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Tools and resources for community-based and faith-based organizations

Standards and indicators for emergency preparedness and response

The thirteen standards that a community agency should work towards to become more prepared and resilient in the event of an emergency or disaster are outlined in the PDF linked below This page includes additional tools and resources to support community agencies in completing the standards.

Agencies will need to prioritize their plans based on the population served, identified essential services, and existing capacity. Not all standards and indicators will apply to every agency.

Download the thirteen standards (2.4 Mb)

Resources to help your organization prepare for an emergency

Social Vulnerability Index

What is Social Vulnerability?

To understand how racism impacts the health of communities, it is vital to recognize that racism often manifests in an intersectional manner. Racism does not occur in a vacuum, but intersects with other forms of discrimination as well as the social determinants of health. This includes discrimination based on ability, socioeconomic status, sexuality, or place of birth. This intersectional form of oppression contributes to the social vulnerability of communities during a disaster.

What is the Social Vulnerability Index, and how does it help communities prepare for hazardous events?

The Social Vulnerability Index (SVI) is a measure developed by the CDC/ATSDR that informs emergency preparedness and response professionals about which groups are most at risk of negative health outcomes due to a disaster, and where to focus response operations. The SVI includes sociodemographic attributes, such as age, race, and economic status.

Community Engagement and Health Equity Tools from Public Health Preparedness

Equity Response Annex

The Equity Response Annex for Public Health – Seattle & King County describes how the department may establish and implement equity-driven incident objectives and strategies during an emergency response. The annex outlines the functional structure of response processes and approaches to carry out community-informed response operations during emergencies, with the goal of preserving community health and limiting health disparities.

Community Engagement for Public Health Emergency Preparedness (PHEP) Guide

The Community Engagement for PHEP Guide (732 Kb) outlines steps to effectively engage with community in Public Health Emergency Preparedness (PHEP) planning and activities. It aims to help the Preparedness section and divisions within Public Health develop community engagement strategies for:

  • Creating a community-centered emergency planning approach
  • Creating Preparedness and division-specific PHEP tools
  • Embedding and/or validating mechanisms for anti-racism in preparedness and response
  • Supporting community members in their interactions with the Preparedness Section and response teams

Equity Impact Review tool for Public Health Emergency Preparedness and Response

The Equity Impact Review (EIR) Tool (179 Kb) for Public Health Emergency Preparedness and Response is an adaptation of the King County Equity Impact Review Process that examines the differential impacts of proposed strategic, operational, and tactical emergency response activities on communities in King County. The EIR Tool rigorously examines the equity impacts of response operations and holistically evaluates response processes to prevent institutional racism from influencing response activities, and to help address long-standing inequities that are amplified during disasters.

Tabletop materials to help organizations assess their level of emergency preparedness

Tools from partner agencies

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