Public Health Perspective
In many communities public health is the lead organization for managing health and medical response during times of disaster. Serving vulnerable populations is an integral part of this charge. To help guide jurisdictions of all sizes, the Centers for Disease Control & Prevention (CDC) also provides guidance for defining, locating and reaching special, vulnerable and at-risk populations in an emergency.
The demographics of Public Health – Seattle & King County’s jurisdiction provides some context from which this Toolkit was built. King County is comprised of 39 cities plus unincorporated areas. Over 130 special purpose districts provide a variety of critical services including fire suppression and EMS response, water and sewer service, and schools. The County has a richly diverse population including more than 13% Asian, 6 % black and nearly 7% Hispanic residents. According to the 2000 census, almost 16% of the County’s residents are foreign born, and nearly 20% of residents speak a language other than English at home. The County is also home to two Tribal Nations, the Snoqualmie and the Muckleshoot.