City disaster plan shorts elderly: feds

READINESS CHECK | Walking in evacuation could be problem for seniors, disabled

Chicago emergency response and transit agency officials need to get a better grip on how to evacuate the elderly and disabled in case of disaster, a federal report found.

Most Loop evacuation plans require people to walk to staging areas for transport by bus or train, according to the National Research Council's Transportation Research Board. "This could be a problem for those with disabilities," the board said in a report.

RELATED STORIES

Digital radios tested for high-rise crises

Its report critiqued 38 urban areas on their readiness to respond to a natural disaster or terrorist attack and found Chicago has an advantage in that it has a well-developed transportation system, with many ways to move people. Transit agencies here are directly involved in evacuation planning for the Loop, and there is "good coordination among all key agencies," the report said.

A key challenge for Chicago's emergency planners, according to the board: to identify people with special needs, arrange to help people who'll need help, ensure that shelters can handle the elderly and those with disabilities and get the word out to special-needs groups.

Responding to the report, Mayor Daley said the city has adequate plans to evacuate the poor, disabled and elderly, but he said he can't divulge them, since it might aid terrorists.

"There are plans, and you set 'em in motion . . . [but] you can't be printing those plans," Daley said.

Chicago's Office of Emergency Management and Communications said it is developing a voluntary registry for people with disabilities and seniors to identify the types of assistance they would need in an emergency.

Contributing: Fran Spielman