U.S. Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick (R-PA) on Jan. 13 cosponsored a bipartisan, bicameral bill to ensure that America’s senior citizens and people with disabilities are prepared for disasters.
Rep. Fitzpatrick cosponsored the Real Emergency Access for Aging and Disability Inclusion (REAADI) for Disasters Act, H.R. 7029, with bill sponsor U.S. Rep. Debbie Dingell (D-MI), while several Democrats introduced the same-named S. 3628 in the U.S. Senate.
“Disaster preparedness is ultimately a test of whether government understands how people actually live. Seniors and Americans with disabilities depend on systems that span health care, transportation, housing, and civil rights — and when those systems fracture in a crisis, lives are placed at risk,” Rep. Fitzpatrick said. “The REAADI for Disasters Act brings those responsibilities together into a single, accountable framework, so when disaster strikes, protection remains steady and reliable even when everything else is not.”
If enacted, the REAADI Act would lock accessibility, continuity of care, and civil rights into the structure of disaster response so that those protections are built into how the government responds, according to a bill summary provided by Rep. Fitzpatrick’s office.
Specifically, the bill would establish a National Advisory Committee on Disability Rights and Disasters to develop best practices for accessible communication, transportation, sheltering, medical services, and civil rights protections, and create a national network of training, technical assistance, and research centers to support state and local emergency officials.
Additionally, the measure would require crisis standards of care for older adults and people with disabilities during disasters and public health emergencies, create a Disaster Human Services Emergency Fund to rapidly address urgent human needs, and launch a competitive grant program to pilot inclusive disaster preparedness and recovery strategies.
Among numerous other provisions, the proposal would direct the Government Accountability Office to ensure disaster spending complies with the Americans with Disabilities Act and would require the U.S. Department of Justice to examine whether civil rights are upheld during and after disasters, the summary says.
“Individuals with disabilities, seniors, and those with mobility challenges are often forgotten, even though they face higher risks for death or injury during disasters,” said Rep. Dingell. “The REAADI for Disasters Act will ensure aging Americans and those with disabilities have a stronger voice in the preparation, response, and mitigation of disasters.”