When disaster and disability converge – part one
This IPS story is part one of a three-part series on the challenges faced by people living with disabilities in a world where intense storms and other natural disasters are expected to become the "new normal".
Last year's Hurricane Sandy has left a great number of people living with disability in a difficult situation.
The United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNISDR) has lauched a worldwide survey to learn about the experience of people living with disabilities in connection with disaster risk reduction, reports IPS.
'We know from a number of major disasters that disabled people are overlooked… twice as many [disabled] people died in the Fukushima disaster than non-disabled people,' Denis McClean, spokesperson for UNISDR, told IPS from Geneva. 'It’s quite clear that we need to pay more attention and talk to disabled people,' McClean added.