Which emergency response team helps set up shelters for victims who lost their homes due to a Disaste?

The following parties are responsible for dealing with a crisis or disaster: the mayor, the fire brigade, the medical and municipal services and the police. The army may also be deployed.

The mayor is responsible at the administrative level for ensuring that the response effort runs smoothly. He/she convenes the representatives of the various public services who make up the disaster management team. In view of the mayor's administrative responsibility, the municipal council may call him/her to account for the overall management of the response effort.

Fire service

The fire service is the linchpin of the disaster response. The fire chief is charged with the operational management of the response effort. Everything that occurs in the disaster area falls under his/her authority. As a member of the disaster management team, the fire chief puts the team's decisions into practice. He/she also coordinates the work of the emergency services. In the disaster area, the fire service's first duty is to save people and animals. Firefighters also put out fires, of course, and conduct tests to find out whether any hazardous substances have been released.

Regional accident and disaster medical teams

Anyone injured in a disaster will require medical assistance as soon as possible. Ambulance paramedics will usually provide first aid and stabilise the injured so that they can be taken to hospital.

Police services

The police will ensure that the fire and ambulance services can do their job. They will cordon off the disaster area, direct traffic and sometimes set up a safety zone around the disaster area. If victims are difficult to identify, the police will deploy the disaster identification team, consisting of experts convened on an ad hoc basis. This team of specialists perform their work in consultation with one another.

Armed forces

The Ministry of Defence can deploy military personnel to respond to a disaster. Their duties include evacuating people.

Municipal services

The municipality is responsible for the residents' immediate welfare. Municipal services will assist in other practical ways, such as providing food and temporary shelter; they may also offer psychological care. In addition, the municipality will register the victims and may help them attend to uninsured damage.

Other services that respond to a disaster

Which services take part in the response effort will depend on the type of disaster.

• In the event of flooding caused by burst dikes or heavy rainfall
• In the event of a disaster off the Dutch coast.
• To treat the injured
• To look for victims trapped beneath rubble
• To provide both victims and emergency workers with sandwiches and soup

Crisis & Disaster Response

A storm or earthquake can leave survivors without the basics of daily life. When Samaritan’s Purse responds we often start by handing out needed supplies, including cooking utensils, hygiene items, blankets, a water bucket, and other essentials.

Families that live off the land are particularly vulnerable to floods, drought, or conflict that can destroy crops or force people from their homes. Samaritan’s Purse works in displacement camps around the world, distributing food staples such as rice, beans, corn meal, and cooking oil to hungry families. When disaster strikes, we provide emergency food kits that include rice, beans, soy meal, corn, salt, and cooking oil.
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During a disaster, hospitals and clinics are often overwhelmed by the increased number of patients, and their supplies are rapidly depleted. We equip facilities with critically needed medicines and supplies, and we also send supplies for mobile teams to reach people who have no other access to medical help.

People who have lost their homes face the threat of sickness and disease with greater exposure to the elements. Samaritan's Purse responds to many disasters by providing blankets, tents, and heavy-duty plastic sheeting to survivors. We often construct transitional shelters, giving families a place to live while they recover.

Samaritan's Purse dispatches our Disaster Relief Units and mobilizes and equips thousands of volunteers each year to provide emergency aid to victims of wildfires, floods, tornadoes, hurricanes, and other natural disasters. More 

Ensuring people have a safe place to stay during a disaster is a critical part of the Red Cross mission, but how we support sheltering efforts may be different in each community depending on local emergency plans and the scale of the disaster.

In most cases, every shelter we open will appear on the map above. However, in some communities, hotels or other approaches may still be more appropriate if the risk of COVID-19 is particularly high.

If asked to evacuate, listen to local officials for information about the nearest temporary evacuation point, where you will be provided information about emergency shelter options near you.

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FEMA has several Individual Assistance programs designed to support disaster survivors. You can apply now at DisasterAssistance.gov or review the following types of assistance to determine what best suits your needs.

Disaster Unemployment Assistance

Disaster Unemployment Assistance provides unemployment benefits and re-employment assistance services to survivors affected by a disaster. Benefits are usually paid for up to 26 weeks post the disaster declaration. This assistance is only available to those survivors who are not eligible for regular state unemployment insurance. State law determines the amount of financial assistance a survivor may receive, so the amount of services varies state-to-state and disaster-to-disaster. Download the disaster unemployment assistance fact sheet to learn more.

Individuals may contact the Disaster Unemployment Assistance at 1-866-487-2365 or their local state unemployment insurance agency.

Mass Care and Emergency Assistance

Mass Care and Emergency Assistance services are provided immediately before a potential incident and during the immediate response to an incident. Staff and resources are deployed to local response centers to effected areas. Services offered include: sheltering; feeding; distribution of emergency supplies; support for individuals with disabilities and others with access and functional needs; reunification services for adults and children; support for household pets, service animals, and assistance animals; and mass evacuee support. All impacted survivors are eligible to receive these services.

Use the Disaster Recovery Center (DRC) Locator to find a center that offers these resources.

Review our guidance and planning considerations for providing mass care during a pandemic.

Individuals and Households Program Assistance

Through the Individual and Households Program, FEMA provides assistance to individuals and families who have lost their homes as a result of a presidentially declared disaster, and also helps with other needs such as for disaster-caused childcare, medical expenses or clean-up items.

Visit our Housing and Other Individual Needs page to learn more, or go to DisasterAssistance.gov to apply for the Individual and Households Program.

Disaster Case Management Program

Disaster Case Management involves partnerships between a case manager and a disaster survivor. The intention of this program is to assess and address a survivor’s unmet needs through a disaster recovery plan. This disaster recovery plan includes resources, decision-making priorities, providing guidance, and tools to assist disaster survivors.

Review the toolkit to learn how to apply for the Disaster Case Management Program.

Crisis Counseling Assistance and Training Program

Crisis Counseling Assistance and Training Program provides additional funding to assist disaster-impacted individuals and communities in recovering from major disasters through community-based outreach and psycho-educational services. The goal is to aid survivors in recovering from the adverse reactions to disasters and to begin to rebuild their lives. Services offered include funding for supportive crisis counseling, psycho-education, development of coping skills, and linkage to appropriate resources.

Learn how to apply for Crisis Counseling Assistance and Training grants.

Disaster Legal Services

Disaster Legal Services provide legal aid to survivors affected by a presidentially declared major disaster. These services are available to survivors who qualify as low-income and are limited to cases that would not normally incur legal fees. Typically, the types of legal assistance offered include help with insurance claims (e.g. health, property, or life), recovery or reproduction of legal documents lost in the disaster, help with home repairs and disputes with contractors and/or landlords, the preparation of powers of attorney and guardianship materials, and FEMA appeals.

Learn more about Disaster Legal Services on DisasterAssistance.gov's legal services page.

Voluntary Agency Coordination

Voluntary agencies are among the first to provide survivor support services post-disaster and continue to support affected areas throughout the recovery period. The work of these organizations complements federal assistance and may support gaps in coverage. FEMA’s Voluntary Agency Coordinators support communities in conducting unmet needs assessments and organizing early coordination efforts, as well as developing and guiding local long-term recovery groups created to assist individuals and families with the recovery process.

Visit the Volunteer and Donate page to learn more, or email us if you have additional questions.

Resources may be available to survivors from sources other than FEMA. Visit our state, territory and local and national level referral lists to get additional resources.

Additional Survivor Resources

There are many tools and resources on Ready.gov to help prepare before a disaster or get support after, including:

Please Note

Disaster assistance programs through FEMA's Individual Assistance program are intended to meet only essential needs and are not intended to cover all losses. Some people qualify for assistance from more than one program; you may be receiving additional help from other federal and voluntary agencies.