Public Health Emergency Preparedness

Baltimore County Department of Health
6401 York Road, Third Floor
Baltimore, Maryland 21212-2130  
Email: hhs@baltimorecountymd.gov

Phone: 410-887-BCHD (2243)
TTY users call via Maryland Relay

The Baltimore County Department of Health is committed to keeping those who live, work, and play in Baltimore County healthy and safe, especially when disasters occur. Learning more about the following topics can help you and your family prepare for natural and man-made disasters:

• Steps to Emergency Preparedness
• Food and Flood Safety
• Pandemic Flu
• Bioterrorism

Steps to Preparedness

Although emergency preparedness is a shared responsibility, there are three things that everyone can do to prepare for a variety of emergencies:

• Assemble a 72-hour kit
• Make an emergency preparedness plan
• Be informed

Pets are important members of thousands of Baltimore County households. Be sure to include your pets in your emergency plans.

Flood and Food Safety

Power outages, floods and other emergencies can make food and water supplies unsafe. Learn what to do during such times to ensure your family's safety.

• Flood Safety 
• Food Safety

Pandemic Flu

A pandemic is a global disease outbreak. An influenza pandemic occurs when a new influenza A virus emerges for which there is little or no immunity in the human population, begins to cause serious illness and then spreads easily person-to-person worldwide. A pandemic is determined by spread of disease, not its ability to cause death. Learn more about the difference between pandemic and other flu viruses.

Bioterrorism

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, a bioterrorism attack is the deliberate release of viruses, bacteria, or other germs (agents) used to cause illness or death in people, animals, or plants. These agents are typically found in nature, but it is possible that they could be changed to increase their ability to cause disease, make them resistant to current medicines, or to increase their ability to be spread into the environment.

For information on which bioterrorism agents can be spread from person to person, please view the alphabetical list of bioterrorism agents.