Hurricane Response Guide for Environmental Public Health Professionals
This National Environmental Health Association (NEHA) Hurricane Response Guide (Response Guide) serves as operational guidance for experienced environmental public health (EPH) professionals at the state, tribal, local, and territorial level (STLT) in hurricane-prone regions. Designed for public sector use, this Response Guide aligns with and complements existing frameworks, such as the National Response Framework (NRF), the National Disaster Recovery Framework (NDRF), and the National Incident Management System (NIMS). It aims to bolster preparedness, response, and recovery efforts before, during, and after a hurricane strikes.
Key features of this Response Guide include:
1. Operational Guidance: Detailed task checklists centered around the 15 functional areas of the NEHA Environmental Public Health Emergency Preparedness and Response (EPHEPR) Capability Framework. 2. Pro Tips: An overview of essential concepts and best practices by functional area to increase environmental public health professionals’ knowledge base. 3. National Guidance, Standards, and Forms: A selection of key resources by functional area to provide additional guidance and support. This Response Guide provides information about the various consequences of hurricanes, including flooding, power outages, chemical hazards, food contamination, and increased vector-borne disease transmission. By outlining these potential impacts, this Response Guide equips EPH professionals with evidence-based considerations for formulating effective mitigation strategies and actionable responses, adaptable to various levels of emergency response. Funding and Liability Statement Funding for this project was 100% supported by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the Agency for Toxic Substances and Diseases Registry (ATSDR) under Grant # NU38OT000300-05-04 (Cooperative Agreement # CDC-RFA-OT18-1802). The views expressed in written conference materials or publications and by speakers and moderators do not necessarily reflect the official policies of the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). This Response Guide is not intended to provide legal advice with regards to emergency response, life-safety, or life-saving efforts, actions, decisions, or activities. All content herein is solely for informational purposes only and does not replace practitioner, professional, organizational, agency, or departmental decisions making, incident action planning, or other emergency response actions. Acknowledgments Publication of this Response Guide would not have been possible without the collective efforts and contributions from the following people: • Veronica Bryant Emergency Preparedness and Outbreak Response Coordinator, North Carolina Public Health
• Tim Hatch District Administrator, Alabama Department of Public Health • John Kolman District Health Officer, Hawaii Department of Health • Tracy Wade Assistant Bureau Chief, Florida Health
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