Access to Assistive Technology in Disasters
sorry about that hi everyone welcome to the lunch and learn that is being hosted by the Louisiana Emergency Management disability and aging Coalition um we will have the um staff from the Louisiana assistive technology Access Network present and their they're going to present on access to assistive technology and DME which is durable medical equipment after a natural disaster I'm Bambi palazzola I'm the executive director of the governor's office of disability Affairs and just thank all of you for joining in for this informative session so now I will turn it over to latan for their presentation thank you Bambi um and thank each of you for sharing your lunch with us um not literally but at least your lunch time with us to learn a little bit about emergency a little bit more I hope about emergency response and and some preparation I'm hakeema black and my colleagues joining me for this presentation is April Bell and also making polisky the um what we hope to gain in our intent for today's webinar is to share information about mdac our processes for emergency response to provide resources to access assistive technology and durable medical equipment following a natural disaster as well as to share quick tips for disaster preparation so just a little bit about latan um we are so our name is the Louisiana assistive technology Access Network and we are the federal assistive technology program for the state of Louisiana there are 50 at act programs in the country as well as six territories relatively um doing the same thing however our mission in Louisiana is to help people of all ages with functional limitations or disabilities gain Independence at work at school and at home and I said those out of order on purpose because at home um is when we talk about natural disasters we are not necessarily or not only speaking on what happens in someone's home but we talk about um inclusion within the community so home for us is this more broad meaning of where you live and within your communities and most if people are aware of us we've been around for about a little over 30 years and most people know us by our short name latan so what exactly is A.T and DME um and just give you a little bit the technical definition or the one that we use is that at is best described as a as a device a tool software and app used to increase maintain or improve the quality of life of a person who is living with the functional limitation or a disability there are some different types of at that are categorized as hard Technologies such as maybe your computer or soft technology like that application on your computer or um um or there's um some additional there's high tech and then low Tech I call what I don't I no longer use readers these are actually prescription um glasses that I have to wear now but um the glasses that we wear also um a type of assistive technology there are some mainstream technologies that I think people don't necessarily recognize that that are um assistive Technologies because they have become more mainstream as technology has advanced some of those that we're more aware of are um asking Google or Siri for the nearest gas station or a GPS system or even motion detectors or motion lights that come on to allow Lighting in dark areas around our homes we don't necessarily think about those as assistive Technologies because their use everybody uses them now and not necessarily because they have a functional limitation or a disability that is good news because that also reduces the cost um of certain types of Technologies but then they're more high-tech Technologies such as eye gaze that allow someone who is who communicates differently or who lives with paralysis to to allow for commands to be able to to be given and I cannot go without mentioning that if we're not thinking about a soft technology but very important is our ASL interpreters that are here that offer other ways of communication that too is they're human but they are assistive technology in the supportive support coordinators world or waiver Services we know of personal care attendance same thing with durable medical equipment or DME that's equipment or supplies that that's ordered by your doctor um we know we mostly are I think that those are most common um for us when we think about at and what's you know equipment that helps someone but they include supplies as well so we're talking about wheelchairs Walkers canes rollators uh maybe uh Mobility type of equipment as well but it also includes supplies such as oxygen or diabetic testing strips or even briefs or diapers for incontinence there's a larger range I believe of durable medical equipment and supplies than there are with technology at least that we think about in the in this sense foreign is one of the members as Bambi said um of the Louisiana Emergency Management disability and aging Coalition it's a very long name much like latan's name and so it did need an acronym so mdac is what we're most familiar with um mdax mission is to advocate for and support Emergency Management efforts that serve all people but particularly those with disabilities and um and or who are aging so we you know as a group we believe that the needs of all people particularly those who have disabilities and those who are aging must be carefully considered and adequately addressed before during and after um a disaster or emergency situation within the state I believe that and um I know there are people on the on here that if I'm incorrect about timing uh would correct me but I believe that it was certainly following what we learned as a state um after Hurricane Katrina and learned a little bit more in 2000 and Katrina and Rita in 2005 and learned a little bit more about um the that there was a more of a necessity to pay attention to um people with um with with more unique needs um during Hurricane Gustav in 2008 and thus was born mdac with a group of folks that just said and I'm gonna talk about those folks so but the group that essentially said we have to start in a more collaborative way of figuring out how we seamlessly Provide support um to prepare and then also how do we respond to the needs um after a disaster has taken place here and a lot has been learned since 2008 I think we I think we do a good job and I think we're still learning so the membership of mdac includes um the um governor's office of disability Affairs elderly Affairs um gossip or the office of Homeland Security and emergency preparedness the state Independent Living Council which has members or they have Independent Living centers across the state and uh collaboratively um form one to help trade bombers of Louisiana the American Red Cross FEMA um however while those you know are some core groups of folks that we can reach out to in the interim when there isn't a disaster as we think about how we prepare and plan and convene ourselves once there has been a natural disaster the agencies just mentioned as well as a bunch of other organizations such as the Department of Health social services Orleans Parish management and public health departments groups like families helping families and other types of organizations and providers as a whole are um come together to start to talk about where the needs what do we do and I'm going to speak a little bit more about that momentarily foreign so the goals are one the goals of index are one to provide information and support that strengthens and expands Parish State and National Emergency Management efforts regarding disability related and or age age related issues so those are pretty broad uh by the way so there are a myriad of topics that are discussed during when we are in full activation following a natural disaster and then also in preparation but two second goal is to support and contribute to capacity building efforts for emergency managers support providers Advocates um and as well as individuals with disabilities their family members caregivers and those who are aging and three to develop and support resources and projects that better provide for the needs of people um with disabilities and or those who are aging and again it's before after enduring a natural disaster foreign so as I mentioned said what happens after or following a natural disaster one of the realities that we know is that um if we're speaking of well if we're speaking of a natural disaster such as a hurricane in the South or an ice storm in or a tornado in the Northern parts of the state I think we also have some tornadoes this past year in south Louisiana um or we're talking about the global pandemic um the fact is is that for those of us who are not only um in our regular regular lives our efforts are responsible for caring for and providing for in some capacity the needs of people so if your Human Service organization um we are concerned with just in and of itself how we respond and what happens during disaster but the reality is those disasters also um happen to the people who are designed to help right so that being said now we have to say that when the dust settles and it's safer folks to go out we impact immediately convenes and along with those multiple departments and within state agencies um mentioned previously to discuss um really immediate needs how we coordinate the resources for people with fragile Health needs who may have been evacuated to shelters or who may have elected to shelter in place those phone calls begin to come in um I also want to say that if there whatever happens in the southeast of or south Louisiana relative to a storm um it does impact the northern part of the state because many people will evacuate North to parishes that are higher ground and safer and then they also can evacuate to um one of our neighboring states Texas or Mississippi as well and those ish those areas and those issues um end up coming together and we may end up having to facilitate services and resources to people who are not who are no longer in the disaster area at that moment I failed to mention a moment ago when I um talking about emergencies we say natural disaster because we're most familiar with it but during the pandemic um in the height of the pandemic mdac and among several agencies and a host of Provider servant serving agencies were on calls on a regular basis trying to do something that was impacting all of us and it was was also unknown it was Uncharted Territory we knew how to respond to a hurricane we've been doing that a couple years and how to prepare people but during the pandemic new new topics new area new things came up with social isolation and how do you keep someone who has fragile Health needs from the person who needs to come into their home to help them but there is a communicable pendant a highly contagious and deadly communicable disease that would prohibit someone from even being able to help we saw and talked about Technologies um during that time and how to get access to those Technologies such as your computers or we clearly all start using zoom zoom has become and one of those soft technologies that I mentioned is an application and um became very useful it in fact is allowing us to do what we to do what we would normally in previous years have done in a public place a um conference room Etc but it allows us now to be wherever we are in the state and continue to um communicate and continue to provide resources to each other but things like um internet access and hot spots or tablets using FaceTime all of those Technologies became a parent needs during the pan during the pandemic so um this is what happens um in my chart and I'm going to explain through here how this looks for me I'm going to say also that during 2020 you guys remember that we had 20 we had it was during the pandemic and there were three major hurricanes and our usual way of how we connect with the shelter and then provide or to connect with the shelter or go to someone's home to provide um resources for assistive technology and DME we were not able to do so and so because there were no congregated areas and shelters at that year there were about 11 000 people if I remember correctly who were um in hotels throughout the mostly in New Orleans but in other areas of the state and the effort to navigate getting access or providing people access to durable medical equipment or assistive technology that they may have lost um or had to leave behind because of those storms was a bit of a challenge that 2020 taught us a little bit and a little bit more and then we learned a little bit more during Hurricane I think it was Laura I'm yeah I think it was Laura in 2021 uh when we could go back into the shelters it was a little bit of a more coordinated effort um I think because of those Lessons Learned two on one who is I believe hosted by the Department of Health became the more utilized as case management and the leadership they are the um for two and one were a part of the expanded group of mdac and provided calls and information to us as to how people the types of information that they provide which includes where can you find cooling stations or food or water um how can you access assistive technology g day 211 Representatives received just a ton of information that they in fact were able to coordinate with members of mdac and vice versa then there is the Louisiana Red Cross and then Red Cross nationally were volunteers they were um both in the hotels during 2020 and then they're also deployed to the shelters they typically will conduct or help conduct those needs assessment but again they're ideally they're helping to run the shelters and so there's a lot of Dynamics going on um sometimes not because you're looking at everybody we're not necessarily only focused on people with special Health needs but there's other people who evacuated as well um and so that Red Cross has a broader um focus and a need there um and so then there's the shelter managers um all keep it in contact with or having a mutual relationship with mdac where information is shared about someone's needs who they are where they're located who can assist that information goes from um from mdac and and up to latan and other members and other members of mdac that start to facilitate all types of needs sometimes those needs are specifically related to assistive technology and DME and sometimes it has to do with maybe there is an age in person who is aging person um make sure I did not say the wrong word an older adult who did not evacuate but was relying on Meals on Wheels and a neighbor may have contacted 2-1-1 who got in touch with with mdac or directly to latan and said hey um this this elderly couple is in their home and they are um they're in need of food and how can we get resources there mdac in turns I'm sorry latan get receiving that information reaches out to another member on the uh on mdac who is able to provide that specific resource in this case it was through the governor's office of elderly Affairs to um a local or Parish Council on Aging to coordinate how those particular services are provided and so um I want to mention here though um and with FEMA as you well before I say that FEMA has always um usually you know when there is a disaster FEMA is on the ground our regional partners with FEMA are here and their goal is to try to help folks get back into their homes or in temporary housing and so there really is a federal state and local collaboration among these agencies to as quickly as and as efficiently as possible meet the needs of people following a disaster or if we're talking about the pandemic while disaster is taking place so there are other agencies that also provide assistive technology durable medical equipment one of these State um one of the independent living councils in the Alexandria Area already in contact with their um their counterparts and or people who donate to them and receiving cases and cases of water um that can be disseminated um trach mamas if latan does not have um available of special needs like respiratory supplies medical equipment supplies if you don't have those then trade mamas has them and the coordination goes and I should have had I thought about it I should have used a different sort of um flow because it really should have been one that was back and forth and vice versa among all of these organizations because it isn't just a one two three step and this is how it goes but it could be that Silk found out that there was something that was needed and contacted with 10 directly letan contacts um trach mamas or even FEMA to try to get some additional assistance um and and then maybe the Red Cross volunteer was able to contact um another organization either way all of the the way in which that we are able to work collaboratively to collaboratively together um we also are keeping a spreadsheet which has the person the people that we help the shelter that we went out to the types of needs that are being needs for a t or DME or supplies that are that need to be tracked and documented so that one we're not all doing the same thing um it's the most important part what we have learned to be is a lot more seamless with the coordination of how we are sharing information and then executing delivery of those supplies and resources um to people and so um if if I I don't I know there's a group at least 200 people or so who are here but I don't know how much you all know um but essentially mdac convenes uh with all of our partners and each of us has ways in which we receive information I certainly value two on one and as well as the tag team of the other agencies that we have his been able to reach out to to say we don't have this Supply but we have this type of equipment and what latan can do is take the equipment that we've pulled from various sources and then we begin to deliver that to someone's home or to a shelter we have um um so if someone has evacuated to Shreveport we have contacts with maybe another agency in Shreveport who is working with that individual and meet them in Alexandria so that we're coming from Baton Rouge and we're able to do a handoff of whatever those equipment and supplies are and then that person's needs are essentially met and so um while this has last year I was it last year no 21 I think was our last um hurricane knock on wood um I think this presentation is it's it's on purpose and timely because we're about a month and a half out no I think June 1st we're about three weeks out from the start of hurricane season so I think that what we're talking about is timely but again each year I believe that we learn a little bit more um as people's needs change about how we are providing access to um a t and DME um before the next slide I want to say that the way this happens is not um I know I did not mention this but the reason why there is a need is not just because someone has a fragile need um you know physical need or a behavioral health need that wasn't met Dorado storm but oftentimes when uh at the height of an evacuation um people have to dependent upon how they evacuate it and as we know sometimes that may be by um a little payroll or a a small van however it needs to take place those small spaces or limited spaces Transportation wise means that people have to often leave their equipment behind so it seems like not a big deal but if you were physically picked up physically picked up by you know two family members who lifted you out of your home um and they didn't bring that the the Rollator or the Walker that you use or the bedside commode that you rely on um or they may have forgotten um or it was damaged in water or rain some of the technologies that you utilize on a regular basis and so the equipment was damaged latan is able to provide the resources that we do physically with at and DME um set aside for emergency response because once there has been a disaster activated we are able to um and we're thankful for it receive small flash grants um from National organizations and our network of at at providers across this country will reach out to us and say hey what do you need it may take a week or so to get that stuff shipped sometimes it has to be shipped by Freight so it takes it may take a week or so but we get these donations and that's what allows us to have resources to also share um with people who will need them so that they can have them and they don't have to return them back to us in fact no one's thinking about returning equipment that's needed when in fact you are trying to figure out about your home life and your home situation at that point so it's one of the burdens that we are fortunate to um take off the hand you know just take away from someone by doing so and all we did was collect the equipment found out what your needs are collect the equipment and then donate it to where you are located no matter where that is foreign okay alrighty I think uh my one of my colleagues is up next all righty hi everybody my name is Megan polisky and I am very very grateful that um you have come to enjoy your lunch with us today so um as Yakima was talking about within the shelters um oftentimes There Is A needs assessment most of the time it is conducted by volunteers usually Red Cross nurses but um it can vary and they have found within those needs assessments that um oftentimes people will need medications um such as insulin blood pressure medications um it could be Behavioral Health medications and then also that equipment that we've been talking about that assistive technology or the durable medical equipment so we're gonna go to the next slide and get into some more detail foreign would you mind moving to that next slide thank you very perfect thank you so the most common DME requests that we have historically found are mostly for those Mobility devices so the so wheelchairs rollators Walkers sometimes bedside commodes as well most of the requests are for the bariatric equipment but sometimes we do get requests for the regular sized items and then we also get requests for medical supplies like hygiene items such as briefs and wipes and also dietary supplies like ensure and boost and then less common we get requests for breathing equipment Like Oxygen or or other equipment and sometimes diabetic shoes as well so we um we really encourage people to remember these items if possible but these are some of the most common things that we have gotten requests for and have distributed in the past wonderful so this next slide includes a big list of at that we have found people want when in the shelters but then also these are just some of our ideas that could be helpful in um you know just keeping the stress at uh a low enough or a lower level than um you know what what could be so one of those things is a portable solar battery system um oftentimes we do see some sunshiny days after a natural disaster and so trying to utilize that solar powered um you know when when our electricity is out weighted blankets can be really helpful to relax eye masks sometimes it's not to people's Darkness preference I know I like to sleep in absolute pitch black and so eye masks can be helpful for sleeping and even just to have some calming time in the shelters noise canceling headphones and earbuds can be helpful as we know there are going to be a lot of people around and can be echoey in those areas so um bringing something to cancel out um the noise and also you know we are involved in helping provide some of these materials too small portable fans adaptive utensils and dishes long handled zippers and locks for suitcases can be helpful um most suitcases that I've ever found have pretty short zipper handles and so if you can get something to extend just to make it easier to get in and out of of suitcases can be beneficial for people and then also magnifiers for reading documents alrighty so I'm going to now hand it over to April hello my name is April Bell and what we are getting ready to discuss first is just some key information that will be needed for referrals um so this may be some information that we'll ask you directly or if working with another agency to gather some information they may ask an individual so first we'd like to know the name age and address and so this is important because we need to know if you are far away from home or if you're still at home and we have to deliver something to that home address so your home address is super important um next any cell phone numbers for the individual or family members so getting in contact with that person is important just in case we have any additional questions about information that we received or if we need to confirm something so if we're delivering we want to confirm an address or confirm a measurement we need to be able to get in contact with the individual or their support person um needing information about the disability chronic illness or any other functional limitation or newly obtained injury injury so that was a long one um but we want to know everything about what you're experiencing so if someone uh is a quadriplegic and maybe they have been sitting for a while we need to know if there's a pressure sore um so all of the details about that disability is important so when we're making recommendations we're not just saying okay well we got a wheelchair to fit you and we forgot about the pressure sore that is that you're experiencing or you may have obtained an injury during your evacuation or in transport and so knowing if there's a a newfound disability or a newfound injury so that we can know if we need to refer you out like Yakima was speaking about earlier with working with other agencies determining um a need basis so does this come before this should we refer for them here is there something else that's needed um height weight height and weight is needed to properly match someone for a wheelchair or a Rollator walker and so again having their phone number is important because they may need some other specific modifications to that wheelchair they may need straps around their feet or they may need a tennis ball on their Walker so being able to contact that person is really important in this process knowing the physician's name Pharmacy and DME provider um so in the event that you have used assistive technology or DME in the past being able to contact that provider and get some information on devices that you previous previously used so we can do our best to match it with what we have in in our inventory a list of medications the name and the dosage so this is important just in case they're you're taking a medication that may cause side effects so like irritation to the skin that's very important for when we're providing any type of wheelchair accommodations to making sure we're selecting the correct material um exposure to any dangerous chemicals so that goes back to again neat on a needs basis so if you were exposed to any dangerous chemicals we are going to work on getting you some assistive technology and DME but is there a referral that we can make to assist you because of the exposure you encountered um assistive devices currently in possession are previously used and left behind so again this helps us to kind of understand better what you've currently been using um can we match what you've used already do we have something similar do we want to give you something that's a little bit more upgraded or different if you've left something behind what are your plans are going back to get it how soon do you plan to go back and get it and then the number of days displaced and the number of days without your medication or DME so just like my colleagues were saying earlier you may be displaced during another city and you don't have your medication and you've been without it for a while how can we make a referral and help you get that sooner um or how long have you been without your DME and is it essential to your daily functioning well I know it let me rephrase that um how heavily it does your dependence your Independence on the technology or the DME um how soon do we need to get it to you uh how you know all of the needs are urgent but just knowing all of that information is important April can I interject just momentarily on um it just occurred to me um regarding I just want to provide a little Clarity around the information about your a person's uh physician and their DME provider we found uh and this was new um it it happened because of the um lack of availability in both 20 and 21 so during the pandemic and those hurricanes but also um hurricanes in 21 was that we receive requests for in-home use ventilators and also because of the uh the impact of those storms to the current providers in in someone's Parish um that we're supplying oxygen on a regular basis we received lots of calls and it wasn't just us two one of the other members of mdac would receive calls of someone trying to who was sheltered in place but their DME provider who normally provided those particular resources were not available um due to the storm and um and we needed very pertinent information from the DME provider because these are all Insurance based ventilators are not um and Nora's oxygen those are not typically DME resources that we have on hand and they do require a script providing knowing who your DME provider was or the prescribing physician and also your insurance information allowed us to be able to facilitate a the coordination of another DME provider who was on safe ground and then the transport of those resources back to the individual who needed them so it was a more of a it was a coordinated effort but without those key details and some and there was a couple times where we didn't have it or the person only knew they knew the facility's name but they didn't know the doctor's name um and they they knew the DME provider but that DME provider was not there and they didn't remember the Doctor Who had prescribed the oxygen or the ventilator because or the home ventilator because it had been so many years and so um kind of information you take for granted because you don't know that you're going to need it but we're we will kind of case manage that and help to connect the dots and connect people with resources outside of that so that it can be done but we it's hard to do without um that key information specifically for respiratory equipment that requires a um a prescription yeah April okay I'm back so just to talk about some quick tips to prepare for a natural disaster um and this is just seriously a short list because there are way more things that we can do to prepare but just to make sure that we're charging all of our technology communication and assistive devices so that includes cell phones computers um any speech generated devices any other assistive devices used for communication and it's important so that you can stay aware you can communicate with someone if you need assistance afterwards and so just making sure everything is charged in case there's a power outage after the disaster after the storm has passed um store water and non-perishable food items so when there's a storm coming the stores go crazy and things are out of stock very quickly um so just making sure that you have enough water and non-perishable food items in the event the area cannot be resucked with food and water for a long period of time you are okay at home with with nourishment um secure your important documents and your in a sufficient amount of medications so securing your documents is important just in case you have damage to your home um and you need to contact your home insurance um or if you do have to travel you have all of your identification documents with you so there's no hassle of you trying to obtain additional copies of that of those things um again with medications if there's a power outage pharmacies are closed so there may not be a timeline on when you'll be able to read up on any medications that you're taking so just making sure you have enough prior to going into weathering the storm preparing a first aid kit so if there is a injury during transport or something small going on you have access to things like Neosporin Band-Aids or other things that are included in a first aid kit you want to grab your flashlights and batteries so batteries are not only good for flashlights but if you use just a regular radio if their Wi-Fi is down and you can't access the internet you can use those batteries for powering up your radio to know what's going on around you as well um gather sanitary personal hygiene products so I know earlier we talked about those things being requested if someone is displaced because of the natural disaster and they may come in a shortage or we may only be able to give out a certain amount of time a certain amount because of what we have so just Gathering some of that in advance to make sure you're taken care of before transport or while staying in place keeping enough cash so Banks go down credit card machines go down if your family need to travel or purchase anything you have access to cash to do so and if you do plan on evacuating or you're not sure you want to shelter in place and decide later just having a bag with your toiletries and a couple of days of clothing packed so um you know you're ready to go in the event you're ready to get in the car and get out and so here we just have a couple of slides of different a list of contact information so some of the organizations listed are ones that we did speak about in the presentation and some of the other links included are helpful links that you can go to to sign up for like 9-1-1 calls um you can go to get a game plan and find a list of what you should do when preparing in the evacuation if you want to stay notified of what's going on um so we've got a bunch of different places you can contact here and then we've also got latan's number so we've got latan's phone number and web page there I did see in the chat someone asked about assistive technology being accessible in the event there isn't a natural disaster and Bambi did answer that for us thank you we do have access to assistive technology year round and here's just the second page of a list of contact information and helpful information that we have prepared and we can share the the slides with contact information on it for you foreign so this concludes um the information that we have prepared by slides however I see and there is enough time let's see oh it's a good timing to um allow for questions and answers and there is a question in the chat um I'm gonna read it and anyone can answer um April or or Megan um so the question is I'm one because I don't know if you all can see this this question so I'm just gonna read it um I'm wondering why speech generating device is not being recognized as DME needs when it comes to disaster it is my knowledge that a sign language interpreter without proper credentials would not be allowed to enter the disaster zone so how is communication being provided to those who need communication access I think that's a great question Jeff um and I'll take that first I heard April mentioned as one of the devices or mentioned about a speech generating device um a couple of slides ago but we and so we were we should have mentioned as an example um these a speech generating device there are some that are high-tech that are mid-tech and even low-tech and portable speech generating devices depending upon what's needed um I believe there is a coordination as we have here today for ASL interpreters to be a part of those shelters how we coordinate that I'm not quite sure um I think there it could be coordinated in a myriad of different ways latan has um space generating devices various types that are available we um I can't say that we've ever received more than a handful of those types of requests but they are available and so um what we've provided here today has been a a quick list of historical type of requests but again it's not exhaustive and once you've met one person with a particular need you've met one person so um we could continue um and and likely will um find people with various types of needs some of the examples that um we mentioned like the weighted blanket or the noise cancellation headphones um or the the um the eye mask we know because we've uh we know those and those are mentioned particularly because um and it's something that we had not thought about historically but over the past year realized that we were not thinking about what it would be like to go into a a 500 bed or a thousand bed plus shelter um and you live with autism and what would that feel like and what would it what does it feel like for me you know um and my own anxiety with congregating with people that I don't know and so I think that MDOT continues to talk and think about as they come up continue to think about ways in which to meet the needs of various people as we're open to it um next question is from Brandi bordelon and says encourage oh encourage for who are ddbh and their family interpreters oh please join Louisiana ddbhh disaster Survivor support Facebook page a well-known Resource page for our blind deaf blind hard of hearing Community thank you Brandi um and so that would so and thank you Brandi because one of the things that we thought about was um oh okay I'm gonna it's like okay one of the I see a Bambi one of the things that we talked about here was when we create these contact lists we know that there is far more other resources there so um it's they're never exhaustive but we continue to receive resources that are open to them Brandy I'm sorry Bambi you had a comment or you or a question to a response I did not I just put that you answered them live oh thank you thank you thank you okay all righty are there any more questions those are really great questions really great question in a um a good share of some additional resources oh let's see let me go back to that I'll tell you what it is okay the Facebook page is the Louisiana ddb HH disaster survivors support Facebook page um and that was by Brandi bordelon who is a member of mdac and she facilitates that page and so I just want to thank um ikima and her team for from latan with this um great information and just really appreciate their partnership um with the mdac they are just so essential to our response after disasters um so really really thank them for being such a great um member um of mdac we will try we by mdac will try to host these lunch and learns more often and to give this um hopefully good information will continue to be good information to help us to be prepared and be ready to respond to the needs of the disability and aging Community when we have disasters and by the way this is Bambi again um and and you came out I had several questions of people asking can we send the presentation or the PowerPoint uh sure we can share are they they want the whole presentation or they wanting the contacts list um they're asking for the PowerPoint the PowerPoint oh sure we can share it I'm sorry you like me to send that to you and you can send it to me um and I will send out to um the people who are registered and attend um I'll send out that along with the um a link to the recording okay so thank you guys there's nothing else we will um go ahead and and break thank you for our work day thank you all for them thank you for your attention and uh we appreciate the opportunity to share y'all take care thank you interpreters foreign foreign
2023-05-16 00:06
