Planning & Training for a Water, Sanitation, & Hygiene (WASH)-related Emergency

• The Twin Cities Metro Advanced Practice Center. Environmental Health Emergency Response Guide. [PDF – 72 pages]  A 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.
• WHO. Environmental Health in Emergencies and Disasters: A Practical Guide.
  • Chapter 7 – Water Supply. [PDF – 35 pages]
  • Chapter 8 – Sanitation. [PDF – 21 pages]
• NEHA. Environmental Health Training in Emergency Response. Introductory level training that addresses a range of environmental health topics commonly faced in response to emergency events, including assessing shelter operations, food, water, wastewater, building environments, and vector control.

• CDC. Water Security. Links to information on planning for the protection of water supplies and responding to contamination threats and incidents.
• EPA. Water Security. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) Emergency/Incident Planning enables responders from a variety of jurisdictions to work together effectively when responding to an emergency.
  • Vulnerability Assessments. Tools and training to aid water utilities in assessing their vulnerabilities to adversarial actions.
  • Emergency/Incident Planning. Tools and training to help water utilities develop a plan to respond to emergencies.
  • Emergency Response Plan Guidance for Small and Medium Community Water Systems. [PDF – 45 pages]
  • Tools and Technical Assistance.
    • Water Contaminant Information Tool. A secure, online database developed by the U.S. EPA that provides information on contaminants of concern for water security. As a planning tool, WCIT can be used to help create and update emergency response plans and site-specific response guidelines. As a response tool, WCIT can be used to provide real-time data on water contaminants to help utilities make decisions if contamination occurs.
    • Tabletop Exercise Tool for Water Systems: Emergency Preparedness, Response, and Climate Resiliency (TTX Tool) Overview. Exercises to train water and wastewater utility workers and health officials in preparing and carrying out emergency response plans.

• CDC. Water Advisory Planning Resources & Case Studies. Guidance around drinking water advisory communication, emergency water supply planning for health care facilities, planning for an emergency water supply, and pipe breakage.
• CDC. Community Drinking Water Systems. Guidance for how community drinking water systems can prepare for an emergency situation.
• Gelting RJ, Miller MD. Linking Public Health and Water Utilities to Improve Emergency Response. [PDF – 5 pages] J Contemp Water Res Educ. 2004;(129):22-26.

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

• CDC. Community Wastewater Systems. This page includes documents to help public wastewater utility facilities with planning, training, and responding to emergency incidents.

• CDC. Emergency Water Supply Planning Guide for Hospitals and Health Care Facilities. [PDF – 95 pages] In order to maintain daily operations and patient care services, health care facilities need to develop an Emergency Water Supply Plan (EWSP) to prepare for, respond to, and recover from a total or partial interruption of the facilities’ normal water supply.
• Water Health Connection. Recognizing Waterborne Disease and the Health Effects of Water Pollution. Resources and educational tools to assist physicians in the recognition of waterborne disease and the health effects of water pollution (for example, evaluation and management of disease resulting from waterborne pathogens, chemical contaminants, etc.) and health risk communication.
• Water Health Connection. Physician Preparedness for Acts of Water Terrorism. A guide for physicians to recognize and treat waterborne disease and respond to the symptoms of exposure to water contamination.

Podcast: Planning for an Emergency
Running Time: 3:09
Release Date: 12/20/14

Summary: An emergency kit can help you survive during a disaster. This podcast discusses supplies to include in your kit.