National Disaster Medical System

Federal Disaster Drill in WNY

"These drills are paramount," said Jerry Cartier, Department of Veteran Affairs Emergency Manager for Central and Western New York. "If we actually had a natural disaster and had to activate the FCC it would make the effort much easier."

The Niagara Falls Air Base 914th Airlift Group also worked with local emergency personnel to show what the military can provide during a disaster.

National Disaster Medical System teams return from Missouri ...

U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) personnel from the National Disaster Medical System (NDMS) began returning to their home states today after deploying to assist in mass fatality operations in the aftermath of a devastating tornado in Joplin, Mo. HHS will provide ongoing assistance with additional aspects of response and recovery.

NDMS, within the HHS Office of the Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response, provides medical, victim identification, and veterinary personnel, equipment and supplies to augment state and local resources in disaster response. Similar to military reservists, NDMS personnel come from private sector jobs around the country to respond as intermittent federal employees during disasters. In the tornado response, the state of Missouri requested NDMS support in victim identification.

This response represents the largest number of NDMS mass fatality personnel deployed to a domestic disaster since Hurricane Katrina in 2005. More than 100 personnel from NDMS Disaster Mortuary Operational Response Teams and Family Assistance Center Teams assisted the local coroner’s office in identifying victims of the tornado. This NDMS support for 24-hour efforts in Missouri helped the coroner’s office reunite all victims with their loved ones as quickly as possible in a dignified, respectful manner.

“We’re honored to help state and local authorities bring some sense of closure to the families who lost family members to this storm,” said Dr. Nicole Lurie, assistant secretary for preparedness and response. “Although the situation in Joplin is still difficult, we’ve witnessed a tremendous amount of pride and resilience in the community. HHS will continue to work closely with state and local officials on the ongoing need for social services as the community recover.”

State, federal, and nonprofit partners are collaborating to meet the child care needs of Joplin families. The HHS Administration for Children and Families, in partnership with the Missouri Department of Social Services, convened a task force to address emergency child care needs as well as the recovery of the community's child care capacity. The tornado destroyed 19 child care centers with combined capacity to serve approximately 600 children. 

The HHS Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) is working with the state to bring the National Crisis Counseling Program to the impacted counties. The program supports short-term interventions to help disaster survivors in their recovery process. Immediately after the tornado, SAMHSA provided stress and grief materials to state and local agencies for use in counseling programs, primary care sites and other areas from which survivors are likely to seek help.  With 20 of the area’s 25 mental health facilities destroyed, SAMHSA is also providing technical assistance to the state in restoring this behavioral health infrastructure.

National Disaster Medical System, concept of operations

National Disaster Medical System, a state-by-state guide

National Disaster Medical System

National disaster medical system

National Disaster Medical System