Online Resources for Hurricanes, Floods, and Disaster Preparedness and Recovery

With hurricane season here, the National Library of Medicine (NLM) wants people to know the federal government has numerous online resources to keep the public safe and prepared.

The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) leads federal efforts to provide online health and safety information for people in the path of a hurricane or tropical storm. Comprehensive guidance for the public, first responders, and health professionals can be found at the HHS hurricane homepage, http://www.hhs.gov/hurricane.

Additionally, the National Library of Medicine has numerous Web sites that provide information for the general public, emergency planners, and public health professionals.

NLM's Web site www.medlineplus.gov contains numerous Web pages with easy-to-understand information for the general public, available in English and Spanish. Topics include:

• Hurricanes http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/hurricanes.html
• Floods http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/floods.html
• Disaster Preparation and Recovery http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/disasterpreparationandrecovery.html

En español

• Huracanes http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/spanish/hurricanes.html
• Inundaciones http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/spanish/floods.html
• Preparativos y recuperación ante un desastre http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/spanish/disasterpreparationandrecovery.html

NLM's Division of Specialized Information Services has in-depth guides to selected online resources that are especially useful for public health and emergency planners.

• Special Populations: Emergency and Disaster Preparedness
  http://sis.nlm.nih.gov/outreach/specialpopulationsanddisasters.html
  Provides links to Web sites featuring emergency preparedness for special populations including people with disabilities, senior citizens, women, and children
• Hurricanes:
  http://sis.nlm.nih.gov/enviro/hurricane.html
  Provides links to information about preparedness, recovery and environmental health
• Disaster Recovery and Environmental Health
  http://sis.nlm.nih.gov/enviro/disasterrecovery.html
  Provides information on recovering from a disaster, including guidelines for environmental cleanup

Last reviewed: 10 September 2008
Last updated: 10 September 2008
First published: 10 September 2008
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