FAIRFAX, Va., Sept. 2, 2005 -- Natural disasters can strike anywhere in the country. A flood, tornado, earthquake, wildfire, winter storm, or other extreme event can stagger a community large or small.

Everyone watches in shock the destruction caused by Hurricane Katrina, and with growing concern over the continuing human suffering. This extraordinary storm will have many long-lasting effects.

One result will be an awareness that local community preparation and planning for a disaster are important elements in responding to a natural disaster. Preparedness requires an ongoing effort by community leaders, businesses, and citizens to identify how disaster may affect the community, plan for how the community will protect against a disaster, and how the community will respond and recover if a disaster does strike.

The Public Entity Risk Institute (PERI) is an information provider that links community and business leaders with resources on disaster planning, mitigation, response, and recovery. PERI partners with leading disaster management organizations and experts to create these resources and make them freely available via the Internet.

PERI also has created a Clearinghouse that contains hundreds of links and resources on disaster management.

The resources and Clearinghouse can be used by anyone who wants information on how to better prepare his or her community for a disaster. All resources can be found on PERI's Web site, at http://WWW.RISKINSTITUTE.ORG. Access is free.

About PERI -- The Public Entity Risk Institute is a nonprofit, non-member organization that seeks to enhance the practice of risk management and disaster management by promoting the development delivery of education and training, developing performance measurement and benchmarking information, and serving as a resource center for risk management and disaster management.