Emergency Response/Preparedness

Public health must be prepared to respond to a variety of emergencies that can occur with little warning and may affect all or a portion of the population. Communicable disease outbreaks are one of the most common types of public health emergency. However, an intentional act of terrorism (bioterrorism, chemical or radiological event) could result in environmental and public health hazards to the community. Public health emergencies may require the coordinated response of multiple divisions within Okanogan County or the involvement of community response partners to assure a swift, effective response to all types of emergencies.
Personal Preparedness

Communities throughout North Central Washington are subject to a number of potential natural disasters such as fires, floods and severe storms. Recent events have heightened awareness to the threat of man-made disasters, as well. Okanogan County Public Health urges everyone living in and visiting Okanogan County to prepare for emergencies by having an emergency preparedness plan.


The American Red Cross and the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) have a number of helpful tools to develop a family emergency preparedness plan, which should include these four steps:

  1. Identify the types of emergencies that could happen to you
  2. Create a family disaster plan. Remember to prepare for your pets too!
  3. Put your plan into action – collect supplies, perform training
  4. Practice and maintain your plan.
OCPH, PO Box 231, 1234 South 2nd Avenue, Okanogan, WA  98840  (509) 422-7140