At the end of the day, emergency preparedness is local. State and regional emergency management agencies are the first line of preparation for many communities, particularly those in fire, tornado, flood, earthquake, and hurricane-prone areas. Certain communities under constant threat of storm surge and hurricane-related damage — such as Charleston County (South Carolina), coastal Georgia and Florida’s Miami-Dade region — have their own emergency management agencies.

State and regional emergency agencies coordinate closely with local emergency services, health departments, and non-profit disaster relief organizations centers to prepare for disasters and coordinate an effective community disaster response.

Resources include:

• Instructions on local hurricane/flood evacuation routes
• Information on proper storm preparations
• Recommendations regarding NOAA-approved weather radios
• Information on emergency/warming shelters, mobile triage centers and medical countermeasures distribution centers¹
• Emergency preparedness resources for vulnerable populations (e.g. elderly, disabled, those dependent on electric medical devices)
• Emergency and safety information for non-English speakers
   

For more information on Emergency Management Agencies by State visit: FEMA's website

Sources

1. https://www.cdc.gov/cpr/readiness/healthcare/closedpodtoolkit/factsheet-mcm.htm