Preparation & Planning

NOTE: the preparedness resources on this website are too numerous to list on one page. For more resources on specific topics, see the list of specific types of emergencies below.

Preparedness for Specific Types of Emergencies

• Bioterrorism Emergencies
  Anthrax, smallpox...more
• Chemical Emergencies
• Blast Injuries
• Natural Disasters
• Radiation Emergencies
• See Agents, Diseases, & Other Threats for a full list of health hazards covered on this website

Personal Preparedness

• Emergency Preparedness and You
  Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the American Red Cross have teamed up to answer common questions and provide step by step guidance you can take now to protect you and your loved ones.
• Chemical Emergencies: Facts About Sheltering in Place
  How to find temporary shelter in a chemical emergency
• Chemical Emergencies: Facts About Evacuation
  Knowing when & how to evacuate an area in a chemical emergency
• Chemical Emergencies: Facts About Personal Cleaning & Disposal of Contaminated Clothing
  What to do if you come in physical contact with dangerous chemicals
• Radiation Emergencies: Sheltering in Place
  How to find temporary shelter in a radiation emergency

Preparedness for Businesses

• Emergency Preparedness for Business
  Instructions to building occupants, actions to be taken by facility management, & first responder notification procedures. From the National Institute for Occupational Safety & Health (NIOSH)
• Guidance for Protecting Building Environments from Airborne Chemical, Biological, or Radiological Attacks
  May 2002. From the National Institute for Occupational Safety & Health, CDC

Preparedness for Healthcare Facilities

• Adapting Standards of Care under Extreme Conditions: Guidance for Professionals During Disasters, Pandemics, and Other Extreme Emergencies (2 MB/26 pages)
  This policy paper can be used a basis for protocol development and refinement, especially in regard to ethics and standards that apply to decisions about care made during unusual or extreme circumstances such as those resulting from emergencies, disasters, or pandemics. Prepared for the American Nurses Association by the Center for Health Policy, Columbia University School of Nursing.
• Bioterrorism Readiness Plan: A Template for Healthcare Facilities (1.5 MB/34 pages)
• OSHA Best Practices for Hospital-Based First Receivers of Victims
  Information to assist hospitals in developing & implementing emergency management plans for protecting hospital-based emergency department personnel during the receipt of contaminated victims from mass casualty incidents occurring at locations other than the hospital. Provided by the U.S. Occupational Safety & Health Administration (OSHA).
• MMWR QuickStats: Percentage of Hospitals with Staff Members Trained to Respond to Selected Terrorism-Related Diseases or Exposures
  National Hospital Ambulatory Medical Care Survey, United States, 2003--2004
  MMWR 2007 Apr 27;56(16):401.

State & Local Preparedness

• Considerations for Anthrax Vaccine Adsorbed (AVA) Post-Exposure Prioritization (237 KB/19 pages)
• Preparedness Planning Tools: Spreadsheet-based software models designed to assist state, regional, and federal level preparedness planners.
• Public Health Preparedness: Mobilizing State by State
  Inaugural CDC report on public health emergency preparedness. Provided by the CDC Coordinating Office for Terrorism Preparedness and Emergency Response (COTPER).
• Public Health Emergency Response Guide for State, Local, & Tribal Public Health Directors
  All-hazards reference tool for health professionals who are responsible for initiating the public health response during the first 24 hours (i.e., the acute phase) of an emergency or disaster. Version 2 now available!
• Preparedness and Emergency Response Learning Centers
• Cooperative Agreement Guidance for Public Health Emergency Preparedness
  Guidance for CDC emergency preparedness funding for states. CDC has announced the availability of FY 2008 funding for continuation of the cooperative agreements to upgrade state & local public health jurisdictions’ preparedness for & response to bioterrorism, other outbreaks of infectious disease, & other public health threats & emergencies.
• CDC Support for the Emergency Management Assistance Compact (EMAC)
  Information about EMAC, the interstate mutual aid agreement that provides a mechanism for sharing personnel, resources, equipment & assets among states during emergencies & disasters.
• MMWR: Brief Report: Terrorism & Emergency Preparedness in State & Territorial Public Health Departments — United States, 2004
  MMWR 2005 May 13;54(18):459-460.
• MMWR: Assessment of Epidemiologic Capacity in State & Territorial Health Departments — United States, 2004
  MMWR 2005 May 13;54(18):457-459.
• MMWR: Improvement in Local Public Health Preparedness & Response Capacity — Kansas, 2002–2003
  MMWR 2005 May 13;54(18):461-462.
• Guidance on Initial Responses to a Suspicious Letter/Container With a Potential Biological Threat [PDF - 247 KB]
  Guidelines for local responders, based on existing procedures, on the initial response to letters, packages, or containers containing suspicious powders, liquids, or other materials. Developed by HHS/CDC, FBI, & DHS.
• Cities Readiness Initiative (CRI)
  Pilot program to aid cities in increasing their capacity to deliver medicines and medical supplies during a large-scale public health emergency

National Preparedness

• CDC Resources for Pandemic Flu
• Strategic National Stockpile
  National repository of pharmaceuticals & medical supplies.
• Epi-X: The Epidemic Information Exchange
  Secure, Web-based communications network connecting CDC with state & local health departments, poison control centers, & other public health professionals.
• MMWR: Biological & Chemical Terrorism: Strategic Plan for Preparedness & Response
  Recommendations of the CDC Strategic Planning Workgroup.
  MMWR Recommendations & Reports 2000 Apr 21;49(RR-4);1-14.
• Emergency & Environmental Health Services
  From the National Center for Environmental Health. Description of NCEH involvement in providing national & international leadership for the coordination, delivery, & evaluation of emergency & environmental health services.
• MedCon‎
  A tool to estimate the pre-event population at risk of medical consequences in a disaster.

Legal Preparedness

• Regulations to control communicable diseases [PDF - 8 KB]
  42 U.S.C. 264 (From United States Code Annotated; Title 42; The Public Health & Welfare; Chapter 6a--Public Health Service; Subchapter Ii--General Powers & Duties.; Part G--Quarantine & Inspection).
• EID Journal: Collaboration Between Public Health & Law Enforcement: The Constitutional Challenge
  Emerging Infectious Diseases 2002 Oct;8(10):1157-1159.
• Public Health Emergency Preparedness Clearinghouse
  The Public Health Emergency Preparedness Clearinghouse is a central repository for emergency preparedness-related statutes, regulations, orders, reports, and legal tools. The Clearinghouse is intended to aid jurisdictions considering updates and clarifications to their public health emergency legal preparedness activities.