Special needs shelters a challenge for the disabled

Morris Although hurricane season 2006 has been relatively calm so far, there is concern that people with disabilities are being over looked in the emergency planning process. According to the Center for Independent Living, over 400 disabled people were turned away from special needs shelters in Santa Rosa County alone.

"If you're elderly, disabled and alone, you can't go to these shelters. I would say about one tenth of the disabled in this area stayed in a shelter, the rest of them couldn't. We need more thought to go into these facilities," said Cheri Hofmann with the Center for Independent Living.

The county currently offers one special needs evacuation shelter at Simms Middle School in Pace, which is administered by the Red Cross and the Florida Department of Health. Residents are required to apply for asylum there in advance, must have a caregiver with them and the shelter is not organized as a mini-hospital or nursing home. It is considered a refuge only for people who have specific needs that can be met within certain parameters and if residents require more, or fewer, services than can be provided, the county can refer them to alternate sites like a hospital.

"Individuals with fragile medical conditions who have a need for a high level of skilled care and equipment are not well suited for placement in a special needs shelter during a disaster," said Florida Department of Health Administrator Dr. Rony Franois.

Lonnie Morris, a 55-year-old disabled man from Navarre was one of those not accepted by the shelter.

Lonnie Morris moved to Florida in 2003 with hopes that being at sea level would ease his medical condition, primary pulmonary hypertension, or high blood pressure of the lungs. The condition inhibits Morris' ability to breathe and has severely diminished his immune system. Morris relies on machines that convert liquid oxygen, a highly flammable substance, into vapor to maintain his breathing. When Hurricane Ivan came to town in 2004, Morris was turned away from a special needs shelter because of his dependence on the extremely combustible substance and rode out the hurricane in his home without air conditioning and electricity like so many others. However, Morris needed the cooler air in order to breathe, not just for convenience or comfort. In a letter, Morris' wife Juanita describes their ordeal dealing with the harsh conditions, writing: "There is no shelter for us. We are on our own. I think I am watching my husband die. Each breath is a struggle."

Morris said he was unable to go to a hospital during the hurricane because his weakened immune system makes him more susceptible to infection from the various pathogens floating through the facility's air.

But Morris is a fighter, and he refused to give up. After a barrage of letters to the state and federal governments, charitable organizations and churches, Morris was able to procure a propane, electric start generator for his home and he wants to help others meet their emergency needs.

"If a person's willing to pay taxes and have property, why not help them? The problems we have to look at are the people out there that gave up hope. These people can't go out and buy a generator and they can't buy fuel. The average person has a hard time starting a generator, so think about being disabled," Morris said.