Northeast > Resources > Topic Specific > National Prevention Resources and Policies > Disaster Prevention Resources

In the wake of the September 11, 2001 disaster, health care professionals have realized the importance of developing disaster preparedness plans. Are there resources available that will enable us to be better prepared for natural and human-made disasters?

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Substance Abuse and Mental Health Administration held a meeting in New York city two months after the September 11, 2001 disaster to discuss the disaster’s impact on mental health and substance abuse services. The meeting, which was attended by local, state, and federal representatives of the mental health and substance abuse provider communities, looked at issues of recovery, resiliency and response. The meeting served as an impetus for mental health and substance abuse prevention practitioners to work with local communities, state and federal agencies, as well as with their own staff, to develop action plans.

The Internet is an excellent source of information about disaster preparedness policies, actions, models, etc. and with some guidance will enable users to gather valuable information. The Internet resources listed below provide an abundance of useful information.

• Centers for Disease Control and Prevention http://www.cdc.gov/has a Public Health Emergency Preparedness and Response division that has a website http://www.bt.cdc.gov/ that contains CDC health alerts, advisories, and updates; includes sections on agents/diseases, epi/surveillance, nfo/communications, laboratory issues, legal/ethical issues, media/health, planning/guidance, US state/local efforts, and training; and includes a site version in Spanish.

• Europa http://europa.eu, the official website of the European Union, offers up-to-date information http://europa.eu.int/news/110901/civil.htm on public health preparedness for emergencies and disasters.

• Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), http://www.fema.gov/, is an independent agency of the federal government; provides a comprehensive, risk-based, emergency management program of mitigation, preparedness, response and recovery.

• Johns Hopkins University: Center for Civilian Biodefense Strategies http://www.hopkins-biodefense.org/ offers a practical fact sheet on public health preparedness "Interim Actions for the Medical Public Health Community"

• Massachusetts Medical Society Online http://www.massmed.org/ has a section on bio-terrorism updates including an Emergency Management and Public Health Fact Sheet

• Medline Plus Health Information: Disasters and Emergency Preparedness http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/disastersandemergencypreparedness.html contains health, disease management, and law and policy information on disaster management provided by the National Library of Medicine

• OCLC Public Affairs Information Service http://www.pais.org/index.stm presents a review http://www.pais.org/ of September 11 donation scams as well as links to web resources and a bibliography http://www.pais.org of literature about the public health impacts of disasters like September 11

• U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Office of Emergency Preparedness (OEP) website http://www.hhs.gov/asphep contains practical information for public health officials, emergency manager, and others

• U.S. Department of Justice, Office of Domestic Preparedness http://www.ojp.usdoj.gov/odp/welcome.html is still under development but promises to contain a number of helpful resources.

• World Health Organization: Humanitarian Action http://www.who.int/disasters/ advocates for public health practice in humanitarian situations

Please contact the Northeast CAPT at captonline@edc.org for more information.