Emergency Preparedness

National Preparedness Month, '25 Preparedness Starts at Home:

National Preparedness Month is a great time to take small steps to make a big difference in being prepared. Getting yourself, your family and your home ready for emergencies like home fires, power outages and local floods means you’re more prepared for disasters like wildfires, flash flooding, hurricanes and more.

We all have responsibilities for our families, pets, neighbors and communities. By taking steps now, you can be in control of both your safety and those you care about before, during and after a disaster. Think about what you’ll need and how the people in your social circles can help each other. A great place to start is by knowing the risks where you are. Then, make a plan and build an emergency supply kit to help keep yourself and those you love safe and comfortable during and after a disaster. Finally, get involved by keeping up to date with your community’s emergency and disaster plan and working with neighbors to prepare.

When making your plans, make sure you consider any unique needs of those you care for, whether it be medical conditions, loved ones with disabilities, your pets, and any neighbors who might need help getting prepared.

Weather Emergency Preparedness and Recovery

Are You Aware and Prepared?

Think about what you would do if a bad storm, chemical spill, outbreak of flu, or an act of terrorism put you in danger. Would you know how to help yourself and your family?

Each of us can take steps to reduce our risk in any kind of emergency. Plan to be prepared so you can stay safe.

For Families and Individuals

The Information for Families, Individuals, and Caregivers section provides information for parents, people with special needs, pregnant women and others. You can also find fact sheets about natural disasters, like floods or ice storms. You can find out what you need to know about man-made emergencies like a chemical spill or terrorist attack, too.

For Health Care Providers

If you are a health care provider the Information for Health Care Providers site has tools and resources to help guide your response to a health emergency. This includes information you can share with your patients as well as materials to help your practice or facility be ready for an emergency.

Together we can take steps to be more aware and better prepared. Make sure New Yorkers are ready when the next disaster happens. Take time to make a plan now!

- PREPAREDNESS ARCHIVES -

National Preparedness Month, '24 Starting the Conversation:

Talking about bad things that could happen like a disaster or emergency isn’t always easy. We may think we’re protecting the people we love by avoiding these conversations, but they are important to start taking steps to get ready and stay safe.

Starting a conversation today can help you and your family to take more actions to prepare. By taking simple steps, you can build your preparedness at your own pace:

Set aside a time when everyone is calm and relaxed.
It may help to hold the discussions over a set time period, so decisions aren’t rushed, and people feel more comfortable talking about the topic.
Talk about steps you’ve taken to prepare and encourage others to ask questions about preparedness actions that might work for them.

Public Health Resources - Winter 2024

Total Solar Eclipse (4/8/24)

The Cattaraugus County Health Department urged anyone who planned to view the solar eclipse on April 8, 2024 to avoid looking directly at the sun unless they were wearing special eye protection. Without proper protection, viewers run the risk of damaging their retinas, which could cause an inability to see colors, the loss of central vision or even permanent blindness.

Solar Eclipse Safety

In cooperation with StarNet, a limited supply of eclipse viewing glasses were also available at several of the 35 networked Cattaraugus-Chautauqua public libraries. Eclipse viewing glasses can also be returned there for recycling.