Superstorm Sandy was a wake-up call on many levels — especially as a lesson on the need to be prepared for disasters. SEJ's Reporting Tools library [2] may help you prepare for covering environmental disasters. But here are a few more that may come in handy.

• EPA's National On-Scene Coordinator Phone Book [3] is a listing of crisis responders within the agency — often those focused on Superfund hazardous waste incidents — in many cases including 24-hour numbers. Ignore EPA's press office, who are rarely helpful, and will tell you to go through them, and call the On-Scene Coordinator anyway.
• WISER, the National Institutes of Health's Wireless Information System for Emergency Responders, is a mobile app you can run on your smart phone (iPhone, Android, or Blackberry). It is a quick entry to TOXNET's Hazardous Substances Data Bank, including support for radiological and biological agents. Starting point. [4]
• Some of the biggest impacts of Sandy were on sewer and water infrastructure. The Water Environment Federation has published many guides [5] related to disasters affecting public drinking water and sewage treatment plants.
• EPA has collected Risk Management Plans for some major hazmat-handling facilities that could kill tens or hundreds of thousands of people in a catastrophe — but makes it hard for reporters to access the information. To find one near you, start here. [6] It's a good thing OMB Watch's Right-To-Know Network has compiled the verboten information in easy-to-access form. [7]
• If you really want to prepare for chasing hazmat trucks, you may want to download and install CAMEO [8] on your 4G-tethered laptop or tablet. It's the same system most hazmat trucks carry onboard — to tell them what chemical risks they face and what vulnerable sites (nursing homes? schools?) may be nearby.
• Another key resource is the Dart Center for Journalism & Trauma, [9] which includes help on covering natural disasters in all their facets, including mental health. Further resources are available from the International News Safety Institute. [10]
• The International Center for Journalists also offers help. Check out "Disaster and Crisis Coverage," [11] by Deborah Potter and Sherry Ricchiardi; and "Journalism and Trauma," [12] by Deborah Potter and Sherry Ricchiardi.

SEJ's Reporting Tools library [2] includes toolboxes on floods, tsunamis, earthquakes, oil spills, hurricanes, wildfires, and more.