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.

• NEW! Oct 6, 2008
  CDC Awards $10.9 Million for Preparedness Research Centers at Seven Schools of Public Health
  CDC's Coordinating Office for Terrorism Preparedness and Emergency Response has awarded $10.9 million to seven accredited schools of public health for the establishment of Preparedness and Emergency Response Research Centers (PERRCs). The seven schools will conduct research that will evaluate the structure, capabilities, and performance of public health systems for preparedness and emergency response activities.
  

Preparedness for Specific Types of Emergencies

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

Personal Preparedness

• Emergency Preparedness & 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)
• Hospital Preparedness for Mass Causalities
  Provided by the Advancing Health in America Policy Forum.
• 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

• 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.
• The Centers for Public Health Preparedness Program
• 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.
• Comprehensive Preparedness Guide 301: Interim Emergency Management Planning for Special Needs Populations (300 KB/80 pages)
  Provides scalable recommendations for planning for special needs populations.
• MMWR: Brief Report: Terrorism & Emergency Preparedness in State & Territorial Public Health Departments — United States, 2004
  MMWR 2005 May 13;54(18):459-460.
  (239 KB/24 pages)
• MMWR: Assessment of Epidemiologic Capacity in State & Territorial Health Departments — United States, 2004
  MMWR 2005 May 13;54(18):457-459.
  (239 KB/24 pages)
• MMWR: Improvement in Local Public Health Preparedness & Response Capacity — Kansas, 2002–2003
  MMWR 2005 May 13;54(18):461-462.
  (239 KB/24 pages)
• Guidance on Initial Responses to a Suspicious Letter/Container With a Potential Biological Threat (241 KB/6 pages)
  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
• Community-Based Mass Prophylaxis: A Planning Guide for Public Health Preparedness
  Planning guide to help state, county, & local officials meet federal requirements to prepare for public health emergencies. Outlines five components of mass prophylaxis response to epidemic outbreaks. Addresses dispensing operations using a comprehensive operational structure for Dispensing/Vaccination Centers (DVCs) based on the National Incident Management System (NIMS). (Developed by Weill Medical College of Cornell University for the Agency of Healthcare Research & Quality [AHRQ].)

National Preparedness

• CDC Influenza Pandemic Operation Plan (OPLAN)
• 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.
  (204 KB/26 pages)
• 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.
• National Advisory Committee on Children & Terrorism (NACCT)
• CDC Plane Decreases Response Time, Increases Readiness

Legal Preparedness

• Regulations to control communicable diseases
  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).
• Interstate Quarantine
  From United States Code Annotated; Title 42; The Public Health & Welfare; Part 70. On U.S. Government Printing Office site.
• Foreign Quarantine
  From United States Code Annotated; Title 42; The Public Health & Welfare; Part 71. On U.S. Government Printing Office site.
• EID Journal: Collaboration Between Public Health & Law Enforcement: The Constitutional Challenge
  Emerging Infectious Diseases 2002 Oct;8(10):1157-1159.

Contacts for Preparation & Planning

• Bioterrorism Preparedness & Response Program
  Program questions: 404-639-0385
• Emergency Preparedness & Response Branch
  Provided by the National Center for Environmental Health.
• Health Agency Locator (HAL)