Preparedness: After An Event

A single Preparedness Links page featuring the links found on all three pages within the Preparedness Toolkit (links for Before An Event, After An Event, and Preparedness Training) is also available.

Drinking Water

Drinking Water During an Emergency

• Personal Water Use - Safe Drinking Water in Emergencies (CDC). Information on creating a water, sanitation, and hygiene-related disaster kit and planning for finding, treating, and storing safe water
• Drinking Water: Immunocompromised Persons and Other Vulnerable Groups (CDC). Information on drinking water, illness, and safe water for immunocompromised persons and other vulnerable groups
• Water (Preparing for a Disaster) (FEMA). Document on bottled water storage and preparing/storing home containers of water
• Emergency Disinfection of Drinking Water (EPA). Guidelines in emergency disinfection of drinking water with PDF documents in English, Spanish, French, Arabic, and Vietnamese.

Emergency Disinfection - Education Materials: Posters and Flyers (CDC)

• Keep Water Safe
  • Keep Water Safe - English (PDF, 45.50 kb, 1 page)
  • Keep Water Safe - Vietnamese (PDF. 43.16 kb, 1 page)
• Drink Safe Water
  • Drink Safe Water - English (PDF, 72.91 kb, 1 page)
  • Drink Safe Water - Spanish (PDF, 123.31 kb, 1 page)
  • Drink Safe Water - Vietnamese (PDF, 49.98 kb, 1 page)

Drinking Water Advisories

• Boil Water Advisories (CDC). For Cryptosporidium, but applies to other organisms as well.

Inspecting and Disinfecting Wells

• What To Do With Drinking Water Wells Before and After an Emergency (CDC)
• What to Do After the Flood (EPA). A guide to well and pump inspection and emergency disinfection of wells that have been flooded (with illustrated instructions), including PDF documents in English, Spanish, and Vietnamese.

Hauled Water or Bulk Water Delivery

• Information on Bulk Water Hauling and Cleaning of Storage Tanks and Tankers from WHO and Connecticut (CDC)

Hygiene and Sanitation

Hygiene, Handwashing, Sanitation, and Clean-up

• Hygiene and Sanitation During Emergencies (CDC). Information on practicing basic hygiene and sanitizing during the emergency period.
• After a Hurricane or Flood: Cleanup of Flood Water (CDC). Information on cleaning up flood water inside and outside of the home.

Sewage and Septic Systems

• What To Do With Septic Systems Before and After an Emergency (CDC)
• Septic Systems - What to Do After the Flood (EPA). Detailed information on remediating septic systems that have been flooded, including PDF documents in English, Spanish, and Vietnamese.
• Flooded Private Sewage Systems: Safety, Sanitation And Clean-Up Concerns (National Ag Safety Database). Information for septic systems before, during, and after the flood.

Worker Safety

• Natural Disasters: Response, Cleanup & Safety for Workers (CDC). A list of emergency response resources for workers at natural disaster sites.

Community Shelters or Mass Care

• Infection Control Guidance for Community Evacuation Centers Following Disasters (CDC). Recommendations for basic infection control guidance to prevent exposure to or transmission of infectious diseases in temporary community evacuation centers.
• Shelters (CDC). Shelters provide a safe place for individuals affected by emergency events to reside. These shelters can provide a variety of services such as water, food, sleeping quarters, sanitation facilities, and medical care. Many critical functions occur in shelters; examples include conducting shelter assessments, testing drinking water supplies, conducting food safety inspections, and evaluating general safety and sanitation.
• Public Health Surveillance After a Disaster: Shelter Assessment Tool (CDC). CDC has developed an Environmental Health Shelter Assessment Tool to assist 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.

Water-related Diseases and Illnesses

• Water-Related Diseases, Contaminants, and Injuries (CDC)
• Infectious Disease after a Disaster (CDC)
• A to Z Index (CDC). Topical index that includes specific diseases or pathogens, listed alphabetically.

Additional Websites

• U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention- Emergency Preparedness and Response
• U.S. Federal Emergency Management Agency
• U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
• U.S. Department of Health and Human Services