Skip Navigation
Logo for: City of Meriden, Connecticut

Public Health Emergency Preparedness

OVERVIEW

A public health emergency, whether natural or man-made, may threaten the health and safety of the residents in Meriden at any time. As your local health department, our goal is to minimize the impact of these adverse events through public health emergency preparedness response efforts.

Meriden is part of Region 2, which covers 30 towns in the south-central portion of Connecticut. Staff supports public health emergency preparedness through planning, training, exercising, response, and recovery. This includes:

  •          Maintaining our Public Health Emergency Response Plan
  •          Attending and participating in drills and exercises
  •          Providing community education
WHAT CAN YOU DO TO PREPARE?

#1 - Build A Kit

An emergency kit is important to have in place before a disaster strikes. It is recommended to gather supplies that will last for several days after a disaster for everyone living in your home, in the event you have to leave quickly and can’t return for a couple of days.

If you are just planning to build your kit, consider making one with the following items. Your kit can be a plastic bin, duffle bag, or back pack with the following:

  •          Bottled water and non-perishable food or food with a long shelf-life, such as granola bars.
  •          A flashlight.
  •          A first aid kit and medications.
  •          Copies of important family documents.
  •          Items for Infants and small children, such as formula, bottles, diapers, and wipes.
  •          Pet supplies, such as food and medication.
  •          Money.
  •          A change of clothes. 
  •          A charger for your cell phone, and 
  •          Personal hygiene items, including feminine hygiene products.

When building you kit, don’t forget to consider the unique needs each person or pet in your home. Check your bag every spring and fall to make sure it is up-to-date.

#2 - Make A Plan

Your emergency plan can help you think about:

  •          The types of emergencies that could happen close to you,
  •          List what you will do and need in an emergency, and
  •          Helps you tell people who support you how to help you in an emergency.

 To start, it may help to ask yourself and your family a few questions such as:

  •      How will you receive emergency alerts and warnings? Is it by cell phone or email?
  •      What emergencies that may require your family to shelter in place (such as a winter storm), vs. emergencies that may require evacuation (such as a hurricane)?
  •      What is your family/household communication plan in emergencies? How will you communicate with each other?
  •      Do you need to update your emergency preparedness kit?

 

Consider: Plan for the emergencies that are most likely to happen where you live:

  •      Be familiar with natural disaster risks in your community. For example, in Meriden, we can get a lot of snow that can lead to power outages.
  •      Consider how you will respond to emergencies that can happen anywhere and at any time, such as home fires and floods.
  •      Think about emergencies that may require your family to shelter in place (such as a winter storm), versus emergencies that may require evacuation (such as a hurricane).

Consider: Plan what to do in case you are separated during an emergency:

  •       Choose two places to meet up:
    •    Right outside your home in case of a sudden emergency, such as a fire
    •    Outside your neighborhood, in case you cannot return home or are asked to evacuate
  •      Choose an out-of-area emergency contact person. It may be easier to text or call long distance if local phone lines are overloaded or out of service. Carry the emergency contact information in writing and save it on your cell phones.

Consider: Plan what to do if you have to evacuate:

  •      Decide where you would go and what route you would take to get there, such as:
    •    A hotel/motel
    •    The home of friends or relatives a safe distance away, or
    •    An evacuation shelter
  •      Practice evacuating your home twice a year. Grab your emergency kit, just like you will in a real emergency, then drive your planned evacuation route. Plot alternate routes on your map in case roads are impassable. Make sure you have locations and maps saved on devices such as cell phones and GPS units and on paper.
  •      Plan ahead for your pets. Keep a phone list of pet-friendly hotels/motels and animal shelters that are along your evacuation routes.

 

Consider: Plan for everyone in your home:

Some members of your household may need special accommodation during an emergency, which means planning ahead is even more crucial.

It is important for everyone to understand what to do in an emergency. Share your plan with the people who support you. Practice your plan with the people who support you. You can change your plan if needed. Remember to look at your plan and update it every year. You can also update your plan if your needs change.

 

#3 - Be Informed.

One way to stay informed about emergencies in your area is to sign up for the CT ALERT emergency notification system. CT ALERT is a statewide system that enables state and local 911 emergency communication centers to provide essential information quickly in a variety of emergency situations.

 

The City of Meriden participates in CT Alert.  By signing up you will be informed via text, phone call and/or email during emergencies in the Meriden area including public health threats, dangerous weather, fires and public safety incidents.

 

Registering with CT Alert allows you to instantly receive alerts any way you choose - home phone, mobile phone, email, work number, text message. To register text your zip code to 888-777 OR sign up at www.ctalert.gov.

 

SEASONAL PREPAREDNESS RESOURCES