b'GREATER MONADNOCK COMMUNITY HEALTH IMPROVEMENT PLAN 2015-2018 PRIORITY AREA 5:EMERGENCY PREPAREDNESS Natural,accidental,orevenintentionalpublichealththreatsareall around us.A critical element of protecting the publics health is being preparedtoprevent,respondto,andrapidlyrecoverfromthese threats.Emergency preparedness is vital to empowering communities and building resilience, or rather the ability to withstand and recover quickly from difficult conditions.Preparednesseffortsareinstrumentalinassuringthatcommunity partners are aware of their potential risks in the Region and have the appropriatepublichealthemergencyresponseplanstoaddressthe needs of their community.The necessity for emergency preparedness intheRegionhasbeendemonstratedmanytimes-distributionof H1N1 pandemic vaccine in 2009 through points of dispensing; setting up cooling shelters during very hot summer months; responding and recoveringfromnaturaldisastersuchasfloods,hurricanes,andice storms;and,supportingotherregionalresponsestopublichealth emergencies such as the 2012 Hepatitis C outbreak involving over 150 statewide responders.Health Impacts \x01Public health threats and natural or manmade disasters can have directandindirectimpactsonthehealthofindividualsand communities.While these impacts vary depending on the event typeanditsseverity,potentialresultinghealthproblemscould includephysicaloremotionaltrauma,acutedisease,increased morbidityandmortality,chronicstress,increasedpotentialfor diseasetransmissionandtheriskofepidemicoutbreaksofcommunicable diseases.Above photo:Damage from the 2005 floods in Alstead, NH48'