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Disaster Behavioral Health Information Series Resource Center
The SAMHSA Disaster Technical Assistance Center (DTAC) provides various resources and useful information for those in the disaster behavioral health field.
All resources for which links are provided are in the public domain or have been authorized for noncommercial use. Hardcopies of some materials may be ordered. If you use content from resources in this collection in program materials, you should acknowledge the source of the materials. Nothing in these other than SAMHSA resources constitutes a direct or indirect endorsement by SAMHSA or the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services of any non-federal entity’s products, services, or policies.
Did you know you can download your search results? Simply apply search filters and then click on the Download Filtered Resources link to obtain a .csv file with the resources you have found, including each resource’s name, description, date, URL, and source.
This guide was created to help the owners and operators of drinking water and wastewater systems assess gaps in their cybersecurity practices and identify ways to reduce their risk from cyberattacks. It provides a cybersecurity checklist and recommendations to improve resilience to cyberattacks.
This web page focuses on acts of terror and highlights resources that explore incidents of mass violence. It includes relevant books for adults and children, podcast episodes, news articles, and other resources that highlight strategies for coping with acts of terror, planning for emergencies, and building resilience.
This tip sheet for young adults focuses on the impacts of mass violence on individuals ages 18 to 26. It explores common effects of mass violence and provides suggestions for coping.
Developed jointly by the U.S. Departments of Homeland Security, Justice, Education, and Health and Human Services, this guide is designed to help individual schools and school districts develop and update emergency operations plans in response to potential emergencies. It highlights lessons learned and recommendations to ensure high-quality school emergency operations plans.
Developed for institutions of higher education, this guide incorporates lessons learned from recent incidents and recommendations from experts in the field to provide guidance for emergency planners revising and updating existing emergency operations plans. This resources was jointly developed by the U.S. Departments of Homeland Security, Justice, Education, and Health and Human Services.
This tip sheet discusses the steps workplace leaders can take to understand the emotional reactions employees may have when returning to work following an incident of violence in a workplace.
This brochure describes trauma that children and adolescents may experience, including trauma associated with natural and human-caused disasters. It indicates how children and adolescents may respond to trauma and how rescue workers can help children and adults cope with stressors and trauma, and it identifies sources of additional information and support.
This section of the website of the Office of the Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response features a collection of resources related to information sharing during disaster response. These resources cover guidance and lessons learned from communication about past public health emergencies, and they include tools to support emergency communication planning.
This section of the website of the Office of the Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response describes and provides links to resources related to risk communication. These resources provide information about effective communication as part of disaster and emergency management and response.
This web page describes practices jurisdictions can implement to ensure that they reach whole communities affected by disasters, including individuals with limited English proficiency, individuals who are deaf or hard of hearing, individuals who are blind, and individuals in racial and ethnic minority groups. The page also links to several federal websites that can be reviewed to understand federal standards and guidance.
The second webinar in a series focused on individuals experiencing homelessness and winter crises, this recording focuses on challenges posed for vulnerable populations when natural disasters occur during colder seasons. Presented by professionals from homeless service provider organizations and the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, the webinar highlights strategies for overcoming barriers.
This web page describes types of print materials (e.g., flyers, tip sheets) and how they can be used by disaster behavioral health programs to reach and inform disaster-affected communities.
This web page shares examples of messaging that disaster behavioral health programs can use during a disaster, including blogs, public service announcements, program websites, and social media. In addition to tips for writing messages for different methods of communication, the page also has links to examples.
This tip sheet provides guidance to help leaders understand their role in individual and community recovery following a tragedy such as a natural or human-caused disaster. This resource offers leaders communication strategies for the immediate aftermath of a tragedy as well as throughout the recovery process. The list of common symptoms of grief can also help leaders provide support and plan recovery activities.
This collection provides resources related to using social media effectively as part of overall emergency management. Disaster behavioral health professionals and emergency managers can use these resources to assist them in communicating with the public via social media and making social media part of disaster preparedness, response, and recovery.
This 5-hour online course prepares responders and others working with disaster survivors to use Skills for Psychological Recovery (SPR) to help survivors manage their reactions and cope with difficulties in the weeks and months after a disaster. The course covers the basics of delivering SPR and the core skills of SPR. Users must create a free account with the National Child Traumatic Stress Network Learning Center to access the course.
Written after the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting in Newtown, Connecticut, this tip sheet provides information for parents and professionals on how to communicate with children after a mass shooting or other traumatic event. It includes reactions to a traumatic event that children commonly experience and suggestions for talking with children and answering their questions about an incident of mass violence.
This resource was developed to provide guidance to local and national governments on how to effectively communicate with communities in the recovery phase after a disaster or other crisis. It explains principles for effective communication and provides templates to help governments develop communications plans.
An essential element to supporting individuals experiencing homelessness during disasters is to establish communication and provide successful outreach. This recorded presentation provides guidelines for reaching people experiencing homelessness effectively through case illustrations and the application of five clinical principles of care.
Mandated by the Homeland Security Act of 2002, the National Emergency Communications Plan was developed to help the nation improve how it communicates during disasters and other emergencies. It establishes goals and objectives with success indicators for the United States and recommends that these objectives be incorporated into federal, state, tribal, territorial, and local plans.
This toolkit provides guidance for building an inclusive emergency management system and highlights the importance of collaboration between and among healthcare professionals, emergency managers and public health officials, and professionals who provide services to individuals experiencing homelessness. It offers resources and strategies for addressing the needs of people experiencing homelessness during disasters.
These weather-specific informational flyers designed for people experiencing homelessness were created using input from people who were or are homeless. The flyers focus on specific natural disasters, offering weather-appropriate guidance for individuals seeking shelter and safety.
This online article identifies common reactions to a shooting and provides tips to help people strengthen their resilience. It also recommends that people seek professional help if they are having difficulty coping with the event and their reactions.
This edition of the SAMHSA Disaster Technical Assistance Center's research newsletter describes research on reactions children and youth may have to human-caused disasters such as incidents of mass violence, terrorist attacks, and technological disasters. The edition identifies mental health and substance use issues and conditions that may affect young people after human-caused disasters, as well as approaches and interventions to support them.
This page shares five elements that are related to better early- and mid-term recovery after disasters, including promoting a sense of psychological safety, promoting calming, and instilling hope. It also discusses Psychological First Aid (PFA), an evidence-informed, modular approach for helping disaster survivors, and explains how PFA can be used to reduce distress through eight core actions.