American Red Cross, a division of the International Committee of the Red Cross, provides disaster services.
"Three Steps to Preparedness"

American Academy of Pediatrics
"Disaster Preparedness to Meet Children's Needs," a resource for the special needs of children.

US Centers for Disease Control (CDC), is responsible for providing current and accurate information on communicable and life-threatening diseases.
"Emergency Preparedness and Response"
"Chemical Agents: Facts About Sheltering-in-Place"

American College of Emergency Physicians
"Family Disaster Preparedness"
"What to Do in an Emergency"

US Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), provides information on preventing and preparing for disasters, as well as disaster assistance.
"Are You Ready? A Guide to Citizen Preparedness"

Nuclear Weapon Explosion

Nuclear War Survival Skills, by Cresson Kearny, especially Chapter 13: "Surviving Without Doctors." Original edition published September 1979, by Oak Ridge National Laboratory, U.S. Department of Energy; online civil defense edition provided by the Oregon Institute of Science and Medicine and updated 1987.

World Health Organization
"Nuclear Weapon Explosion," protection guidance in the event of a nuclear weapon explosion (Feb 2003)
"Ionizing Radiation" readings
"Radiological Dispersion Device (Dirty Bomb)"

International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA)

Nuclear Radiation Emergency, including power plant explosion. POTASSIUM IODIDE as a prophylaxis in the event of a radiation emergency.
US Food and Drug Administration: "FDA maintains that KI is a safe and effective means by which to prevent radioiodine uptake by the thyroid gland, under certain specified conditions of use, and thereby obviate the risk of thyroid cancer in the event of a radiation emergency.... KI provides protection only for the thyroid from radioiodines. It has no impact on the uptake by the body of other radioactive materials and provides no protection against external irradiation of any kind. FDA emphasizes that the use of KI should be as an adjunct to evacuation (itself not always feasible), sheltering, and control of foodstuffs."

US Food and Drug Administration
"Guidance: Potassium Iodide as a Thyroid Blocking Agent in Radiation Emergencies" (Nov 2001)
"Guidance for Industry: KI in Radiation Emergencies - Questions and Answers" (Dec 2002)

World Health Organization
"Guidelines for Iodine Prophylaxis Following Nuclear Accidents: Update 1999."

American Thyroid Association
"Questions and Answers about Potassium Iodide (KI)"

Vermont Department of Health

CDC National Center for Environmental Health
"Sheltering in Place During a Radiation Emergency"
"Radiation Sickness (Acute Radiation Syndrome)," including emergency phone numbers
"Federal Radiological Emergency Response Fact Sheets"
"Potassium Iodide (KI)

US Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC)
"Fact Sheet on Biological Effects of Radiation"

State Radiation Control Agencies

American College of Radiology
"Disaster Preparedness for Radiology Specialists, Response to Radiological Terrorism:
A Primer for Radiologists, Radiation Oncologists and Medical Physicists"

Bioterrorism, is the use or threatened use of bacteria, viruses, or toxins as weapons.

American College of Emergency Physicians
"Bioterrorism," including health information on smallpox and anthrax

US Veterans Administration (VA)
"Biological, chemical and Radiation Induced Illnesses"

US Environmental Protection Agency
"Chemical Emergency Preparedness and Prevention

US Federal Drug Administration
"Cipro (Ciprofloxacin Hydrochloride) for Inhalation Anthrax"

US Department of Health and Human Services
"Questions and Answers about Anthrax Prevention and Treatment "

US Centers for Disease Control
"Anthrax"

Johns Hopkins University, School of Public Health, Center for Civilian Biodefense Strategies

International Aid

International Committee of the Red Cross, Geneva, Switzerland, assists with people unaccounted for as a result of armed conflict or internal violence. "The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) was founded nearly a century and a half ago. It seeks to preserve a measure of humanity in the midst of war. Its guiding principle is that even in war there are limits: limits on how warfare is conducted and limits on how combatants behave. The set of rules that were established with this in mind and endorsed by nearly every nation in the world is known as international humanitarian law, of which the Geneva Conventions are the bedrock."

United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), Geneva, Switzerland, provides refugee camps and other forms of service and protection for people displaced by war, conflict and environmental disaster.

There is a saying that the only things one can count on in the world are death and taxes. So,

Evacuation Box, suggestions from the US Internal Revenue Service (IRS) on what to have ready when you evacuate. A portable file case that is flameproof and waterproof is recommended; available at office supply stores.

Minnesota

Minnesota Division of Emergency Management
Minnesota Division of Emergency Management advises against making homes airtight as terror safeguard. Click here to view the news release. (PDF)

US Department of Health and Human Services, Office of Emergency Planning. "Working in partnership with the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and the Federal interagency community, OEP serves as the lead Federal agency for health and medical services within the Federal Response Plan. OEP also directs and manages the National Disaster Medical System (NDMS) a cooperative asset-sharing partnership between HHS, the Department of Defense (DoD), the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), FEMA, state and local governments, private businesses and civilian volunteers. OEP is also responsible for Federal health and medical response to terrorist acts involving Weapons of Mass Destruction (WMD)." No actual information on the site.

US National Response Team, includes links to many federal defense and environmental organizations, but no information on the US National Response. A source for national preparedness and response for oil and hazardous materials spills.

American Association of Poison Control Centers, located throughout the US. (See the website for the Poison Control Center nearest you.) While this may be helpful in a common poison situation, don't count on them for chemical or radiation situations.

If you have a poisoning emergency, call TOLLFREE (US) 1-800-222-1222
If the victim has collapsed or is not breathing, telephone 911.

National Hope Line Network, if you or someone you care about is feeling suicidal or is in an emotional crisis, call TOLLFREE (US) 1-800-784-2433 (1-800-SUICIDE), 24 hours a day.

US Food and Drug Administration
"Buying Medicines and Medical Products Online"

US Department of Homeland Security, see also http://ready.gov

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