Get Healthy Carson City: Know your hazards

This column appears in the Nevada Appeal Wednesday health pages. It addresses topics related to the health of our community.

In 2015, emergency planning professionals representing a range of disciplines from local government to non-profit agencies, such as the Salvation Army, worked together to update Carson City’s Hazard Mitigation Plan. This process included a hazard vulnerability assessment that was used to prioritize which hazards were most likely to impact Carson City and surrounding areas. Based on this assessment, the following hazards are identified as the top 7 priority areas for emergency planning professionals in Carson City:

Wildfire; Earthquake; Flood; Severe weather; Infectious disease; Hazardous materials; Acts of violence.

It’s important to keep these hazards in mind when developing your personal preparedness plans. The U.S. Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) developed easy-to-use planning guides for specific hazards such as active shooter, earthquake and/or flood as part of the America’s PrepareAthon campaign, a national community-based campaign geared towards moving individuals from awareness to action. These planning guides provide individuals with the tools to be smart, take part and prepare for hazards that may impact local communities. You can find these guides at www.community.fema.gov.

In addition, CCHHS has a variety of planning templates and other tools available at www.GetHealthyCarsonCity.org/preparedness. In addition, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s website, www.Ready.Gov, can be used as a resource to develop plans and to keep you informed of current disaster prevention projects across the nation.

For more information about other Health Department services, check out our website at www.gethealthycarsoncity.org, or visit us at www.facebook.com/cchhs.

This article is part of a 4-part series developed for National Preparedness Month. The Public Health Preparedness (PHP) Division at Carson City Health & Human Services recognizes National Preparedness Month, which serves as a reminder we all must take action to prepare, now and throughout the year, for the types of emergencies that could affect us where we live, work and visit. The PHP program is funded entirely by federal grants from the Centers from Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response (ASPR), awarded each year through the Nevada Division of Public and Behavioral Health. CCHHS works closely with many partner agencies in the community, such as Emergency Management, Carson Tahoe Healthcare and the Salvation Army to accomplish preparedness activities across Western Nevada.