This was very interesting, thanks! I am a mobility scooter user. I have two scooters: a full-size one I generally use day-to-day, and a travel size one that is easier to manage on a train and than breaks down quite easily into four pieces that fix easily in just about any car. I've gotten in the habit of storing my travel scooter in a walk-in closet when I'm not expecting to use it, but reading through the Person-Centered Emergency Preparedness Handbook linked in the article, and the people in that workbook talking about having charging solutions for their equipment, or having spare batteries that are always charged, made me realize I should either keep the travel scooter charged, or store it where it can be easily plugged in. I also have a spare set of batteries for the travel scooter that could be charged periodically so they'll be ready if needed; I need to look up the best way to maintain a charge long-term, whether that's having them always plugged in when not in use, or some other method.

Some of the solutions presented in the article and in the handbook are prohibitively expensive, alas. Like most disabled people in the US, I'm quite poor. Options like owning a vehicle with a lift are simply beyond my means. But, on the other hand, I have a great deal of social capital. I've been really fatalistic about my limitations and what would become of me in an emergency, but the handbook also made me think about making arrangements with friends for assistance. I have a good friend, for instance, who lives in my apartment complex with her young adult son. They often do errands for me or help with things around the house that I'm not able to it. I am going to talk to them about how they might assist me in an emergency.

I also have friends in the small city I live in a suburb of, a friend who lived about a 90-minute drive away, and friends who live in other states. Depending on what type of disaster we're dealing with, having advance agreements with people at various distances from my home about staying with them short-term in the event of an emergency seems like both a good idea and something I should have thought of before now.

I always appreciate your posts, chariot pulled by cassowaries, but this one could have a material effect on my life.

Also, I watched Deadloch this week, which I enjoyed a lot for a number of reasons, not least because I learned about padelemons, which are too cute for words with their little round ears, and also taught me several new Australian/Tasmanian slang terms. I mention this only because yay Australia!
posted by Well I never at 5:08 AM on May 11 [4 favorites]

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