The Virginia Department of Health conducted a community survey of randomly selected Charlottesville and surrounding Albemarle County residences from Sept. 30 through Oct. 2 in an effort to assess the community’s preparedness for emergencies.
Health officials interviewed residents with help from the Charlottesville/Albemarle Health Department and the Center for Disease Control and Prevention. The surveys, called Community Assessment for Public Health Emergency Response, or CASPER, asked residents a variety of questions pertaining to their preparedness.
Questions ranged from whether the resident has sufficient stockpiles of food, water and medicine in their home, to whether their family has made a specific evacuation plan in case of emergency, according to the CDC website.
Upon completion of the survey, the CDC will make a findings report available to local emergency response personnel, who can use it to identify possible vulnerabilities in the community and develop a strategy to deal with an emergency situation should it arise in the Charlottesville area.
“One of the big things were trying to do is inform our emergency planners in the community who come together to try to plan for emergencies,” said Elizabeth Beasley, a senior health promotions consultant for the Thomas Jefferson Health District.
Beasley said CASPER surveys are key to judging the community’s overall readiness.
“If we find 25 percent of households are stockpiling water, for example, that tells planners that we might need to get information out on that issue,” Beasley said.
Federal agencies, including the CDC, developed the CASPER survey as a toolkit for local, regional, state and federal health officials to use in assessing community needs. Officials can use this toolkit to plan for a wide variety of emergency situations.
“Heavy storms are the most likely [emergency events] to occur in the Charlottesville area,” District Emergency Planner Ryan McKay said.
McKay said the most demanding time for health officials is in the winter, when heavy snow poses a great risk.
“From a public health perspective, it makes it challenging if people were to lose heat or power,” McKay said.
McKay said necessary emergency supplies vary from household to household, but Charlottesville residents and University students can take basic provisions to stay safe.
“Obviously, in the case of an emergency, the needs of an elderly couple will be different than the needs of a family with three kids and a dog,” McKay said. “But basic provisions include a three-day supply of water and nonperishable food for each person, a written emergency contact list and a battery powered radio to listen for emergency broadcasts.”
McKay said no additional funding was used for the survey, as it was conducted solely by health officials and volunteers.
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