On Sunday, April 26 the U.S. Department of Homeland Security declared a public health emergency in response to recent Swine Influenza A (H1N1) outbreaks in the U.S., Canada and Mexico. State of Wisconsin officials, led by the Wisconsin Department of Health Services (DHS), have been monitoring the situation since April 24 and continue to observe […]

An observant landowner raised suspicions that emerald ash borer has infested ash trees in Victory, a Vernon County community, agriculture and natural resources officials said in announcing the new find. The invasive pest kills ash trees, a predominant species on urban streets and in Wisconsin forests. State officials have requested a federal quarantine of Vernon […]

Floods are consistently the most common, costly and deadly natural disaster Americans face each year.  Ninety percent of all natural disasters in the nation involve flooding.  March 16 marks the beginning of national flood awareness week.  To learn more about flood preparedness and response resources, check out the Floodsmart.gov web site.

Seven months after the discovery of emerald ash borer (EAB) in southeastern Wisconsin, state officials have determined that the infestation that straddles the Ozaukee and Washington county line near the Village of Newburg is too large to completely remove from the area.  As a consequence, strategies for managing this invasive insect will focus on efforts […]

Governor Jim Doyle announced that Wisconsin ranked among the top states in the nation for pandemic flu preparedness in a 2008 assessment led by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and submitted to the U.S. Homeland Security.  The Department of Health Services’ Division of Public Health coordinated the Pandemic Influenza Operations Plan that […]

Two agro-security preparedness training courses will be held on January 27 and 28 in Sturtevant, WI.  These are no-fee classes (lunch included) and build on earlier classes (however, while it is recommended that you have taken these earlier courses, you don’t need to have to attend these two).  The courses are Principles of Frontline Response […]

FEMA introduced the launch of a new user-friendly website called Disasterassistance.gov on December 31, 2008.  Disasterassistance.gov was developed to ease the frustration felt by disaster victims obligated to search through multiple federal programs to find aid.  This website will centralize the application process for federal disaster assistance and offer a clearinghouse for information on programs […]

Trust for America’s Health (TFAH) and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF) released the sixth annual “Ready or Not? Protecting the Public’s Health from Diseases, Disasters, and Bioterrorism” report, which finds that progress made to better protect the country from disease outbreaks, natural disasters, and bioterrorism is now at risk, due to budget cuts and […]

The National Incident Management System (NIMS) enhances the overall management of domestic incidents by establishing a single, comprehensive system for incident and resource management and will help achieve greater cooperation among departments and agencies at all levels of government. To learn more about the plan for Wisconsin, go to the Wisconsin NIMS web site.

The Wisconsin Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection is advising consumers to avoid eating Wonderfarm brand “Successful” biscuits or cookies, because they may be contaminated with melamine. Anyone who has purchased this product should discard it. For more information about this advisory, refer to the news release from DATCP.