An official website of the United States government.
Emergency responses take place in the immediate aftermath of a disaster and contain multiple components. Community (local) governments serve as a link between rural citizens and federal agency programs. This page provides resources for rural communities and their first responders.
Featured Resources
Resources for First Responders
Disaster Resource Center [usda.gov]
Information on preparedness, recovery, and building long-term resilience during a variety of disasters and emergencies.
First Responder Capability [dhs.gov]
The First Responder Capability program works with all first responder disciplines in providing technical assistance to enhance their safety, communications, data and information sharing, and cross-nation partnerships.
Disasters [dhs.gov]
A description of services provided in a variety of disaster situations.
Rural Domestic Preparedness Consortium [rdpc.org]
Provides no-cost training for emergency first responders in rural communities across the nation.
Tools and Toolkits for First Responders
Disaster and Emergency Assistance [disasterassistance.gov]
A clearinghouse for disaster and emergency assistance from a variety of local, federal, and tribal agencies.
Public Health Emergency Preparedness [hhs.gov]
Information for preparedness, response, and recovery from disasters and public health emergencies
Opioid Overdose Prevention Toolkit [samhsa.gov, PDF 471 KB] (2018)
Provides strategies health care providers, communities, and local governments can use to develop practices and policies to help prevent opioid-related overdoses and deaths