Related Guides on this Topic
You may also want to see these guides on related topics:Trauma, Emergency Medical Services
Introduction
Disasters can happen anywhere and anytime. They can be man-made or natural and can strike without warning. Disasters can result in loss of heat and electricity, damaged infrastructure, even loss of life. Communities can cope with disaster by planning and preparing in advance and working together as a team.
As stated in the Office of Rural Health Policy’s document, Rural Communities and Emergency Preparedness, adequate emergency preparedness in rural communities depends on public health departments, hospitals and emergency medical services providers. Rural public health departments tend to have less capacity and resources than their urban counterparts. Some hospitals, which are the center of health planning, activity and resources in rural communities, have been downsized in an effort to contain costs and, as a result, rural hospitals lack surge capacity for personnel and beds. Rural EMS often relies on volunteers and may lack funding and adequate equipment.
The Centers for Disease Control provides information on emergency preparedness, response, and planning for a variety of emergencies, businesses, and medical facilities.
Frequently Asked Questions
Tools
American Red Cross Chapter Locator
Database
Directory of local American Red Cross chapters, searchable by ZIP code.
Biochemical Organic Radiological Disaster Educational Response System (BORDERS)
Web site
BORDERS, a continuing education and training program, is designed to improve the individual and collective ability of healthcare professional practitioners to prepare for and respond to acts of bioterrorism in increasingly diverse situations and populations.
CDC Emergency Preparedness and Response
Web site
Provides resources, news and information on public health preparedness issues, including bioterrorism, chemical agents, and more.
Countering Bioterrorism and Other Threats to the Food Supply
Web site
Links to federal and state web sites that address the security of the food supply.
Disaster Alternate Care Facility Selection Tool
Research instrument
Assists users in selecting alternate sites and identifying what they need to prepare these sites for use. It evaluates the characteristics of several potential facilities and calculates the results into weighted scores, which planners can use to select appropriate sites for care and plan for operations during a disaster.
DisasterAssistance.gov
Web site
An information portal designed to help potential applicants during the process of identifying and applying for disaster assistance.
DisasterHelp
Web site
Helps users find information and services across a wide range of relevant disaster management offerings. Part of a larger initiative aimed at greatly enhanced disaster management on an interagency and intergovernmental basis.
Emergency Preparation and People with Disabilities
Web site
Provides emergency preparation information for people with disabilities including emergency notification methods, accessible shelters and recovering after an emergency.
Emergency Preparedness and Disaster Response Tools and Resources
Web site
Tools and resources for emergency responders, State and local officials, medical personnel, hospitals, and health systems for hurricane response and recovery. Resources may also be applicable in responding to other types of disasters.
Emergency Preparedness Atlas: U.S. Nursing Home and Hospital Facilities
Web site
Tool to support state and local emergency preparedness by exploring how nursing homes may be used to handle a surge of patients. Includes six case studies, as well as state maps of hospital and nursing home locations.
Emergency Preparedness Checklist: Recommended Tool for Effective State Agency Planning
Web site
Checklist for emergency preparedness for every emergency.
EPA Emergency Management
Web site
Information on EPA programs and resources to help prevent oil spills, chemical accidents, and other emergencies, implement planning and preparedness requirements, and respond to environmental emergencies.
Foundation Funding Guide: Preparedness
Web site
Lists state and national foundations with an interest in preparedness.
HHS Disasters & Emergencies
Web site
Links to a variety of federal resources on topics related to emergency preparedness, including information on biological, chemical and radiological weapons, bioterrorism, and mental health aspects of disasters.
HIPAA Privacy Rule: Disclosures for Emergency Preparedness - A Decision Tool
Web site
Presents avenues of information flow that could apply to emergency preparedness activities. Focuses on the source of the information being disclosed, to whom, and the purpose of the information being disclosed.
Home Health Care During an Influenza Pandemic: Issues and Resources
Web site
Provides information and resources to aid in and improve influenza pandemic planning and preparedness.
Homeland Security and Technology Division
Web site
News and information on states' efforts to prepare for and respond to bioterrorism, agroterrorism, nuclear and radiological terrorism, and cyber terrorism.
Hospital Preparedness Program
Web site
Resources and funding to improve the capacity of the health care system to respond to bioterrorism and other public health emergencies.
Locate Alternate Care Sites During an Emergency: Rocky Mountain Regional Care Model for Bioterrorist Events
Database
Tool to help state and local officials quickly locate alternate health care sites if hospitals are overwhelmed by patients due to a bioterrorism attack or other public health emergency.
MedlinePlus: Biodefense and Bioterrorism
Web site
Links to publications, organizations and other resources on bioterrorism.
MedlinePlus: Coping with Disasters
Web site
News, publications and resources related to coping with disasters, trauma, and recovery.
MedlinePlus: Disaster Preparation and Recovery
Web site
News, publications and resources addressing disaster preparedness and recovery.
MedlinePlus: Disasters
Web site
News, publications and resources related to disasters, preparedness and response.
National Pharmaceutical Stockpile Program
Web site
Describes the Strategic National Stockpile, a national repository of antibiotics, chemical antidotes, antitoxins, and related medical products.
National Resource Center on Advancing Emergency Preparedness for Culturally Diverse Communities
Web site
An information exchange portal designed to facilitate communication, networking and collaboration to improve preparedness and eliminate disparities for racially and ethnically diverse communities in public health emergencies.
NCTSN: Hurricane Tools and Links
Web site
Provides information about coping with disasters for children, parents, health professionals, educators, relief workers and others.
Online Pandemic Influenza Training for EMTs and Paramedics
Tutorial
Designed to teach emergency responders and other health care professionals about pandemic influenza in a two-part course. Defines the causes, symptoms, and treatment principles associated with pandemic influenza. Addresses planning and preparation principles for emergency response providers. Accessible free by logging on to rapidCE.com, and awards a CE Certificate upon completion.
Online Resources for Hurricanes, Floods, and Disaster Preparedness and Recovery
Web site
Provides information for the general public, emergency planners, and public health professionals for disaster preparedness and recovery.
Pandemic Flu
Web site
Information on pandemic flu and avian influenza. Includes national planning and response information and state pandemic plans.
Preparedness Resources for Healthcare Facilities
Web site
Serves as an online resource center designed to help hospitals and health care facilities improve preparedness for disasters and large-scale emergencies.
Ready.gov
Web site
Asks individuals to do three key things to prepare for the unexpected: get an emergency supply kit, make a family emergency plan, and be informed about the different types of emergencies that could occur and their appropriate responses.
Research & Resources for Rebuilding
Web site
A list of relevant publications and ordinances to assist officials, builder/developers, and others involved in the Gulf Coast hurricane recovery efforts. This special package contains publications and other materials that can help local officials and rebuilding teams in their efforts to develop sound, affordable housing that can be produced relatively quickly.
Resource Alert: Emergency Preparedness
Web site
Identifies resources in assisting human service and transportation professionals as they develop plans to address the needs of their customers in the event of an emergency.
Rural Domestic Preparedness Consortium (RDPC)
Web site
Developed by Congress and the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to develop and deliver relevant all-hazards training in support of rural homeland security requirements. Offers training and certification programs, plus related news and resources for rural emergency responders.
Rural Health Research: Emergency preparedness
Web site
Provides summaries of current and completed rural health research projects and related publications addressing the topic of emergency preparedness, produced by the Office of Rural Health Policy's funded rural health research centers.
Rural Homeland Security Resources for Local Officials
Web site
Resources for planning and funding homeland security efforts in rural communities.
Rural Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITS) Resources
Web site
Provides links to Web sites and articles that will serve as useful resources to visitors looking for the latest information and advances in Intelligent Transportation Systems technology.
Snap Shots of State Population Data (SNAPS)
Web site
Provides local-level community profile information nationwide that can be browsed by county and state and searched by zip code. SNAPS can be used when responding to public health emergency events at the state, Tribal, and local levels.
State Offices and Agencies of Emergency Management
Web site
Directory of state offices of emergency management.
TOXNET
Database
A group of databases on toxicology, hazardous chemicals, environmental health, and toxic releases.
Trauma Information Guide
Web site
Information, resources and frequently asked questions related to trauma in rural areas.
U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission Emergency Preparedness & Response Guide
Web site
Provides detailed information about radiological / nuclear emergencies, including possible causes and best practices in terms of preparedness and response.
Urban to Rural Evacuation Tool
Web site
Models evacuation from urban areas into rural counties, providing estimated numbers of evacuees by scenario (dirty bomb, flu pandemic, chemical incident). Requires registration (free).
WISER: Wireless Information System for Emergency Responders
Web site
Assists first responders in hazardous material incidents. Provides information on hazardous substances, including substance identification support, physical characteristics, human health information, and containment and suppression advice.
Regulations, Forms & Other Useful Documents
Assessing Bioterrorism Preparedness and Response of Rural Veterinarians: Experiences and Training Needs
Author(s): Chiehwen Ed Hsu, Holly Jacobsen, Katherine Feldman, Jerry A. Miller, Lori Rodriguez, Francisco Soto Mas
Reports an assessment of the bioterrorism preparedness of rural veterinarians in North Texas, suggesting that many of these veterinarians could benefit from additional training in bioterrorism preparedness and response.
Journal citation: Journal of Veterinary Medical Education Volume 35 Issue 2 Pages: 262-268
Date: 2008
Attention from the Top? Roles of State Offices of Rural Health Policy in Preparing for Bioterrorism and Other Health System Emergencies
Author(s): Curt D. Mueller, A. Ketchel, L. Silver
Sponsoring organization: NORC Walsh Center for Rural Health Analysis
Presents results from a survey of directors of state offices of rural health (SORHs) on emergency preparedness in rural communities. Discusses emergency preparedness activities of SORHs and SORH directors' impression of preparedness in rural areas of their states.
Date: 07 / 2006
Disaster Preparedness Training for Tribal Leaders
Author(s): Wayne F. Peate, Jennie Mullins
Describes a disaster preparedness training program for tribal leaders conducted in Arizona. Discusses the role of cultural competency, respect for tribal sovereignty, solicitation of historical examples of indigenous preparedness, and incorporation of tribal community networks in the success of the program.
Journal citation: Journal of Occupational Medicine and Toxicology Volume 3 Issue 2
Date: 01 / 2008
Disaster Preparedness: Preliminary Observations on the Evacuation of Vulnerable Populations due to Hurricanes and Other Disasters
Sponsoring organization: Government Accountability Office
Discusses challenges faced by hospital and nursing home administrators that are related to hurricane evacuations, federal program that supports the evacuation of patients needing hospital care and nursing home residents, and challenges states and localities face in preparing for and carrying out the evacuation of transportation-disadvantaged populations.
Date: 05 / 2006
Equipment for Ambulances
Sponsoring organization: American College of Emergency Physicians
Provides a list of standardized equipment for ambulances to optimize prehospital delivery of care and includes resources needed for appropriate terrorism preparedness.
Date: 2006
Farm Rescue and EMS: A State by State Directory
Sponsoring organization: Office of Rural Health Policy
A directory of contacts by state that specialize in farm rescue and response training.
Help After a Disaster: Applicant's Guide to the Individuals & Households Program
Sponsoring organization: Federal Emergency Management Agency
This program guide provides information about the Individuals and Households Program (IHP) and explains how to apply. The IHP provides money and services to people in disaster areas when losses are not covered by insurance and property has been damaged or destroyed. Designed to help individuals with critical expenses. Guide is available in Spanish and English.
Date: 08 / 2005
Hometown Hospitals: The Weakest Link? Bioterrorism Readiness in America's Rural Hospitals
Author(s): Elin A. Gursky
Sponsoring organization: Center for Technology and National Security Policy
Profiles of five rural hospitals and how they are addressing bioterrorism issues. Includes discussion of the challenges facing rural hospitals related to preparedness.
Date: 06 / 2004
Hospitals Rising to the Challenge: The First Five Years of the U.S. Hospital Preparedness Program and Priorities Going Forward
Author(s): Eric Toner, Richard Waldhorn, Crystal Franco, Brooke Courtney, Kunal Rambhia, Ann Norwood, Thomas V. Inglesby, Tara O’Toole
Sponsoring organization: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services
Reports on the status of the Hospital Preparedness Program, which is designed to increase the ability of hospitals and healthcare systems to prepare for and respond to bioterror attacks on civilians and other public health emergencies, including pandemic influenza and natural disasters. Includes information on Critical Access Hospitals and rural areas.
Date: 03 / 2009
Nursing Homes in Public Health Emergencies: Special Needs and Potential Roles
Author(s): Elisabeth D. Root, Jacqueline B. Amoozegar, Shulamit Bernard
Sponsoring organization: Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality
Reports on a series of focus groups conducted to collect information about disaster and bioterrorism related planning activities among nursing homes in North Carolina, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Washington, Utah, and Southern California. Includes some discussion specific to rural nursing homes.
Date: 05 / 2007
Organizing State and Local Health Departments for Public Health Preparedness
Author(s): Jeffrey Wasserman, Peter Jacobson, Nicole Lurie, Christopher Nelson, Karen Ricci, Molly Shea, James Zazzali, Martha I. Nelson
Sponsoring organization: RAND Corporation
Examines whether state and local public health agencies relate to one another in a way that facilitates emergency response and preparedness.
Date: 2006
Perspectives of Rural Hospitals on Bioterrorism Preparedness Planning
Author(s): Claudia L. Schur, Marc L. Berk, Curt D. Mueller
Sponsoring organization: NORC Walsh Center for Rural Health Analysis
Overview of rural hospital preparedness, addressing topics like workforce and training, physical capacity and supplies, communication, and coordination. Includes policy recommendations. Based on a meeting of rural hospital representatives responsible for bioterrorism preparedness planning.
Date: 04 / 2004
Public Health Preparedness: Integrating Public Health and Hospital Preparedness Programs
Author(s): Lois M. Davis, Jeanne S. Ringel, Sarah K. Cotton, Belle Griffin, Elizabeth Malcolm, Louis T. Mariano, Jennifer E. Pace, Karen Ricci, Molly Shea, Jeffrey Wasserman, James Zazzali
Sponsoring organization: RAND Corporation
Examines different models for coordination that local health departments and general acute-care hospitals have employed to improve public health preparedness.
Date: 2006
Rural Health Preparedness
Sponsoring organization: National Rural Health Association
NRHA Policy Brief. Discusses needs of the nation's rural health care system for disaster preparedness support.
Date: 01 / 2002
Rural Preparedness Planning Guide: Planning for Population Surge Following Urban Disasters
Sponsoring organization: NORC Walsh Center for Rural Health Analysis
Assists rural and suburban preparedness officials and communities in developing and planning response plans to address the anticipated population surge.
Date: 2008
Spontaneous Evacuation Following a Dirty Bomb or Pandemic Influenza: Highlights from a National Survey of Urban Residents’ Intended Behavior
Author(s): Michael Meit, Thomas Briggs, Alene Kennedy, Janet Sutton, Jacob Feldman
Sponsoring organization: NORC Walsh Center for Rural Health Analysis
Reports results of a national survey to assess the evacuation intentions of urban citizens following emergency scenarios. Includes information on how likely it would be for evacuees to go to a rural or urban area. Discusses the potential impact of an urban evacuation on rural areas.
Date: 11 / 2007
Standing Together: An Emergency Planning Guide for America's Communities
Sponsoring organization: Joint Commission
A guide for small, rural and suburban communities to both prepare for and successfully respond to major local and regional emergencies - whether they be hurricanes, floods, terrorist attacks, major infectious outbreaks, hazardous materials spills, or other catastrophic occurrences.
Date: 2005
States of Preparedness: Health Agency Progress 2006
Sponsoring organization: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
Provides a sampling of how state and other health agencies have used their preparedness funds to increase the safety of communities, to rapidly identify and respond to new threats, and to improve their preparation for future emergencies based on lessons learned from exercises and real-life events.
Date: 2006
Tool for Evaluating Core Elements of Hospital Disaster Drills
Author(s): Sara Cosgrove
Sponsoring organization: Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality
Can be used by hospitals to identify important strengths and weaknesses in disaster drills. The results can be applied to training and drill planning.
Date: 06 / 2008
Triumph Over Tragedy: A Community Response to Managing Trauma in Times of Disaster and Terrorism
Sponsoring organization: National Rural Behavioral Health Center
Covers individual and communitywide stress and other public reactions after disaster, terrorism, and bioterrorism. Designed for disaster recovery planners, community leaders, first responders, extension professionals, health and mental health professionals, and other community stakeholders.
Date: 2004
Urban to Rural Evacuation: Planning for Rural Population Surge (Final Report)
Author(s): Michael Meit, Alene Kennedy, Thomas Briggs
Sponsoring organization: NORC Walsh Center for Rural Health Analysis
Analyzes the likelihood of urban evacuation to rural areas and provides recommendations for rural planning and response.
Date: 08 / 2008
Urban-to-Rural Evacuation: Planning for Population Surge (Policy Analysis Brief)
Author(s): Michael Meit, Alene Kennedy, Thomas Briggs
Sponsoring organization: NORC Walsh Center for Rural Health Analysis
Discusses disaster planning and how rural preparedness officials face significant informational, organizational, and infrastructural constraints in their abilities to prepare for a potential population surge from urban areas.
Date: 04 / 2007
Organizations
American Red Cross
National organization
Provides relief services to communities across the country for victims of disaster.
Association of Public Health Laboratories (APHL)
National organization
Works to safeguard the public's health by strengthening public health laboratories in the United States and across the world.
Association of State and Territorial Health Officials (ASTHO)
National organization
National nonprofit organization representing the state and territorial public health agencies of the United States, the U.S. Territories, and the District of Columbia. ASTHO's members are dedicated to formulating and influencing sound public health policy, and to assuring excellence in state-based public health practice.
Center for Biosecurity
Academic/Research
Works to prevent the development and use of biological weapons. Located at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)
Federal government
Lead federal agency for protecting the health and safety of people at home and abroad. Work includes disease prevention and control, environmental health, and health promotion and education activities designed to improve the health of the people of the United States.
Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA)
Federal government
Responsible for responding to, planning for, recovering from and mitigating against disasters. Part of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security.
Foundation for the Mid-South
Nonprofit/Foundation
Regional development foundation that brings people together, strengthens communities, and multiplies resources.
National Association of County and City Health Officials (NACCHO)
National organization
Provides education, information, research, and technical assistance to local health departments.
National Bioterrorism Civilian Medical Response Center (CIMERC)
National organization
Promotes the development of an effective response by the civilian medical community to biological terrorist attacks through the use of advanced Command and Control technologies that effectively coordinate efforts between civilian medical responders and local, State, and Federal government agencies.
National Disaster Medical System (NDMS)
Federal government
Responsible for managing and coordinating the federal medical response to major emergencies and federally declared disasters. Part of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security
Rural Local Initiatives Support Corporation (LISC)
Nonprofit/Foundation
Provides grants, loans and equity investments to community development corporations (CDCs) for neighborhood redevelopment.
U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS)
Federal government
The Department of Homeland Security is a Federal agency committed to working with citizens, private industry, trade organizations, and all levels of government to keep America safe.
Volunteers of America Southeast (VOASE)
Nonprofit/Foundation
Provides programs and opportunities for individual and community involvement, including a faith-based and community resource center. Works to serve people along the Alabama-Mississippi-Georgia Gulf Coast who are hungry, homeless, and otherwise in need of assistance. Offers programs for children, chronic mental illness, hard of hearing, community enhancement, elderly, housing, and substance abuse.
Weapons of Mass Destruction Civil Support Teams (WMD-CST)
Federal government
Civil Support Teams (CST) established to assist at the local level in determining the nature and extent of an attack or incident; provide expert technical advice on WMD response operations; and help identify and support the arrival of a state and federal military response. They are joint units consisting of both Army National Guard and Air National Guard personnel.
Terms & Acronyms
Catastrophic Incident Any natural or man-made disaster that results in extraordinary levels of mass casualties, damage, or disruption severely affecting the population, infrastructure, environment, economy, national morale, and/or government functions.
Contingency Plan Plan for responding to a system emergency. Includes performing backups, preparing critical facilities that can be used to facilitate the continuity of operations in the event of an emergency, and recovering from a disaster.
Disaster Any incident, potential or actual, which could disrupt daily operations for a prolonged period of time. These incidents generally involve large numbers of people and significant property damage. Outside emergency assistance and sustained recovery efforts may be required.
Disaster Recovery Plan Part of an overall contingency plan that contains a process enabling an enterprise to restore any loss of data in the event of a fire, vandalism, natural disaster, or system failure.
Emergency Mode Operation Plan Part of an overall contingency plan that contains a process enabling an enterprise to continue to operate in the event of a fire, vandalism, natural disaster, or system failure.
Terrorism Violence or other harmful acts committed or threatened against civilians by groups or persons for political or ideological goals.
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