Agencies
Services
News – Thursday, June 6, 2019
IDPH and IEMA Urge Volunteers to Use Extreme Caution During Flood Fight Operations
SPRINGFIELD – As flooding continues to impact communities across our state, the Illinois Emergency Management Agency and Illinois Department of Public Health would like to remind volunteer workers to make safety a priority. Volunteers who are filling sandbags to help with the flooding efforts need to make sure they take steps to protect themselves.
• Individuals should wear insect repellent to combat mosquito and tick bites;
• Sunscreen to help prevent sunburn;
• Wear protective footwear (water boots) if working in standing water;
• Have a current tetanus vaccination (valid for 10 years);
• Wash their hands frequently
• Stay hydrated while working
The Ready Illinois website offers a variety of instructional and informational videos to help people respond to and recover from different hazards, including floods. The website can be converted into multiple languages, including Spanish, French, Italian, Filipino, and German. To initiate the translation service, see the Google translator found at the bottom right hand side of the website. IEMA, IDPH and the American Red Cross recently added flood specific resource guides to help residents impacted by these devastating floods.