Southeast Health District

Home & Family | Community Preparedness | Public Health

Emergency Preparedness involves making sure you, your family, your business, and your community is prepared to deal with a disaster – whether it is natural or man-made, accidental or intentional.

Natural disasters usually involve weather problems such as hurricanes, tornados, and floods. Man-made disasters include chemical spills from train or truck wrecks, factory explosions, or other accidents. If an event is intentional it can be considered an act of terrorism or bioterrorism.

Public Health has been dealing with disasters for many years. We assist in evacuations for hurricanes, set up shelters for evacuees or flood victims, and investigate disease and food borne outbreaks. In recent years our role has expanded to cover the man-made or intentional disasters.

What is bioterrorism?
Bioterrorism is the intentional use of harmful biological substances or germs to cause widespread illness and fear. Smallpox and anthrax are examples of biological agents that could be used for bioterrorism.

HOME & FAMILY

What can I do to prepare for an emergency?

Put together an emergency kit for entire family
Develop an emergency plan that includes evacuation
Know what to do in the event of an emergency

My Emergency Kit
Your kit should contain everything you and the members of your household may need for at least 3 days. If you are forced to leave your home or if you cannot leave your home, your kit will provide essential needs to help protect you and your family’s health.

My Emergency Plan
Emergencies can result in two different situations. You are forced to evacuate your home or you must “shelter in place.” “Shelter in place” means to take refuge in our home and do not leave in the case of environmental contaminants. Have an emergency evacuation plan such as for a fire. Also have a place to meet in case your neighborhood is evacuated during the school or workday.

Have an emergency contact plan. Many times local phone systems will be overloaded in an emergency. You may be able to reach family members or friends in other parts of the state or out of state when you cannot call across town. Have a common person all household members can check in with and relay information for you. Print this card, complete, and give a copy to each household member.

During an Emergency
The best thing you can do is to be prepared to check for instructions on local television and radio and in newspapers. In the event of a bioterrorism emergency, it might take time to determine exactly what the illness is, how it should be treated, and who is in danger. Officials will give you information about what to do as quickly as possible.

Are you ready? Fact Sheet

Web Resources:
http://www.ready.gov/linking.html
http://www.fema.gov/areyouready
http://www.redcross.org/services/disaster

COMMUNITY PREPAREDNESS

Emergency Management
The Georgia Emergency Management Agency (GEMA) and each county Emergency Management Agency (EMA) are involved in local emergency preparedness. Public Health works very closely with these agencies in all types of disasters. Please contact your local EMA director for more information on activities in your community. Another resource on the web is www.gema.state.ga.us

Exercises and Drills
Each community in our area has been involved in a variety of drills and exercises to prepare for the types of disaster their community might face. The practice exercises involve everything from train derailments to nuclear disasters to mass dispensing of medications. Contact your local health department or EMA director for more information on the exercises coming up in your community.

Volunteering
Many volunteers are needed to deal with any type of disaster. Different types of volunteers are needed for different events. Medical, public safety (fire, law enforcement), and general volunteers are needed in each community. Watch this site for future local volunteer training opportunities.

Web Resources:
USA Freedom Corps
Citizen Corps
Medical Reserve Corps

PUBLIC HEALTH

Local Health Departments
Your local health department has developed a plan specific to your community. The plan includes information on disease investigation, sheltering, evacuation, and mass dispensing. The plan is designed to adapt to any public health emergency. Each county has a Public Health Assessment Survey Team (PHAST) to investigate any suspected outbreak and a County Health Emergency Resource Team (CHEART) to make decisions when local resources are running low and additional support is needed. Plans were developed using a team approach that involved the health department, the local hospital, EMA, law enforcement, city and county officials, and other community leaders.

Strategic National Stockpile
The Strategic National Stockpile or SNS is a cache of pharmaceuticals funded and managed by the federal government through the Department of Homeland Security. There are twelve stockpiles located throughout the United States and they contain the medications and supplies needed to deal with virtually any bioterrorism event. The medications include vaccine such as Smallpox vaccine, antibiotics such as ciprofloxacin and doxycycline, and chemical antidotes such as atropine. The SNS also contains medical supplies and equipment that would be needed to supplement hospitals in a large-scale event. The SNS would be delivered within 12 hours of the decision to deploy.

District Preparedness Activities
The Southeast Health District has developed and tested plans to receive and distribute the Strategic National Stockpile, should it become necessary. The plan has been reviewed by the Georgia Division of Public Health and the Centers for Disease Control (CDC). The CDC attended and participated in our exercise program in 2004. The District worked with other South Georgia health districts in planning for the 2004 G-8 Summit held on Sea Island, GA. A staff of five coordinate planning, training, exercising and communications for emergency preparedness and bioterrorism.

Contact Information:
Hollard Phillips, Director of Emergency Preparedness
Southeast Health District, Waycross, GA
Phone 912-338-5231 FAX 912-338-5309

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Southeast Health District
1101 Church Street
Waycross, GA 31501
P: 912-285-6002
F: 912-284-2980

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