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Connecticut Department of Emergency Management and Homeland Security (DEMHS) Extreme Heat Management Protocol |
How does the State of Connecticut monitor and respond to extreme heat?
The DEMHS planner with a weather background routinely monitors the National Weather Service (NWS) forecasts and weather models each day. Whenever the forecasts show the potential for a heat wave (three consecutive days with highs above 90° F), the planner prepares an internal update for DEMHS. If the heat wave looks significant and Heat Advisories are issued by the NWS, an external update is provided to most state agencies, the Governor’s office, as well as most towns. Once the planner sends out a forecast, DEMHS reviews for additional actions, which may include:
Governor’s office notified of DEMHS recommendation to follow Extreme Heat Protocol; Governor’s office does press release; DEMHS sends email to towns; DEMHS requests that towns submit their cooling center information into the WebEOC Daily Operations Incident; Public Information Officer sends out social media alerts and also disseminates information to the ESF 15 Diverse Communities group to share with their contact lists; DEMHS contacts 211 to be ready to respond to calls re: cooling centers; DEMHS Regional Coordinators and duty officer monitor WebEOC in order to respond to any requests from municipalities for assistance; DEMHS receives reports and updates from the energy utilities. |
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Extreme Weather - Finding Information About Cooling Centers |
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Cooling centers are places where you can cool down during hot weather. Cooling centers include indoor air-conditioned facilities such as libraries, community and senior centers, schools, and malls. If air-conditioned cooling centers are not available then outdoor recreational areas like local and state parks, beaches, splash pads/spray parks and community pools are other places to cool down.
For the full Connecticut statewide list of cooling centers click HERE.
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CDC Report on 800 Restaurant-Related Outbreaks and FDA Occurrence Report on Foodborne Illness Risk Factors |
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A new study found that norovirus was the most commonly identified cause of foodborne illness outbreaks reported to the CDC’s National Environmental Assessment Reporting System (NEARS) from 2017-2019. Approximately 40% of outbreaks with identified contributing factors were associated with contamination of food by ill or infectious food workers. Read the full report.
See also, the FDA's 2017-2018 report on the occurrence of foodborne illness risk factors in fast food and full-service restaurants, which found the two most commonly occurring risk factors were improper holding time and temperature, and poor personal hygiene. |
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