I wrote about how neighbors can play a role in helping disabled and aging people plan for and evacuate when wildfires hit at @motherjones.com. www.motherjones.com/environment/... - ThreadSky

metrauxjulia.bsky.social • 41 days ago

I wrote about how neighbors can play a role in helping disabled and aging people plan for and evacuate when wildfires hit at @motherjones.com.

https://www.motherjones.com/environment/2025/01/california-la-wildifres-disabled-evacuation-audit/

Comments

skedaddleink.bsky.social•41 days ago

Thank you for this. I just read about the father and son who were killed in the Eaton fire. Horrible, tragic, and an urgent issue that we need to fix.

metrauxjulia.bsky.social•41 days ago

Thanks for reading! Absolutely agree–disabled people can't depend on backed-up 911 calls during wildfires.

voxevangeline.bsky.social•41 days ago

When my neighborhood had a severe black-out , and I was home alone, the only neighbor who cam to check in on me, was the democrat up the street.

metrauxjulia.bsky.social•41 days ago

I'm glad you had a neighbor check in with you!

metrauxjulia.bsky.social•41 days ago

I looked at LA County's preparation guide for disabled people for climate disasters. It emphasizes that disabled people *should* have a community that helps them (also, local gov should obviously be doing more).

metrauxjulia.bsky.social•41 days ago

Disabled and aging people's deaths are not inevitable during disasters. In this piece, I also included advice on how to navigate these conversations, from disabled experts.

metrauxjulia.bsky.social•41 days ago

Also noting that some aging people who need help evacuating do not identify as disabled/having disabilities, but they are still impacted by government's lack of centering disabled people's needs in climate events.

brooksrogers.click•41 days ago

And then there's Seattle....

mamaselkie.bsky.social•40 days ago

I have a series of tweets screenshotted from when California had rolling blackouts. I keep them as examples of how NOT to treat disability concerns in emergencies. CA relies heavily on ambulances and hospitals to do everything and anything to do with disability. Absolutely deadly and stupid.

metrauxjulia.bsky.social•40 days ago

I remember the text I got when it seemed like there might be a blackout due to the heat. I continued using my fan bc I didn't want to end up in the ER.

climatewren2.bsky.social•40 days ago

Also... it's sometimes hard to keep an eye on neighbors. Making sure folks either reach out to develop community connections (especially if far from family)...or might even want to consider moving closer to younger relatives, much sooner, as climate risks and impacts increase. We have CA elders :/

climatewren2.bsky.social•40 days ago

Thank you ...will share with our local emergency response and preparedness teams. We have been regularly reviewing plans, communities, and vulnerabilities...but this has some best practices we could adopt.

metrauxjulia.bsky.social•40 days ago

I appreciate you sharing this with them!