https://www.civilbeat.org/2019/07/h...-the-hazards-of-high-rise-living-in-honolulu/ The link is from Hawaii but theme is applicable to just about all high rise buildings. Note the "...missile alert...' Were you prepared?'".
some of the newer high rises are i'm told built without stairs, as the occupiers have mobility problems stairs are seemed unnecessary, access is via a lift/elevator, fine until the electric goes out or the lift breaks down.
It is good to know that some people are doing something. It is a very difficult subject. How do you make people more mobile, and able to evacuate? What other methods can be made available if people can't walk down a flight of steps? This gives a whole new meaning to IBME's post on staying physically fit.
Good afternoon Lone Wolf and Morgan 101, Some afternoon rambling: Yes, the subject is difficult but NOT the subject matter. It's really about public policy. Look at the basic financial transactions; A retiree buys a condo in a high rise building. $ goes to the seller, the brokers, the financial institutions, the insurance companies,... There's an emergency. The cost of the emergency is transferred to the public sector. The scene will witness the presence of eg the area's Fire and Rescue squad, a first responder team, etc. These public sector organizations are funded by many others not deriving the benefits of condo living. Just for the heck of it, if time permits, glance at Western University's (Pomona, California) Harris Family Center for Disability and Health Policy at www.hfcdhp.org. They used to have pictures of evacuation chairs used by rescue workers. Haven't looked at site in years but might have something. A related problem here; In this tidal flood plain, there are elderly and non-elderly disabled living alone. "Do-good" types of organizations here - I have strong biases and will not elaborate - build wheel chair ramps for these "live-alones". The rescue vehicles can't get in and there's are more "live-alones" than there are support "systems" for emergencies. Again: it's a public policy matter.
Retired people / physically impaired should not be allowed to live in multi-story buildings, above ground level. Anybody ever tried to transport a person, in a wheel chair, down a flight or several flights of stairs? I worked in a couple of Retirement communities with multiple story buildings. When the power went out, many where trapped on the upper floors. Not a big deal until they need to evacuate in a hurry (fire, danger of collapse, etc.) One facility was 11 stories high. Want to bet on the life expectancy on those in the upper floors.
Very much to the point. While I would agree physically impaired people should not be allowed to live above the ground floor there isn't a court in the land that won't say that is a discriminatory practice against the handicapped. Courts don't seem to give a $%^t about what would make sense, or be better for the public, even the individual good. Wheel chair ramps would be fine at ground level. I imagine you could even design something into a building like a parking garage if you could control the angle, so Granny isn't going 150 mph when she comes round the mountain at the bottom. I'm sure there are thousands of elderly people who should not be living alone, but what Nazi is going to tell them that, and where are you going to put them, especially if there is no family. The guy in Hawaii who had the roster of who was where, and who needed the most help had the right idea. You make accommodations the best you can with what you have while allowing the freedoms they desire.
I have seen the reports of people living in high rise apartments who were cut of when either the electric went out or more likely the lift was out of order and couldn't manage the stairs because of impairment or because they were in a wheelchair, it dosent matter if their on the 4th floor or the 18th floor, if they cant get out it dosent matter what floor they are on, they are stuck where they are. once the power goes out in a SHTF collapse they have had it anyway.
