After a Disaster or Mass Casualty Event: How Identification Works and What Families Can Expect

After a disaster that kills many people at once, families often wait in uncertainty for days or longer while the dead are recovered and identified. This guide explains how that process generally works, what information families are asked for, and where support is available. Details differ by state and by event.

Who is in charge, and what is DMORT?

The local medical examiner or coroner is responsible for the dead. When an event kills more people than local resources can handle, a state can request help from the federal government. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services describes Disaster Mortuary Operational Response Teams, or DMORTs, as teams of coroners, funeral directors and mortuary officers, medical examiners, and forensic specialists that support local mortuary services on location, working on recovery, examination, identification, and return of victims to families. A preparedness journal notes that DMORT has responded to incidents with from 11 to almost 3,000 deaths since 1993.

What is a Family Assistance Center?

It is a central place, usually set up quickly by the local government, the owner of the transportation system involved, or the state emergency management agency, where families go for information and to help identify the person they are looking for. Virginia’s medical examiner describes its mission as interviewing families and friends of possible victims to collect information and DNA samples from blood relatives. The preparedness journal adds that the center is also where families receive accurate, timely information about identification and can have their questions answered. If you believe a loved one was caught in a disaster, call the emergency information number announced for the event and ask where the center is.

How are people identified?

By comparing information from before death with information collected afterward. Virginia’s plan lists fingerprints, dental X-rays, body radiographs, and DNA as the scientific methods, and notes that gathering medical, dental, and other records can be time consuming and that DNA analysis can take weeks. In most mass fatality events, the condition of the remains prevents visual identification. For that reason, Virginia’s medical examiner says families and friends should not go to the morgue for visual identification, because it is not a reliable method in these events.

What information should I be ready to give?

The interview asks for details that help match a person to remains. HHS says DMORT collects medical records, dental records, and DNA from next of kin. Be ready with the names of your loved one’s dentists and doctors, whether their fingerprints might be on file for work, military service, or other reasons, a detailed physical description, including scars, tattoos, and surgical implants, and clothing and jewelry they were last known to wear. Blood relatives may be asked for a DNA sample. Choose one family member to be the main contact and give that name at the center, so the family hears news in an orderly way.

How long will it take, and what will I be told?

It depends on the event, the condition of the remains, and how much information is available. DNA analysis can take weeks, and in some events identification continues for a long time. Ask at the Family Assistance Center how and when you will be notified, and who will tell you. Do not rely on rumors or social media. Funeral arrangements can usually begin once the person has been identified and the remains are released; see Choosing a Funeral Home Right After a Death. You will need death certificates, so see Getting Death Certificates, and After a Disaster Death covers FEMA funeral assistance and what to do if no remains are found.

Where can I find support?

The Disaster Distress Helpline, funded by the federal government, offers crisis counseling year-round: call or text 800-985-5990. VictimConnect, a federally funded helpline for victims of any crime, including mass violence, offers support and referrals at 855-484-2846. The Office for Victims of Crime also points families to the National Mass Violence Victimization Resource Center, which has a mobile app and self-help information for survivors. If the event was a violent crime, When Someone Is Killed and Coping With Sudden or Traumatic Loss may help.

What doesn’t this guide cover?

• Aviation and other transportation accidents, which have their own federal family assistance rules
• Deaths of military personnel and deaths abroad
• Differences between states and events, which can be large
• Review by professionals. This guide needs review by a medical examiner or forensic specialist with mass fatality experience before it is promoted widely