California Emergency Preparedness Resources for Families of Kids with Disabilities

Tamara Rodriguez, Officer of Emergency Preparedness & Response at DDS, says, “Coming prepared to your Individual Program Plan (IPP) meeting to discuss your specific support needs is a great start to preparedness.” At your next IPP meeting, talk to your service coordinator about your family’s evacuation plan and other emergency prep efforts to see whether there are any places where Regional Center can step in to help. To prepare, you should ask yourself questions like:

• Do you have transportation if you need to evacuate?
• Does your child rely on electricity for medical equipment?
• Do you have backup power if your child relies on an electric wheelchair for ambulation and your family needs to evacuate?
• Do you have a go-bag ready?

Be sure to think about other specific support you or your loved one may need. Write them down and discuss with your service coordinator. Having these discussions in advance of a potential emergency is the best practice for all involved and allows you, your loved one, and Regional Center to assist in sharing resources to identify where support gaps may be.

What emergency prep supports can Regional Center provide as part of your child’s IPP?

Rodriguez says that DDS and Regional Centers “work throughout the year to provide needed resources, share information, and provide training and education on the importance of emergency preparedness. For example, DDS, in collaboration with Regional Centers, has provided portable batteries and go kits to increase emergency preparedness efforts statewide. Those who have received such resources reside in high fire threat districts, rely on electricity for life-sustaining medical devices, and are living with no or limited supports. If you or your loved one has identified supports needed for emergencies, it is vital that you are preplanning now and, most importantly, having this discussion during your IPP meeting.”

For more California-specific emergency preparedness, see these resources:

• DDS Emergency Preparedness — Find disaster prep resources from DDS in a variety of languages, including visual aids to help communication between individuals with disabilities and first responders.

• CalAlerts.org — Sign up for emergency alerts.

• PrepareForPowerDown.com — Get alerts for public safety power shutoff and resources to prepare if your child relies on an electrically powered device for health, safety, or independence.

• Cal OES — The California Governor’s Office of Emergency Services provides information about disaster response and emergency preparedness. The ​Access and Functional Needs Library has guides for preparing for all kinds of disasters in seventeen languages, including ASL videos.

DDS monitors emergency situations, such as wildfires or serious storms, and mobilizes Regional Centers with families who live in the affected areas to make sure they’re safe. Throughout the emergency, DDS continuously provides updates and resources to Regional Centers to share with the communities impacted. This information may include shelter locations, transportation resources, local points of resource distribution, and other important updates.

Rodriguez says, “At the start of an emergency event, DDS will make immediate contact with the impacted Regional Center’s emergency coordinator to ensure they have notified families within the emergency boundaries.” This is why, as part of your emergency preparedness plan and discussion during your IPP meeting, you should make sure your emergency contact information is up to date with your Regional Center service coordinator. Any time your phone number, email, or address changes, notify your Regional Center right away.

Rodriguez continues, “Regional Centers will begin their communications by sending out a notice to families through an emergency notification system to the family’s preferred emergency contact for email, text, or both. The notice may include an option for families to request additional assistance. It’s important to listen to the entire message and to select the option needed to capture your responses. Staff from your Regional Center may also call to check in on the well-being of individuals and to identify any specific needs.”

Jessica Coker-Lentz, an Undivided Navigator whose family lost their home in the LA wildfires in early 2025, says that someone from her Regional Center reached out within two days to confirm that her family had temporary housing. Her service coordinator reached out within two weeks to deliver toiletries and shopping gift cards to her two children who are Regional Center clients. They also gave her a list of other items the Regional Center could provide at a distribution center.

If you are impacted by the emergency, you can find updated information on your local county office of emergency services website, or check your Regional Center’s website. Rodriguez assures, “Every effort will be made by DDS and Regional Centers to keep families informed.”

If you have been temporarily displaced from your home or otherwise affected by a natural disaster, the Regional Center might be able to provide a temporary increase in services to help your family. Coker-Lentz says that she asked for more respite hours because she needed extra time away from caring for her children to manage logistics like securing replacement clothing and new housing, and her Regional Center granted extra hours almost immediately. Her respite provider was able to come quickly and be an extra pair of hands. In addition, her young adult Regional Center clients qualified for more independent living services because they were in a new space. She also requested more transportation hours because their family had to travel more miles to see the same providers.

For more information about what kind of assistance your Regional Center can provide before, during, or after an unexpected disaster, talk to your service coordinator at your next IPP meeting so that you can make sure you have help keeping your child safe and supported in an emergency.