News and emergency information
During a natural or man-made disaster, please check back for updates from Volusia and Flagler counties and area cities and organizations.
Zika and mosquito-borne illnesses protection and prevention
From Zika and dengue to the West Nile virus, mosquitoes not only hurt when they bite, they also can infect you with viruses that make you sick. In addition, Zika has been linked to birth defects in children.
Volusia County Mosquito Control has a robust program that works year round to help reduce mosquitoes. However, when it comes to mosquito prevention, it takes everyone taking an active role to help keep the mosquito population from growing. This is especially important to combat the two mosquitoes that can transmit Zika as they are only produced in containers (not in puddles, ditches or swamps). Below is information resources that can be used to communicate to various audiences steps to protect themselves and the community from mosquitoes. The two main messages are:
Drain Standing Water
- Mosquitoes can be produced in the tiniest of containers including water bottle caps
- Weekly drain or flush water from containers in your yard (bird baths, kiddie pools, etc)
- Discard unused containers in your yard
Cover Your Skin
- Use insect repellent
- Use mosquito netting on cribs, strollers and baby carriers
- Keep doors and windows shut
- Keep screens on all windows, repair holes in screens
Mosquito prevention news releases
- Video PSA (:30): Fight mosquitoes with these simple tips
- Video PSA (:60): Drain and Cover
- Video PSA (:30) Drain and Cover
Video PSA for kids (:30): Spill the water heroes
- Zika Awareness and Prevention Flier
- Mosquito Prevention and Protection Poster
- For Employees - Mosquito Bite Prevention Poster
- Mosquito Prevention Rack Card (English)
- Mosquito Prevention Rack Card (Spanish)
- Mosquito Prevention and Protection Door Hanger
- Zika Frequently Asked Questions
- Zika: Past Present and Future
Resources for teachers, parents and children
To help educate Florida's kids and involve them in the fight against mosquito-borne illnesses, the Florida Department of Health has a Spill The Water campaign with resources tailored to students, parents and teachers.
- Posters (11" x 17") for preschoolers
- Posters (11" x 17") for elementary school-age kids
- Posters (11" x 17") for middle and high school-age kids
Spill the Water 30-second PSA briefly explaining how kids can protect themselves and save summer from mosquitoes
Teacher Tool is filled with brain teasers you can use with our activity sheets. Activity sheets are available for pre-k, elementary, middle and high school levels and they align with established Florida Standards benchmarks. Download and print activity sheets for free and use them in your classroom along with the PSA to get students buzzing with excitement about mosquito bite prevention.
About the PIN
The Volusia/Flagler Public Information Network works to ensure that public information officers (PIOs) will collaborate and coordinate public information before, during and after disasters affecting a widespread area in the two-county region. The PIOs represent a wide range of agencies including city and county governments, the court system, law enforcement, fire services, emergency medical services, hospitals, public schools, colleges and universities, the tourism industry, and nonprofit agencies.
The PIN's operating principle is that public information resources are available to support an incident's lead agency and incident commander regardless of agency boundaries.
During disasters the PIN issues joint news releases and maintains a website that includes information from all the agencies involved in a response.
The group's Joint Information Center (JIC) plan is compliant with the National Incident Management Systems, thereby creating a Joint Information System (JIS) plan.
The network was established in 2005 after public information officers attended an Advanced PIO Training session at FEMA's education center in Emmitsburg, Maryland. Since then, the PIN has been activated during incidents including tornadoes, flooding and wildfires.
For current watches, warnings and advisories from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Association, click here.
To find out about volunteering in Volusia County or anywhere throughout Florida, please contact the United Way at 2-1-1 or 386-253-0563 or online at www.UnitedWay-vfc.org
Florida 511 is real-time information collected by Intelligent Transportation Systems to travelers and commuters to help with trip decisions.