Community populations are heterogeneous; protecting the lives and property and meeting the needs of all groups during the response to and recovery from a chemical incident will require the development of multiple and/or flexible strategies. Building heterogeneous stakeholder working groups that reflect and represent the community’s diversity will help ensure that short- and long-term needs are met population-wide.
To effectively protect and provide support to the whole community, chemical incident response and recovery strategies must consider the needs of all populations. This includes traditionally undervalued, underrepresented, and underserved (U3) populations such as the elderly, disabled, non-documented, and homeless; those impacted by the digital divide; those with limited English proficiency; racial and ethnic minorities, Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer and Intersex (LGBTQI+) communities, etc. In addition, strategies should include considerations for non-traditional community groups that live, work, and gather in the community, workers from other towns, visitors, and people commuting to schools.
Stakeholder groups with diverse membership will bring perspectives from across the whole community to the development of protection and support strategies. These perspectives will inform strategies for meeting population needs in areas such as:
- Chemical incident education campaigns
- Public communications and messaging
- Shelter-in-place and evacuation logistics support
- Mass care and sheltering support
- Health care
- Mental and behavioral health care
- Access to food, emergency first aid, and emergency items
- Resources and services to support individuals with disabilities
- Resources and services to support individuals with limited English proficiency, transportation challenges, and other needs
- Resources and services to support children
- Resources and services to support household pets and service and assistance animals
- Long-term economic support
- Long-term housing support
Protection and support strategies for the whole community following a chemical incident are discussed throughout the rest of this document. In particular, strategies for understanding your community’s various population components are discussed in KPF 3, Communicate with External Partners and the Public, and strategies for meeting mass care needs are discussed in KPF 5, Augment Provision of Mass Care and Human Services to Affected Population.