Community Assessment for Public Health Emergency Response (CASPER) refers to a set of tools designed to provide, quickly and at low cost, accurate and reliable population-based public health information about communities impacted by public health emergencies. Rapid public health assessment is just one of many epidemiological tools (e.g., mortality and morbidity surveillance, outbreak investigations) potentially utilized in a public health emergency.
This method has been used by public health officials in Texas in responding to to the wildfires in Bastrop (2011), Hurricane Ike (2008) along the coast, the floods (2006) in El Paso, Hurricane Rita (2005) in East Texas, and Tropical Storm Allison (2001) in Houston.
The Texas Department of State Health Services at Austin has established a CASPER Team to assist and partner with local and regional health departments in responding to public health emergencies in their communities. For more information, contact Herminia Alva (Statewide CASPER Coordinator). 
Links:
CASPER Lessons Learned 2015
DSHS CASPER Regional Ambassadors 8_5_2014
Potential CASPER Benefits for Emergency Management Officials
Overview of CASPER Activities (2009 – 2013)
Introduction
Model Protocols
Model Questionnaire
Centers for Disease and Prevention (CDC) Disaster Toolkit 2.0
Assessments and Past Disaster Epidemiological Investigations
Recommended Public Health Actions Resulting from Past CASPERS
An inventory of public health actions resulting from past CASPERS, excerpted from the literature.
CASPER Pocket Field Guide
CASPER Organizational Structure, Job Action Sheets, and Code of Conduct
An example of the Texas Department of State Health Services’ CASPER organizational structure, job action sheets, and code of conduct.
CASPER Resource Typing
An example of the Texas Department of State Health Services’ CASPER resource type.
Example of State of Texas Assistance Request (STAR) Request for CASPER resources
Books and Web Sites
Surveys