ASPR Responds to Hurricane Isaias

On October 13, 2026, HHS Secretary Kennedy declared a public health emergency in Florida and Alabama following Hurricane Isaias. This declaration gives the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services' (CMS) health care providers and suppliers greater flexibility in meeting emergency health needs of Medicare and Medicaid beneficiaries. 

Deploying Personnel Ahead of the Storm 

Prior to landfall, ASPR pre-positioned regional staff in areas at risk from the storm to monitor the impacts on public health and health care systems and provide technical assistance in anticipation of state requests. Healthcare System Assessment Teams also deployed to evaluate the storm’s impact on healthcare facilities.  

Increasing Access to Health Care with Increased Flexibility and Data 

In addition, HHS emPOWER program helped identify Medicare beneficiaries in affected zips codes who rely on electricity-dependent durable medical equipment and certain healthcare services, such as dialysis, oxygen tank, or home health, to help anticipate, plan for, and respond to the needs of at-risk citizens in potentially impacted areas. 

Supporting Behavioral Health

The HHS Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) continues to offer free crisis counseling through the Disaster Distress Helpline. This toll-free, multilingual, crisis support service is available 24/7 to all residents in the U.S. and its territories who are experiencing emotional distress related to natural or human-caused disasters. 

To connect with a trained counselor, call or text 1-800-985-5990. Spanish speakers can press "2" for bilingual support. Callers also can connect with counselors in more than 100 other languages via third-party interpretation services by indicating their preferred language to the responding counselor.

Technical Assistance