Understanding the ‘special needs’ groups for shelter and emergency evacuation during flood disaster

Abstract

This paper emphasizes the importance of understanding the diversify of inviduals with special needs for emergency response, relief and aids strategic plan for disaster event. The respondents for this study were the victims of East Coast flood disaster in 2014. The respondents with special needs were divided into two groups; the special needs groups and move to shelter (Group A, N= 340) and the special needs group and not move to shelter (Group B, N=411).The result shows that for Group A the elderly was the highest percentage of the special needs groups. Meanwhile, the insulin dependent diabetic patients dominated the percentages of special needs for Group B. This paper also suggests several methods to establish the data sharing platform between related agencies that focused on the special needs groups to enhance the evacuation plan and process during disaster.