These Natural Disaster Information Cards were modified for local use from those developed as a joint effort between the City of Fort Collins Office of Emergency Management, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and the Cooperative Institute for Research in the Atmosphere (CIRA).

When first exposed to the chaos surrounding a natural disaster and its aftermath, many in the emergency communications profession are surprised by the vast range of questions and requests they receive from the public. Some of the requests seem unimportant or trivial to them in the heat of the moment. Many times the questions being asked are ones they have never heard before, and ones to which they have no answers. These "Natural Disaster Information Cards," or "NDIC" have been developed to assist with those situations.

There are three intended usages for the Natural Disaster Information Cards. These include: