Disaster Management and Homeland Security: Expert Reports
The division produces 60-70 reports per year. These reports are unique, authoritative expert evaluations. Each report is produced by a committee of experts selected by the Academy to address a particular statement of task and is subject to a rigorous, independent peer review. The experts who volunteer their time participating on study committees are vetted to make sure that the committee has the range of expertise needed to address the task, that they have a balance of perspectives, and to identify and eliminate members with conflicts of interest. All reports undergo a rigorous, independent peer review to assure that the statement of task has been addressed, that conclusions are adequately supported, and that all important issues raised by the reviewers are addressed. Thus, while the reports represent views of the committee, they also are endorsed by the Academy.
Acute Exposure Guideline Levels for Selected Airborne Chemicals: Volume 14 (2013)
At the request of the Department of Defense and the Environmental Protection Agency, the National Research Council has reviewed the relevant scientific literature compiled by an expert panel and established Acute Exposure Guideline Levels (AEGLs) for several chemicals. AEGLs represent exposure levels below which adverse health effects are not likely to occur and are useful in responding to emergencies, such as accidental or intentional chemica... More >>
Levees and the National Flood Insurance Program: Improving Policies and Practices (2013)
In recent years, extreme storms and hurricanes have caused increasingly disastrous flooding along U.S. rivers and coastlines, with much of the damage occurring when levees failed or were overtopped by water. This report examines how FEMA National Flood Insurance Program assesses, mitigates, and insures against flood risk behind levees, and how the program communicates that risk to the public. FEMA needs an updated approach to analyze and manag... More >>
Report in Brief
Acute Exposure Guideline Levels for Selected Airborne Chemicals: Volume 13 (2013)
At the request of the Department of Defense and the Environmental Protection Agency, the National Research Council has reviewed the relevant scientific literature compiled by an expert panel and established Acute Exposure Guideline Levels (AEGLs) for several chemicals. AEGLs represent exposure levels below which adverse health effects are not likely to occur and are useful in responding to emergencies, such as accidental or intentional chemica... More >>
Twenty-first Interim Report of the Committee on Acute Exposure Guideline Levels: Parts A and B (2012)
AEGLs (acute exposure guideline levels) are guidelines developed by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency for exposure to hazardous chemicals. The guidelines are used by federal, state, and local governments and by the private sector for prevention and emergency-response planning for potential releases of chemicals, either from accidents or as a result of terrorist activities. Part A includes an assessment of EPA’s draft AEGLs documents fo... More >>
Disaster Resilience: A National Imperative (2012)
Although disasters will continue to occur, actions that move the nation toward greater resilience will reduce many of the broad societal and economic burdens that disasters can cause. Enhanced resilience -- the ability to prepare and plan for, absorb, recover from and more successfully adapt to adverse events -- involves proactive investment in resilience-building measures, including the development of a national "culture of resilience" to reduc... More >>