PHE.gov: Your One Stop Shop for Health and Safety Information in an Emergency Elizabeth Jarrett Program Analyst, Division of Communications Office of the Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response U.S. Department of Health and Human Services

A Timeline of Major Public Health Emergencies Worldwide (2001–2012) We tend to think of disasters as these unusual events, or these big suprises – but they aren’t really . They happen all the time. For example, we’ve had a hurricane that has resulted in a major disaster declaration or emergency every single year for the past 15 years. That’s a longer run than NCIS, Mythbusters or Survivor. Really, you’d have to go to the Daily Show before you get something that has lasted longer The timeline here shows some of the biggest public health emergencies worldwide over the last decade or so, but these aren’t the only ones. From 2001-2012, FEMA declared 742 major disasters and 200 emergencies. We’ve had so many types of disasters – hurricanes, tsunamis, flooding, landslides, snowstorms, wildfires, terrorist attacks, infrastructure failures, tornadoes, earthquakes, explosions and more

People Have Questions on Staying Safe and Healthy How far from my house should the generator be? Can I eat that? How can I help? How do I explain this to my kids? Can I still use this insulin? How do I get rid of all this mold? When a disaster strikes, all of a sudden a bunch of people realize, with stunning clarity, all of the things that they don’t know. As a nation, we aren’t really prepared yet. As of 2011, only 14% of people had taken the time to learn about preparedness and had taken some steps to prepare, according the 2011 FEMA National Household Survey That means that a lot of people are going to have a lot of questions about taking care of their health and safety, These people are low on battery life, short on patience, and full of questions. It’s not a great time to give them a quiz on government structures. With PHE.gov, people don’t need to know who does what because all of the information is in one place. By providing a one-stop shop, PHE.gov also helps direct people towards topics that they should be thinking about. For example, you might know that you need to do something about the mold in your house, but maybe you haven’t stopped to think about the toll that the disaster has been taking on you emotionally. By having a one-stop shop, we can help people think about topics that can affect their health and safety in a disaster

Leading the Public Health and Medical Response to Disasters 6/3/2018 Leading the Public Health and Medical Response to Disasters ASPR leads the country in preparing for, responding to, and recovering from the adverse health effects of emergencies and disasters. Work with our partners to get information that people, including our most vulnerable populations, need to stay safe and healthy. Encourage people to join the public health response through the Emergency System for the Advance Registration of Volunteer Health Professionals and the National Disaster Medical Service Our partners throughout government, but especially those at CDC, FDA, ACF and SAMHSA, have provided information that helps people take care of multiple aspects of their health – everything from staying safe around flooded buildings to helping the kids cope with the disaster.

Development and Distribution of High Quality Content during Hurricane Sandy Health and Safety Preventing Mold Growth Staying Warm Preventing Carbon Monoxide Poisoning Preventing Infection Hazards from Unsafe Buildings Check on Neighbors Food Safety Pet Safety Electrical Safety/Downed Power Lines Power Outages Water Damage Responder Health and Safety Safe Use of Medicines Fire Prevention Cleanup and Sanitation Safety around Floodwaters (incl. keeping children safe) Shelters & Warming Centers Safe and Well Information for People with Chronic Conditions Mental and Behavioral Health Disaster Distress Hotline Helping Children Cope Coping Resources for Individuals Alcohol and Drug Abuse Warning Signs Responder Mental Health Promoting Service Organizations ESAR VHP MRC NDMS Recognize Accomplishments Situation Reports NVRT Animal Shelter DMAT Responders in Hospitals USPHS Responders in Nursing Home Federal Medical Station Mental Health Responders Ambulance Contract Responders from across the U.S. Specialists from ACF MRC and ESAR-VHP Recovery Information Disaster Assistance State Resources Assistance Programs Emergency Prescription Assistance Program Public Health Emergency Declarations &1135 Waivers Child Care Head Start Child Care Facilities in NY & NJ Preparing for the Next Disaster Ask a DMAT Commander Preparedness Video Have a kit. Make a plan. Stay Informed. Have your records accessible Including kids in preparedness planning Planning for the needs of pets Evacuation routes And more! By working together, we were able to produce and amplify a great deal of high quality content on health and safety, mental and behavioral health, promoting service organizations, recognizing the accomplishments of our first responders, assistance programs, child care programs, recovery information and information on preparing for the next disaster. Everybody does and should have their own areas of expertise. But by working together, we were better able to promote the full array of public health and medical information that we had

Contact Information Elizabeth Jarrett Elizabeth.Jarrett@HHS.gov PHE.gov:  www.phe.gov YouTube:  www.youtube.com/phegov PHE.gov Newsroom:  www.phe.gov/newsroom Twitter:  twitter.com/phegov Facebook:  www.facebook.com/phegov Flickr:  www.flickr.com/phegov