Natural Disaster Resources

Resources for Restoring the Teaching and Learning Environment

• Readiness and Emergency Management for Schools (REMS) Technical Assistance (TA) Center: Supports education agencies, with their community partners, manage safety, security, and emergency management programs. The REMS TA Center helps to build the preparedness capacity (including prevention, protection, mitigation, response, and recovery efforts) of schools, school districts, institutions of higher education (IHEs), and their community partners at the local, state, and Federal levels. REMS TA Center also serves as the primary source of information dissemination for schools, school districts, and IHEs for emergencies.
• Office of Elementary and Secondary Education (OESE) Technical Assistance: OESE offers technical assistance across grant programs to support grantees and address K-12 educational needs, including needs associated with restarting operations, re-enrolling students, and reopening public or non-public elementary and secondary schools after a natural disaster. Information and resources, organized by topical areas, include websites, webinars, guidance documents, practice briefs and tools created by OESE, OESE's technical assistance Centers and other partners across the Department and government to support K-12 education programs.
• Center on Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports Practice Guide: This resource is titled School Guide for Returning to School During and After Crisis: A Guide to Supporting Schools, Educators, and Students through a Multi-Tiered Systems of Support Framework. This abbreviated school guide describes the use of a multi-tiered systems of support (MTSS) framework to support students, families, and educators during the transitions back to school during and following the global pandemic in a manner that prioritizes their health and safety, social and emotional needs, and behavioral and academic growth. 
• The National Center for Homeless Education: Operates the U.S. Department of Education's technical assistance and information center for the federal Education for Homeless Children and Youth Program.
• Early Childhood Technical Assistance Center | Disaster Planning and Trauma Response Page: Provides resources and links from Federal agencies and national organizations and to help families and children, including those with disabilities, cope with disasters.
• The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Caring for Children in a Disaster:  Offers simple steps through a collection of resources to protect children in emergency situations and help meet their needs during and after a disaster.
• National Child Traumatic Stress Network: Established to improve access to care, treatment, and services for traumatized children and adolescents exposed to traumatic events. The network provides resource for different types of trauma and evidence-based treatments that work.
  • National Child Traumatic Stress Network Hurricane Resources
  • National Child Traumatic Stress Network Wildfire Resources
  • National Child Traumatic Stress Network Flood Resources
  • National Child Traumatic Stress Network Tornado Resources

Natural Disaster Information from Other Federal Agencies

• Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) Disaster Page: FEMA provides information about the formal disaster declaration process, disaster types, how FEMA gets involved, and other financial and technical resources.
• Public Assistance: Policy and Guidance Website: FEMA helps state, local, tribal, and territorial governments and certain types of private nonprofit organizations respond to and recover from major disasters or emergencies. After an event like a hurricane, tornado, earthquake or wildfire, communities need help to cover their costs for debris removal, life-saving emergency protective measures, and restoring public infrastructure.
• FEMA Public Assistance FAQs for Schools and Institutions of Higher Education: These FAQs are meant to assist state education agencies, local educational agencies, schools, and institutions of higher education interested in applying for PA funding to help with recovery efforts following Presidential disaster declarations.
• FEMA Individual Assistance Resource Library for Students: This resource library provides information on policies, guidance, and other materials intended to help you understand FEMA's Individual Assistance programs.
• DisasterAssistance.gov: The Disaster Assistance Improvement Program's (DAIP) mission is to provide disaster survivors with information, support, services, and a means to access and apply for disaster assistance through joint data-sharing efforts between federal, tribal, state, local, and private sector partners.
• Ready.gov: Ready is a National public service campaign designed to educate and empower the American people to prepare for, respond to and mitigate emergencies, including natural and man-made disasters. The goal of the campaign is to promote preparedness through public involvement.
• Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Natural Disaster and Severe Weather Resources: CDC offers a number of resources that public health professionals, clinicians, emergency responders, and others can use to share health and safety information in the event of a natural disaster. Resources include emergency social media channels as well as Public Service Announcements and podcasts focused on what individuals can do to protect themselves and their families during natural disasters.