Emergency Preparedness and Response

	E-Go Bag Brochure When emergencies (E) happen, it is important to be prepared.  Create an E-Go Bag to take with you if you suddenly need to evacuate or leave your home.  An E-Go Bag is a portable kit that includes items that you need to survive while you are away from your home.  Click here to open just the checklist of items to pack into an E-Go Bag.
	Pandemic and Avian Flu Brochure  A flu pandemic occurs when a new flu virus emerges for which people have little or no resistance.  A pandemic flu virus will spread easily from person to person, resulting in large numbers of people becoming ill.  Find out more about what you can do to stay healthy and safe in the event of a pandemic flu outbreak.
	Shelter-In-Place and Evacuation Plans Brochure Deciding to stay or leave home during a disaster may be a hard decision.  Trust your local emergency management (EM) officials to make the right decision.  Listen to local TV, radio, or visit www.milwaukee.gov.  Whether you are directed to stay (Shelter-In-Place) or go (Evacuation), it is important to be prepared so you can make the best decision.

Information for Citizens

General Preparedness Links

Ready America

Learn how to protect and prepare you and your family by visiting www.Ready.gov, where you will find information on making preparedness checklists, plans, and kits, and addressing special populations, including older persons, and persons with disabilities.

 

American Red Cross

Visit the "Get Prepared"section of the American Red Cross website

where you can find information on being prepared at home, at school, and for all types of disasters.

 

Other preparedness websites

• Federal Emergency Management Agency

• Wisconsin Emergency Management

• State of Wisconsin Department of Health and Family Services

 

Recent Outbreaks and Incidents
For the latest information on recent outbreaks and other topics of public health interest, such as the Salmonella outbreaks, the peanut butter recall, and E. Coli outbreaks, go to Disease Control & Prevention's Survnet web page.

 

Natural Disasters and Extreme Weather

Learn about tornadoes, floods, and how to protect yourself from extreme heat and cold.

 

• Tornado information

• Flood information

• Extreme Heat

  • City of Milwaukee Health Department's web site

  • CDC Extreme Heat page

• Extreme Cold 

 

Pandemic Flu and Avian Flu

Visit the City of Milwaukee Health Department's web page on Pandemic and Avian Influenza to understand the difference between avian, seasonal, and pandemic influenza and why experts are concerned.

 

Bioterrorism and Communicable Diseases

Bioterrorism is a deliberate release of viruses, germs, or bacteria in order to cause illness or death. These agents can be spread through air, water, or food. Usually found in nature, these agents can be modified to make them even more dangerous and resistant to medicines. Not all biological agents are spread from person-to-person.

 

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) offers extensive information on biological agents, which ones can be spread, and how they are categorized. Click here to visit the CDC web page and read this important information.

 

Visit the City of Milwaukee Health Department's Communicable Disease page to learn more about publicized outbreaks that may affect the Milwaukee area.

 

Chemical Emergencies

This type of emergency occurs when a hazardous chemical has been released and has the potential for causing harm to a person's health. A chemical release can be either deliberate or accidental. Click here for more information from the CDC about different chemical agents and how to protect yourself during a chemical emergency.

 

Radiation Emergencies

A radiation emergency could occur from man-made sources such as a nuclear power plant failure, or a dirty bomb. To find more information about sources of radiation, contamination from radiation, and dirty bombs, visit the CDC Radiation Emergencies page by clicking here.

 

Explosives and Dirty Bombs

A dirty bomb is a bomb with a mix of explosives, like dynamite, and radioactive material. When the bomb explodes, the radioactive material is dispersed. For more information about dirty bombs and how to prepare for blast injuries related to bombs, click here.

 

Pandemic Preparedness for Faith and Community-Based Organizations

Faith-based and community-based organizations can have an important role to play in pandemic outbreaks because of their networks of volunteers and connection to their communities.  Find out more by looking at this presentation on the subject.

Information for Healthcare Providers

Click on the topics below for CDC information for healthcare professionals.

• Bioterrorism

• Chemical Terrorism

• Explosives

 

Is your pet or livestock prepared for an emergency?  Are you prepared to "Take Pets With?" Click on the following City of Milwaukee Health Department info sheets (in  PDF format) to learn more. More information is also available on our Pets and Other Animals webpage.  

	Disaster Preparedness for Pets If a natural disaster, widespread outbreak of disease (such as pandemic influenza), or act of terrorism occurred, would you be prepared? Many questions come to mind when planning for disasters, such as "What do I pack?" and "Where do I go?"  However, few people include the protection and care of pets in their disaster preparedness plans.
	Disaster Preparedness for Livestock If a natural disaster, widespread outbreak of disease (such as pandemic influenza), or act of terrorism occurred, would you and your livestock be prepared?  Having a plan ready for such an event is critical.  However, few herd and livestock owners have a preparedness plan in place for their animals .
	Preventing Agroterrorism  Agroterrorism is a form of terrorism that poses a serious threat to our food supply and related economy. Protection of farms, animals, animal products and crops is therefore very important.  Below are some ways to improve biosecurity on farms and other similar settings.