Skip to main content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Here’s how you know

Dot gov

Official websites use .gov
A .gov website belongs to an official government organization in the United States.

HTTPS

Secure .gov websites use HTTPS
A lock (LockA locked padlock) or https:// means you’ve safely connected to the .gov website. Share sensitive information only on official, secure websites.

    • Environmental Topics
    • Air
    • Bed Bugs
    • Cancer
    • Chemicals, Toxics, and Pesticide
    • Emergency Response
    • Environmental Information by Location
    • Health
    • Land, Waste, and Cleanup
    • Lead
    • Mold
    • Radon
    • Research
    • Science Topics
    • Water Topics
    • A-Z Topic Index
    • Laws & Regulations
    • By Business Sector
    • By Topic
    • Compliance
    • Enforcement
    • Laws and Executive Orders
    • Regulations
    • Report a Violation
    • Environmental Violations
    • Fraud, Waste or Abuse
    • About EPA
    • Our Mission and What We Do
    • Headquarters Offices
    • Regional Offices
    • Labs and Research Centers
    • Planning, Budget, and Results
    • Organization Chart
    • EPA History

Breadcrumb

  1. Home
  2. Emergency Response

Community Relations During Emergency Responses

Good communication is essential to keep local officials and citizens informed during an emergency response action. Public involvement can help to save lives should an evacuation or other emergency response action be required. EPA's community relations program serves to:

  • Provide information to the community on the health and environmental effects of the release;
  • Provide information on the response actions under consideration;
  • Encourage citizens to provide information about the site and its surrounding areas;
  • Encourage citizens to express any concerns about the actions being undertaken; and
  • Include citizen comments and concerns in the decision-making process at an emergency response site.

An official EPA spokesperson is appointed for each emergency response action to keep the public informed and to respond to any questions. Common activities include:

  • meeting with citizens in the community,
  • responding to inquiries from the media, and
  • providing local officials with site status.

EPA also establishes a written record that contains information about the emergency response action and makes this record available to the public.

Emergency Response

  • Emergency Response at EPA
  • Current and Past Responses
  • Response Tools
  • Response Partners
  • Emergency Operations Center
  • Consequence Management Advisory Team
  • Emergency Management Highlights
Contact Us about Emergency Response
Contact Us to ask a question, provide feedback, or report a problem.
Last updated on December 26, 2024
  • Assistance
  • Spanish
  • Arabic
  • Chinese (simplified)
  • Chinese (traditional)
  • French
  • Haitian Creole
  • Korean
  • Portuguese
  • Russian
  • Tagalog
  • Vietnamese
United States Environmental Protection Agency

Discover.

  • Accessibility Statement
  • Budget & Performance
  • Contracting
  • EPA www Web Snapshot
  • Grants
  • No FEAR Act Data
  • Plain Writing
  • Privacy
  • Privacy and Security Notice

Connect.

  • Data
  • Inspector General
  • Jobs
  • Newsroom
  • Regulations.gov
  • Subscribe
  • USA.gov
  • White House

Ask.

  • Contact EPA
  • EPA Disclaimers
  • Hotlines
  • FOIA Requests
  • Frequent Questions
  • Site Feedback

Follow.