VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. — Sandy Hermann feels a sense of dread every time she hears a serious storm may be headed to Hampton Roads.
Her 26-year-old daughter has a neuromuscular disorder and requires a ventilator, wheelchair and feeding tube. She can’t be on the road for long periods, and standard emergency shelters can’t accommodate her.
With limited options, they almost always hunker down at home when hurricanes come through.
“I’ll just pray that it won’t be a direct hit,” said Hermann, who lives with daughter Felicia in Virginia Beach.
Emergencies aren’t easy for anyone. But disability advocates say disasters of all sorts — be it a hurricane or a pandemic — are generally far more challenging for people with special needs. A state staffer in a newly created position will work with two Virginia entities over the next year and a half to examine the issue and find ways to help.
“We want to promote equality and access and full inclusion for people with disabilities,” said Jamie Liban, who took on the role of emergency preparedness development coordinator in late September.
Liban is embedded with the Virginia Department of Emergency Management but also works closely with the Virginia Board for People with Disabilities. The 18-month position was created using federal funds designated to assist the disabled community.
Liban previously worked as the executive director for The Arc of Virginia, a statewide nonprofit that advocates for those with intellectual and developmental disabilities.
She said she doesn’t have any recommendations yet; her work is in the early stages, and she’s focused on research. She plans to speak with various state agencies and local-level organizations for their input — and urges others with feedback to reach out.
Teri Morgan, the disability board’s executive director, said the pandemic highlighted the disadvantages disabled people face during emergencies.
She said some residents who can’t drive or easily travel told the board they struggled to reach testing and vaccination sites while others explained updates and information weren’t provided in a way they could easily process.
“We are excited about (this new position), and we think it’s a good opportunity,” Morgan said. “We think there is room to improve coordination, collaboration and communication both on a local and state level.”
Ralph Shelman, executive director of Peninsula Center for Independent Living, a Hampton facility that offers services to disabled people, said one of the biggest challenges is that there’s no one-size-fits-all solution.
During emergencies, some residents may need sign language interpretations or accommodations for a service animal, he said. Others would require physical assistance, wheelchair accessible transit or a place to plug in their medical equipment.
“It’s not easy — that’s the bottom line,” he said, adding more help is needed. “I think agencies are working hard to address the need, but there’s been certain limitations.”
Hermann, 56, a resource coordinator at a Norfolk hospital, said her daughter would require extensive support during an evacuation.
Her husband could get Felicia into the car if they had to leave, she said. But if she were a single parent, Hermann couldn’t do it by herself.
“I can’t even push her up the ramp into the car anymore because I don’t have the stability,” she said, explaining she has multiple sclerosis.
Hermann said that at an emergency shelter, Felicia would require many nearby electrical outlets for her medical equipment, as well as a refrigerator to keep her medications cool. She would also need wheelchair accessible entries and extra space, and ideally a medical assistant on site to provide support.
Without that extra care, Hermann said her daughter — or others with similar disabilities — might not survive an emergency.
“It’s a life or death situation,” she said.