DREDF Reaches Settlement with Marin County to Improve Accessibility in County’s Disaster Response Programs
November 19, 2019
On behalf of California Foundation for Independent Living Centers, DREDF and Disability Rights Advocates settled March 2019 allegations that Marin County’s outdated Emergency Operations Plan from 2014 was lacking in the integration of emergency planning for people with disabilities and others with access and functional needs. While they denied the allegations, the County shares the professed goal of effective emergency planning for people with disabilities and access and functional needs before, during, and after a disaster. The County agreed to update their Emergency Operations and power shut off plans. Inclusive emergency planning includes the communication, evacuation, and sheltering needs of people with disabilities and is of utmost importance in this era of climate crisis. Due, in part, to recent legislative mandates on disability access in local emergency planning and regulatory provisions addressing intentional outages by the public utilities, DREDF will continue to advocate for equal access in emergency planning and response with and on behalf of the disability community.