"Disasters vary in types, causes, and consequences, they may result from natural causes.During the last decades, natural disasters caused by different factors pose a serious threat to life, property, and infrastructure in ways of material damage, economic losses, causalities and emotional well-being of humans for many parts of Europe.The natural disasters have disproportionate effects on people with disabilities like blind, deaf, persons with reduced mobility and their family caregivers.Specific reports from 2004 to 2014 showed that persons with disabilities suffered from natural disasters 2-4 times more than non-disabled people (Report on 2011 disaster of Japan). The UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD), in its articles 11 and 322, requires that persons with disabilities benefit from and participate in disaster relief, emergency response and disaster risk reduction strategies. Underlining the legal obligations enshrined in the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, particularly with regard to Article 11 requesting the States Parties including international humanitarian law and international human rights law, to take all the necessary measures to ensure the protection and safety of persons with disabilities in situations of risk, including humanitarian emergencies and natural disasters.Aligned with UNCRPD, European Disability Strategy 2010-2020: a renewed commitment to a barrier-free Europe which is aimed at raising awareness of the needs of persons with disabilities, including accessibility, in the area of emergency and humanitarian aid, as well as promoting the rights of people with disabilities and their families in the external action of the EU and the Member States. Also with the the drafted resolution on EU Disability Strategy post 2020, priorities to be effective in fostering meaningful inclusion and participation of persons with disabilities and their caregivers has been set.However, ""Living with Disability and Disasters"" global survey conducted by (UNISDR) in 2014 and scattered evidence reveal that PwDs still have no significant representation in building resilience to disasters and only a small percentage of respondents are aware of disaster management programmes in Europe and majority express desire to be included in these programmes. Within the given context, EMPOWER project aims to empower people with disabilities through effective disaster management; raise awareness of persons with disabilities and their caregivers about the increasing risks of disasters; to make PwDs and their caregivers better prepared for natural disasters through training contents and accessible learning materials on the accessible learning hub; support the caregivers in the disaster management processes; increase the knowledge and awareness of authorities and policy makers responsible for disability and disasters, volunteers in civil protection and professionals working with PwDs; to build a culture of disability and disasters in community-at-large; to mainstream disability into disaster management cycle.The target groups of this project are persons with disabilities (35 in online testing) caregivers(140 in pilot trainings), volunteers/professionals working in the field of disability and disasters, NGOs, local/national authorities, first responders. (160 in project activities; focus groups, round-table meetings, validation and valorization workshops)The following project outputs will be developed to achieve the foreseen results by focusing on ""earthquakes, fires, floods, and pandemics"".IO1 European Reference Framework on Effective Disaster Management for CaregiversIO2 Training Content on Effective Disaster Management For Caregivers of Persons with DisabilitiesIO3 Accessible Learning Hub with Accessible Learning Materials for Persons with Hearing and Vision ImpairmentsIO4 Disability-Inclusive Disaster Management Reference HandbookIn order to empower PwDs through effective disaster management, a participatory and holistic approach has been planned in the development and implementation of the project activities and outputs. That's to say that all interested parties persons with disabilities, formal and informal caregivers, authorities and policy makers will be actively engaged in the project through focus group meetings, round-table meetings, questionnaires, validation and valorization activities, pilot trainings and online testing.EMPOWER will have a direct impact on raising awareness about disasters, better preparedness of caregivers and people with disabilities for disasters, empowerment of people with disabilities through effective disaster management, resilience of PwDs to disasters, mainstreaming disability into disaster management. The envisaged impact will be development of high-quality and disability-inclusive disaster management trainings, developing disability-inclusive strategies and policies, as well as more accessible learning resources in Europe"