HomeMy WebLinkAboutNR072817CASPERsurveytoassessemergencypreparednessonKauai
BERNARD P. CARVALHO JR.
Mayor
WALLACE G. REZENTES JR.
Managing Director
C O U NT Y O F K AU A‘I
KAUA'I EMERGENCY MANAGEMEMENT AGENCY
News Release
For Immediate Release: July 28, 2017
ELTON USHIO, ADMINISTRATOR
Tel (808) 241-1800
Fax (808) 241-1860
CASPER survey to assess emergency preparedness on Kaua‘i
LĪHU‘E – The Kaua‘i Emergency Management Agency (KEMA) is assisting the
Department of Health’s (DOH) Kaua‘i District Health Office to conduct a Community Assessment
for Public Health Emergency Response (CASPER) survey to assess the emergency
preparedness levels of local residents.
Survey members will go door-to-door from Aug. 1 through Aug. 4, to 30 census tracts that
are weighted towards more populated areas within the county. Seven houses within each tract
will be selected at random.
The survey teams will ask residents about emergency preparedness, communication
preferences, health needs and evacuation plans following a disaster. Team members will have
on vests identifying themselves as part of the DOH Survey Team and will carry identification
cards. All survey responses will be confidential, and survey teams will not be collecting names or
addresses.
Survey results will establish a baseline for the percentage of Kaua‘i families who have the
necessary supplies after an emergency. It will help improve Kaua‘i county plans and enable the
DOH to best meet the community’s health needs following a disaster.
Survey teams are comprised of DOH staff with support from KEMA, Kaua‘i Medical
Reserve Corps, American Red Cross, and the Community Emergency Response Teams.
The CASPER survey methodology was developed by the Centers for Disease Control
and Prevention as a way to rapidly assess the health and other resource needs of a community
after a disaster. Alternatively, the methodology can also be used in a non-disaster scenario to
assess the current preparedness levels of a community.
Kaua‘i residents who have questions about the CASPER survey or the survey teams
conducting the assessments can call Lauren Guest, DOH public health preparedness planner, at
241-3555.
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