4Plus

Deliverable Π11 of 03.08.2020 Contract of ESAmeA with the union of companies "EUROPRAXIS μ.ΙΚΕ - EUROPEAN PROFILES Α.Ε."

Societies are faced with numerous threats and disasters, which either come from natural phenomena or arise after human interventions. Disasters such as floods, storms, earthquakes, droughts, forest fires and volcanic eruptions are among the most devastating types of natural catastrophe. Disasters from human interventions includes mainly explosions, major fires, aviation, shipping and railway accidents. For such potential disasters, societies have made great efforts to avoid the unpleasant consequences that arising, either through the improvement of the built environment or through preparedness exercises and information actions.

However, these measures can protect a large percentage of the population, but this does not happen in the case of people with disabilities. There are many concerns that arise about the extent to which the structured environment serves the evacuation needs of people with disabilities. That disability issues are urgently needed to be included in emergency evacuation and preparedness planning.

In the context of the Interreg programme 4Plus and the specific deliverable, it is implemented the present study which aims to explore the social processes of disaster preparedness in people with disabilities, elderly and/or medically frail adults in Kolonjë Municipality of Albania. The purpose of this survey was to understand how these people have experienced such a disaster and how this experience impacts the way that now they are prepared. The further aim of this action is to assess the need for a strategy for the prevention and response to multiple risks disasters in the cross-border area, to identify the basic requirements of such a strategy, to record the needs of people with disabilities and the shortcomings in terms of existing facilities, rescue equipment, etc. and the proposal of possible design and policy solutions.

In the context of this research, the basic definitions concerning the study are identified and the proposed methodology is sent to partner PB6 for the implementation of the research. The way in which the research was implemented is presented in detail and the recorded results and the main conclusions points of this action are presented.