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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:
Extreme Heat. See updates for 2024 heat-related illness statistics and more, here.
Mosquito-Borne Disease. Fight the Bite! West Nile Virus is active in Austin-Travis County. Learn more, here.
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.
Living with a Chronic Health Condition? A disaster or an emergency can be more challenging for people with chronic health conditions such as diabetes, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), or heart disease. Depending on the specific health condition, resources are available to help you prepare and respond. The CDC provides tips for people with chronic diseases. It's important that you be prepared.
Special Consideration for Older Adults - Some aging adults can quickly become vulnerable to the challenges presented by a disaster. The Administration for Community Living has three recommendations for older adults:
- Make sure you have contacts in your community;
- Create an emergency plan and kit; and
- Include pets in your emergency plan
The CDC provides detailed steps for older adults to follow when preparing for a disaster.
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.