By Jeff Hampton
The Virginian-Pilot

MANTEO, N.C. - Nessie Siler jabbed an index finger at her kitchen table to add emphasis as she spoke of the need to get people with disabilities out of the way of a hurricane.

"All means all," said Siler, 41. "That means everybody has a chance to get out."

The Manteo resident is part of a statewide effort to improve emergency transportation and shelters for the elderly and people with disabilities. She serves on state and local committees.

The Emergency Preparedness Initiative is in its second of four years following shortcomings found after hurricanes Katrina and Sandy. A large number of the approximately 1,800 people who died after Katrina slammed into the Gulf Coast in 2005 were elderly or disabled, according to a state document.

"This program is designed to identify and address those needs for North Carolina residents," state Emergency Management director Mike Sprayberry said in a statement.

Siler has cerebral palsy and gets around with a walker or wheelchair. She's under 5 feet tall and remembers when drivers with the Dare County Transportation System began setting out a stand a few inches high to help people get to the first step on county vans.

"It was just that much too high," she said, lifting her foot. "Often the littlest things help the most."

Siler, her husband and sister all have cerebral palsy and live together in a modest house on Airport Road. The Roanoke Sound is less than a mile in one direction and the Croatan Sound about a mile in the other.

Siler typically evacuates to stay with family members farther inland, but she may need a shelter one day, she said.

Dare County often is in the path of hurricanes sweeping up the coast. Rather than offer shelters, the county sends people inland, said Don Cabana, director of the Dare County Transportation System. The county keeps a register of people with special needs, where they live and their disability, among other things.

Despite the register, those who may need help should call early if a storm approaches, Siler said. Personal preparedness is crucial, she said.

When Hurricane Sandy struck the Outer Banks three years ago, vans picked up about 60 people, including the disabled, seniors and foreign students working for the summer. The group was brought to the visitors center on U.S. 64, from which buses took them to inland shelters, Cabana said.

Siler again points to details.

"You're talking about what will serve as someone's home for the next three, four or seven days," she said.

Shelters should have an unblocked ramp with a wide front door. Bathrooms should have safety bars. Food in the kitchen should be on lower shelves.

"I'm not asking for a five-course meal here, I just want to make a sandwich," Siler said.

Shelter staffers may innocently put a wheelchair away to make more space.

"You've taken away all my means of going," she said. "I don't want to crawl across the floor."

State and local officials applaud Siler's involvement, enthusiasm and perspective, Cabana said. She is highlighted in the state document describing the preparedness initiative.

"I'm a mosquito," she said. "I keep buzzing them."

The original article appeared on Pilotonline.com on June 26, 2015. (This link is no longer active.)