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Rural Health Information Hub

Rural Health
Resources by Topic: Emergency preparedness and response

SAMHSA Disaster Distress Helpline
Offers confidential and multilingual crisis counseling and support for people in emotional distress related to human-caused or natural disasters. Call or text 1-800-985-5990 to speak with a trained counselor. Available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
Type: Hotline
Sponsoring organization: Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration
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County Disability and Natural Disasters Maps
An interactive map set that shows county disability rates by sex, race, ethnicity, age group, and type of impairment. Also shows whether people with disabilities are more or less likely to live in counties with a higher risk of natural disasters.
Type: Map/Mapping System
Sponsoring organization: Mathematica
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Rural Schools: Emergency Management Planning for All Settings
Provides information and resources on emergency planning (EP) for rural schools. Discusses challenges such as funding, staff shortages, and lack of broadband, and includes steps to overcome them. Also presents example programs, including those aimed at engaging community partners and students in EP planning process.
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Readiness and Emergency Management for Schools
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Rural Public Health Preparedness Program
Provides links to useful resources and contact information from federal, state and local organizations, for guidance in dealing with a rural disaster or emergency scenario. Features an interactive state-level map with links to each state's rural emergency response website.
Type: Website
Sponsoring organization: National Rural Health Association
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The National Risk Index for Natural Hazards
Dataset and online tool to help illustrate the communities most at risk for 18 natural hazards. Designed and built by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) in collaboration with stakeholders and partners in academia; local, state and federal government; and private industry. Uses source data for natural hazard and community risk factors to develop a baseline relative risk measurement for each United States county and census tract.
Type: Map/Mapping System
Sponsoring organization: Federal Emergency Management Agency
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Disaster Available Supplies in Hospitals (DASH)
Interactive tool designed to help hospital emergency planners and supply chain staff estimate supplies that may need to be available immediately during mass casualty incidents and infectious disease emergencies, based on hospital characteristics. Comprises four modules which can provide hospitals a holistic view of the supplies needed to address various types of incidents.
Type: Tool
Sponsoring organization: Administration for Strategic Preparedness and Response
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Rural Resilience
Provides resources for rural areas recovering from various disasters such as tornadoes, floods, pandemics, and more. Focuses on readiness, response, and recovery. Includes a U.S. map that shows the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) risk index by county.
Type: Website
Sponsoring organization: Housing Assistance Council
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Rural Disaster Health TA Responses
Examples of technical assistance (TA) requests related to rural health disasters, as addressed by the Technical Resources, Assistance Center, and Information Exchange (TRACIE). Includes links to resources on how healthcare facilities can apply for grant and funding assistance, hospital emergency operations plans, and discussion of how rural areas can prepare for and manage residents who test positive for COVID-19.
Type: Website
Sponsoring organization: Administration for Strategic Preparedness and Response
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A Rural Capacity Map
Interactive maps displaying data to illustrate the variability across the country in community capacity to apply for funding, fulfill reporting requirements, and design, build, and maintain infrastructure projects. Variables include local government staffing, community education and engagement, and socioeconomic trends. Includes maps showing locations with high risk of wildfires or floods and low capacity.
Type: Map/Mapping System
Sponsoring organization: Headwaters Economics
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Disaster Behavioral Health Information Series Resource Center
Resource portal provides behavioral health disaster resources. Searchable portal allows filtering by type of disaster, target audience, and resource population such as American Indians and Alaska Natives and rural populations, among other indicators.
Type: Website
Sponsoring organization: SAMHSA Disaster Technical Assistance Center
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