Disability and emergency planning in Ireland: warnings, power, getting out and getting help

You know your own needs best. The point of a plan is that the people around you know them too, before a storm or a power cut, not during one. At the National Disability Authority’s 2026 conference, the keynote speaker from the European Disability Forum put it this way: the higher risk comes “not because of disability itself”, but because warnings, communication, evacuation and shelter “are often not designed to be accessible or inclusive”.[12] A plan closes some of that gap from your side.

This guide is for disabled people, and for family, carers, personal assistants and neighbours. It builds on Who is at higher risk and, if you rely on powered medical equipment, Medical equipment in a power cut.

The scene this guide is for

It is a Sunday afternoon in October. A woman and her teenage son sit at the kitchen table with a printed page between them. Her power wheelchair is charging by the wall. The page lists her supplier’s number, who calls in if the power goes, where the spare charger is, and what to say if she has to text 112. It takes half an hour, and they stick it on the fridge.

Step 1: write down what you need

Start with three questions. Keep the answers short.

1. How will I hear about a warning? Radio, a text, an app, a neighbour knocking? If you are Deaf or blind, which of these actually reaches you?
2. What needs power or water? A wheelchair, hoist, bed, ventilator, fridge medicine, hearing aid charger, phone.
3. How would I get out, and who would help? At home, at work, at college.

Then add names and numbers: two people who will check on you, your supplier, your GP, your care or home support provider, and your personal assistant if you have one.

The official Be Winter Ready booklet asks you to keep the phone numbers of relatives and neighbours on a list or saved in your phone, and to plan for winter weather disrupting your home care service.[1]

Step 2: get on the free registers

These are free. They do not cost you anything to join, and you can register yourself.[2]

Register with Uisce Éireann online, or on 1800 278 278. Its text relay number for Deaf and hard of hearing customers is 1800 378 378.[4] You can name a family member or neighbour to get the messages too.[3][4]

Be clear about what registering does not do. ESB Networks says faults can and will occur in extreme weather.[3] Being registered does not mean your power comes back first. Plan for the cut anyway.

Step 3: warnings you can actually receive

• Met Éireann’s website is accessible. Vision Ireland points blind and vision impaired people to it for the local forecast.[5] Warnings are on met.ie/warnings.
• Your energy supplier and Uisce Éireann will text you once you are registered (Step 2).
• A person. Ask a neighbour to knock or text you when a Red warning is issued. The Be Winter Ready booklet asks relatives and neighbours to call on disabled people and offer help in severe weather.[1]

Smoke alarms for Deaf and hard of hearing people. An alerting unit connects to a smoke or heat alarm and wakes you with a strobe light and a vibrating pad. If you cannot afford one, your local fire authority may give you one free under the Community Smoke Alarm Scheme.[6] Ring your county council’s fire service and ask. Chime, the national organisation for Deaf and hard of hearing people, has hearing and technology services.[7]

Step 4: contacting 112 if you cannot make a voice call

You do not need to register to text 112 or to use Real-Time Text.[8] Both reach the same emergency call answering service as a voice call to 112 or 999.

Real-Time Text (RTT) shows each letter as you type, during a call to 112 or 999. Turn it on before you need it:[8]

• Android: Settings, Accessibility, Hearing, RTT.
• iPhone: Settings, Accessibility, RTT/TTY, then switch on Software RTT.

The Irish Deaf Society has an ISL video that shows how to turn RTT on.[9]

Write your text now. 112.ie suggests saving a message with your home address as a draft or template, ready to send. If you do, lock your phone with a PIN.[10] Use plain letters without fadas: special characters may not display properly for the operator.[10]

Give the service your details in advance. Older advice, including the Be Winter Ready booklet, tells you to register to text 112.[1] That is no longer needed. But 112.ie says you can still give it your address, access details and a next of kin at 112.ie/register, so it has them if you ever text.[8]

Irish Sign Language interpreting. The Irish Remote Interpreting Service (IRIS) gives a video link to an ISL interpreter. It is a booked service with opening hours, so it is not a way to reach 112 in an emergency.[11] Use text or RTT for that. IRIS is useful for planning conversations with your council, supplier or GP.

Step 5: power, charging and supplies

The Irish Wheelchair Association’s advice before a storm is short:[13]

1. Make sure you are registered with your electricity supplier as a priority customer.
2. Charge your mobile phone and equipment batteries.
3. Have a torch near you.
4. Have enough food in for the next day.
5. Tie down loose items in the garden.

The Be Winter Ready booklet adds: keep enough prescription medicine and fuel, and if you use medical equipment or a powered mobility device every day, make sure you always have access to a power supply.[1] For a long cut, that means knowing where you would go to charge.

A charged power bank keeps a phone going (kit options: Phone bank). A head torch leaves your hands free for a chair or a cane (kit options: Head torch). Neither replaces the plan. For powered medical equipment, agree your backup with your care team: see Medical equipment in a power cut.

If you have an assistance dog, keep it indoors and warm in severe weather, with a blanket to rest on.[1]

Step 6: getting out of a building

If you work, study or live in a building with other people, ask for a Personal Emergency Evacuation Plan (PEEP). The National Disability Authority publishes a free PEEP template and a guide for the people who run buildings. It says those responsible for a building must plan safe evacuation for everyone who uses it.[14]

A PEEP sets out how you will be warned, the route you will take, and who helps. Ask your employer, college or landlord to write it with you, and to practise it.

At home, think through which exit you would use, and whether a ramp needs gritting in icy weather.[1]

Step 7: going out in bad weather

Vision Ireland’s advice for blind and vision impaired people in ice and snow:[5]

• Check the weather, plan your route and give yourself extra time.
• Wear bright, reflective clothing so drivers can see you.
• Snow muffles sound. Avoid ear flaps and ear muffs so you can hear traffic.
• Snow covers landmarks like the edge of the path. Use taller ones, such as fences and sign posts.
• Bring your phone and charger, and tell someone your route and when you expect to be back.
• In very bad weather, only travel if you must.

For wheelchair users, the Be Winter Ready booklet says to check your mobility device can grip an icy surface.[1]

Step 8: who checks on you

Agree this in advance with two people. Say how they should contact you (text, call, a knock) and what they should do if you do not answer. The Be Winter Ready booklet asks neighbours to arrange regular visits or calls so disabled people are not isolated, and to ask the Gardaí or local health and social services for help if they have any doubt about someone’s safety.[1] See Check on a neighbour.

What councils are doing

Local authorities co-ordinate the response to severe weather, including the evacuation of residents.[17] In 2026 the National Disability Authority highlighted Wicklow County Council’s work on a county-wide plan to make emergency responses respect the rights of disabled people. It was described as a first in Ireland.[12] It is fair to ask your own council what its emergency plans say about disabled people, and to ask in an accessible format.

If you are refused a service, or treated less favourably because of your disability, the Equal Status Acts protect you. The Irish Human Rights and Equality Commission explains your rights. Complaints go to the Workplace Relations Commission, with strict time limits.[15] That applies to a rest centre as much as to a shop. Speak to the person in charge first.

Where to get more help

• Disability Federation of Ireland: brings together disability organisations as its members, and can point you to one for your disability.[16]
• Irish Wheelchair Association: iwa.ie.[13]
• Vision Ireland InfoLine: 1800 911 250.[5]
• Irish Deaf Society and Chime, for Deaf and hard of hearing people.[9][7]
• National Disability Authority: guidance on evacuation planning.[14]