Education and training go hand-in-hand with outreach and communication. While outreach spreads awareness and shares critical information, education and training build the skills, confidence, and understanding needed to act before, during, and after climate-driven emergencies (CDEs). Together, they help residents and organizations respond more effectively and safely.
These efforts are especially important for communities that are disproportionately impacted by CDEs and may have unique needs or barriers to response:
- Outdoor workers – need to understand their legal rights and how to protect themselves from workplace exposures.
- Tribal communities – face heightened vulnerability and impacts on cultural lifeways.
- Individuals who use durable medical equipment (DME) – require tailored planning for access to power and care.
- Unhoused residents – often lack access to safe shelter during emergencies.
- Seniors – may need extra support with mobility, communication, or medical care.
Education and training are essential across all climate-driven events, including extreme heat and cold, wildfires, and Public Safety Power Shutoffs (PSPS). In particular, cyanobacterial blooms, which can pose serious health risks, especially when occurring alongside other emergencies, and are not always recognized by traditional emergency responders. These events require unique awareness and response strategies.
Key issues and strategies for Lake County
Education for individuals on how to prepare for and respond to CDEs.
Training for intermediaries and direct responders to support their clients, especially those from vulnerable groups.
Specialized HABs training for both the public and emergency responders
1. Educating and empowering individuals during climate-driven emergencies
Issues in Lake County
When it comes to climate-driven emergencies (CDEs)—like wildfires, extreme heat, smoke events, or floods—individuals and households are often the first line of defense. While governments, Tribes, and nonprofits can provide vital resources and services, personal preparedness is essential. People need the tools and knowledge to protect themselves and their families when it matters most.
- Lack of awareness: Many residents don’t fully understand the risks posed by CDEs, especially how they affect health or when to seek medical care.
- Gaps in personal preparedness: People may not know how to prepare for these events, what steps to take during an emergency, or how to access help and resources.
- Limited trust or access: Even when services exist, individuals may not know about them, feel comfortable using them, or understand how to get support.
- Overreliance on institutions: Emergency systems are often overwhelmed. Individuals need to be prepared to act independently, especially during the first hours or days of a crisis.
Strategies identified
To ensure individuals and households are prepared for climate-driven emergencies, especially those most at risk, organizations and agencies can take the following steps:
A. Partner with trusted messengers
- Collaborate with individuals and organizations already serving vulnerable populations—such as clinics, schools, senior centers, shelters, and migrant service providers—to share timely, accurate, and easy-to-understand information. Provide them with materials and training to be effective educators.
B. Offer information in accessible formats
- Develop and distribute preparedness materials in multiple languages and accessible formats (visual, audio, print). Use plain language, pictograms, and short videos to ensure that information reaches people with varying literacy levels and learning styles.
C. Integrate education Into existing services
- Use everyday touchpoints—like health appointments, school enrollment, housing services, or food distribution events—as opportunities to provide emergency preparedness information and resources.
D. Conduct trainings where and how people can participate
- Offer community trainings in familiar, convenient locations—such as schools, churches, community centers, and resilience hubs—especially in neighborhoods at higher risk.
- Schedule them at times that work for working families and caregivers (evenings, weekends), and provide food, childcare, or transportation support when possible.
- Make trainings interactive and culturally relevant, and offer them in multiple languages.
- Virtual options or short, on-demand videos can help reach those who can’t attend in person.
E. Facilitate community-based trainings
- Host workshops, town halls, or informal neighborhood gatherings to walk people through practical preparedness steps—like building a go-bag, understanding alert systems, or identifying signs of heat illness or smoke exposure.
F. Use peer education models
- Support community members—especially youth, elders, and bilingual leaders—to act as peer educators. Train them to share preparedness guidance with neighbors, friends, and family in culturally appropriate ways.
G. Tie education to incentives
- Incentivize participation with emergency kits, gift cards, food items, or other basic necessities to encourage community members to attend trainings or sign up for emergency alert systems.
H. Build preparedness into program design
- Include emergency planning and awareness in case management, job readiness programs, housing support, and other social service programs. Make climate readiness a routine part of support services.
2. Education and training for intermediaries and direct responders
Issues in Lake County
Trusted messengers and frontline service providers—including healthcare professionals, peer support staff, and community-based organizations—are often the first point of contact for vulnerable residents during climate-driven emergencies. However, many of these intermediaries lack access to training and resources needed to educate their clients, respond effectively, and address the specific needs of high-risk populations.
- Limited training opportunities: Many intermediaries have not received formal training on climate-related health risks or emergency response protocols.
- Gaps in medical awareness: Medical providers in particular may not be familiar with the health impacts of climate-related events like extreme heat, wildfire smoke, or harmful algal blooms (HABs).
- Missed opportunities for outreach: Trusted messengers—such as teachers, senior center staff, outreach workers, and faith-based leaders—are not always engaged in preparedness efforts, even though they are well-positioned to share critical information.
Strategies identified
A. Offer continuing education and certification opportunities
- Provide targeted training for healthcare providers and service organizations, including options that count toward continuing education units (CEUs) or continuing medical education (CME) credits.
B. Engage trusted messengers with tailored materials
- Use existing lists of trusted messengers (e.g., community health workers, youth program leaders, tribal health educators) to deliver training and outreach tools relevant to their specific audiences.
C. Leverage partnerships across sectors
- Coordinate with local and state agencies to align training efforts and avoid duplication, ensuring that resilience centers, shelters, clinics, and peer support spaces all receive consistent, up-to-date guidance.
D. Integrate training into professional development
- Make climate resilience and emergency preparedness part of ongoing staff development for organizations that serve vulnerable populations.
3. Education and training on HABs
Issues in Lake County
While many Lake County residents recognize the look and smell of harmful algal blooms (HABs), there are critical gaps in understanding their health impacts, causes, and risks—especially as these blooms become more frequent and intense due to climate change.
- Limited awareness of health impacts: People may not know how HABs can affect health through multiple exposure pathways—including air, drinking water, and consumption of contaminated fish.
- Climate connection is unclear: Few residents are aware that HABs are worsening with climate-related changes, such as warmer temperatures and drought conditions.
- Medical knowledge gaps: Many physicians and healthcare providers are not trained to recognize or diagnose illnesses caused by HAB exposure.
- Vulnerable populations are at higher risk: Groups such as outdoor workers, unhoused individuals, children, and those with respiratory conditions may face greater exposure and health risks.
Strategies identified
A. Targeted outreach to intermediaries
- Provide education and materials to organizations and service providers who work directly with vulnerable populations likely to be exposed.
B. Clear public messaging
- Develop easy-to-understand, situation-specific guidance for the public and agencies. For example, if a HAB coincides with a heatwave, communicate the risks of both and advise people to avoid entering affected waters.
C. Integrate HABs into emergency preparedness efforts
- Although not typically treated as an emergency, HABs can pose serious health risks. Incorporate HAB awareness into disaster response planning and public health curricula.
D. Coordinate with water systems and public agencies
- Ensure drinking water systems, recreational water managers, and environmental health departments have the tools and training needed to monitor HABs and respond effectively.