With hurricane season under way and the threat of other disasters that could strike anytime, New Jersey has launched a statewide online registry for emergency responders to serve residents with special needs.
Developed by the New Jersey Office of Emergency Management (NJOEM), the Web-based database, Register Ready, collects information confidentially from special-needs residents and their families and friends to be used only for emergency response and planning, said Mary Goepfert, the office’s functional needs liaison.
In years prior, many communities already had their own registry systems but there had never been a centralized database with this information. Inconsistencies among community systems made it tough to communicate and share. But Web-based technology standardizes the information, and the statewide registry represents a collaborative step forward for all counties.
For example, in Atlantic County, N.J., Goepfert said, storms caused power outages, and emergency responders were able to monitor the registry to reach out to people who needed support.
“We can track if an individual has mobility issues, doesn’t have a car, speaks a language other than English or has evacuation concerns,” Goepfert said. “It’s been my experience that most of the towns involved have been using it to be proactive.”
The software licenses statewide, registry marketing plan development and maintenance fees cost approximately $700,000, which included the pilot project in 2008 until present, Goepfert said. The pilot involved four coastal counties, and in the wake of that success, officials decided to expand the program.
The New Jersey Office of Information Technology hosts the registry, which is password protected and limited within the jurisdiction on a need-to-know basis. But the registry, Goepfert added, doesn’t guarantee that emergency responders will be able to lend assistance.
“It’s impossible to guarantee assistance during disaster situations,” she said. “At that time, everyone in the community needs help at the same time. But our county and municipal offices of emergency management are very proactive and work diligently to make sure everyone does get served.”
Because disasters can impact support services, interrupt communication and cause debris to block roadways, Goepfert recommends that residents with special needs develop their own evacuation plans in case of an emergency.
“Their best-case scenario would be to develop a floor plan and an evacuation strategy so in some way there can be a back-up plan,” she said. “They have to think about what their basic and most urgent needs would be and develop a way that they can make sure they survive when disaster strikes.”
Below are two sites that contain useful tips:
- for seniors
The online registry also registers special care facilities such as nursing homes, group homes, rehabilitation centers, day-care centers, and contains a GIS mapping component. The registry doesn’t collect medical information.
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