U.S. Government Resources: Disaster Preparedness

9-11 Commission
http://www.9-11commission.gov

The 9-11 Commission, officially known as the National Commission on Terrorist Attacks Upon the United States, was created to prepare a complete account of the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001 and to make recommendations to prevent future such attacks.

Are You Ready? A Guide to Citizen Preparedness
http://www.fema.gov/areyouready

A comprehensive guide of survival techniques and other information on how to survive both natural and man-made disasters. The guide, created by the Federal Emergency Management Agency, is available in PDF and MS Word formats.

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention: Anthrax
http://www.cdc.gov/ncidod/dbmd/diseaseinfo/anthrax_g.htm

The Division of Bacterial and Mycotic Diseases of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) provides general and technical information on anthrax.

Disaster Finder
http://disasterfinder.gsfc.nasa.gov

Disaster Finder is a service developed and maintained by the NASA Earth Sciences Directorate. The web site offers a subject index to disaster related resources.

Disaster Help
http://www.disasterhelp.gov/

The Disaster Management e-Government Initiative is responsible for providing information and services relating to the four pillars of all-hazards disaster management: preparedness, response, recovery, and mitigation. The goal of the Initiative is to develop enhanced Disaster Management on an interagency and intergovernmental basis.

Federal Emergency Management Agency
http://www.fema.gov

The Federal Emergency Management Agency - a former independent agency that became part of the new Department of Homeland Security in March 2003 - is tasked with responding to, planning for, recovering from and mitigating against disasters.

Foreign Affairs: Terrorism
http://www.foreignaffairs.org/gs/terrorism.html

Foreign Affairs is America's most influential publication on international affairs and foreign policy. The site offers links to articles and book reviews related to terrorism.

GAO's Economic Impact of September 11th
http://www.gao.gov/new.items/d02700r.pdf

The General Accounting Office's report on its Review of Studies of the Economic Impact of the September 11, 2001, Terrorist Attacks on the World Trade Center.

GAO's Special Collections - Terrorism
http://www.gao.gov/docsearch/featured/terrorism.html

Reports from the U.S. General Accounting Office dealing with terrorism.

GAO's Special Collections - Transportation Security
http://www.gao.gov/docsearch/featured/transportationsecurity.html

Reports from the U.S. General Accounting Office dealing with transportation security.

National Flood Insurance Program
http://www.floodsmart.gov/floodsmart/

The National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP), established by Congress in 1968, was created in response to the increasing amount of damage caused by floods and the resulting costs to flood victims. Thousands of communities in the United States participate in the NFIP by adopting and enforcing floodplain management plans to reduce future flood damage. In exchange, the NFIP makes Federally backed flood insurance available to homeowners, renters, and business owners in these communities.

National Incident Management Team
http://www.fema.gov/emergency/nims/index.shtm

As part of the Department of Homeland Security, this team provides expert personnel and specialized equipment to a number of federal emergency response entities that deal with emergencies, accidents, and terrorism.

Natural Disaster Reference Database
http://ndrd.gsfc.nasa.gov

The Natural Disaster Reference Database (NDRD) is a bibliographic database on research that relates to the use of satellite remote sensing for disaster mitigation. Although the database is no longer updated, it remains on-line as a resource for disaster research.

Office of Homeland Security
http://www.whitehouse.gov/infocus/homeland/index.html

This web site provides information and news updates about the Office of Homeland Security, which is one of the offices included in the Executive Office of the President.

Oklahoma Department of Libraries: Terrorism Bibliography
http://www.odl.state.ok.us/usinfo/terrorism/911.htm

The Oklahoma Department of Libraries offers an Annotated Bibliography of Government Documents Related to the Threat of Terrorism & the Attacks of September 11, 2001. The bibliography is available for download in PDF format.

Online Tornado FAQ
http://www.spc.noaa.gov/faq/tornado

A quick-reference guide to tornadoes with links available to more specific information.

Ready.gov
http://www.ready.gov

This U.S. Department of Homeland Security site provides links to preparing for a terrorist attack, including information on the different types of threats that face American citizens and tips on making an emergency supply kit.

Strategic National Stockpile and the National Disaster Medical System
http://www.bt.cdc.gov/stockpile/

The CDC’s Strategic National Stockpile (SNS) has large quantities of medicine and medical supplies to protect the American public if there is a public health emergency severe enough to cause local supplies to run out.