Emergency Response Toolkit
Prevent & Protect: Emergency Response is a resource for Florida’s local officials to effectively communicate to Floridians about the importance of mosquito control during (1) emergency response efforts, such as natural disasters, and (2) disease outbreaks.
Messages are designed to educate the public on mosquito control emergency response actions, primarily after a natural disaster (hurricane, flooding) and during a disease outbreak. Mosquitoes can harm recovery efforts after natural disasters and make people sick during disease outbreaks. It is important for the public to understand the necessity of mosquito control during emergencies. Always provide consistent messages to the general public and local media when responding to emergencies.
The icon to the right was created specifically for this toolkit and should be used ONLY for emergency response posts.
In this toolkit, you will find:
Social Media Plan
and Posts
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Pre-made graphics accompanied by text, ready to post to social media pages. The posts are accompanied with a detailed four-week social media plan to provide guidance on when to post on Facebook and Twitter.
Frequently Asked Questions
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Answers to frequently asked questions regarding mosquito control during emergency response efforts and disease outbreaks.
Characters
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Dr. Diaz and Brad are used in the campaign to show how mosquitoes impact health (Dr. Diaz) and how mosquito control operators control mosquito populations (Brad).
Instructions
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Instructions on how to download the toolkit and customize the materials to add your organization’s logo, if desired.
Toolkit Topics
KEEP EMPTY
Week One: Natural Disasters
Messages and posts educate the public on mosquito activity after a natural disaster. Following hurricane or heavy rain, there is an increase of floodwater mosquitoes because the excess water allows eggs laid in once dry soil to develop into adult mosquitoes. Floodwater mosquitoes typically do not carry diseases, but they can harm recovery efforts. Disease-carrying mosquitoes will re-populate after the natural disaster because of the excess standing water, and can be of great concern. The goal is to inform the public that it is important for them to drain water on their property and for mosquito control programs to control mosquito populations so there is not a disease outbreak.
Week Two: Disease Outbreak
Messages and posts inform the public on the negative effects disease outbreaks can have on public health and the economy. Aerial application quickly and efficiently reduces mosquito populations, and in turn can reduce disease outbreaks by eliminating potentially infected mosquitoes. The public can drain and cover areas on their property and wear protective clothing. The goal is to inform the public on the severity of a disease outbreak, and the steps they can take to help mosquito control programs reduce mosquito populations.