Emergency Preparedness Resources
HCAF provides the necessary resources for home care agencies to stay ahead of the curve in our ever-changing industry. From this members-only page, you can access federal, state, and local emergency preparedness updates, statutes, regulations, and more.
For additional information or to report a website bug, broken link, or inaccuracy, please send us a message or call (850) 222-8967.
State Health Care Coalitions
- Florida Department of Health Webpage
- Broward County Healthcare Coalition
- Central Florida Disaster Medical Coalition
- Coalition for Health and Medical Preparedness – Region 3
- Emerald Coast Healthcare Coalition
- Healthcare Emergency Response Coalition of Palm Beach County
- Keys Health Ready Coalition
- North Central Florida Health Care Coalition
- Northeast Florida Health Care Coalition for Disaster Preparedness
- Southwest Florida Healthcare Coalition
- Tampa Bay Health & Medical Preparedness Coalition
State Resources
- Agency for Health Care Administration (AHCA) Disaster Planning Portal
- AHCA Emergency Preparedness Resources
- AHCA New Comprehensive Emergency Management Plan Reviews Process Update (12/21/18)
- AlertFlorida Statewide Notification Initiative
- County Emergency Management Offices and Contact Information
- Department of Business & Professional Regulation (DBPR) Hurricane Guide
- Department of Health
- Emergency Patient Look-Up System Fact Sheet
- Executive Orders
- Florida 511 Mobile App
- Florida Attorney General Price Gouging Hotline:Â (866) 966-7226
- Florida Disaster Center
- FloridaDiaster.bizÂ
- To report business related damage
- Florida Division of Emergency Management
- Florida Emergency Information Line: (800) 342-3557
- Florida Evacuation Routes
- Florida Medicaid Alerts
- Florida Special Needs Shelter Program
- Florida Voluntary Organizations Active in Disaster
- Florida Watches, Warnings, and Advisories
- Other Disaster Relief Organizations
- SBA Disaster Assistance Loans
- (800) 659-2955
- Travel and Roadway Information
- Volunteer Florida
Federal Resources
- Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) Declared Public Health Emergencies, All Hazards Health Issues, and Quality Issues
- Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response (ASPR) Tracie Healthcare Emergency Preparedness Information Gateway
- Federal Emergency Management Administration (FEMA)
- Regional Office for Florida (IV)
- Individuals and Households Program (IHP) Fact Sheet
- Public Assistance for State/Local/Tribal Government, and Private Non-Profit Organizations
- General Safety and Preparation Information
- Social Hub — Updates from official emergency management social media accounts
- (800) 621-3362
- Federal Disaster Assistance
- Federal Register Final Rule for Emergency Preparedness
- Guidance Related to Emergency Preparedness: Exercise Exemption Based on a Facility's Activation of Their Emergency Plan (QSO-20-41; 6/21/22)
- Medical Reserve Corps (MRC)
- National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA)
- National Weather Service
- Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) Flood Preparedness & Response
- Ready Business Hurricane Toolkit
- Ready Business Power Outage Toolkit
- USDA - Agriculture Assistance
- (352) 379-4500
Flu Resources
Disaster Response Support
- Barrier Island Points of Distribution (PODs) for Food, Water, Tarps
- St. Pete Beach: 4700 Gulf Blvd., St. Pete Beach (Food, Water, and Tarps)
- Treasure Island: 10451 Gulf Blvd., Treasure Island. (Food, Water, and Tarps)
- Tierra Verde Fire Station: 540 Sands Point Drive, Tierra Verde. (Water Only)
- Crisis Cleanup – Volunteer-based cleanup organization
- (844) 965-1386
- Healthcare Ready – 501(c)(3) non-profit organization created to serve as a public-private partnership for health preparedness and response
- Hillsborough County Comfort Stations (open 7A - 7P)
- Marjorie Park Marina, 97 Columbia Drive
- Desoto Park, 2617 Corrine Street
- Apollo Beach Park & Recreation Center, 664 Golf and Sea Boulevard
- Ruskin Park & Recreation Center, 901 6th Street SE
- Sandy Perrone Park, 5120 Kelly Road
- Skyway Sports Complex & Park, 3901 George Road
- Hope Florida
- (833) GET-HOPE
- National Voluntary Organizations Active in a Disaster
- Hillsborough/Pasco/Pinellas Resources
- TECO Press Release (Oct. 6, 2024)
- Voluntary Organizations Active in a Disaster
- Volunteer Connect
Best Practices & Tips
Flooding Concerns & Safety
- Never drive into flooded roadways. Half of all flood-related deaths are caused when people drive into flooded roadways. Check road conditions before driving.
- Avoid contact with floodwater. It may contain bacteria, hazardous chemicals, and dangerous debris.
- Never eat foods that have touched floodwater. Even canned goods could become contaminated. Drinking water may not be available or safe to drink. Learn more about food and water safety during floods.
Power Outages
- Statewide Power Outage Map
- Report power outages or call (800) 4-OUTAGE. To check power outages in your neighborhood, go to FPLMaps.com, where you can find the total outages in your area, the cause, and estimates for when power will be restored.
- Do not run electrical generators inside your home. Carbon monoxide can build up and kill. Read more about generator safety.
- Listen for announcements about the safety of public drinking water. Follow "boil water " alerts that may be issued.
- If electricity has been off, refrigerated food may have spoiled. Discard any food that has been at room temperature for more than two hours or that has an unusual odor or color.
- Babies on formula should be given ready-to-feed formula or powdered formula prepared with bottled water.
- Learn more about food and water safety during power outages.
Medication
- Make sure medication profiles are up to date.
- Florida's law allows pharmacists to dispense a 30-day supply in the areas or counties affected by an emergency order so long as the drug isn't a Schedule II substance. Florida's law also requires all health insurers, managed care organizations, and other entities licensed by the Office of Insurance Regulation to pay pharmacies for at least a 30-day supply of any prescription medication, regardless of the date upon which the prescription had most recently been filled.
- Rx Open provides a map detailing the operating status of pharmacies during a disaster. The map is completely free and publicly accessible.
Clinical Record Protection
- Designate a staff person and a backup to be responsible for clinical records.
- Back up client and billing computer records regularly and ensure patient data and required office client data forms are saved to a CD-ROM or a ZIP drive and stored in a secure off-site location. Larger corporate home health agencies may have a local area network server that utilizes a backup server. This information should also be saved to a CD-ROM or ZIP drive.
- Store backup CDs on-site in insulated containers.
- Make hard copies of pertinent client file contents including the physician orders, assessment, plan of care, or service provision plan and advance directives in a secure off-site location.
- Provide a copy of the record items listed above to the client and/or the client’s caregiver to store in their home(s).
- Transfer special needs registry lists and required information to a disc that is stored in a secure off-site location.
- Send updated discs and hard copy special needs registry lists to the county special needs department regularly. Keep a copy on-site in an insulated container.
- Scan record contents regularly. Small scanners can be purchased relatively inexpensively. There are also corporate scanners available at reasonable prices. Check consumer reports for the scanner that meets your agency’s needs.
- Store copies of the scanned records in a secure off-site location.
- Arrange for the evacuation of records to a designated backup facility if there is sufficient warning before the disaster.
Business Property Protection
- Raise computers above the flood level and move them away from large windows.
- Move heavy and fragile objects to low shelves.
- Move file cabinets to the interior of the business location.
- Purchase materials (plastic sheeting) to cover computers and file cabinets.
- Install fire sprinkler systems.
- Install fire-resistant materials and furnishings.
- Install storm shutters for all exterior windows and doors.
- Secure light fixtures and other items that could fall.
- Place Velcro strips under tabletop computers.
- Install curtains or blinds that can be drawn over windows.
Stress
- It’s normal to experience different and strong emotions during and after a disaster. Click here to learn more about common reactions to stress and tips for coping.
- Florida Disaster Behavioral Response Teams
- Disaster Distress Help Line – National hotline dedicated to providing year-round immediate crisis counseling for people who are experiencing emotional distress related to any natural or human-caused disaster.
- Call (800) 985-5990 or text "TalkWithUs" to 66746 to connect with a trained crisis counselor.
Tools & Additional Resources
- Capacity-Building Toolkit for Including Aging & Disability Networks in Emergency Planning
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Health Care Preparedness Tools
- Center for Bioterrorism and All-Hazards Preparedness Nova Southeastern University
- CMS Emergency Preparedness Final Rule Crosswalk
- CMS Voluntary Actionable After Action Report (AAR) Template and InstructionsÂ
- Comprehensive Emergency Management Plan (CEMP) Electronic Submission Form (Effective 1/2/19)
- Comprehensive Emergency Management Plan Tabletop Exercise
- County Health Departments
- Disaster Aid Services to Home Health Agencies Letter of Agreement
- Federal Alliance for Safe Homes (FLASH)
- First Aid for People and Pets
- Florida Long-Term Care Emergency Preparedness Portal
- Florida Small Business Development CenterÂ
- Flu Preparedness Resources
- Health Care Mutual Aid Memorandum of Understanding
- Helping Older Adults Weather the Storm Before, During, and After Disasters
- Hillsborough County Disaster Planning Resources
- Home Care Agency Disaster Preparedness Checklist
- Home Use Devices: How to Prepare for Handle Power Outages for Medical Devices that Require Electricity
- National Weather Service Recommended Supplies Brochure
- Sepsis Resources
- Sepsis Alliance: Sepsis and Home Care
- Sepsis and/or Infection Zone Tool (English I Spanish)
- Sepsis: Every Minute Counts (English I Spanish)
- Sepsis: Spot the Signs Magnet
- Transitions in Care: Preventing Sepsis-Related Readmissions
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Sepsis Education and Resources
- Print Resources
- 4 Ways to Get Ahead of Sepsis Fact Sheet (English I Spanish)
- University of Florida Disaster Preparation and Recovery