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Emergency Management

Because natural and manmade disasters can occur at any time, individuals, communities, and governments must be prepared. RAND has developed guidelines for individual preparedness in response to terrorist attacks; evaluated, modeled, and enhanced preparedness policy options for government officials at all levels; and recommended actions that communities should take to prepare for bioterrorist attacks, pandemic flu outbreaks, and other large-scale emergencies.

Research conducted by: RAND Health; RAND Justice, Infrastructure, and Environment; International Programs; RAND Gulf States Policy Institute; RAND National Security Research Division; Homeland Security and Defense Center

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Simple Steps for Preparedness and Response to Terrorist Attacks

Individuals can take simple steps to protect themselves from the harmful effects of potential terrorist attacks involving chemical, radiological, nuclear, and biological weapons.

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Managing the Unexpected — Apr 19, 2011

Admiral Thad Allen, then a senior fellow at RAND, presented “Managing the Unexpected” on April 19, 2011, as part of RAND's Issues in Focus public outreach series. Retired Commandant of the U.S. Coast Guard and National Incident Commander for the response to the BP oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico, Allen discussed his experiences leading the nation's high-profile response to two national emergencies—the oil spill and Hurricane Katrina.

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Webinar: Quality Improvement Strategies for Public Health Emergency Preparedness — Dec 10, 2008

In a webinar given on November 19th 2008, researchers from the RAND Center for Public Health Preparedness provide guidance on applying quality improvement (QI) methods to public health emergency preparedness.

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Lynn E. Davis Discusses "Individual Preparedness" — Sep 19, 2008

Individual preparedness is an important element of our nation's strategy for homeland security. Lynn E. Davis examines a scenario-driven approach that provides a rigorous way to identify actions-linked specifically to terrorist attacks-individuals can take to protect their health and safety.