These emergencies or disasters may be naturally occurring (e.g. hurricanes, earthquakes, disease outbreaks, etc.)
or man-made (e.g. terrorism, bio-terrorism, industrial accidents, chemical spills, etc.).
Since the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, the following Anthrax bio-terror attacks, and the disasters precipitated by Hurricane Katrina in 2005, emphasis has been put on the development of mitigation plans to prepare for such situations.
The field of response analysis is the effort to analyze, validate, and optimize these mitigation plans using quantitative data and computational tools.
The Strategic National Stockpile was established to support local governments by providing large quantities of needed medications or vaccinations rapidly.