Emergency Preparedness

Be Prepared
Disasters overwhelm and disrupt communities every year. Whether it be winter storms, wildfires, or chemical spills, disasters have lasting effects to people and property. Being prepared can minimize a disaster’s impact and make a big difference in protecting the safety and well-being of you, your family, and the entire community.
Now is the time to think about basic needs you, your family, and your pets will need in advance of an emergency.  How will you communicate?  What supplies will you need to keep in your home, car and/or office? The more you know about what to do in an emergency, the more confident and secure you will feel in your abilities to manage through a disaster.

Emergency Alerts:  www.deschutes.org/911/page/sign-deschutes-emergency-alerts

Get Tech Savvy
Using modern-day technology can help individuals and families prepare, adapt and recover from disruptions brought on by emergencies or disasters. Health officials remind people to implement the following in advance of an emergency:
Learn how to send updates via text and internet from your mobile phone to your contacts and social channels in case voice communication is not available.
Store your important documents-such as personal and financial records-in "the cloud" or on a secure and remote area or, on a flash or jump drive that you can keep readily available for access from anywhere.

Build a Basic Emergency Preparedness Kit on a Budget:
Watch a YouTube video on how to build an emergency preparedness in the links section toward the bottom of this page. Click Here for link.                                                                                                                                                  
Earthquake Preparedness
Although not directly associated with Deschutes County, the Cascadia Subduction Zone, which lies off the Oregon Coast, would impact the County.  The odds of this earthquake occurring are 1 in 3 during our lifetime.  Because of the potential size and magnitude of this earthquake, it would be wise for citizens to practice non-structural earthquake mitigation, and because Deschutes County gets most of its supplies from the Willamette Valley, citizens need to keep shelves stocked with food in the event that our resupply channels are disrupted.   Please see the following websites for more information.

www.oregon.gov/OMD/OEM/plans_train/earthquake/cascadia_subduction_zone_townhall.pdf
www.crew.org/sites/default/files/cascadia_subduction_scenario_2013.pdf
www.ready.gov/earthquakes
www.areavibes.com/library/earthquake-safety-guide/

Ways to Help in a Disaster

Public Health Reserve Corps (PHRC)
The Public Health Reserve Corps is a group of local volunteers who are pre-registered, pre-credentialed, and pre-trained to respond in the case of an emergency or disaster. Deschutes County only accepts licensed  professionals for this opportunity. The PHRC is accepting new members. For more information please visit www.serv-or.org

American Red Cross
www.redcross.org
American Red Cross volunteers help keep the public prepared to respond to disasters and personal emergencies. The Red Cross provides training in lifesaving skills such as CPR and first aid, and helps victims of disasters.

Federal and State Agency Resources

Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA)
www.ready.gov
FEMA provides resources that make it simple for you to prepare in case of an emergency. Their comprehensive disaster planning website includes information that help you to:

Be Informed - Learn about potential emergencies and how to respond to them.
Make a Plan - Create a family emergency plan. You can tailor your plan to accommodate the needs of seniors, someone with a disability, and pets.
Build a Kit - Gather what you and your family need in case of an emergency. Do you have access to enough food, water, and supplies to survive in case help does not arrive for 72-hours?

Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)
www.cdc.gov
The CDC provides comprehensive information about diseases (including flu), accidents, and emergency preparedness. A helpful “A-Z” index on their site can assist you in finding information quickly.

Oregon Health Authority Public Health Division
public.health.oregon.gov/Preparedness/Pages/index.aspx
Preparedness 101 provides key tips on how to prepare yourself and your family for an emergency. Learn about potential hazards in Oregon and in your area.

State of Oregon Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ)
www.deq.state.or.us/aqi/   
Air quality monitoring. Air quality may be affected by events including wildfires and other disasters.

Additional Deschutes County Resources:

Emergency Management
sheriff.deschutes.org/Special-Services/Emergency-Management

Immunizations
www.deschutes.org/health/page/immunization-program
Flu vaccine is available to children 6 months to 18 years of age at clinics operated by Deschutes County.

Communicable Disease
www.deschutes.org/health/page/communicable-diseases
Disease outbreak information for Central Oregon - including flu.

IT Disaster Recovery Plan
www.ready.gov/business/implementation/IT