Emergency Planning, Training, and Response

In some cases, emergency situations can be anticipated and planned for accordingly. Other times, professionals can only respond to emergencies after they have happened.

This section provides resources for professionals to plan for, train for, and respond to WASH-related emergencies.

Planning and Training for a WASH-related Emergency

Environmental Health

• CDC. Environmental Health Training and Response. Training to help environmental health professionals and other emergency response personnel address the environmental health impacts of emergencies and disasters.
• NACCHO. Water, Sanitation, & Hygiene Preparedness Resource Libraryexternal icon. Anticipating, preventing, and responding to WASH emergencies are critical functions carried out by local health departments. This toolkit contains background information on common drinking water contaminants, templates and examples for public notification, educational materials, and more.
• The Twin Cities Metro Advanced Practice Center. Environmental Health Emergency Response Guide. pdf icon[PDF – 72 pages]  Guide for responding to environmental health issues associated with disasters. Water, sanitation, and hygiene information can be found in Chapters 1, 2, 4, 5, 13.
• World Health Organization (WHO). Public Health and Environment.external icon
• WHO. Environmental Health in Emergencies and Disasters: A Practical Guide.
  • Chapter 7 – Water Supply. pdf icon[PDF – 35 pages]external icon
  • Chapter 8 – Sanitation. pdf icon[PDF – 21 pages]external icon
• National Environmental Health Association. Preparedness Resourcesexternal icon and Trainings
• NACCHO. Water, Sanitation, & Hygiene Emergency Preparedness resourcesexternal icon

Water Security

• U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). Drinking Water and Wastewater Resilience.external icon EPA Emergency/Incident Planning enables responders from a variety of jurisdictions to work together effectively when responding to an emergency.
  • Vulnerability Assessmentsexternal icon. Tools and training to aid water utilities in assessing their vulnerabilities to adversarial actions.
  • Emergency Response Plan Guidance for Small and Medium Community Water Systems. pdf icon[414 KB]external icon
  • Water Contaminant Information Toolexternal icon. Information about chemical, biological and radiological contaminants of concern for water security.
  • Develop and Conduct a Water Resilience Tabletop Exercise with Water Utilities. external iconResources to plan, conduct and evaluate tabletop exercises that focus on Water Sector-related incidents and challenges.

Drinking Water

• CDC. Community Drinking Water Systems. Guidance for how community drinking water systems can prepare for an emergency situation.
• CDC. Drinking Water Advisory Communication Toolbox

Drought

• CDC. When Every Drop Counts: Protecting Public Health During Drought Conditions. Guide to assist public health officials, practitioners, and other stakeholders in their efforts first to understand and then to prepare for drought in their communities.

Healthcare

• CDC. Emergency Water Supply Planning Guide for Hospitals and Health Care Facilities. pdf icon[621 MB] Guide to help health care facilities develop an Emergency Water Supply Plan (EWSP) to prepare for, respond to, and recover from a total or partial interruption of the normal water supply for facilities

Responding to a WASH-related Emergency

Drinking Water and Drinking Water Advisories

• EPA. Groundwater and Drinking Water. external icon
• CDC. Boil Water Advisories.

Hauled Water or Bulk Water Delivery

• Connecticut Department of Public Health. Bulk Water Hauling.external icon
• WHO. Cleaning and Disinfecting Water Storage Tanks and Tankers. pdf icon[PDF – 4 pages]external icon

Hygiene, Handwashing, Diapering, and Clean-up

• CDC. Hygiene in Emergency Settings. Information on good hygiene, handwashing, and diapering practices after an emergency.
• CDC. Household Cleaning and Sanitizing. Information on cleaning and sanitizing containers and surfaces after an emergency.
• CDC. Floods. Information on cleaning up flood water inside and outside of the home.

Sanitation and Wastewater

• CDC. Potential Sanitation Solutions During an Emergency Response. Information on how to handle sanitation issues to minimize the spread of disease in emergency response situations.
• CDC. Septic and Onsite Wastewater Systems. Information on septic systems before, during, and after emergencies.

Worker Safety

• CDC. Guidance for Reducing Health Risks to Workers Handling Human Waste or Sewage. Information on how first responders and others can protect themselves from human waste after an emergency.
• CDC. Response Worker Health and Safety. A list of emergency response resources for workers at natural disaster sites.
• CDC. Interim Guidance for Protecting Workers from Livestock and Poultry Wastewater and Sludge During and After Floods. This guidance is meant to protect workers from illnesses and injuries associated with livestock and poultry wastewater and sludge from animal feeding operations during and after floods.

Community Shelters or Mass Care

• CDC. Infection Control Guidance for Community Evacuation Centers Following Disasters. Recommendations for basic infection control guidance to prevent exposure to or transmission of infectious diseases in temporary community evacuation centers.
• CDC. Disaster Shelter Assessment. Environmental health assessment form to help environmental health practitioners conduct a rapid assessment of shelter conditions during emergencies and disasters.

Water-related Diseases and Illnesses

• CDC. A-Z Index of Water-Related Topics.
• CDC. Infectious Disease after a Disaster.