U.S. Government Sources of Information

Federal Organizations

• Office of the Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response (ASPR), PHE.gov - Public Health Emergency, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services
  Information about preventing, preparing for, and responding to the adverse health effects of U.S. public health emergencies and disasters
• Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) - Emergency Preparedness and Response, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services
  Information and resources related to preparing for and responding to public health emergencies
  Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry - Emergency Response
  • Information about harmful exposures and diseases related to toxic substances
  • Emergency and Terrorism Preparedness for Environmental Health Practitioners
    Information for environmental health practitioners about preparing for and responding to threats to the environment such as biologic and infectious waste, food protection, and radiation
  • National Institute for Occupational Health and Safety (NIOSH), Emergency Preparedness and Response
    Resources about protecting the health and safety of workers responding to a disaster or emergency event
  • Office of Public Health Preparedness and Response
    Information on public health preparedness and emergency response
• Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services
  **On June 30, 2011, the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) discontinued its Public Health Emergency Preparedness Research Program (PHEP).** Tools and resources, evidence reports, and research projects related to linkages between the clinical care delivery system and the public health infrastructure to ensure preparedness for public health emergencies and disasters developed by AHRQ are now archived and no longer maintained.
• U.S. Department of Agriculture - Emergency Preparedness
  Fact sheets about ensuring food safety during and following emergency events
• Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences
  • Armed Forces Radiobiology Research Institute
    Links to information about the biological effects of ionizing radiation
  • National Center for Disaster Medicine and Public Health
    Information on national efforts to create and disseminate a core curricula, training, education, and research in disaster health
  • Center for Disaster and Humanitarian Assistance Medicine
    Resources, on the role of military health care in response to disasters and humanitarian assistance missions
• U.S. Department of Homeland Security - Disasters
  Resources to assist emergency response professionals, communities and businesses in preparing, responding and recovering from disasters
  • Office of Health Affairs
    Serves as the principal agent for the Department of Homeland Security’s medical and health security matters; oversees the Department's biodefense activities; leads a coordinated national architecture for biological and chemical Weapons of Mass Destruction (WMD) planning and catastrophic incident management; and ensures that Department employees have an effective occupational health and safety program
• U.S. Department of State - Travel.State.Gov
  Information about travel to regions and countries affected by disasters or public health emergencies
• U.S. Department of Transportation - Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Administration
  Information about the safe transport of hazardous materials by air, rail, highway, and water
• U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs
  • National Center for PTSD 
    Information on research, education, and training related to trauma and post-traumatic stress disorder
  • Office of Public Health
    Information about hazardous exposures, their related conditions, and treatment
• Disability.gov
  Information about emergency preparedness, response, and recovery that take into account the needs of people with disabilities
• EMS.gov
  U.S. Department of Transportation, National Highway Traffic Safety Administration site with resources and training information for the emergency medical services community
• U.S. Environmental Protection Agency - Emergency Response
  Environmental emergency information related to chemicals, hazardous substances, oil spills, and radiation
• Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), U.S. Department of Homeland Security
  Resources to support citizens and first responders to build, sustain, and improve the U.S. capability to prepare for, protect against, respond to, recover from, and mitigate all hazards
  • Homeland Security Digital Library
    Naval Postgraduate School Center for Homeland Defense and Security and the Federal Emergency Management Agency's National Preparedness Directorate
    Database containing documents related to homeland security policy, strategy, and organizational management, including information related to terrorism and natural and man-made disasters. The Federal Emergency Management Agency's Lessons Learned Information Sharing Database (LLIS.gov), a database of lessons learned, best practices and innovative ideas for the emergency management and homeland security communities has been consolidated into this Homeland Security Digital Library
• U.S. Fire Administration
  Fire safety information during disasters such as wildfires, earthquakes and floods
• FirstResponder.gov
  U.S. Department of Homeland Security's information portal for federal, state, local, and tribal first responders
• Influenza (Flu) - CDC
  Comprehensive government-wide information on seasonal and pandemic influenza, coordinated by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)
• U.S. Food and Drug Administration - Emergency Preparedness and Response
  Resources about bioterrorism and drug preparedness, and the safe use of drugs after a natural disaster
• U.S. Geological Survey - Natural Hazards
  Information about natural hazards such as earthquakes, volcanoes, tsunamis and landslides
• U.S. Government Accountability Office - Public Health Emergency Preparedness and Response Key Reports
  Collection of reports related to national public health preparedness and response.
• MedicalCountermeasures.gov
  This U.S. Department of Health and Human Services administered Web page is intended to facilitate communication between federal government agencies and stakeholders in industry and the research and development community to enhance the Nation's public health emergency preparedness.
• National Institutes of Health, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services
  • National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases
    Biodefense-related information including medical countermeasures against chemical, radiological and nuclear threats
  • National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences - Emergency Response
    Information and research about the impact of environmental emergencies on human health
  • National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke - CounterACT Program
    Information and research about therapeutic and diagnostic medical countermeasures against chemical threat agents
• National Library of Medicine
  • Disaster Information Management Research Center
    Links to Web sites, databases, bibliographies, tutorials, and other scientific and consumer-oriented resources about emergency preparedness and disaster health topics
  • Disaster Lit^®
    Database for Disaster Medicine and Public Health 
  • Emergency Access Initiative
    Partnership of National Library of Medicine and publishers to provide free access to full text materials for healthcare professionals, librarians and other public affected by disasters
  • Partners in Information Access for the Public Health Workforce
    Disaster-related information for the public health workforce from the National Library of Medicine and other U.S. government agencies, public health organizations and health sciences libraries
  • REMM (Radiation Emergency Medical Management)
    Guidance about clinical diagnosis and treatment of radiation injuries during radiological and nuclear emergencies
  • WISER (Wireless Information System for Emergency Responders
    System to assist first responders and first receivers in hazardous material incidents
  • CHEMM (Chemical Hazards Emergency Medical Management)
    Guidance on planning, response and recovery related to chemical mass casualty incidents
• National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA)
  Resources about hazardous conditions related to weather, climate, and coastal waters
  • National Hurricane Center
    U.S. National hurricane forecasts, preparedness, and tracking information
  • National Weather Service - Weather Safety
    Links to severe weather awareness and safety information
• U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission - Emergency Preparedness and Response
  Information about emergency planning and response related to radiological emergencies
• Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) - Emergency Preparedness and Response
  National safety and health standards for emergency responders
• U.S. Administration for Children and Families, Office of Human Services Emergency Preparedness and Response
  U.S. Department of Health and Human Services site for information to support individuals, families, and special needs populations prior to, during and after disasters
• Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) - Disaster Preparedness, Response, and Recovery, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services
  Information and resources about the effects of disasters and traumatic events on mental health
  • Disaster Distress Helpline
    The first national hotline dedicated to providing year-round disaster crisis counseling. Includes information related to specific types of disasters

Information for the Public

• Citizen Corps
  Resources from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) about engaging citizens in personal preparedness, emergency skills and support for emergency responders
• DisasterAssistance.gov
  Information on how to get help from the U.S. Government before, during and after a disaster
• MedlinePlus - Disaster Preparation and Recovery
  Links to consumer-oriented disaster preparedness and recovery information and related health topics from the National Library of Medicine
• Ready.gov
  Resources about establishing personal and business preparedness plans
• USA.gov - Disaster and Emergencies
  Resources and information for the public concerning natural disasters