Disaster Assistance

Hurricanes, tornadoes, floods and earthquakes. Each year, 30, 40, even 60 or more natural disasters impact the United States and it’s territories with such devastation that they exceed local capacity to respond. When the President declares these disaster areas eligible for assistance, the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) coordinates the federal response. FEMA and the Small Business Administration (SBA) respond with loans and grants that help disaster victims recover. The Administration on Aging (AoA) responds to the special needs of older disaster victims.

Disater Assistance Sub Navigation:

• Memorandum of Understanding between AoA and the American Red Cross (PDF - 67KB)
• Disaster Preparedness Manual for the Aging Network
• SUA Directory [PDF - 275KB] [Word - KB]
• Emergency Planning: A Message form the Assistant Secretary

• Department of Agriculture, Extension Disaster Education Network (Off Site)
  
• Office of Emergency Preparedness (Off Site)
  
• Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP) (Off Site)
  
• Center for Mental Health Services, Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) (Off Site)

• Department of Transportation - Office of Emergency Management (Off Site)
  
• Federal Emergency Management Agency Management (Off Site) - includes information about disasters as well as preparation and mitigation strategies.
  
• Emergency Support Functions (ESF) - FEMA breaks down ESF into 12 groups which manage and coordinate specific categories of assistance common to all disasters. Each ESF is headed by a lead organization responsible for coordinating the delivery of goods and services to the disaster area, and is supported by numerous other organizations (Off Site)
  
• Response and Recovery Programs (Off Site)
  
• Veteran's Administration, the National Center for Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (Off Site)

Heat:

• Hyperthermia: A Hot Weather Hazard for Older People (Off Site)
  
• FEMA EXTREME HEAT(Off Site)
  
• Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP) (Off Site)

Cold:

• Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP) (Off Site)
  
• Winter Storms - Red Cross (Off Site)
  
• Fighting Back Against the Cold - FEMA (Off Site)
  
• Fact Sheet: Winter Storms - FEMA (Off Site)
  
• Winter Storms - FEMA (Off Site)

Mental Health:

• Dealing With Stress After a Natural Disaster (Off Site)
  
• Psychosocial Issues for Older Adults in Disasters" (in pdf format)- Booklet from SAMHSA's Center for Mental Health Services (Off Site)

State and Local Government:

• State Emergency Management Agencies (Off Site)
  
• FEMA Regional and Area Offices (Off Site)
  
• Florida Department of Elder Affairs Disaster Preparedness (Off Site)
  
• Mid-Florida Area Agency on Aging Emergency Preparedness (Off Site)

National Orgainzations:

• The American Red Cross (Off Site)
  
• The Salvation Army - Disaster Relief (Off Site)

Major Weather Resources:

• National Weather Service (Off Site)
  
• National Hurricane Center (Off Site)
  
• The Weather Channel - Severe Weather (Off Site)

Disclaimer: References from this web page or from any of the information services sponsored by AoA to any non-governmental entity, product, service or information does not constitute an endorsement or recommendation by the Administration on Aging or any of its employees. AoA is not responsible for the contents of any "off-site" web pages referenced from this server. Although our page includes links to sites including or referencing good collections of information, AoA does not endorse ANY specific products or services provided by public or private organizations. By using this site, the user takes full responsibility for any use of these links.

FEMA (Off Site)