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Shelters provide a safe place for individuals affected by emergency events to reside. These shelters can provide a variety of services such as food, sleeping quarters, sanitation facilities, and medical care. Environmental health practitioners perform many critical functions in shelters; examples include conducting shelter assessments, testing drinking water supplies, conducting food safety inspections, and evaluating general safety and sanitation.
CDC Shelter Assessment Tool – Environmental Health Shelter Assessment Tool assists environmental health practitioners in conducting a rapid assessment of shelter conditions during emergencies and disasters
Environmental Health Training in Emergency Response – introductory-level training addresses a range of environmental health topics commonly faced in response to emergency events, to include shelters (12 continuing education credits available)
Infection Control Guidance for Community Evacuation Centers Following Disasters – recom-mendations for basic infection control guidance to prevent exposure to or transmission of infectious diseases in temporary community evacuation centers
A Guide for Local Jurisdictions In Care and Shelter Planning [external link] [PDF 431 KB] (Alameda County Operational Area Emergency Management Organization) – planning information and guidelines relevant for local government consideration before opening disaster shelters
American Red Cross Disaster Services Update [external link] – up-to-date information on disaster awareness, preparedness, training, planning, response, and recovery
Disaster Field Manual for Environmental Health Specialists [external link] (California Conference of Directors of Environmental Health) – field guide to help environmental health professionals respond to various major disasters
Environmental Health in Emergencies and Disasters: A Practical Guide [external link]
Infection Prevention and Control for Shelters During Disasters [external link] [PDF 1.7 MB] (Association for Professionals in Infection Control and Epidemiology, Inc.) – planning recommendations/guidance that can be used for preparedness and response to potential emergencies involving infection control issues in shelters
Mega-Shelter Best Practices for Planning, Activation, and Operations [external link] [PDF 954 KB] (International Association of Assembly Managers, Inc.) – shelter management practices created after the 2005 hurricanes and distributed to help other facility professionals who may some day find themselves saving lives
Public Health Guidance Documents for Evacuation Shelters [external link] (Dallas County Health and Human Services) – environmental health shelter recommendations, including prevention of and response to gastrointestinal disease outbreaks and respiratory disease outbreaks and an environmental health evacuation shelter assessment form
Shelter Health: Essentials for Care of People Living in Shelter [external link] – (National Health Care for the Homeless Council) – guide to help shelter providers and public health respond more effectively to the health needs of residents
Shelter-in-Place DVD [external link] [PDF, 76 KB] (Homeland Responder Training Network) – review of principles and proper steps to respond to a shelter in place order for residential, corporate and public buildings
South Central Public Health Partnership [external link] – trains professionals to protect the public
Sphere Humanitarian Charter and Minimum Standards in Disaster Response [external link] – project to improve the quality of assistance provided to people affected by disasters and enhance the accountability of the humanitarian system in disaster response
The Twin Cities Metro Advanced Practice Center [external link] – tools and resources for preparedness that can be used by public health departments nationwide, including