Contact: Becka Fortune 919-856-2195
communications@disabilityrightsnc.org

Disability Rights North Carolina is hosting a community forum on the Hurricane Florence disaster response and recovery efforts with a specific focus on disability.

 Forum: Disaster, Displacement and Disability

When:  Saturday, March 16, 2019 – 10:00 AM to 1:00 PM

Where: The Harrison Center, 311 Middle St., New Bern, N.C.

 

Virginia Knowlton Marcus, chief executive officer of Disability Rights North Carolina (DRNC), wrote that the agency is “seeking personal stories from people with disabilities and their advocates regarding experiences, hardships and lack of supports in emergency shelters or in the community during and after the hurricane, and challenges today as a result of the storm. We want to hear your ideas about what is needed to provide relief now and prepare for future natural disasters. Stories and suggestions will be used to advocate for improved disaster response and recovery services in North Carolina.”

DRNC advocates witnessed first-hand the devastation Hurricane Florence wreaked on individuals and our communities. Staff worked in the aftermath of Hurricane Florence to monitor the status of people with disabilities in emergency shelters and otherwise aided in recovery efforts. A DRNC report, The Storm after the Storm, explains that by federal, state and local emergency management officials need to take action now to ensure the well-being of people with disabilities during future natural disasters.

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DRNC is the Protection & Advocacy system in North Carolina and the only organization dedicated to advancing the rights of all people with disabilities, of all ages, statewide.