Disaster Resilience

Disaster Resilience videos in ASL

Disability Rights Texas works to help Texans with disabilities prepare for, and recover from, disasters and emergencies. That’s called “Disaster Resilience.” Below you’ll find information about your rights, how to stay safe, who can help you, and more.

Make sure to sign up for local emergency alerts and have local emergency numbers available in case a disaster strikes. You can also subscribe to our special Disaster Resilience email list for news and resources to help you.

If you need legal assistance because you believe your rights are being violated, please see our How to Apply for Services page.

Were you impacted by any of the recent severe weather events in Texas? Get information and resources to help you recover from the Hill Country Flooding Event, the RGV Flooding Event, Hurricane Beryl or the 2024 Spring Severe Weather Event.

Featured

Preparing Animals & Pets for Disasters

When you're preparing for disasters, don't forget about your animals or pets. Learn what to do and why it's important.
Hurricane Preparedness for Texans with Disabilities

Get prepared so you're ready for the impact of a hurricane and aware of what resources might become available to help you recover.
How Do You Prepare for a Disaster?

This video covers what people with disabilities need to know to prepare for a disaster. Learn what to do before, during, and after a disaster.

Handouts

Winter Emergency Supplies Checklist for People with Disabilities

If there’s a winter storm, you could be stuck at home for a few days without power. Learn about the supplies you might want to keep on hand.
Make Sure Your Child Doesn’t Fall Behind in School Due to a Disaster

If your child missed special education services due to a disaster, make sure the school helps your child stay on track with their IEP.
Stay Safe if There’s a Mass Attack

Learn how to stay safe if there's a mass attack, like an active shooter, a reckless and deadly driver, a bomb threat, or terrorism.
Be Prepared to Shelter in Place During the Winter

Learn how to stay safe and warm if you have to shelter in place due to severe winter weather.
Food and Water During a Disaster

If a disaster impacts your access to food and water, learn about how food banks, SNAP, and other resources can help you.
Cybersecurity for People with Disabilities

Learn how people with disabilities can use cybersecurity to prevent, detect, and respond to cyberattacks that can put you at risk.
Consumer Protection for People with Disabilities After a Disaster

Learn how people with disabilities can access consumer protections and avoid getting scammed after a disaster.
Maintaining Healthcare When Disaster Strikes

Planning for your healthcare needs could help you stay healthy and independent during a disaster.
Medications and Disasters

Learn how you can you still have access to your medications if a disaster or emergency turns your life upside down.
Disaster Mental Health Care

Learn how you can get mental health care if you experience a disaster or emergency.
Be Prepared for Texas Heat & Wildfires

Learn how people with disabilities and service animals can be prepared for Texas's extreme heat and wildfires.
How to Be Financially Ready for Disasters

Learn how you can be financially ready so you can respond and recover when a disaster strikes.
Weather & Emergency Alerts for Texans with Disabilities

Weather and emergency alerts can help Texans with disabilities prepare for what’s coming and respond to what happened.
Tips for Selecting Weather & Emergency Alerts

Use our tips to help you select weather and emergency alert options that will work for you.
Weather Radios: What People with Disabilities Need to Know

Weather radios can provide accessible weather and emergency alerts for people with disabilities.
Emergency Ready Sheet

The Emergency Ready Sheet helps people with disabilities keep important information in one place in case a disaster or emergency strikes.
Housing Rights Information for People with Disabilities Impacted by Natural Disasters

Learn about your rights under the ADA when staying at a hotel or shelter, and also how the Federal Fair Housing Act impacts where you live.

Publications

Disasters are inevitable. Discrimination is not.

This white paper examines how structural weaknesses in emergency management systems contribute to disproportionate harm experienced by people with disabilities in Texas.
Self-Advocacy and Being Disaster Ready

Learn how you can use self-advocacy so you are better prepared for the next disaster or emergency you'll face.

Videos

Navigating Disaster Resources

In this video, disaster recovery experts cover what resources become available and how to navigate them so you're ready to recover from a disaster.
After A Disaster: ID Theft, Scams and Insurance

Anyone can be a target for identity theft and scams after a disaster. Learn what you can do before and after a disaster to protect yourself.
Disaster Housing Advice

In this video, get advice about how to access housing after a disaster. Learn about the programs available to help you and how to prepare.
Disaster Services Provided by the American Red Cross

Learn about the disaster services provided by the American Red Cross and how their services can help people with disabilities recover from disasters.

External Links

Ready for any weather

Severe weather doesn’t take time off in Texas and summer is no exception. In the past few months alone, the state has seen all types of hazardous weather, including extreme ...
Let’s talk about STEAR

If you work in disability rights, emergency management, public health, or local government in Texas, you’ve heard of the State of Texas Emergency Assistance Registry (STEAR). But there’s still confusion ...
Disasters are inevitable. Discrimination is not.

Five Years After Winter Storm Uri, Disability Disparities Remain Preventable. In February 2021, Winter Storm Uri left millions of Texans without power, water, and heat. Five years later, the data ...
2026 Disaster Resilience Survey

If you live in Texas, you know that a disaster can strike at any moment – it’s a question of when, not if. Because disasters and emergencies are a constant ...
Lawsuit dropped after collaboration leads to City of San Antonio emergency plan that considers needs of people with disabilities

After two years of collaborative efforts between Plaintiffs and the City of San Antonio, the Plaintiffs have dismissed their lawsuit now that the City has significantly revised its Emergency Operation Plan to consider the needs of residents with disabilities.
According to survey, Texans with disabilities are not prepared for disasters

Earlier this year, the Disaster Resilience Survey of Texans with Disabilities was conducted. Similar to previous years, most survey respondents indicated that they are not prepared for the disasters and ...