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Lead: In Portugal, according to the 2021 Census, 10.9% of the population, aged 5 or over, report having at least one inability to see, hear, walk or climb steps, in terms of memory or concentration, personal care or communication. This percentage corresponds to 1 million, 85 thousand and 472 people. These figures can lead us to think, in a situation of serious accident or catastrophe, how should the professionals of the ZCAP (Zonas de Concentração e Apoio à População) act?

In response to this challenge, the National Authority for Emergency and Civil Protection (ANEPC) presented publicly, on 29 March, in the framework of the ‘closer government’ initiative, in the district of Setúbal, the Guidelines for Professionals, referred to as “Publics with Specific Needs Approaches in the Context of Concentration Areas and Population Support”. This presentation was attended by the Secretary of State for Inclusion, Ana Sofia Antunes, the Secretary of State for Civil Protection, Patrícia Gaspar and the Minister of Internal Affairs, José Luís Carneiro.

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This document, published with the patronage of the National Platform for Disaster Risk Reduction, within the framework of inclusive governance activities for disaster risk reduction, resulted from the close collaboration between ANEPC, the Commission for Citizenship and Gender Equality (CIG), the Directorate-General for Health (DGS), the National Institute for Rehabilitation, I.P. (INR, I.P.) and the Institute of Social Security, I.P. (ISS, I.P.).

While it is certain that a Population Concentration and Support Area (CAC) can receive before, during and after a major accident or disaster, audiences with specific support needs need to exist guidelines allowing for an adjusted response from professionals in an emergency context.

Some ZCAP users may be fully independent, while others may require moderate or high support. Everyone's independence must be respected, allowing them to determine the level of care and support they need.

As Guidelines They bring together basic and generic rules of approach valid for all users and a short description and more specific approaches targeting older, disabled, deaf or hard of hearing, visually impaired, intellectually impaired and developmentally impaired people, people with autism, people with mental disorders, LGBTI people, unaccompanied children, victims of domestic violence and victims of trafficking in human beings.

The collaboration of the INR, I.P. in these Guidelines focused on the chapters related to people with disabilities that were presented by the techniques Ana Patrícia Santos and Marisa Lopes, counting the session with the interpretation of technicians Luís Oriola and Sofia Figueiredo.

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