Emergency Preparedness and Emergency Background Information

Emergency Preparedness and Emergency Background Information

Take steps to prepare for emergencies, to help meet your and your family's needs. Become better informed on possible emergency situations, to determine the potential risk to you and your loved ones. Preparing ahead for possible emergencies may help you reduce or eliminate some harmful situations, and may also reduce inconvenience in the event of an emergency.

Homeland Security and Information on Terrorism

• Be Ready Web site - U.S. Department of Homeland Security - Lots of information on personal emergency preparation, like how to make a family emergency plan, and steps to take to prepare for a possible emergency of any type.
• Bioterrorism
• Smallpox information - California Governor's Office of Emergency Services' (OES) Safety Information and Referral Line - toll-free number 1-800-550-5234 | TDD number 1-800-550-5281
• National Centers for Disease Control (CDC) Smallpox Hotline: English (888) 246-2675 | Español (888) 246-2857 | TTY (866) 874-2646
• What Should I Know About Smallpox? - Plain-language answers to common questions about smallpox (CDC)
• Smallpox Information - A page of links to a broad range of information on smallpox (California Governor's Office of Emergency Services)
• 1-hour radio program answering many common questions about the smallpox vaccine with Dr. Anthony Fauci, Director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, on Talk of the Nation from National Public Radio on December 17, 2002. You will need a media player on your computer to be able to listen to this program.
• Smallpox - Another plain-language set of answers to common questions about smallpox. (Council on Foreign Relations)
• Bioterrorism Preparedness and Response - Online resources about commonly-mentioned bioterrorism topics like smallpox, anthrax, radiological (nuclear) threats, and chemical threats. (National Centers for Disease Control)
• Public Health Assessment of Potential Biological Terrorism Agents - Summary of a formal report describing the relative risks of various possible biological terrorism events, like an anthrax or smallpox incident, to help the CDC plan how to respond to such incidents. (National Centers for Disease Control)
• Anthrax - Plain-language answers to commonly asked questions about anthrax. (CDC)
• Radiological (Nuclear) Terrorism
  • Responding to a Terrorist Attack Involving Radiation: Quick Information to Help Protect Your Family - Suggestions on how to protect yourself and your family during a possible radiological (nuclear) terrorist event.
  • Radiological Emergency Response - Online resources about radiological emergency topics like radiation facts, nuclear terrorism and health effects, and "dirty bombs." (National Centers for Disease Control)
  • Responding to a Terrorist Attack Involving Radiation: More Detailed Information to Help Protect You - More detailed plain-language answers to questions about radiation, a possible radiological terrorist event, and suggestions on how to protect yourself and your family.
  • Potassium Iodide (KI) - Information and other online resources about potassium iodide, related to a possible radiological terrorism event. (Governor's Office of Emergency Services)
• Chemical Weapons Terrorism Fact Sheets (From Council on Foreign Relations Terrorism Questions and Answers Web site)
  • Sarin Gas
  • VX Liquid
  • Mustard Gas
• Terrorism
• Response to Terrorism - Official news releases and announcements about the U.S. response to terrorism world-wide. (US Department of State)
• Terrorism Backgrounder - Background information on terrorism, and further online resources describing terrorist incidents enacted against the United States world-wide and within the U.S.. (Federal Emergency Management Agency)
• Terrorism: An Introduction - A plain-language introduction to the topic of terrorism. (Council on Foreign Relations)

Weather and Flooding Information

• Be Winter Wise! - A useful checklist of tips regarding bad winter weather, for before, during and after a storm. (California Governor's Office of Emergency Services)
• Winter Storm Preparedness Tips, Tahoe Region - Useful information for residents or visitors to the Tahoe area.
• Tips on protecting homes with sandbags - Descriptions and pictures showing how to place sandbags for best home protection, and a chart showing how to calculate the materials you may need, plus other online resources. (Sacramento County Stormwater Utility)
• Sandbag and Sand Availability in Placer County - Where to purchase sandbags and sand, and emergency resources for county residents.
• Floods and Flash Floods Fact Sheet - Information on flooding, what you can do before, during and after a flood. - (PDF file, Federal Emergency Management Agency)
• Flood Safety Tips - Brief plain-language list of flood safety tips.
• Table showing Roseville area creek levels - Automatically updated table showing creek levels in the Roseville area. Scroll down to locate Dry Creek Stream Group readings. (Sacramento County Dept. of Water Resources)
• NOAA Weather Satellite Image, Sacramento Region (Updated every 30 minutes)
  • Fire-related Weather Forecast (available seasonally only)
  • Local Forecast in text (Search the page using "Motherlode," "Blue Canyon," or "Tahoe.")

National and State Fire Information

• California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection - Major Fire Incidents - A list of links to major fires in California on state lands, or where CDF is the lead agency.
• U.S. Forest Service - Tahoe National Forest Main Page - Forest activities and events, including updates on major fires.
• U.S. Forest Service - El Dorado National Forest Main Page - Forest activities and events, including updates on major fires.
• U.S. Forest Service - Pacific Southwest Region - Information about activities and events throughout the region, including updates on major fires.
• Daily National Wildland Fire Update - Summary information sheet updated daily during fire season; shows summary of news on major fires nationwide, by state.
• California Highway Patrol Traffic Incident Information Page (Select "Sacramento" and "Truckee" areas for Placer County information) This page often carries information related to fires when they're near a road or highway.
• National Interagency Fire Center - Agency which coordinates wildland firefighting for federal agencies including the Bureau of Land Management, the Forest Service, and others. Lots of fire-related resources.
• Glossary of Wildland Fire Terms - Useful definitions of terms commonly used by firefighters and in fire information bulletins.

Earthquake Information

• Recent Earthquakes in California and Nevada - a map showing recent earthquake activity in the region (US Geological Survey)
• Earthquake Preparedness Resources - a list of links for different types of earthquake preparedness (Governor's Office of Emergency Services)
• Consejos Para la Preparación Contra Terremotos (Oficina Estatal de Servicios de Emergencia)

State Highways and Roads Information

• Caltrans Road Information, and automated phone message on road conditions - 800-427-7623 (800-427-ROAD).
• California Highway Patrol Traffic Incident Information Page (Select "Sacramento" and "Truckee" areas for Placer County information)

Power Supply Information

• California Independent System Operator - Main Web site for the agency which manages the California power grid. (CA State power grid manager)
• Power Grid System Status - Information, including a chart, showing current California power usage.
• Self-Reliance in a Power Outage - Tips on how to prepare for a possible power outage.

General Federal and State Emergency Information

• Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) - Main Web site
• Governor's Office of Emergency Services - Main Web site

While we try to keep these information links accurate, there may be changes on the Web sites to which we've linked. If you discover problems, please inform our Web Manager by email or phone - 530-889-4080. Thank you.