Resources

There are many services and resources that can help you get ready for, respond to, and recover from disasters and emergencies.

Contacts & resources

Office of Administration for Children & Families (ACF)

The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS)’ ACF gives recommendations on how to meet the needs of children and youth during emergencies, and has a Post-Disaster Child Care Needs & Resources Matrix with more detailed information and links to other agencies involved in response efforts.

The American Red Cross (ARC)

The ARC has many resources for before, during, and especially after emergency events.

• An overview of its mission.
• Help to emotionally recover from disasters, including contact information for free counseling and support for anyone recovering from recent traumatic disaster events.

HHS’ Administration for Strategic Preparedness and Response (ASPR)

Health Care Coalitions

Gives an overview of the role of ASPR’s Health Care Coalitions and the Hospital Preparedness Program (HPP).

ASPR Technical Resources, Assistance Center & Information Exchange (ASPR TRACIE)

ASPR TRACIE is a health care emergency preparedness site for:

• Regional ASPR staff.
• State and local public health and health care preparedness grantees.
• Health care coalitions, entities, and providers.
• Emergency managers.
• Public health practitioners.
• Others working in disaster medicine, health care system preparedness, and public health emergency preparedness.

ASPR TRACIE offers:

• Technical resources.
• An Assistance Center.
• An Information Exchange.

You can reach ASPR TRACIE by email or by phone at 844-5-TRACIE (844-587-2243), Monday through Friday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. (ET), except federal holidays.

Centers for Disease Control & Prevention (CDC)

The (CDC) resources page gives information about how the CDC’s involved with declared disasters and their preparedness and response. This includes information for the public about:

• Preparation activities.
• Lessons learned.
• Recent disasters, outbreaks, and incidents. 

CDC Cybersecurity Discussion Guide

Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) Durable Medical Equipment, Prosthetics, Orthotics, & Supplies (DMEPOS) during emergencies

Read this fact sheet (PDF) to learn about DMEPOS coverage during an emergency or disaster. 

CMS quality, safety, & oversight contacts

Contact information for our Regional Offices and the State Survey Agencies. 

CMS quality, safety & oversight emergency preparedness page

Gives information about:

• The Emergency Preparedness Final Rule.
• State Survey Agency and health care provider guidance.
• Resources about quality and safety requirements and facility oversight during disasters.

Disaster Information Research Center

Information about disaster types, topics, and services that makes it easier to access disaster health literature.

Food & Drug Administration (FDA)

Information about the FDA’s roles and resources for crisis management, counterterrorism and threats, and related resources. This page also links to other FDA resources and information about how the FDA gets ready for emergencies.

Department of Homeland Security (DHS)

Information about how DHS and Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) are involved in disaster response and recovery, including:

• Support, recovery, and mitigation.
• Links to other pages, like the National Preparedness Goal and Surge Capacity Force.

National Disaster Medical System (NDMS)

The HHS’ Office of the Administration for Strategic Preparedness and Response (ASPR) gives information about the NDMS. The NDMS, involved at the request of state, local, tribal, or territorial authorities or by other federal departments, are medical professionals who:

• Give patient care.
• Move patients.
• Offer veterinary services.
• Give fatality management support.

Rural Health Information Hub (RHIhub)

Information and resources for rural communities to help them with their unique challenges, like resource limitations, remoteness, low population density, and communication issues.

The Substance Abuse & Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA)

SAMHSA has a free disaster distress helpline available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year, to help the public with the emotional distress related to disasters and emergencies.

Programs

Emergency Prescription Assistance Program (EPAP) for prescription drugs

EPAP helps people in federally-identified disaster areas who don’t have health insurance to get the prescription drugs, vaccinations, medical supplies, and equipment that they need.

Medicaid

Information about Medicaid, the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP), and BHP services during disasters, including a disaster toolkit with policies and program topics.

Data, research, & tools

EmPOWER

The HHS emPOWER Map, a publicly-available resource that integrates de-identified Medicare billing data, real-time NOAA severe weather tracking, and GIS mapping to highlight the number of at-risk individuals that use electrically-dependent, life-maintaining, and assistive durable medical equipment in geographic areas down to the zip code level.

1. The HHS emPOWER Emergency Planning De-identified Dataset, a publicly-accessible resource that provides de-identified Medicare billing information for each type of durable medical equipment and dialysis, oxygen tank, and home health care service in use within a state, territory, county, or zip code.
2. The HHS emPOWER Emergency Response Outreach Dataset, a secure resource that contains limited individual level information, which can be used to conduct outreach prior to, during, and after a public health emergency. This resource is made available by request to public health authorities in the event of an emergency that requires life-maintaining and saving outreach assistance.

Rules & legislation

CMS 1135 Waiver page

When the President declares a disaster or emergency under the Stafford Act or National Emergencies Act and the HHS Secretary declares a public health emergency under Section 319 of the Public Health Service Act, the Secretary can offer waivers or modifications to help providers and suppliers. Our 1135 Waiver page gives information on:

• The 1135 waiver process.
• How to request Medicare 1135 waivers.
• Flexibilities without waivers.
• Medicare flexibilities with waivers.

CMS Emergency Preparedness final rule

In September 2016, we published the Emergency Preparedness Requirements for Medicare and Medicaid Participating Providers and Suppliers Final Rule. Our page gives details about this final rule which requires 17 provider and supplier types to have an emergency preparedness program in place.

FEMA disaster declaration

This page has information about recently declared disasters with a searchable tool that lets the public search declared disasters with filters for declaration type, incident type, incident date, or state.

Public Health Emergency (PHE) declaration

This page has information about recent and past public health emergencies that have been declared by the HHS Secretary.

Stafford Act

FEMA gives procedural information about the Stafford Act declaration process for emergency managers, elected officials, media, and stakeholders interested in the formal declaration process. All emergency and major disaster declarations are made solely at the discretion of the President of the United States.

Past emergencies

CMS emergency events archive

This provides archives about our work during past disasters.

FEMA Hurricane Irma resources

This provides information from FEMA on the disaster recovery efforts related to Hurricane Irma in 2017.