Resolve to be ready in 2008
Residents Urged to Prepare for Disasters

For the next few weeks, a series of articles about preparing for emergencies will run in this publication. The theme of the articles, "Resolve to be Ready 2008", will outline steps that you can take to prepare for emergencies and are offered as a courtesy of this publication, public health and your local emergency planning committee.

After the events of September 11, 2001, the federal government created the Department of Homeland Security. This department was tasked with protecting American citizens, residents, and visitors. This was a monumental endeavor and the expertise of many agencies and organizations was tapped to develop a network of entities that could keep our country safe.

Traditional emergency responders such as emergency management personnel, law enforcement, and medical services were brought into the planning effort. Other agencies, not usually thought of as response agencies, like public health, were included at the planning table. Preparation for all types of events had to be considered - from natural disasters to terrorism to disease outbreaks.

Locally, public health departments joined with response agencies to plan for emergencies that dealt with the health of our residents. Before this initiative, public health had been involved only in emergencies that caused people to be displaced and needed sheltering.

This new directive from the Department of Homeland Security required state and local public health departments to make plans to dispense large amounts of preventive medicines to residents in the event of a bioterrorism attack, like smallpox, or a natural disease outbreak, such as pandemic influenza. Public health emergency preparedness planners realized that this new responsibility could only be accomplished by joining with community partners and pooling resources.

During the planning process, it became apparent that an "all-hazards" approach should be taken. The partnership of response agencies soon developed plans to deal with many types of emergencies and disasters that could affect our area.

Later, a new directive from the federal government to create a specific plan for pandemic influenza was sent to local government officials. Public health was again asked to join local stakeholders in preparing our communities for a new possible threat - pandemic influenza.

In succeeding articles we will look more closely at some aspects of emergency and pandemic influenza plans that have been created. You will learn how to prepare a family plan and a disaster kit that you can keep for emergencies. More preparedness information is available at your local health department, Emergency Management Agency office or these websites:www.ready.gov, www.phdistrict2.org,www.heal th.state.ga.us,www.pandemicflu.gov,www.fema.gov, www.redcross.org