![]() She felt better informed about the potential risks people with disabilities could encounter during a disaster. Nickole said the training was empowering, and reinforced her ability to live independently with a disability. ![]() I made sure I had a generator, batteries for my wheelchair, and at least a week’s supply of food, water and prescription medication.” “When I heard the snow storm was coming, I emailed all my caregivers to find out who lived close by and would be available. “The most important thing I learned from ‘Ready Now!’ was to have a back-up plan in case of an emergency situation,” she said. So Nickole signed up for “ Ready Now! pdf icon external icon ,” an emergency preparedness training program developed through the Oregon Office of Disability and Health external icon. ![]() Being alone for eight days was not an option. For Nickole, whose muscles are too weak to support her body, those eight days were potentially life-threatening.īorn with spinal muscular atrophy, a genetic disease that progressively weakens the body’s muscles, Nickole is fully reliant on a wheelchair and full-time caregivers for most routine tasks. Many people would consider that an inconvenience. Nickole Cheron was stuck in her home for eight days. In 2008, a rare winter storm buried Portland, Oregon under more than a foot of snow.
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