P A N G A E A

HELP EMERGENCY RESOURCES

The following is a list of resource links assembled for the families of PANGAEA in the USA that may be of interest to yours. If you have other websites important for your country or region, please send them to info@pangaea.org and we'll do our best to post them all.

Emergency/Disaster Preparedness

American Red Cross, a division of the International Committee of the Red Cross, provides disaster services. Be Red Cross Ready: Personal Preparedness Handbook (PDF), includes "Three Steps to Preparedness":

American Academy of Pediatrics
"Strategic Plan for Disaster Preparedness [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

US Internal Revenue Service (IRS)
"Preparing for a Disaster (Taxpayers and Businesses)"
"Evacuation Box" includes suggestions from SmartLinks.org on IRS and other financial records to have ready if you need to evacuate. A portable file case that is flameproof and waterproof is recommended; available at office supply stores.

Minnesota Department of Public Safety, Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Management (HSEM): Every US state has a similar program.

US Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), Office of Emergency Management (OEM) "is responsible for developing operational plans, analytical products, and training exercises to ensure the preparedness of the Office, the Department, the Federal Government and the public to respond to and recover from domestic and international public health and medical threats and emergencies."

US National Response Team (NRT), provides technical assistance, resources and coordination on preparedness, planning, response and recovery activities for emergencies involving hazardous substances, pollutants and contaminants, oil, and weapons of mass destruction in natural and technological disasters and other environmental incidents of national significance.

US Department of Homeland Security (DHS)
"Prepare My Family for a Disaster" Start preparing for an emergency or disaster before anything happens. You should find reliable information sources, warning systems and alert systems in advance. Family communication is very important. Meet with family members and consider both people and pets. We recommend using our family emergency plan resource, which collects all vital information in one place in wallet-size cards you can carry with you. It is also critical to check to determine school and workplace plans so you know how to best communicate and communicate with family members who may be in school or at work when an emergency hits. You may have to evacuate at a moment�s notice and take essentials with you. You will probably not have time to search for the supplies you need or shop for them. A disaster supplies kit is simply a collection of basic items you may need in the event of an emergency. Assemble your kit well in advance of an emergency so you can survive on your own after an emergency.

Ready, a division of DHS
"Are You Ready? An In-depth Guide to Emergency Preparedness" [en español]

Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), a division of DHS, provides information on preventing and preparing for disasters, as well as disaster assistance: how to prepare, plan, and mitigate before, during, and after a disaster.

US Food and Drug Administration (FDA)
"Counterterrorism and Emerging Threats"

Nuclear Weapon Explosion

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

International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), Vienna, Austria
"Preparedness and Response to Nuclear or Radiological Incidents and Emergencies"

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.

Nuclear Radiation Emergency, including nuclear power plant emergencies

POTASSIUM IODIDE (KI), as a prophylaxis in the event of a radiation emergency.

CDC National Center for Environmental Health (NCEH) Emergency Response
"Radiation Emergencies" Get inside. Stay inside. Stay tuned.
"Shelter-in-Place" In the event of a radiation emergency, such as a nuclear power plant accident or the explosion of a dirty bomb, you may be asked to stay home and take shelter rather than try to evacuate. This action is called "sheltering in place." Because many radioactive materials rapidly decay and dissipate, staying in your home for a short time may protect you from exposure to radiation. The walls of your home may block much of the harmful radiation.
"Acute Radiation Syndrome (ARS): A Fact Sheet for the Public"

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

Conference of Radiation Control Conference Directors (CRPCD) Each state in the United States has one or more programs designed to ensure its citizens benefit from appropriate use of radiation and radioactive material and environmental radioactive material. States have been regulating radiation producing machines and their use for more than 40 years. Under the Atomic Energy Act and its revisions, 37 states have agreements with the Nuclear Regulatory Commission to regulate many radioactive isotopes produced in the nuclear fuel cycle and some of the source material that is used in the nuclear fuel cycle."
"Map of State Radiation Control Programs"

American College of Radiology
"Radiation Disasters: Preparedness and Response for Radiology"

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

US Veterans Administration (VA)
"Health Effects from Chemical, Biological and Radiological Weapons" (released Oct 2003)

US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)
"Emergency Response

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

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

US Centers for Disease Control (CDC)
"Anthrax"

International Aid

International Committee of the Red Cross, Geneva, Switzerland, assists with people unaccounted for as a result of armed conflict, internal violence, natural and environmental disaster. "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.

Other Assistance

Poisoning Emergency in the US, call TOLLFREE (US) 1-800-222-1222
If the victim has collapsed or is not breathing, telephone 911.

American Association of Poison Control Centers, located throughout the US. (See the website for the Poison Control Center nearest you.)

National Hopeline Network (Kristin Brooks Hope Center), 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: A Consumer Safety Guide"

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