Survey added to assessor's tax form

~ Residents will be asked to register any special needs responders should know about in case of a natural disaster or emergency.

It's time once again for area residents to tell the county tax assessor how many cars, boats and diamond rings they own. Cape Girardeau County emergency planners, however, want some additional information.

A survey being mailed this weekend along with 31,787 assessment forms asks residents to register any special needs responders should know about in case of a natural disaster or emergency.

The scenes of hardship that followed Hurricane Katrina spurred planners to think about how they could prepare to help people who would be less self-sufficient in a disaster, said David Hitt, emergency operations coordinator for Cape Girardeau County.

"We believe approximately 10 percent of the population has some kind of special needs," Hitt said.

Will cost $900

The idea of piggybacking a survey onto the annual property tax assessment makes sense from a financial as well as practical standpoint, he said.

According to Assessor Jerry Reynolds, the survey added about $900 to the $12,000 cost of mailing the assessment forms. Some 85 percent to 90 percent of taxpayers return their forms.

"I thought it was something that needed to be done," Reynolds said, "and this was a vehicle to get it taken care of at a minimum investment."

Responding to the survey is voluntary, Hitt said. Returning it, however, enables the county to compile a database of where people who may need extra help live and what kind of problems they may encounter in an emergency.

The survey asks about medical issues, such as the need for oxygen tanks, insulin, dialysis or electric power for vital medical equipment. The survey also asks residents to list any physical conditions that make them vulnerable, such as a hearing or speech impairment, wheelchair use or conditions requiring daily medication.

In addition, people will be asked if they are homebound, whether they receive regular visits from a social service agency or if there is anyone in their household with a language or cultural barrier that would need to be addressed by a responder.

Those returning a form will need to include their address.

The idea for the survey was adopted from areas along the Gulf and Atlantic coasts that regularly experience hurricanes, said Charlotte Craig, director of the Cape Girardeau County Health Department.

"All of the individuals who should respond won't," Craig said. "But it will grow year after year. And we sure can't make any plans if people don't know what is out there."

After the forms are returned to the assessor's office, the work to compile them will begin, Craig said. "It is wrong for the public to believe we could take the information and do something with it this year."

Once the database is compiled it can be merged with the 911 emergency data systems so firefighters or police responding to a call would know in advance what to expect, Hitt said.

Information compiled through the survey will be confidential and used only to determine community needs in the event of a disaster and help emergency responders answering 911 calls, Hitt said.

Any questions about the survey should be directed to the Cape Girardeau County Emergency Management Office at 204-0911 or the Cape Girardeau County Health Department at 335-7846.

rkeller@semissourian.com

335-6611, extension 126