Douglas County, KS- Emergency Management

09/06/2026

Extreme heat warning remains in effect until Tuesday evening. Confidence is increasing for isolated scattered storms impacting our area Sunday afternoon and evening. The potential for severe storms is low but the strongest storms could produce winds gusts up to 60 mph. Stay hydrated and be safe this holiday weekend. EM6

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09/04/2026

By the authority of Douglas County's Fire Chiefs, the outdoor burn ban has been extended until Wednesday, September 9. Extremely high temperatures increase fire intensity and spread, and puts additional strain on firefighters as they attempt to control wildland fires. Several controlled burns became out of control earlier this week due to hot, windy, and dry conditions. You can find more information about Douglas County's outdoor burning regulations at www.dgcoks.gov/openburning. EM2 9/4/2026 1500

Consolidated Fire District #1, Douglas County, KS
Palmyra Fire District 2
Willow Springs Fire District #3
Osage County Fire District #4 Overbrook/Michigan Valley
Lawrence-Douglas County Fire Medical

09/04/2026

Do you know where to get trusted updates in an emergency? Good information can help you make safe choices. Always have more than one way to receive alerts in case one is unavailable. Take a few minutes today to:
📲Sign up for phone alerts at www.dgcoks.gov/emalerts.
💻Follow Douglas County Emergency Management and other official social media accounts.
📻Purchase a NOAA Weather Radio from our office or a local retailer.
📺Tune in to local TV and radio stations to get relevant updates.

Douglas County encourages residents to sign up for the NE Kansas Regional Notification System, a free call notification system being utilized by Douglas County to provide residents with health and safety information including weather alerts sent by the National Weather Service in Topeka.

09/03/2026

An Extreme Heat Warning is in effect for Douglas County until Tuesday Sept 8 at 7 PM.

Expected weather is dangerously hot conditions with heat index of up to 108 degrees.

Heat related illness increases significantly during extreme heat and high humidity events. Take extra precautions when outside, limit strenuous activites to early morning or late evening.

Please take care, check on outdoor animals and elderly neighbors, and yourself. HYDRATE!! EM 6

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09/03/2026

Do you have what you need to stay safe until help arrives? What things do you use every day that you would also need after a disaster? You may think building a well-stocked emergency kit is difficult or expensive, but it doesn’t need to be. You can gather supplies over time, starting with items you may already have at home like canned food and first aid supplies. Visit www.ready.gov/kit for a list of items to include and how to tailor your kit to meet your family’s needs.

After an emergency, you may need to survive on your own for several days. Being prepared means having your own food, water and other supplies to last for several days. A disaster supplies kit is a collection of basic items your household may need in the event of an emergency.

09/02/2026

Outdoor burning is prohibited September 3 and 4. This is at the request of our local jurisdictional authority. With extreme temperatures, wind gusts to 21 MPH and dry fuels, this decision was made for the safety of our citizens and property. And as a reminder, a heat advisory is in effect area wide. EM6

09/02/2026

It's important to know what to do when disaster strikes! Create a plan your whole family can use and practice so it stays fresh in your mind. A plan should answer following questions:

🏃Do I need to leave (evacuate) or stay (shelter in place)?
⤴️ Where do I go and how do I get there (for both evacuating and sheltering)?
📱Do I know how to contact all of the members of my family if they’re not at home?
🤳Who do I need to contact to let them know I’m safe or need help?

Check out www.ready.gov/plan for more tips and templates for creating your plan.

Make a plan today! Your family may not be together if a disaster strikes, so it is important to know which types of disasters could affect your area. Know how you’ll contact one another and reconnect if separated. Establish a family meeting place that’s familiar and easy to find. Step 1: Meet wi...

09/01/2026

HEAT ADVISORY IN EFFECT FROM 1 PM WEDNESDAY TO 8 PM FRIDAY.
Heat index values of 102 to 104 degrees each afternoon. The highest daily heat index values will be each afternoon through the early evening. Overnight heat index values will remain above 75-80 degrees through most of this period. Heat-related illnesses increase significantly during extreme heat and high humidity events. Take extra precautions when outside. EM3 09/01 1645

Hot and dry weather is forecast to continue through the weekend. Remember to stay hydrated and move outdoor activities to the morning or late evening.

09/01/2026

The first step to being prepared is to be in the know about the emergencies you may encounter and what to do. Consider the following types of emergencies and hazards that you may encounter in Douglas County:

🏠Household hazards: injuries, fires, water leaks, carbon monoxide, household chemicals.
🌪Natural disasters: severe weather, flooding, winter storms, extreme heat/cold, wildfires, drought, earthquakes, disease outbreaks.
🔌Technological hazards: power outage, water outage, hazardous materials spills
⛔Human-caused disasters: active threats, civil unrest, cyber attack or cyber crime.

To prepare for any hazard, remember to be Ready in 3: make a plan, build a kit, and stay informed. We’ll go into detail on the Ready in 3 steps later this week. For information about each of these hazards and more, visit

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08/31/2026

September is National Preparedness Month! All this month we will be posting information about some of the hazards we face in Douglas County and tips to help you and your family prepare for emergencies. Want to learn more about a topic we post about? Visit our website www.dgcoks.gov/em, leave a question in the comments, or send us a message! Take the opportunity this month to do a few things to be more prepared. You can also sign up for our CERT Weekend Class, October 9-11, for a hands-on preparedness experience; more information is on our website www.dgcoks.gov/dgcocert.

The mission of Douglas County Emergency Management is to provide a comprehensive emergency management program to effectively mitigate against, prepare for, respond to, and recover from all types of major emergencies or disasters; and to educate and train Douglas County residents, responders, and gov...