Emergency Preparedness Fact Sheets

Important

Customize Materials. You will need to customize materials with information about your agency or location, and real-time details about the emergency situation.

Work with your PIO. Always work with your assigned public information staff on communication issues.

Not required. Use of these materials is not required. They were developed as resources to help in public health emergency planning and response. Always consult your agency's emergency plans and policies, and follow appropriate Incident Command System procedures.

Questions? We will continue to add resources to this site as they are developed. Please direct questions regarding this site or emergency communication resources to DOH.Information@doh.wa.gov.

Links to Other Sites

Emergency Publications
Much of the information presented in these fact sheets can be found in our Emergency Resource Guide or the Prepare: home emergency guide. You can find instructions for downloading these guides or ordering print copies on our emergency publications page.

Fact Sheets A to Z

All non-English fact sheets on this page are in PDF format. All are one to two pages in length. English fact sheets can be printed from their webpages by using the Print function on the upper right side of the screen.

9-1-1 emergency calls

English • Spanish • Chinese • Korean • Russian • Somali • Ukrainian • Vietnamese • Large Type

Anthrax

English • Spanish • Chinese • Korean • Russian • Somali • Ukrainian • Vietnamese • Large Type

Bomb threats

English • Spanish • Chinese • Korean • Russian • Somali • Ukrainian • Vietnamese • Large Type

Botulism

English • Spanish • Chinese • Korean • Russian • Somali • Ukrainian • Vietnamese • Large Type

Brucellosis

Chemical agents

English • Spanish • Chinese • Korean • Russian • Somali • Ukrainian • Vietnamese • Large Type

Children (how to help them after a disaster)

English • Spanish • Cambodian • Chinese • Korean • Russian • Somali • Ukrainian • Vietnamese • Large Type

Carbon monoxide poisoning

English • Spanish • Chinese • Korean • Russian • Somali • Ukrainian • Vietnamese

Cold weather

English • Spanish • Chinese • Korean • Russian • Somali • Ukrainian • Vietnamese • Large Type

Contact list (out-of-area telephone numbers)

English • Spanish • Chinese • Korean • Russian • Somali • Ukrainian • Vietnamese • Large Type

Cover your cough

English • Spanish • Cambodian • Chinese • Korean • Russian • Somali • Ukrainian • Vietnamese

Deaf and hard of hearing (preparedness tips)

English • Spanish • Chinese • Korean • Russian • Somali • Ukrainian • Vietnamese • Large Type

Earthquakes

English • Spanish • Chinese • Korean • Russian • Somali • Ukrainian • Vietnamese • Large Type

Ebola

English • Spanish • Chinese • French • Korean • Russian • Somali • Ukrainian • Vietnamese

E. coli

English • Spanish • Chinese • Korean • Russian • Somali • Ukrainian • Vietnamese

Enterovirus N68

English • Spanish • Chinese • Korean • Russian • Somali • Ukrainian • Vietnamese

Floods

English • Spanish • Chinese • Korean • Russian • Somali • Ukrainian • Vietnamese • Large Type

Floods (how to clean your basement after a flood)

English • Spanish • Chinese • Korean • Russian • Somali • Ukrainian • Vietnamese

Fires in the home

English • Spanish • Chinese • Korean • Russian • Somali • Ukrainian • Vietnamese • Large Type

Generators (how to use them safely)

English • Spanish • Chinese • Korean • Russian • Somali • Ukrainian • Vietnamese • Large Type

Germs (how to avoid spreading them)

English • Spanish • Cambodian • Chinese • Korean • Russian • Somali • Ukrainian • Vietnamese • Large Type

Glanders

Home preparedness for emergencies

English • Spanish • Cambodian • Chinese • Korean • Russian • Somali • Ukrainian • Vietnamese • Large Type

Hot weather precautions

English • Spanish • Chinese • Korean • Russian • Somali • Ukrainian • Vietnamese • Large Type

Hypothermia

English • Spanish • Chinese • Korean • Russian • Somali • Ukrainian • Vietnamese

Landslides and mud flows

English • Spanish • Chinese • Korean • Russian • Somali • Ukrainian • Vietnamese • Large Type

Medical needs (preparedness tips)

English • Spanish • Chinese • Korean • Russian • Somali • Ukrainian • Vietnamese • Large Type

Medicine (how to get it during a public health emergency)

English • Spanish • Chinese • Korean • Russian • Somali • Ukrainian • Vietnamese • Large Type

Mobility disabilities (preparedness tips)

English • Spanish • Chinese • Korean • Russian • Somali • Ukrainian • Vietnamese • Large Type

Pandemic flu

English • Spanish • Chinese • Korean • Russian • Somali • Ukrainian • Vietnamese • Large Type

Also see our Pandemic Flu webpages

Pets (how to care for them in an emergency)

English • Spanish • Chinese • Korean • Russian • Somali • Ukrainian • Vietnamese • Large Type

Poisoning

English • Spanish • Large Type

Power outages

English • Spanish • Chinese • Korean • Russian • Somali • Ukrainian • Vietnamese • Large Type

Psychological and emotional needs resulting from disaster

English • Spanish • Chinese • Korean • Russian • Somali • Ukrainian • Vietnamese • Large Type

Pneumonic plague

English • Spanish • Chinese • Korean • Russian • Somali • Ukrainian • Vietnamese • Large Type

Radiation

Radiation fact sheets from the the Office of Radiation Protection

What you should know if there is an attack involving radiation (English only)
How to reduce exposure to radiation (English only)

Radioactive materials

English • Spanish • Chinese • Korean • Russian • Somali • Ukrainian • Vietnamese • Large Type

Sewage spills (how to clean up after)

English • Spanish • Chinese • Korean • Russian • Somali • Ukrainian • Vietnamese

Shelter-in-place

English • Spanish • Chinese • Korean • Russian • Somali • Ukrainian • Vietnamese • Large Type

Smallpox

English • Spanish • Chinese • Korean • Russian • Somali • Ukrainian • Vietnamese • Large Type

Smartphone use in an emergency

English • Spanish

Supplies you will need in an emergency

English • Spanish • Cambodian • Chinese • Korean • Russian • Somali • Ukrainian • Vietnamese • Large Type

Terrorism

English • Spanish • Chinese • Korean • Russian • Somali • Ukrainian • Vietnamese • Large Type

Tsunamis

English • Spanish • Chinese • Korean • Russian • Somali • Ukrainian • Vietnamese • Large Type

Tularemia

English • Spanish • Chinese • Korean • Russian • Somali • Ukrainian • Vietnamese • Large Type

Utilities (how to shut them off)

English • Spanish • Chinese • Korean • Russian • Somali • Ukrainian • Vietnamese • Large Type

Vehicles (prepare yours for an emergency)

English • Spanish • Chinese • Korean • Russian • Somali • Ukrainian • Vietnamese • Large Type

Viral hemorrhagic fevers

English • Spanish • Chinese • Korean • Russian • Somali • Ukrainian • Vietnamese • Large Type

Visual disabilities (preparedness tips)

English • Spanish • Chinese • Korean • Russian • Somali • Ukrainian • Vietnamese • Large Type

Volcanoes

English • Spanish • Chinese • Korean • Russian • Somali • Ukrainian • Vietnamese • Large Type

Volunteering - WAserv (Washington State Emergency Register of Volunteers)

Water (how to purify for drinking)

English • Spanish • Chinese • Korean • Russian • Somali • Ukrainian • Vietnamese • Large Type

Water sources in an emergency

English • Spanish • Chinese • Korean • Russian • Somali • Ukrainian • Vietnamese

Water (Treating for drinking during emergencies)

Water (Color, taste and odor problems in drinking water)

Water heaters (how to secure them)

English • Spanish • Chinese • Korean • Russian • Somali • Ukrainian • Vietnamese • Large Type

Wildfires

English • Spanish • Chinese • Korean • Russian • Somali • Ukrainian • Vietnamese • Large Type

Windstorms

English • Spanish • Chinese • Korean • Russian • Somali • Ukrainian • Vietnamese • Large Type