This page was reviewed and updated on February 21, 2012.

Community Resilience

Community Resilience relies on the ability to develop informed, empowered, and resilient residents and health care systems with tools and resources. These areas include Community Health Care System Resilience, Community Preparedness and Participation, Mass Care, and Critical Infrastructure Protection.

"Disaster resilient communities are, first and foremost, communities that function and solve problems well under normal conditions. By matching existing capabilities to needs and working to strengthen resources, communities are able to improve their disaster resiliency. Community leaders and partners can help emergency managers in identifying the changing needs and capabilities that exist in the community." *

Strategic themes:

• Assess capabilities and needs
• Foster relationships with community and state leaders
• Build and maintain partnerships
• Support local action
• Leverage and strengthen social infrastructure, networks, and assets *

The following resources are overseen by the Community Resilience team:

• Children's Disaster Preparedness

The Florida Department of Health and its healthcare and community partners are working together to ensure the safety and security of all children before, during, and after public health emergencies and disasters. This page contains a collection of federal, state, and local resources focused on planning for and managing the emergency preparedness and response needs of children.



• Cities Readiness Initiative (CRI) is a federally funded, nationwide project that focuses on enhancing preparedness in the major metropolitan statistical areas where more than 50% of the U.S. population resides. Through CRI, state and large metropolitan public health departments have developed plans to respond to a large-scale bioterrorist event within 48 hours. **




• Neighborhood Emergency Preparedness Program (NEPP) purpose is to organize and educate neighborhoods to increase their level of preparedness to handle all types of health-related emergency incidents. The program is designed to engage and mobilize small neighborhood teams that foster self-sufficiency.  

• Special Needs Sheltering establishes Special Needs Shelter standards, protocols and technical assistance that can be integrated into the Florida Emergency Management System.




• Vulnerable Populations incorporates several important programs and resources including the Disability Task Force, children's emergency preparedness, and long term health monitoring. The vulnerable populations website is a comprehensive tool kit designed to help community planners better understand the needs of vulnerable populations before, during, and after a disaster or incident. These tools are designed to enhance awareness and assessment of, and communications to those most at-risk in our communities. This will be a living site where tools and resources will continue to be added as they become available.

Additional Resources

• Family Preparedness Guides will help individuals make a plan and get the right supplies in order to help minimize risks to known hazards.




• Florida CHARTS is the Community Health Assessment Resource Tool Set is the place where you can find data on a variety of issues.



• Mass Prophylaxis Annex provides guidance on the appropriate response actions associated with mass prophylaxis, vaccination and or treatment for a disease outbreak of known or unknown origin that presents a public health threat, and requires state assistance to regions or counties beyond their customary day-to-day activities.

*Source: FEMA Whole Community Approach to Emergency Management

**Source: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention