Disabled people struggle to evacuate from US wildfires

CALIFORNIA • A mandatory evacuation notice blared from Ms Joyce Lindahl's phone one day in July as the Dixie fire bore down on her Northern California home. But her biggest concern was an hour away.

Her brother-in-law Chuck Lindahl is paralysed from the neck down, and his professional caregivers live in places where residents had been told to evacuate.

If his family also had to leave the area, he would be left alone.

"Without caregivers, I'm out of luck," he said.

Ms Lindahl and her family scrambled to figure out how to safely evacuate her brother-in-law and shelter him on their own.

As wildfires burn with greater size and intensity across the American West, forcing thousands of people to evacuate their homes each year, communities in the danger zone are struggling to protect their disabled and older residents.

This is a particular problem in Northern California, where some of the biggest blazes are now burning, including the Dixie fire, the second largest in state history. The region is home to a significant population of people with disabilities - the percentage in the area is roughly twice the state average - many of whom live in largely rural areas that lack the critical infrastructure needed to support them during disasters.

In 2018, the Camp fire wiped out the town of Paradise, killing at least 85 people - the majority of whom were older or disabled, according to Butte County data.

Since the 2018 fire, a growing number of California communities have joined hands with local disability organisations to develop better plans to alert, evacuate and shelter vulnerable populations.

"We tell people the most important thing is to have a plan for yourself," said Ms Shelby Boston, director of the Butte County Department of Employment and Social Services, which works with people with disabilities.

"Even with all of the plans that the county put in place, there is no guarantee that a deputy or law enforcement or fire personnel is going to make it to your door. That's the reality."

Because of his condition, Mr Lindahl needed a special van in order to evacuate - but his had been stolen a few weeks before the fire. Ms Lindahl said she received an unexpected call: Someone had found the stolen van in San Jose, five hours away, and reported it to the police. A family friend drove the van to Mr Lindahl's home, and his family was able to transport him to a rehabilitation and nursing centre in a nearby county.

Shelters are another concern. Some counties in Northern California do not have assisted-living facilities that could care for someone like Mr Lindahl.

Many of the region's shelters are older and lack needed features like ramps, back-up power sources or accessible bathrooms.

Evacuees are also staying longer in shelters - another challenge for those with disabilities, who can have complex medical needs that are not fully met in a shelter.

Data from the American Red Cross shows that from 2014 to 2018, the average time that someone evacuating from a large disaster spent in a shelter was about 19 days. But in the past few years, that average has increased to about 30 days. A spokesman for the Federal Emergency Management Agency, Ms Jaclyn Rothenberg, said that, under President Joe Biden, the agency is focused on strengthening its relationships with disability organisations as a way of improving preparedness.

Similarly, California is encouraging state officials to have regular meetings with disability organisations, according to Mr Vance Taylor, chief of the Office of Access and Functional Needs at the state's emergency services agency.

Such organisations can offer expertise and assistance during evacuations - including by providing power wheelchairs, motorised lifts, ventilators or other supplies.

NYTIMES