By Doug Maine
State agencies offer printed materials with information relating to severe storms and other types of emergencies, Scott DeVico, a spokesman for the Department of Emergency Services and Public Protection, said.
The Department of Public Health’s Connecticut Guide to Emergency Preparedness is available on a public website in English and eight other languages: Spanish, Brazilian Portuguese, Chinese, French, Haitian Creole, Italian, Russian and Vietnamese.
DPH also offers pamphlets with information relating to surviving weather-related disasters and other health crises:
• “Are You Ready? How to Safely Weather Hurricanes and Other Natural Disasters” and “Hurricanes — After the Storm,” which are also available in nine languages.
• “Preparing Your Pets for Emergencies Makes Sense” published by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, available in English and Spanish.
• “Preparing for Pandemic Influenza,” available in English, Spanish, Haitian Creole, Polish, Portuguese and Vietnamese.
The emergency preparedness guide and pamphlets can viewed online and printed at home by visitors to the website, http://www.ct.gov/dph/cwp/view.asp?a=3115&q=482616. Copies can also be requested by calling 860- 509-7270.
For residents of southeastern Connecticut , DeVico noted that the Department of Emergency Management and Homeland Security’s Radiological Emergency Preparedness unit publishes, in English and Spanish, a booklet called “Safety Planning for Neighbors of Millstone Power Station.” It tells those living near the Waterford nuclear power plant what to do in the event of an emergency that could result in the release of radioactive material.
The booklet is updated annually, and the English version is mailed to all households and businesses in communities within 10 miles of Millstone. Instructions for obtaining a Spanish translation of the booklet, by calling 1-800-397-8876, are printed in English and Spanish on the cover of the English version.