disability are affected during an average year by earthquakes and weather-related hazards" said Margareta Wahlström, Special Representative of the Secretary-General (SRSG) for Disaster Risk Reduction, during the recent launch of a survey of people living with disabilities on their coping capacity in the face of a disaster event.

The survey promoted by the United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNISDR) and various counterparties "will focus on a major blind spot in disaster management, the needs of the one billion or more people estimated to live with some form of disability," said Ms. Wahlström.

This survey addresses on issues such as the ability to protect oneself from a disaster event and having sufficient time to evacuate before a possible disaster. It also asks questions about knowledge, awareness and participation in disaster management plans at national and local level.

Ricardo Mena, Head of the Regional Office for the Americas of the UNISDR, called upon public and private sectors as well as civil society to "disseminate and promote the participation in this unprecedented exercise, to make visible the specific needs of highly vulnerable groups such as people with disabilities". The expected results will complement key actions for disaster risk reduction at the regional, national and local levels.
UNISDR is working closely with the Secretariat of the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (UN ENABLE), the Disability-inclusive Disaster Risk Reduction Network for Asia and the Pacific (DiDRRN) and other partners on implementing the survey.
The survey will be available online through http://americas/index.html until 25 September, in the official languages ​​of the United Nations.

The results will be announced on International Day for Disaster Reduction (IDDR13), to commemorate the 13th of October with the theme "Disability and Disasters: a not so obvious conversation."

Related Links:
2013 Survey on Disabilities and Disasters
IDDR13: International Day for Disaster Reduction
DiDRRN: Disability-inclusive Disaster Risk Reduction Network for Asia and the Pacific
UN ENABLE: Secretariat of the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities