Emergencies & Natural Disasters
These resources help you respond to unexpected events that can threaten the air quality in your community and your home. If you are impacted by an emergency or natural disaster listen to the information and direction from your local Emergency Management Agency.
- Winter Weather
Extreme cold, major snowstorms or other winter weather events can be dangerous for those living with lung disease. See how to prepare. - Wildfires
Forest fires and other wildfires are an ongoing concern where there is dry, hot weather. The smoke they produce can spread for hundreds of miles. - Flooding
Flood waters and water damage pose special problems for people whose homes and communities are disrupted. - Hurricanes and Tornadoes
Hurricanes, tornadoes or flooding may threaten your family or your home. While cleaning up, you'll want to protect your family, especially if someone has lung disease, from the many indoor and outdoor air pollutants and other health threats that can appear. - Volcanic Ash
Volcanoes can spew ash, a type of air pollution, into the air for miles downwind of the eruption. - Chemical Releases
Sometimes harmful chemicals escape into the air when industrial buildings catch fire or other emergency events happen. Those gases can spread far into communities nearby. - Returning Home: Staying Safe and Healthy
There is so much to do when you first return home after a disaster, it can be overwhelming. But if you make a plan, work carefully, and keep yourself safe and healthy, you will make progress.
Reviewed and approved by the American Lung Association Scientific and Medical Editorial Review Panel. Last reviewed October 31, 2017.
Page Last Updated: December 14, 2018