Empathy In The Eye Of The Storm: Hurricane Helene, Milton And Beyond

Building corporate empathy takes practice and intention. It is the building of inclusive systems that creates a resilient and supportive future for everyone.

With the second hurricane in as many weeks expected to make landfall, I am thinking deeply about those affected by hurricanes Helene and Milton. The stress of living in the path of such potential devastation is unimaginable. As an inclusive leader driven by empathy and compassion, I am concerned about the immediate and long-term effects on the IT channel, specifically the people in our ecosystem.

I am especially mindful of how those with movement limitations and disabilities face disproportionate challenges before, during and within the aftermath of natural disaster – a fact that public educator and writer Imani Barbarin recently shared via social media.

According to Barbarin, evacuating during a hurricane presents significant challenges for the disabled – specifically in terms of transportation, communication, and shelter accessibility. A significant lack of resources, combined with emergency services that are often poorly coordinated, can result in delays, leaving differently abled people unable to evacuate safely if at all.

During this time, as an inclusive leader, my thoughts home in on individuals who may struggle to evacuate because of vehicles that are not equipped to handle mobility aids or medical equipment. Additionally, evacuation messages are often not accessible to those with hearing, vision, or cognitive impairments.

The National Council on Disability shares that many homebound individuals do not receive timely evacuation alerts due to limited media access, increasing their risk of harm.

In an ideal setting, we would collectively address these challenges for the disabled thorough planning and inclusive community involvement. This is why FEMA and other organizations emphasize the need for comprehensive emergency management plans with a focus on individuals with disabilities. By including accessible evacuation routes and adequately trained personnel, safety for all – not just the disabled – come more into focus.

Indeed, it is the engagement of individuals with disabilities in emergency preparedness efforts that can ensure their needs are met and help them access necessary resources in a timely manner.

Channel And The Future Of Disaster Recovery

While we as inclusive leaders in the channel ecosystem are not central to the creation of new innovative emergency responses specific for those with disabilities, we can use our expertise to improve the future. Incidents and emergencies are unforeseen. However, by building inclusive policies, we can better equip our infrastructure to support those who are systemically at the margins.

We in the channel are on the ground level – connecting what is to what could be.

Simply put, the IT channel has a significant opportunity when building and maintaining inclusive technological solutions that address the challenges faced in our world, specifically in reference to individuals with disabilities.

Here are several ways this can be addressed:

Partnerships with Disability Organizations: Work with organizations focused on disability advocacy to ensure that technological solutions are user-centered, effectively addressing specific challenges of those with disabilities.
IT Integration into Emergency Operations Centers: By providing technical support in Emergency Operations Centers (EOCs), the channel ecosystem continues to help ensure that all systems are functioning optimally during a crisis, allowing for better coordination of resources and information dissemination.
Continue to Create and Maintain Custom Software Solutions: Solution providers and vendors in the channel are uniquely positioned to cater specifically to the needs of individuals with disabilities. Transportation apps such as Web-based HURREVAC platform integrates forecast and planning data to provide emergency managers with decision support tools for use in advance of and during tropical weather. Focusing these tools can integrate real-time data to enhance user experience and safety during evacuations. A benefit for all including those who are disabled.

While we cannot go back in time, however we can reflect on times of crisis post-event, allowing for reminders of the need to centralize inclusive leadership practices. When we pull those at the margins to the center, we build better communities and enhanced technologies that can benefit us all.

My hope for those already impacted by the hurricane is that you stay safe, now and in the future. Because indeed, we are all in this together.

Photo by The Tampa Bay Estuary Program on Unsplash

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