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Would you be ready if there was an emergency?
- Taking a few basic steps can help prepare you and your family for the winter. Follow these winter weather preparedness safety tips to ready yourself for colder weather.
- Make sure you are prepared with everything you need. Use this preparedness checklist to help you build your emergency supply kit.
- Make sure your family knows how you will contact each other in an emergency. Use this Family Communication Plan for contact information for everyone in your family.
- Visit a local emergency preparedness pop up event to learn more about local resources and get tips for staying prepared for various hazards.
We work closely with other local, state, and federal emergency management authorities to plan and prepare for any emergency that affects the health of the public. Public health emergencies include natural disasters, disease outbreaks like pandemic flu, as well as those related to homeland security, such as a biological or chemical terrorist attack
Sign up for emergency alerts with Warn Central Texas.org, an emergency notification system for residents of central Texas. Disaster or public safety alerts are sent by phone, email, or text.
Seasonal Preparedness Updates:
Measles. Learn more about measles and how to protect yourself.
Extreme Heat. See updates for 2024 heat-related illness statistics and more. View the full 2024 Heat-Related Illness Morbidity & Mortality Surveillance Summary Report.
Mosquito-Borne Disease. Fight the Bite! West Nile Virus is active in Austin-Travis County. Learn more here.
Prepare for wildfire season. If you live in an area where the wildfire risk is high, take steps now to prepare for fire season. Being prepared for fire season is especially important for the health of children, older adults, and people with heart or lung disease. Download the flyers in English, Spanish, Vietnamese, Arabic, Korean, French, Hindi and Chinese.
Other Preparedness Resources:
Ready or Not? Have a Plan! When disaster hits, Texans need to be ready. Use the online resources from the Texas Department of State Health Services to build your plan -- including family strategies, handy checklists, and special needs considerations for people with disabilities, the elderly, and pets.
Plan Ahead for Disasters. The national Ready.gov website has comprehensive information and resources to help you prepare for any emergency, such as flooding and extreme heat. It also has guidance on other emergency preparedness topics such as getting informed and getting involved, planning and communication, evacuation, youth preparedness, and financial preparedness.
Special Consideration for People with a Chronic Health Condition. A disaster or an emergency can be more challenging for people with chronic health conditions such as diabetes, chronic kidney disease, or chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). Find tips to prepare for an emergency at: CDC Plan Ahead and Prepare.
If you’re living with diabetes, tips are available at: Diabetes Care During Emergencies | Diabetes | CDC
People with chronic kidney disease can find tips at the National Kidney Foundation website: Planning for Emergencies - A Guide for People with Kidney Disease | National Kidney Foundation
Special Consideration for Older Adults. Some older adults can quickly become vulnerable to the challenges presented by a disaster. The Administration for Community Living, a division of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, recommends that older adults prepare as follows:
- have a network of support;
- create a plan for how to respond;
- prepare a kit of emergency supplies, including medication, any assistive devices, food, and water;
- plan for a pet’s needs.
For heat-related emergencies, the CDC provides recommendations for older adults at CDC Heat and Older Adults.
Pandemic Flu
A pandemic flu is a global disease outbreak, caused by new virus that people have little or no immunity to. Without a vaccine, the disease spreads easily, causing serious illness around the world very quickly. For more information, see the Pandemic Flu webpage.
Other Public Emergencies in the Austin area
For emergency conditions and information on disaster preparedness, visit the City of Austin Office of Homeland Security and Emergency Management.