Emergency preparedness is often written for the average household: make a plan, pack a go-bag, sign up for alerts and leave when officials say it is time to leave.
But many San Diego families are not average households.
Some families include a child with autism who may panic during sudden noise, flashing lights or rushed transitions. Some include an older adult who cannot move quickly. Some include a person who depends on medication, mobility support, communication devices, oxygen, a motorized wheelchair or a caregiver who may not be home when an evacuation warning arrives.
For these families, emergency preparedness is not just about having a bag near the door. It is about whether the system understands that some people need more time, clearer communication and practical support before a crisis reaches their doorstep.
This is not a small or abstract population. U.S. Census Bureau data estimate that 17.5% of San Diego County residents are 65 or older. The county’s 2024 demographic profiles report that 11.1% of the civilian non-institutionalized population had a disability. The same county data shows how disability rises with age, with nearly half of residents 75 and older reporting a disability.
Not every older adult or disabled resident will need the same level of help. But these figures show why emergency planning cannot be built only around the fastest, healthiest and most mobile households.
San Diego already recognizes access and functional needs in emergency planning. But the real test is not whether the right words exist in a document. The real test is whether families know what to do when a fire alert comes, a road closes or the power goes out.
For a typical household, an evacuation alert may mean grabbing keys and leaving. For a family with disability related needs, it may mean calming a child who does not understand why the routine changed. It may mean packing medication, locating documents, charging devices, contacting a caregiver, arranging transportation or explaining the situation to someone who communicates differently.
That is not resistance. That is reality.
Emergency messaging should reflect that reality. Alerts should be clear, plain-language, multilingual and accessible. Families should not have to search multiple websites during an emergency to understand whether they are in an evacuation warning area, where a shelter is located, which roads are closed or whether a shelter can support disability-related needs.
San Diego does have important tools. AlertSanDiego can send emergency notifications by phone, text and email, and Accessible AlertSanDiego provides emergency information for people who are deaf, blind, hard of hearing or deaf-blind, including American Sign Language videos with English voice and text. More families should know about these resources before an emergency, not during one.
Preparedness should also include power planning. SDG&E provides access and functional needs resources for public safety power Shutoffs and outages, including medical baseline support, backup power, accessible transportation, wellness checks, food support and community resource centers. For most people, a power outage is an inconvenience. For someone who depends on electricity for medical equipment, mobility, communication or safety, it can become a serious issue.
San Diego should make disability-inclusive preparedness a visible part of public safety, not a footnote. Every wildfire season, the public hears reminders about defensible space, go-bags and evacuation routes. Those reminders should also ask: Who in your household needs extra time? Who depends on medication, equipment, mobility support or a caregiver? How will you communicate if phones fail or power is out?
This is not only about families with disabilities. It is about seniors, children, pregnant women, people with limited English, people without reliable transportation, people living alone and anyone whose safety depends on more than a simple instruction to “leave now.”
A good emergency plan should be built for the real San Diego, a region of families with different needs, languages, abilities and support systems.
Wildfire preparedness is not only about protecting property. It is about protecting people. And some people need more time.
San Diego’s emergency planning should say that clearly, plan for it fully and make sure families know where to turn before the next alert arrives.
Shikha Bansal is a San Diego-based writer and community advocate.
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