The Illinois Medical Emergency Response Team (IMERT) provides formulas and useful tips for how to best allocate space in different types of temporary medical facility sites, such as a gymnasium, stadium or aircraft hangar. Layout charts and photographs for facilities are also included. Alternative Care Site Planning: Site Layout
Localities must pre-identify temporary medical facility to use during natural disasters in the scenario that local medical facilities become damaged or overwhelmed. The Illinois Medical Emergency Response Team (IMERT) offers several easy-to-use tools to help localities create a plan for temporary medical facilities. On this page, find links to a “site selection tool” that can… Read more
Most small disasters don’t require temporary medical facilities to be established, but localities still must have a plan – the likelihood may be small, but the repercussions of not having a plan are monumental. Use these tips to develop a plan and coordinate available resources, staff and supplies during a disaster to setup one or… Read more
The methods outlined in this report can serve as a guide for local and state governments and other disaster stakeholders to develop a plan for reunifying children with their families after a natural disaster. Amidst the chaos of a natural disaster, children are more apt to become separated from their legal parents or guardians. This… Read more
The state of Texas recently developed a rapid re-housing model, called RAPIDO, to help low income families recover from disasters more quickly. This report outlines the model’s key innovations, incorporation of fair housing to improve outcomes, and recommendations for next steps. Localities in any state can use this a guide for improving disaster recovery housing… Read more
IBTS spoke with Lexington-Fayette County, Kentucky, Emergency Management Public Information Officer (PIO) John Bobel about his plans for communicating during natural disasters at the local level. Below, Bobel offers advice to other localities on how disaster communications planning can increase effectiveness of public communication and outreach during and after an incident. Practice, practice, practice. Make sure… Read more
This FEMA Best Practice guide outlines recommendations for localities to provide pet-friendly shelters during emergencies and large-scale evacuations. Localities should have a plan for implementing pet-friendly shelters to increase the likelihood that pet-owners will evacuate to safety with their pets. Pet-friendly shelters typically allow pet-owners to care for their own animals within the owner’s shelter… Read more
Every municipal department head, in addition to lead staff, should take at minimum basic FEMA and NIMS disaster training courses. “Make it a priority, because if local agencies don’t invest in it now they’re going to pay for it on game day,” says Roger Jolliff,emergency manager for the Tulsa, Oklahoma, Area Emergency Management Agency. Below… Read more
In many localities, disaster planning is confined to emergency management. To improve the effectiveness of disaster planning, it’s important that all municipal departments engage in disaster plans with emergency management and develop a department specific . IBTS spoke with Roger Jolliff, director of the Tulsa, Oklahoma Emergency Management Agency, about best practices he’s developed… Read more
This document provides a brief explanation of the FEMA disaster declaration process, including an outline of the steps a governor must take to request a declaration, types of disaster declarations and the assistance programs that can be activated once a declaration has been made by the president. FEMA Fact Sheet: Disaster Declaration Process
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