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Responding to a Water, Sanitation, & Hygiene (WASH)-related Emergency

This page contains links to webpages, fact sheets, posters, toolkits, and other relevant information to help public health professionals, water utilities, first responders, health care professionals, and others respond to WASH-related emergencies.

Responding to a WASH-related Emergency

Drinking Water and Drinking Water Advisories

Hauled Water or Bulk Water Delivery

Hygiene, Handwashing, Diapering, and Clean-up

Sanitation and Wastewater

Flood Waters

  • CDC. Floods. Guidance on the risks of infectious disease, chemical hazards, and injuries associated with exposure to flood waters or flooded buildings.

Worker Safety

Community Shelters or Mass Care

  • CDC. Infection Control Guidance for Community Evacuation Centers Following Disasters. Recommendations for basic infection control guidance to prevent exposure to or transmission of infectious diseases in temporary community evacuation centers.
  • CDC. Shelters. Shelters provide a safe place for individuals affected by emergency events to reside. These shelters can provide a variety of services such as water, food, sleeping quarters, sanitation facilities, and medical care. Many critical functions occur in shelters; examples include conducting shelter assessments, testing drinking water supplies, conducting food safety inspections, and evaluating general safety and sanitation.
  • CDC. Public Health Surveillance After a Disaster: Shelter Assessment Tool. CDC has developed an Environmental Health Shelter Assessment Tool to assist environmental health practitioners in conducting a rapid assessment of shelter conditions during emergencies and disasters. The tool is an assessment form that covers 14 general areas of environmental health, ranging from basic food safety and water quality to pet (companion animal) wellness, and allows for the documentation of immediate needs in shelters. It can be easily modified to meet local needs.

Water-related Diseases and Illnesses

Educational and Health Promotion Materials

Drinking Water: Fact Sheets

Make Water Safe

Drink Safe Water

Hygiene and Handwashing: Fact Sheet
Diapering: Posters
Wound Care: Podcast

Emergency Wound Care After a Disaster (0:29)

Summary: This podcast discusses how to care for a wound after an emergency or disaster.

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