CDC Message to Partners on Gustav and Hanna

(Updated September 4) CDC continues to work with federal, state and local partners to respond to public health issues related to the landfall and aftermath of Hurricane Gustav. Currently, Tropical Storm Hanna has not caused any airport delays or closures on the east coast or Puerto Rico.

CDC, as part of HHS, has over 100 staff in the affected areas, including 65 staff deployed this week to Arkansas, Florida, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi and Texas. These experts are monitoring injuries and other health problems related to the hurricane.

CDC experts are also assessing ongoing needs and monitoring injuries and other health problems related to Hanna. CDC staff is stationed at FEMA Regional Response Coordination Centers (RRCC). At the RRCC, experts from federal and volunteer agencies are organizing available people, supplies and resources to send out to affected areas.

CDC staff are providing a range of assistance, including identifying public health needs and resources to fill them, ensuring that medical facilities and pharmaceuticals are available to meet needs at the local level, and providing risk communication assistance.

Another important role to identify is CDC's Strategic National Stockpile (SNS) teams. SNS deployed 15 employees to assist with the Federal Medical Station (FMS) units in the following respective cities and states:

• College Station, Tyler, and Marshall, Tex.;
• Baton Rouge, Alexandria, and Ruston, La.; and
• Kentucky and Mississippi.

The SNS teams are responsible for the deployment of antivirals and other countermeasures. A prime benefit is their ability to augment local healthcare infrastructure in mass casualty incidents or potential public health threats. Deployment of a FMS will be directed at the request of state officials. When fully operational, a FMS is designed to support 250 patients for three days. It may also be deployed in 50-bed increments or augmented with additional beds, supplies and medicine to care for non-acute and special-needs patients.

CDC has also been working closely with federal, state and local partners to distribute information on healthy storm recovery. These partners include the Department of Health and Human Services, CDC's public health partners, affected states, the American Red Cross and other federal response organizations.

For example, the Public Health Foundation recently updated their Web site to inform their employees and other public health partners about CDC’s recommendations for tropical storm recovery matters. Wal-Mart, Home Depot and Lowes organizations represent some of CDC’s business sector partners that are being reached for possible tropical storm-related information pertaining to various items of interest after a storm that cause evacuations of homes and businesses.

There are many things people can do to stay safe and healthy after a storm:

Avoid driving through fast-moving water. You may not be able to tell how deep the water is and you may lose control of your vehicle.

• Slow down and drive at a speed that is safe for road and weather conditions.
• Be alert for broken stop lights and missing street signs.
• Wear your seatbelt, properly restrain children and avoid cell phone usage while operating your vehicle.

Be healthy and safe when returning home after the storm.

• Return home only after local authorities have told you it is safe to do so.
• Do not enter a building if you smell gas. Call 911. Do not light a match or turn on lights.
• Wear waterproof boots and gloves to avoid floodwater touching your skin. Wash your hands often with soap and clean water, or use a hand-cleaning gel with alcohol in it. Seek medical attention for dirty cuts or deep puncture wounds.

Stay safe when cleaning up after the storm.

• Never touch a downed power line or anything in contact with them.
• Always use generators, grills and fuel-burning devices outside, far from the house.
• Have a professional check your wet or flooded appliances before you use them.

More Information

For more information about how to stay safe before, during and after hurricanes, visit CDC's Emergency Preparedness and Response Web site.

Updates

• September 17, 2008
• September 12, 2008
• September 5, 2008
• September 4, 2008
• September 3, 2008