Working a Disaster Safely: NIOSH's Checklist for Responders After Floods, Fires and Storms

After an earthquake, flood, hurricane, tornado, tsunami, wildfire or extreme heat or cold, the people who respond and clean up face hazards of their own — physical, chemical, ergonomic, biological, radiological and psychological. CDC's National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) sorts the risks by what responders will be doing, what they will be using, and where they will be working.

Workers pull a boat through floodwater. Credit: CDC.

By task

NIOSH has guidance for specific response and cleanup work:

• fire cleanup and flood cleanup;
• trimming trees;
• working in confined spaces;
• working in animal shelters and with displaced animals.

By equipment

Disasters leave debris and cut power, so responders work with unfamiliar tools and energy sources. Know the hazards of:

Outdoors

Much response work happens outside. Take steps against cold stress, heat stress, electrocution, West Nile virus and traumatic incident stress — and use the right personal protective equipment.

Hurricanes and floods

Hurricane response can mean hazardous and stressful conditions. Everyone going into or leaving a hurricane disaster area should have a medical screening. NIOSH's Hurricane Key Messages (May 2025) summarize the specific hazards of hurricanes, storms and floods for employers, response and recovery workers and volunteers, in English and Spanish.

More training

The Environmental Protection Agency, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration and the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences offer preparation and training resources, and CDC has guidance on cleaning up safely, coping with a disaster and preventing injury and illness afterward.

Sources

Based on "Responding to Natural Disasters and Extreme Weather" from the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, a work of the United States government in the public domain.