In late August 2005, a storm that started as a tropical depression over the Bahamas gathered strength and slammed into the Gulf Coast of the United States. The storm was Hurricane Katrina, and it resulted in one of the most widespread and costly disasters in American history. On a warm September day in 2009, not unlike any other day in American Samoa, an earthquake and a resulting tsunami turned the world upside down for local residents. More than 189 fatalities were reported, and hundreds were left injured across the islands.

We have all heard the cliché that disasters can happen anywhere at any time, and from our experience it is absolutely true. Disasters can be sudden events, like an earthquake, or they can come about more slowly, like the radiation leaks from radioactive waste storage locations in Hanford, Washington. They happen on both large and small scales; yet, we still see apprehension in preparing—both at the individual and at the community level. Many people dismiss these events as so unlikely that preparation would be a waste of time; others worry they’ll sound alarmist if they suggest that worst-case scenarios should be dealt with through planning or purchasing and stockpiling resources.

Within the overall emergency response framework, we as safety and health professionals can and should play a key role in both preparedness and response activities. We are uniquely positioned to have a profound impact on the response—not just to address the safety and health of those affected but also to help our organizations and the community at large to “weather the storm.” Because of their day-to-day roles in organizations, safety and health professionals are better prepared than most to shift to key positions in both planning for and responding to an emergency. For example, as a safety and health professional, you likely know the key people both in management and the line staff. You know the location, likely effects, and routes of entry for critical risks and hazards (such as chemicals stored at your site) to your work force, responders, and the general public. You know how to talk to or train others about risk and risk management. Your knowledge and skills are often critical during an emergency response. This is especially true if your company is an active member in your local emergency planning commission: you might already know those who will likely respond, such as the local fire department or hazardous materials response team.

Planning is about the local geographic area as much as it is about the work performed at your site and its associated hazards. For example, if you are not in an earthquake-prone region, there is very little reason to plan for an earthquake; however, if you are in a hurricane-prone region, you need to plan for sustained strong winds and large amounts of rainfall—the latter especially if you are in a flood-prone area. Most of us know the hazards we are likely to face, but even so, a Google search on the history of your geographic region—or, better yet, a phone call to a local emergency manager—might shed light on some overlooked hazards and additional planning that may be required. For example, the Federal Emergency Management Agency and the U.S. Geological Survey claim that 42 states are at risk—16 at high risk—for earthquake damage. Often overlooked in this high-risk area is the New Madrid Seismic Zone, which is near the borders of Arkansas, Illinois, Kentucky, Missouri, and Tennessee. During an actual event—such as an earthquake, tsunami, hurricane, or other disaster—industrial hygienists and safety and health specialists can have a critical role in emergency response and play a longer-term role in recovery. Whether we are part of a large-scale response effort or a consultant for a small company that was directly affected by a disaster, our specialty knowledge is critical. It’s easy for us to dismiss this fact and say these roles would fall to someone else, but they fall to someone else? Should we leave many of these decisions, which can be matters of life and death, in the hands of someone unknown to us—or, perhaps, to no one at all in the early stages of a disaster?