Emergency Planning & Emergency Response
Presented by Missouri Department of Health & Senior Services through the Public Health and Preparedness Grant by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Tornadoes
Floods
Earthquakes
Terrorism
Emergencies
Pandemic Flu
Power Outage
Fire Safety
Extreme Cold
Extreme Heat
Emergency Evacuation by helicopter. . .
. . . could be a life saver!
Contact Air Evac Life Team - 573-756-7506
- SFCHC Emergency Response Reporting -
573-431-1947
Select option 9 from the telephone options menu. Then select
from one of the following categories to report your emergency.
Option 1 - Environmental Health Emergencies
Option 2 - Communicable Disease Emergencies
Option 3 - Administrative Emergencies
Option 3 - Biological Emergencies
Option 3 - Natural Emergencies
Missourians Encouraged to 'Be Prepared' for Emergencies
JEFFERSON CITY- The Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services (DHSS) urged residents today
to kick off the new year with a New Year’s resolution that could save their lives in the face of a public health emergency. Emergencies can affect anyone at any time, and having a plan in place and supplies available can
make all the difference in coping with the situation."This is perhaps one of the easier New Year’s resolutions to keep, and yet it could be the most important
one for you and your family’s safety,” said Jane Drummond, director of the Missouri Department
of Health and Senior Services. “More than 170,000 Missouri households experienced power outages
during the recent ice and snowstorms, and this can serve as a reminder why it is so important that every
family create a plan and prepare an emergency kit for future emergencies.”Emergencies could include tornadoes, fires, floods, storms, or even terrorist attacks or pandemic influenza.
These types of emergencies can leave little time to gather the essentials needed if Missourians must
leave their home, and residents might not have enough supplies on hand if they must remain in their
home for several days. By assuring that adequate supplies of water, nutritional foods, and essential
medications are available, families can maintain their health and well-being throughout an emergency.The department’s Ready in 3 program provides three simple steps to help Missourians prepare for
an emergency situation that may occur at home, work or school:
1. Create a plan for you, your family, and your business. Your family might not be together
when an emergency happens. That’s why it is important to have a plan in place. Talk about how
you will reach each other in different situations. Make sure everyone in the family can get to a
safe place and find each other in the event of an emergency.2. Prepare an emergency kit for your home, car and at work. If an emergency happens, you
might not be able to get food or water for days or even weeks, and your electricity may not be
working. The following items should be part of your emergency kit and kept in a container that
can be easily carried:
· Water and canned or dried food
· Battery-powered radio
· Flashlight
· Extra batteries for the radio and flashlight
· Prescription medications
· First-aid kit3. Listen for information about what to do and where to go during an actual emergency. City,
county, and state officials have developed emergency plans. In the event of an actual emergency,
it’s important to follow their instructions and advice.To help get Missourians started, the Ready in 3 Family Safety Guide is available and explains these steps
in more detail and provides an emergency kit checklist. Through the Ready in 3 program, residents, schools,
faith-based groups, adult care facilities, child care providers, employers and others in local communities
can receive tools and resources designed specifically for them on steps they can take to prepare for
emergencies of all kinds. The Ready in 3 resources are free and many are available in multiple languages.
Missouri residents are urged to go to the department’s web site at http://www.dhss.mo.gov/Ready in_3
or call 573.526.4768 to order the Ready in 3 materials.The Ready in 3 program is part of ongoing efforts to improve the state’s ability to respond to public health emergencies or disasters. “You can play a very important part in getting yourself, your family and your
community ready for emergency situations,” said Drummond. “By taking the three basic steps in the
Ready in 3 program, you will help alleviate stress during emergencies and help the response agencies
do their jobs.”
Could your community offer emergency shelter to a potentially
large number of people for several days?
When a disaster forces people to evacuate, they
need a place to go until it is safe to return home. They may need to
stay for only a few hours, but it could be for days, even weeks. This
guide was developed by the Missouri Department of Health and Senior
Services to introduce and discuss some of the many aspects of planning
for and opening an emergency shelter. It provides a brief overview
of public health concerns plus the main areas of concern for shelter
operations such as food and water, pest control, waste management,
and life safety.This pamphlet was developed to provide guidance for shelter coordinators
and state and local environmental public staff to assist in the planning,
operating, and evaluation of emergency shelters.This guide provides a brief overview of the related areas of public health
concerns plus the main areas of concern for shelter operations such as
food and water, pest control, waste management, and life safety.The Missouri Department of Social Services is the State agency responsible
for coordinating with other departments, agencies and organizations to
accomplish mass care in an emergency shelter. Shelters for the general
population may be co-located with special needs shelters, or there may
be stand-alone special needs shelters. The Missouri Department of
Health and senior Services coordinates the public health concerns of
typical shelter operation services in both mass shelters and special
needs shelters to prevent the spread of communicable diseases
associated with environmental exposures.
Hard copies of the shelter guide are available from the Missouri Department
of Health and Senior Services warehouse, Inventory @229. Click here
for warehouse order form.The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has developed an Environmental Health Shelter Assessment Tool to be used by environmental
health practitioners in conducting a rapid assessment of shelter conditions
during emergencies and disasters. The tool is an assessment form that covers
14 general areas of environmental health, ranging from basic food safety
and water quality to pet (companion animal) wellness, and allows for
the documentation of immediate needs in shelters. It can be easily modified
to meet local needs. This shelter assessment tool can be found at http://www.bt.cdc.gov/shelterassessment/.If you have any questions, contact the Office of Emergency Coordination at 573.751.6161
Links for emergency planning and emergency response will
be posted to this page as more information is available.
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