Flooding: Resources for Health Professionals
Find flooding information for health care professionals. To expand the content, click the title of each accordion.
Risk Assessment Flood Tool (RAFT): In response to more frequent and intense floods in Wisconsin, the Department of Health Services (DHS) and partners created the RAFT map to help local, regional, and state agencies prepare for and respond to floods. RAFT to the rescue! Formerly called the Wisconsin Flood Risk Map Application, RAFT integrates 32 flood-relevant spatial data layers in one customizable ArcGIS map.
Features include:
- 32 data layers from 12 state and federal agencies
- FEMA flood hazard layer view in relation to health care locations
- Social vulnerability data by census tract
- Live precipitation data, 72-hour precipitation forecast, flood advisory feeds, and river flood-level status
- And more!
Flood Resiliency Scorecard DHS and Wisconsin Sea Grant teamed up to develop the Flood Resilience Scorecard, which guides public officials through a comprehensive flood readiness assessment in order to identify flood vulnerabilities in their communities and strategies to address them. The scorecard helps communities identify flood vulnerabilities and solutions across multiple scales:
- Module 1 assesses natural and physical landscape characteristics, such as soil types, slope, and impervious surfaces.
- Module 2 evaluates community policies and plans, such as existing flood mitigation and comprehensive plans, and local policies, practices and regulations that can support or hinder flood resiliency.
- Module 3 examines cultural and socioeconomic sources of vulnerability and partnerships, such as understanding flood impacts on health and needs of at-risk residents.
Based on identified vulnerabilities, the scorecard provides recommended actions and available resources to strengthen a community’s ability to manage flood risks and achieve resiliency.
Wisconsin Flood Toolkit P-00631 (PDF) DHS created this comprehensive toolkit for local and regional units of government, local health departments, and Wisconsin residents to help prepare for and respond to flood events. It is one in a series of different weather-related emergency toolkits that provide background information, practical guidance, strategies, media releases, talking points, definitions, and additional reference materials. For a list of all toolkits developed, see the Climate and Health Toolkits page. (Updated February 2020)
Wisconsin Flood Toolkit, P-00631 (PDF) provides a variety of flood-related guidance, strategies, news release templates, talking points, and additional resources. (Updated November 2019)
Vaccinations after Flood Exposure (PDF) The Division of Public Health memo from August 30, 2018 summarizes recommendations from the CDC (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) about infectious diseases and vaccination after flooding. (Reviewed July 23, 2010.)
Creating a Healthy Home: A Field Guide for Cleanup of Flooded Homes (PDF) 2019 guide from Enterprise Community Partners, Inc. and the National Center for Healthy Housing is designed for do-it-yourselfers and contractors who need to clean up mold in flooded homes before rebuilding or renovating.
Storm Recovery Guide (PDF) from the Louisiana State University Agricultural Center's provides information on staying healthy after disasters, surviving and recovering from power outages, restoring storm-damaged buildings, salvaging water-damaged belongings, managing lawn and garden losses, assessing financial recovery and managing risks.
Arboviral Diseases from Wisconsin DHS includes information about mosquito-transmitted diseases and control.
Insect Repellant Use and Safety is from the CDC Division of Vectorborne Diseases.
Sand Bag Disposal (PDF) information from the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (DNR) to safely dispose of sand bags after a flood.
Managing Demolition Debris from Natural Disasters (PDF) guide from DNR includes information about how to handle waste materials.
Restaurants and Grocers Reopening After Hurricanes and Flooding advice from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.
Statewide Directory of County Human Services, Social Services and Community Programs
Directory of County and Tribal Aging Offices
FoodShare Wisconsin is state program that helps low-income families and individuals to buy nutritious food.
The Emergency Food Assistance Program is a federal program that provides food commodities to distribution sites (food pantries).
Aging and Disabilities Resource Centers. Each center provides information on programs and services, helps people understand various long-term care options, helps people apply for programs and benefits, and serves as the access point for publicly funded long-term care.
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Spanish Language Portal including:
Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) Spanish Language Portal
CDC: Floods
Red Cross information in other languages
Includes Arabic, Chinese, French, Haitian-Creole, Korean, Spanish, Tagalog, and Vietnamese.
State agencies
ReadyWisconsin. Website educates the public on how to prepare for and respond to disasters and emergencies.
Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (DNR) tips covers how to minimize damage on your property, clean up property, address flooded private well issues, and other flood-related information.