"He probably knew nobody was coming, but he wanted to keep everybody at ease," the junior Mitchell said of their 5 a.m. phone call. This highlights the father's hope amid crisis.
"What hurts the most is that our state didn't prepare for this at all," Mitchell said, reflecting on the lack of support and preparedness for disabled individuals during wildfires.
"Evacuation procedures usually forget people with disabilities. It's a lot more difficult for us," said Joci Scott, illustrating the challenges faced by disabled communities in emergencies.
Officials have known for years that disabled Californians are disproportionately likely to die in wildfires, with a 2019 audit highlighting unpreparedness among emergency management agencies.
Collection
[
|
...
]