ABOUT US

The Emergency Preparedness & Response Program at OCCHD is responsible for limiting the impacts of emergencies on our residents, with the primary goal of protecting the public’s health. Accomplishing this requires our staff to take critical roles in both preparedness and response.

PREPAREDNESS:

Since 2003, we have been developing and testing plans for how OCCHD will respond to threats to the public’s health. Our response plans have an all-hazards approach addressing risks that range from natural disasters or disease outbreaks, to deliberate acts of terrorism involving the use of biological agents. Through planning and training, OCCHD improves our ability to respond quickly when one of these emergencies occurs in our community.

RESPONSE:

When an emergency happens in Oklahoma County, OCCHD is ready to rapidly deploy trained personnel to handle any public health needs. In coordination with trained partners and volunteers, our staff work to reduce the effects of an emergency through providing high-quality care and resources to our first responders and residents.

When an emergency ends, our work isn’t over: before we start planning for the next problem, we focus on recovering from the last one. By working closely with our partners, the affected area has ongoing access to resources to help them through the aftermath and restore normalcy to their lives.

While we are always working to protect you, it is important for you to know how to keep you and your loved ones safer and healthier when a disaster strikes. We encourage you to explore the resources on these pages to find ways you can improve emergency preparedness in your home, neighborhood, workplace, or community.

This program is supported with funding through the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Public Health Emergency Preparedness grant, Public Health Crisis Response cooperative agreement, and other supplemental emergency response grants when available.

Communities and Businesses

Building strong and resilient communities requires a “whole community” approach. This means city, state, and federal agencies, health care facilities, community leaders, and local organizations all have important roles in improving Oklahoma City’s ability to respond to and recover from natural and intentional disasters and emergencies impacting our jurisdiction.

One of the ways OCCHD helps to foster a connected community is through our Push Partner Program. This program improves preparedness collaboration between the health department and both public and private employers through coordinated preparedness planning and training. In the event of an emergency requiring medication distribution, such as a deliberate anthrax attack, Push Partners can receive medication to disperse to their own personnel and their families, expediting the delivery of life-saving drugs to our residents. Additional details about this program can be found on our Push Partner page.

Through a similar program, OCCHD supplies emergency resources to organizations providing residential care for high-risk patients or residents experiencing disparities. Nursing homes, assisted living or independent living centers, correctional facilities, inpatient care facilities (e.g. mental health, high-risk pediatric care, etc.), and the housing authority can receive emergency medical countermeasures on behalf of residents in their care when they register to become a Sheltered In Population (SIP) Partner. Additional details about this program can be found on our SIP Partner page.

The last step in bringing critical resources directly to the communities impacted by disasters or emergencies is our Point of Dispensing program where we work with local organizations and agencies to identify and prepare to use neighborhood locations to provide medication directly to the residents who aren’t served by either the Push Partner or the SIP Partner programs. Private residents can learn more about this program by checking out the Emergency Medication Distribution page.

Through these and countless other activities, OCCHD’s Emergency Response Program strives to ensure the health and safety of the citizens and visitors of the city. If your community or business is interested in doing more to be prepared for the next public health threat, we encourage you to explore these helpful links:

Emergency Planning Resources

Continuity of Operations Resources

Cybersecurity Resources

Individuals and Families

Oklahoma families face threats from a wide array of natural hazards, as well as the potential risk of man-made emergencies. Planning ahead can keep you and your loved ones safer and healthier when disaster strikes your neighborhood. There are three important parts to being prepared for any emergency:

MAKE A PLAN:

It’s not possible to predict when a disaster may impact you or your loved ones, so knowing ahead of time where to shelter or how to evacuate can shave valuable minutes off your reaction.

Your plan should include information such as your emergency contacts, evacuation routes, and utilities information such as the location of your gas and water line shut-off valves are.

Once you have the basics outlined, consider your family make-up: some family members have extra risk or special requirements during emergencies. Here are some additional resources to help include these needs in your plan:

Preparedness for Specific Groups

More information on how to build an Emergency Action Plan can be found at Ready.gov’s Make A Plan page, or the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Plan Ahead page.

BUILD AN EMERGENCY KIT:

The next step in being prepared is gathering your supplies. Each family’s emergency kit will look different, but every kit should have a minimum supply of food, water, and medications to get your family through the first three days following an emergency or disaster, as well as some common items to make this time as safe and comfortable as possible.

Water. Keep at least a 3-day supply of water for each person, stored in plastic containers. Each person needs 1 gallon of water each day.

Food. Store at least a 3-day supply of nonperishable food such as canned meat, beans, vegetables, fruit and juices, peanut butter or other high-energy food, and unsalted crackers. Keep a nonelectric can opener handy. If you have pets, stock up on canned pet food.

Infant care. Store baby formula and water to prepare it if a child is not breastfed. If you need to evacuate quickly, bring towels or sheets to carry a baby instead of a bulky stroller.

Other supplies. Make sure you have large plastic bags that seal for water-proofing important papers, a battery-powered flashlight and radio with extra batteries, and a first aid kit.

Pack your kit into easy-to-carry containers stored where you can access them quickly and safely in an emergency.

Follow the links for more information and help in creating emergency kits:

KNOW THE THREATS:

At OCCHD, we encourage all Oklahoma County residents to prepare for an emergency of ANY type, however some hazards are more common in our neighborhoods than others. For additional information about each of the most common threats we face here, please see our Potential Hazards page.

PRACTICE MAKES PERFECT!

Once you have your plan, kit, and information, don’t forget to practice!

Yearly

Practice evacuation of your home and neighborhood
Check and update neighborhood maps

Twice a Year

Check and confirm contact lists
Keep Emergency Kits up to date

EMERGENCY MEDICATION DISTRIBUTION:

Once disaster strikes, it’s time to put your plan in motion. You’ve grabbed your kit, collected your family, and followed the directions provided by your local first responders, but now what?

During certain types of emergencies, OCCHD’s Emergency Preparedness and Response Program may open public Points of Dispensing (PODs). A POD is a neighborhood location where the health department can quickly distribute medications to a large number of people. We may use PODs to hand out pill medications, such as antibiotics or antivirals, or to administer vaccines. When a POD is distributing pills, only one person from each household is required to pick up the whole family’s medications. Vaccines require that every family member attend the POD for treatment.

If you visit a POD during an emergency, you will need to fill out paperwork about yourself and anyone with you receiving care. This may be in the form of a vaccine consent form or a NAPH form for pill distribution. NAPH stands for Name, Address, and Personal History, and both forms will require you to answer questions about each patient’s medical conditions, medications, allergies, weight, and age.

To help save time at the POD, you can access the forms ahead of time at the following links:

NAPH Form (Español)
NAPH Form Instructions (Español) (Tiếng Việt)
OCCHD Notice of Privacy Practices (Español) (Tiếng Việt)
Common Medications List for Self-Screening
Vaccine Consent Form

This program is designed to keep healthy people from getting sick during public health emergencies and should only be used by individuals who have no potential exposure to the agent or disease we are hoping to protect against. We will not be able to see individuals experiencing illness through our POD locations; these residents should instead see their physician to determine the best course of treatment for their condition. For more information on the medications that may be provided during this kind of emergency, you can visit our Countermeasures Fact Sheets page.

Coping with Disasters

Disasters and emergencies are traumatic and the stress of experiencing these events can temporarily impact the way you feel, think, and act. While everyone responds to stress differently, there are common signs you can look for to evaluate yourself after such an event:

Mental: Difficulty focusing and remembering.

Physical: Rapid heartbeat, headaches, dizziness, chills, sweating. You may also have trouble sleeping, experience changes in eating habits (such as not being hungry, or being overly hungry), and feel fatigued.

Emotional: Shock, disbelief, fear, and anger.

Behavioral: Prone to outbursts which may cause difficulty at home or work. People may say you aren’t acting like yourself – you may be described as being argumentative or withdrawn.

If you are experiencing stress after a traumatic event, there are ways to help yourself recover. Visit the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Taking Care of your Emotional Health and Coping with Stress to find some of these techniques as well as more resources to help.

If things aren’t getting better, you are unable to function or perform basic tasks, are utilizing substances such as drugs or alcohol to cope with your stress, or are becoming depressed, then it is time to seek professional help. Free resources to help connect you to the right kind of help include:

2-1-1: Call 211
Disaster Distress Hotline: 1-800-985-5990
Mental Health Association Oklahoma: 405-943-3700
Suicide Prevention: 1-800-273-TALK (8255)
Veterans Crisis Line: 1-800-273-8255 (Press 1)

GET INVOLVED:

Join the OKMRC: Oklahoma’s Medical Reserve Corp (OKMRC) is a trained group of health professionals and non-medical volunteers. Oklahoma County’s MRC unit is always looking for new members who want to use their skills and abilities in many public health initiatives including immunization, vaccination, education, and local level emergency planning and preparedness. For questions, call (405) 419-4236.

Prepare your community: Developing a local support network can help you and your neighbors be more resilient against disasters, as emergency responders won’t always be able to get into your neighborhood right away. Working together to identify community needs and resources can save lives, and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has resources on their Create Community page to help.

Potential Hazards

The first priority in wildfire situations is following the evacuation and safety instructions of local and state fire officials. You can be prepared to evacuate safely by having your Emergency Kit packed and knowing multiple routes out of your neighborhood in case one or more are blocked by fire, debris, or first responders.
For information on how to prepare your property for the threat of wildfire, visit the Oklahoma Forestry Services Prepare for Fire page. There you can find ways to protect your home, yard, and deck, as well as what to do if wildfire is approaching, and how to recover after a fire. Their Ready, Set, Go! program includes templates and checklists to help you get started.
Additional guides and resources can also be found on Ready.gov’s Wildfires page, Oklahoma City’s Prepare OKC – Wildfires page, and Oklahoma Department of Emergency Management’s (OEM’s) Wildfire Preparedness page.

Flooding is one of the most common hazards in the U.S. and can be extremely dangerous if you fail to evacuate a flooding area or try to cross flood waters. If you are in an evacuation zone, you should collect your Emergency Kit and follow the recommended evacuation route to safety. If you encounter flooded roads, remember “Turn Around, Don’t Drown!” Flood waters can move at high speeds that are strong enough to move or tip a vehicle or could be hiding a washed out road from view. If you are unable to evacuate, move to a higher floor or higher ground while you wait for the flood to end.

When returning to a home that’s been flooded, be aware that your house may be contaminated with mold or sewage, which can cause health risks for your family. Additionally, public health officials may issue boil orders for your water supply to keep you safe from pathogens that could make you extremely sick – it is important to follow these guidelines until officials give the all-clear.

For more information and tips on preparing for and staying safe in a flood, you can visit Ready.gov’s Floods page, Oklahoma City’s Prepare OKC – Floods page, and OEM’s Flooding Preparedness page.

Lightning is the top weather-related cause of injury and death. All thunderstorms produce lightning, a hazard that kills people in Oklahoma every year. In fact, with about 1 million lightning strikes in Oklahoma per year, that means about 50 will fall within one mile of your current location.

You are at greatest risk of being struck by lightning if you are outside during a storm, so the most important thing you can do to stay safe is move indoors or into a hard-topped vehicle as soon as you hear thunder. Once inside, avoid using anything connected to an electrical outlet and wait to run water until after the storm has passed. More information on staying safe during a lightning storm can be found on Oklahoma City’s Prepare OKC – Lightning page and OEM’s Lightning Preparedness page.

When a storm has just the right conditions, it can form a tornado. While tornadoes are most common in Oklahoma during the spring and early summer, they can occur at any time of the year if conditions are right.

To be prepared for a tornado, it is important for you to have multiple ways to get your weather information, in case one way becomes unavailable during the storm. The City of Oklahoma City offers an Accessible Hazard Alert System which you can find more information about on their website, and OEM offers the OK-WARN system to provide emergency alerts for deaf and hard-of-hearing Oklahomans. When a tornado watch is issued for your area, you should be prepared with your Emergency Kit to seek shelter quickly if a warning is announced. The best shelter will be in a basement or in a storm shelter designed to withstand tornado-force winds, but if you don’t have either of those available to you, get to the lowest, farthest-inside point of your house possible. You can find more details about tornado safety at Oklahoma City’s Prepare OKC – Tornadoes page, at OEM’s Tornado Preparedness page, and Ready.gov’s Tornadoes page.

Stay weather-aware during and after a storm, as flash flooding can follow thunderstorms, and always report fallen power lines to your utilities company right away.

While winter weather only occurs during a short time in Oklahoma, the effects of being unprepared for these events can be just as deadly as any of the others listed above. It is unlikely that you would be evacuated due to a winter storm, but that means you need to be ready to shelter in place, possibly for days.

Before the threat of winter weather is on your doorstep, be sure your home is prepared with adequate insulation, a well-maintained furnace, and an Emergency Kit that includes supplies to help you stay warm for at least 72 hours.
Remember, when winter storms take out the electricity, alternate heating methods often increase your risk for carbon monoxide poisoning, so test the battery on your CO detector every year, and again before starting any supplemental heat equipment.
Be sure to practice the winter hazards section of your Family Plan at the beginning of the season to ensure everyone remembers what to do. To ensure your plan addresses all areas of winter preparedness, you can visit Oklahoma City’s Prepare OKC – Winter Weather page, OEM’s Winter Weather Preparedness page, Ready.gov’s Winter Weather page, or the National Weather Service’s Winter Preparedness page. If you have a family member or neighbor with access or functional needs, Easterseals provides additional planning resources on their website.

Since the 1980s the number and variety of infectious disease outbreaks have increased significantly. While this may be due in-part to better identification of what is making people sick, continued improvement in prevention measures, early detection, control, and treatment of these diseases are necessary to protect the health and livelihoods of our populace. This is what your local county health department does best!

Sometimes, an outbreak is called an “epidemic” – this is a large outbreak, where the disease spreads rapidly to many people. The next step up is a pandemic, or a global-level outbreak. When a disease outbreak is classified as an epidemic or a pandemic, this means that it is requiring significantly more resources than a local outbreak would. For you, this can mean longer wait-times at healthcare providers and hospitals, or difficulty getting certain medications and supplies at the store or pharmacy. Usually, these disease outbreaks last much longer and are harder to bring under control than a local-level outbreak, so they cause many more cases of illness and death.

To be prepared for a local outbreak, epidemic, or pandemic, be sure your Family Plan includes provisions for what to do if medical services are disrupted in your area, and how you will refill prescriptions if your regular pharmacy is closed or overwhelmed. In your Emergency Kit pack some hand sanitizer, cleaning spray, and disposable masks.

In the event of a disease outbreak in your area, you may be asked to stay in your home or to wear certain protective gear if you must go out in public. These measures, along with frequently washing your hands, staying away from others who may be ill, and cleaning surfaces more frequently, will help reduce the spread of germs in your home, workspace, and community. Because different diseases will have different impacts, it is important to follow all recommendations provided by public health officials like OCCHD or the CDC.

Additionally, sometimes we may have medications or vaccinations which can help keep you safe during an outbreak. Stay informed about your options through monitoring our website, local news announcements, and social media accounts, and ask your doctor or physician for their recommendation if you aren’t sure what to do.

You can find more information about pandemic planning for you and your family on Ready.gov’s Pandemic page.

To contact OCCHD regarding pandemic planning, email us at [email protected].

Bioterrorism is defined as the deliberate use of bacteria, viruses, or toxins to cause disease in people, livestock, or crops. Some commonly recognized examples include anthrax and plague bacteria, smallpox and Ebola viruses, and botulism and ricin toxins.

While only a small number of the hundreds of bacteria and viruses that exist are naturally viable as terrorist weapons, those that can be weaponized can cause great harm even in small amounts. The extremely small size of some biological agents means they can remain airborne for hours if effectively dispersed in the air (“aerosolized”), increasing the number of people who can inhale them during one terrorist event. Other biological agents could be introduced on surfaces that are then touched, or on food that is then eaten.

Each biological agent is different, so the nature and scope of a public health response to a terrorist-launched disease outbreak will be dictated by the specific biological agent used and the extent the disease has spread before being detected.

Biological agents are not always easily detected and some take time to grow before causing illness, therefore it can be difficult to pinpoint when an attack occurred. Beyond making investigation harder, some agents – smallpox and plague, for instance – have the potential for person-to-person disease transmission before symptoms are linked to their cause. In these situations, it may be hard to tell who is exposed, so preventive medications like vaccines, antivirals, or antibiotics may be offered to large groups of the population. You can learn more about the public medication distribution program by checking out the Emergency Medication Distribution page.

Other situations might call for the isolation of infected individuals for care and treatment or the quarantining of exposed individuals for observation until we can be sure they aren’t sick. Still others may best be addressed through shelter-in-place or evacuation strategies.

While the specific details of a bio-terrorist attack will change the way OCCHD responds, preparing at home is much the same as preparing for any of the natural disasters or disease outbreak scenarios above:
Ensure you have a Family Plan that includes evacuation routes and destinations.
Ensure your Emergency Kit is packed and ready to go, with at least 3 days of any supplies you will need. It is recommended to carry at least 2 weeks of prescription medications, to ensure you have plenty of time to get them refilled.
Practice your plan and talk with your family about what to expect.

However, when we talk about man-made disasters, it is also important to know how to seal a room for your safety. This is a mechanism to prevent outside air from coming into the space you are in and may be recommended by public health officials in cases of airborne contaminants. To do this, you should turn off all things that move air (HVAC, air conditioners, fans, etc.) and block the edges of windows and doors with plastic sheeting and duct tape until officials say it is safe to leave. You can find more information about sealing a room at the CDC’s Shelter in Place page and on Ready.gov’s Shelter page.

In the event of a bio-terrorist attack, local, state, and federal public health resources would be available and involved in our response. Emergency rooms may be crowded and unable to take patients quickly, so take care to avoid any preventable injury or illness during this time. Monitoring local news and radio stations, as well as OCCHD’s website and social media accounts, will provide you the most up-to-date information on the situation.
You can find more information related to biological, chemical, and radiological exposures on the

CDC’s National Center for Environmental Health Emergency Response page or Ready.gov’s Bioterrorism,

Chemical Emergencies, and Radiation Emergencies pages.

Emergency Response Fact Sheets

Other Biological Agents

Food and Water Safety

Food may not be safe to eat during and after an emergency. Water may not be safe to drink, clean with, or bathe in after an emergency such as a tornado or flood because it can become contaminated with bacteria, sewage, agricultural or industrial waste, chemicals, and other substances that can cause illness or death. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has information about keeping your food and water safe, which you can access here.

To contact OCCHD regarding pandemic planning, email us at [email protected].

Preparedness for Specific Groups

Expectant Parents

It can cause enough anxiety trying to prepare for a new baby to arrive any day that considering how to prepare for unexpected dangers may seem impossible, but there are things you can do to be prepared and ensure a safe delivery.

Ask your provider where you will go for care or delivery if the hospital is closed or inaccessible from where you live.
Be sure your Family Plan includes how you will contact each other and where you will meet in different situations.
Pack your Emergency Kit to include baby supplies for at least 72 hours. Include different sized diapers in case standard NB size is not the best fit for your baby.
Stay informed. The City of Oklahoma City offers an Accessible Hazard Alert System which you can find more information about on their website, and OEM offers the OK-WARN system to provide emergency alerts for deaf and hard-of-hearing Oklahomans.

For more information, you can visit the CDC’s Disaster Planning for Parents page.

Preparing Your Infant For An Emergency

Packing an Emergency Kit to include an infant means ensuring you have enough bottles and food to last at least 3 days, along with diapers of the appropriate size, and any medications your baby might need. Also consider how you will keep your baby safe during sleep if you need to leave your home quickly – to reduce the risk of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS) it is recommended for babies to always sleep on their own sleeping surface with no pillows, blankets, or toys, so a portable crip or bassinet will be safest. More information on how to protect you and your new baby during an emergency can be found on our Preparing Your Infant for an Emergency handout and at the CDC’s Natural Disaster Safety for Expecting and New Parents page.

Breastfeeding During An Emergency

When an emergency occurs, breastfeeding saves lives by:

Protecting babies from the risks of a contaminated water supply
Protecting babies from respiratory illness and diarrhea – diseases that can be fatal in populations displaced by disaster

The basics of breastfeeding during an emergency are much the same as they are normally. Continuing to breastfeed whenever the baby seems hungry maintains a mother’s milk supply and is calming to both mother and baby. La Leche League International has information on how to breastfeed in an emergency, even if you have been giving your baby formula.

Children

When your child is home with you, preparing for an emergency follows the same formula as normal: Have a Family Plan prepare your Emergency Kit to include a 3-day supply of everything you need including entertainment options to help keep your child calm, and stay informed through multiple information pathways.

Depending on the age of your child and the time of year, you may not always be together as a family unit when an emergency happens. Knowing the school or childcare facility’s emergency plan ahead of time can help reduce parental anxiety if the plan needs to be activated. Some things to know include where they will shelter or evacuate to, and how to contact them afterward. You can find more information about how to plan for and protect your family during emergencies here:

To help reduce your child’s stress during an emergency, consider talking through the different emergencies that could occur in your neighborhood and what steps they will need to take before an emergency happens. This will help them feel more comfortable and confident if you need to put your plan in action. You can find more information about preparing your child for an emergency and caring for their emotional health following one on these pages:

Older Adults

Advanced age may come with the benefit of having experienced a particular type of disaster before and knowing what to expect and how to respond, but it also comes with the potential for distinct challenges such as more difficult mobility or the complication of managing chronic health conditions during the emergency.

As with all other groups of people, you or the person you care for can be prepared for an emergency by having an Emergency Plan, preparing an Emergency Kit, and having multiple ways to stay informed of the situation. The emergency plan should include a backup plan for how to access food or medical services if you or the person you care for rely on support services such as in-home healthcare or meal delivery, and the emergency kit will need t include any medical devices that support physical conditions, such as a CPAP machine or mobility device.

Individuals needing transport for medical care during an emergency can contact 2-1-1 for referral to their best option.

More information on how to care for yourself or your older community members during a disaster can be found on these pages:

All individuals should take the time to plan for survival at home, in a shelter, or elsewhere in the event of an actual emergency by having an Emergency Plan, preparing an Emergency Kit, and having multiple ways to stay informed of the situation. However, individuals with a condition, temporary or permanent, that will limit their ability to act during an emergency must be especially prepared. This includes community members with disabilities and health conditions that affect their ability to react in emergency situations, but also individuals with limited English proficiency, those who do not have independent means of transportation, and people with limited financial resources. Because of these conditions or situations, they are at higher risk for negative impacts during and following an emergency, and being fully prepared can help to reduce those impacts.

Now is the time to plan ahead for what you or the person you care for may need to stay safe, healthy, informed, mobile, and independent during a disaster. Remember that a disaster may require sheltering-in-place at home or evacuating to an emergency shelter or other form of temporary housing, so your emergency kit should include everything you would need to stay in place for at least 3 days and also everything needed to relocate on little or no notice. If the factors increasing risk for you or the person you care for limit your ability to have these items pre-packed, be sure you have a list of things that are not in your emergency kit so that nothing is forgotten during the rush of evacuation.

Please see the following websites for more information:

Disaster Information for People with Chronic Conditions and Disabilities

When preparing an emergency kit for a person who is blind or has low vision, ensure that all supplies and materials are available in either Braille or large print, and don’t forget to include communications equipment to help in the event of an emergency relocation.

OCCHD will make emergency-specific emergency response material in large print at all public Points of Dispensing (PODs), and you can find additional information on emergency preparedness in large print here.

Another useful tool for people who are blind or have low vision is video description. This is audio-narrated descriptions of a television program’s key visual elements which are inserted into natural pauses in the program’s dialogue. Video description makes TV programming more accessible to individuals who are blind or visually impaired, which can be especially helpful during times of emergency to get up-to-the-minute information. To learn more about video description and if it is available on the Oklahoma City stations you watch, please contact your local TV station or refer to this document from the Federal Communications Commission.

Below are narration assisted audio files of all our forms and fact sheets to ensure these are accessible to you and the people you care for.

Narration Assisted Audio Files
POD Drug Pick-Up
NAPH Form Instructions
NAPH Form

Anthrax Audio Files:
Anthrax Fact Sheet
Doxycycline Fact Sheet
Doxycycline Pediatric Dosing Table
Ciprofloxacin Fact Sheet
Ciprofloxacin Pediatric Dosing Table
Amoxicillin Fact Sheet
Amoxicillin Pediatric Dosing Table
Additional Antibiotic Treatment Form

Plague Audio Files:
Plague Fact Sheet
Ciprofloxacin Fact Sheet
Ciprofloxacin Pediatric Dosing Table
Doxycycline Fact Sheet
Doxycycline Pediatric Dosing Table

Living with a chronic illness or condition likely means that you have advanced care needs to consider when planning for emergencies. The specific needs you have will depend on the condition you are living with, and the CDC has provided a variety of resources that could be helpful on their Disaster Information for People with Chronic Conditions page.

Generally, you will want to prepare for medication needs ahead of time. Talk with your doctor about how to create an emergency supply of medications and know what your options are for receiving refills if your usual pharmacy is closed or inaccessible. If you take medications which require refrigeration, consider how you will keep those properly stored, and if you might need to evacuate or shelter with children, consider how you will keep your medications out of their reach.

More information about managing chronic illness during a disaster can be found on the National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion page.

There are many resources to help make getting emergency information easier for people who are deaf or hard of hearing. The National Weather Service has ensured that National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) All-Hazards Radios are available with visual and vibrating alarm features, or you can purchase sensory bundles which will plug into the radio to provide a pillow shaker and strobe light. Another great way to get information is the Oklahoma Department of Emergency Management and Homeland Security (ODEMHS) OK-WARNsystem, or the Oklahoma City Accessible Hazard Alerts System (AHAS).

When preparing an emergency kit for use by an individual who is deaf or hard of hearing, consider including additional supplies to support communication, such as additional hearing aid batteries, or a pen and pad of paper.

OCCHD ensures all Points of Dispensing (POD) are accessible to our community members who are deaf or hard of hearing by providing ASL translators when possible or software supported ASL translation services when not. If you or the person you care for is deaf or hard of hearing but not fluent in ASL we will provide one-on-one support during the POD experience through pen and paper communication.

American Sign Language
This link provides American Sign Language (ASL) video resources for the deaf and hard of hearing communities for all types of emergencies, including Anthrax and Plague, that could happen in OKC/County. Click on the link and then choose from the list of videos that you want to see. Scroll down to the bottom of the page for ASL videos for all POD information starting with Introduction to the POD (Point of Dispensing).

Being unhoused creates additional barriers to being prepared for an emergency, as you may not have access to updated information and maintaining a well-stocked Emergency Kit will be especially difficult. More information about building a low or no cost emergency kit can be found on Ready.gov. Dealing with emergencies can be made easier by knowing the local community resources and having a plan each day about where to go in the event of an emergency. If you care for someone who is unhoused, ensure your Family Plan has a rally point where you can go to find them after the emergency ends.

More information about resources available in Oklahoma City to support residents experiencing homelessness you can call 2-1-1, visit heartlineoklahoma.org, or download the Homelessness Response Resource Guide created by the Downtown OKC Partnership.

OCCHD Point of Dispensing services are provided free of charge during public health emergencies, and locations and times will be shared with local homeless support groups to spread the message. You will need to have an official form of identification with you for registration.

Planning for an emergency when you live with limited mobility or a mobility disability means ensuring you have everything you need to get around if you are asked to leave your home on little or no notice. Be sure your emergency kit includes extra durable medical equipment, such as a can or walker, or that you have a lightweight manual wheelchair available. If you use a power wheelchair, have a backup battery charged.

OCCHD ensures all locations identified as public Points of Dispensing (PODs) are evaluated for general accessibility during POD setup and alternative service paths will be available if the primary path is not accessible. During a public health emergency, OCCHD is prepared to assist residents at our PODs by providing manual wheelchairs, simply ask a greeter and we will be happy to help!

Sensory sensitivity can be a debilitating side effect of any number of conditions, or it can occur on its own during periods of high stress such as during an emergency. To support our residents with sensory sensitivities, OCCHD has partnered with the Autism Foundation of Oklahoma to have Sensory Kits available during all Point of Dispensing (POD) operations. These kits include sound canceling headphones, sunglasses, fidgets, and weighted lap blankets which can be used to provide some sensory relief during the stress of a public health emergency. If you or someone you care for needs this support, ask the nearest POD employee and they will bring a kit for you to borrow during your time at our POD.

To include our community members who are not native English speakers, OCCHD has preparedness documents available on our webpage in both Spanish and Vietnamese.

Whenever possible we provide translators at OCCHD Point of Dispensing (POD) events. When a translator for your language is not available, we utilize translating software which has a large variety of language options to help us communicate with you.

Pets are part of our family, so don’t forget to include them in your Emergency Plan. Not all shelters will accept a pet, so knowing where you can go before an evacuation order will ensure you and your pet stay together during the emergency. When preparing your Emergency Kit, include your pet’s microchip number and vaccination records, a picture of your pet to help reunite your if you get separated, and food, water, and entertainment items to last at least 3 days.

More information on pet preparedness can be found at these links:

gov’s Pets
Red Cross’ Pet Disaster Preparedness
ASPCA’s Disaster Preparedness
The Humane Society’s Pet Disaster Preparedness

Public Health Response Information

This section will be updated with Public Health Emergency specific information to help inform your decision-making during health emergencies. During emergencies, this space will be home to dashboards, links to resources, and response-specific forms.

Programs & Services

Useful Links

Location

2600 NE 63rd Street
Oklahoma City, OK 73111
(405) 427-8651
Monday – Friday:
8:00 am – 4:30 pm

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Emergency Preparedness and Response