September is National Preparedness Month and the current response and recovery efforts for Hurricane Harvey remind us of the importance of being ready for emergencies and disasters. This unprecedented event will demand a long term commitment to the recovery of the affected areas in Texas and Louisiana. It also underscores the importance of keeping responders and volunteers who are working on recovery activities safe and healthy.
This is also the 15th anniversary of NIOSH’s Emergency Preparedness and Response Office (EPRO). NIOSH recognized the need for an office to coordinate emergency preparedness and response activities after the September 11, 2001, attacks at the World Trade Center and Pentagon, followed closely by the anthrax letter attacks.