Opinion

Special needs and natural disasters

Posted December 02, 2013 3:40 am

Your coverage of Typhoon Haiyan and the November tornadoes has been thorough, but you and numerous media outlets miss one aspect: How are people with special needs getting through natural disasters?

I have Asperger’s syndrome and sensory processing disorder and was part of the July, 2011 storms that caused power outages to more than 850,000 people. There is no way I could have survived at a shelter. Fortunately, we stayed with my aunt.

Thinking of the future, I contacted the Red Cross of greater Chicago, and they said in order to avoid the conglomerate shelter, one must have a doctor signed letter stating why they cannot be there. Please cover the aspect of disabled and special needs people and what happens to them in the wake of a natural disaster.

Allison M. Kramer

Carpentersville

Article Comments

Article Comments

Guidelines: Keep it civil and on topic; no profanity, vulgarity, slurs or personal attacks. People who harass others or joke about tragedies will be blocked. If a comment violates these standards or our terms of service, click the "flag" link in the lower-right corner of the comment box. To find our more, read our FAQ.