For those of you who receive Federal Benefit checks or other pension checks, I'll bet you never thought of this one. Disasters affect every aspect of our lives.
For example:
Each year, the U.S. Department of the Treasury and the Federal Reserve Bank encourage people who receive federal benefit checks to sign up for direct deposit. For those who depend on the mail for their Social Security benefits, a difficult situation can become worse if they are evacuated or lose their mail service - as 85,000 check recipients learned after Hurricane Katrina. Switching to electronic payment is one simple, significant way people can protect themselves before disaster strikes. It also eliminates the risk of stolen checks. More information, including the Go Direct Disaster Preparedness Toolkit is available ta http://www.godirect.org
Wednesday, August 26, 2009
Tuesday, August 25, 2009
Ready Campaign for children - National Preparedness Month - September
By Rebecca Marquis, Acting Dirctor, Ready Campaign
While you may think you have everything you need in the event of an emergency on hand and could wing it on the fly, you might not be as prepared as you think. You are your family's first responder, so you need to proactively prepare for emergencies . Local, state and national authorities are going to help, but they may not be able to get to you right away.
September is National Preparedness Month, which is a great time to get your family Ready. Preparedness goes beyond fire alarms, smoke detectors, dead-bolt locks and extra food in the pantry. The Ready Campaign has made it easy with four simple steps: get an Emergency Supply Kit; make a Family Emergency Plan; be informed about emergencies and their appropriate responses; and get involved in community efforts.
To help get your family starte, Ready Kids is a family-friendly tool to help parents and teachers educate children, ages 8 - 12 about emergencies and how they can help families better prepare. The Ready Kids Web site at http://www.ready.gov/ features fun activities such as a Scavenger Hunt, Pack It Up Matching game, crossword puzzles and coloring pages, as well as age-appropriate, step-by-step instructions on what families can do to better prepare for emergencies and the role kids can play in that effort.
The Ready Campaign consulted with a number of organizations experienced in education and children's health to develp Ready Kids, and their expertise helped present the emergency preparedness information included in the Ready Kids program in a way that is understandable and approprate for children.
It's important to address this topic and explain to your children that families can prepare for emergencies before they take place and that they can help, too. By doing so, you can alleviate anxiety if an emergency does occur and help to nurture a more prepared society for generations to come. Visit www.ready.gov/kids today and get Ready!
While you may think you have everything you need in the event of an emergency on hand and could wing it on the fly, you might not be as prepared as you think. You are your family's first responder, so you need to proactively prepare for emergencies . Local, state and national authorities are going to help, but they may not be able to get to you right away.
September is National Preparedness Month, which is a great time to get your family Ready. Preparedness goes beyond fire alarms, smoke detectors, dead-bolt locks and extra food in the pantry. The Ready Campaign has made it easy with four simple steps: get an Emergency Supply Kit; make a Family Emergency Plan; be informed about emergencies and their appropriate responses; and get involved in community efforts.
To help get your family starte, Ready Kids is a family-friendly tool to help parents and teachers educate children, ages 8 - 12 about emergencies and how they can help families better prepare. The Ready Kids Web site at http://www.ready.gov/ features fun activities such as a Scavenger Hunt, Pack It Up Matching game, crossword puzzles and coloring pages, as well as age-appropriate, step-by-step instructions on what families can do to better prepare for emergencies and the role kids can play in that effort.
The Ready Campaign consulted with a number of organizations experienced in education and children's health to develp Ready Kids, and their expertise helped present the emergency preparedness information included in the Ready Kids program in a way that is understandable and approprate for children.
It's important to address this topic and explain to your children that families can prepare for emergencies before they take place and that they can help, too. By doing so, you can alleviate anxiety if an emergency does occur and help to nurture a more prepared society for generations to come. Visit www.ready.gov/kids today and get Ready!
Monday, August 24, 2009
H1N1 Swine Flu
H1N1 or what most of us know as the Swine Flu can be very serious. It is a different strain than we normally have and affects a different age group (6 - 49) mostly. Flu is unpredictable in nature but prevention is always the best line of defense.
Oregon Emergency Management wants you to take this seriously, however we want to give you some information that may relieve your minds and help you to get through this season safely.
First - get your regular seasonal flu shot. This is not for H1N1 but will cover you for 3 other strains that may show up this winter. There is no better proven method than to get vaccinated.
Next, if you are in the at risk group for H1N1, you will need to get 2 shots a few weeks apart. Information can be found at http://www.flu.oregon.gov/ on who will be the priority groups for those shots.
The flu is a set of symtoms: respiratory, fever, headache, cough, sore throat, muscle aches. It can put you in bed for 7 - 10 days and the cough and fatique can last for a month or more.
Incubation of the flu is 1-3 days. You can spread it before you know you have it. Wash your hands, keep your distance.
The flu is spread by droplets. H1N1 has large, heavy droplets that fall to the ground within 3 feet. The droplets are also larger than normal. So - keep your distance, cover your cough with you sleeve or as my mom taught me - cough and sneeze down into your shirt.
Why should we worry about H1N1 when we have flu every year? First - it has rapidly spread already so is out there. Second, it affects younger people (under 50) which is unusual and lastly its severity is difficult to predict. Most deaths have been in the 25 to 49 age group. Seasonal flu affects the elderly, the very young and those with compromised immune systems.
H1N1 could fizzle out and not be a problem or it could be severe and last for 1 or 2 years. We just don't know.
Currently, there are more cases than normal across the world in 170 countries. The vaccine should be available shortly.
Dr Goldberg, Director Oregon Dept. of Human Services says preparedness is a team sport.
but the best I've heard is from Gen. Caldwell of the Oregon Military Dept. He says if it's wet and it's not yours, don't touch it.
Please be careful. Let's nip this in the bud by keeping our distance, washing our hands regularly and using antibacterial waterless hand cleanser, COVER your cough. If you don't feel well, stay home! We can help stop the spread if we all work together. Thanks
Oregon Emergency Management wants you to take this seriously, however we want to give you some information that may relieve your minds and help you to get through this season safely.
First - get your regular seasonal flu shot. This is not for H1N1 but will cover you for 3 other strains that may show up this winter. There is no better proven method than to get vaccinated.
Next, if you are in the at risk group for H1N1, you will need to get 2 shots a few weeks apart. Information can be found at http://www.flu.oregon.gov/ on who will be the priority groups for those shots.
The flu is a set of symtoms: respiratory, fever, headache, cough, sore throat, muscle aches. It can put you in bed for 7 - 10 days and the cough and fatique can last for a month or more.
Incubation of the flu is 1-3 days. You can spread it before you know you have it. Wash your hands, keep your distance.
The flu is spread by droplets. H1N1 has large, heavy droplets that fall to the ground within 3 feet. The droplets are also larger than normal. So - keep your distance, cover your cough with you sleeve or as my mom taught me - cough and sneeze down into your shirt.
Why should we worry about H1N1 when we have flu every year? First - it has rapidly spread already so is out there. Second, it affects younger people (under 50) which is unusual and lastly its severity is difficult to predict. Most deaths have been in the 25 to 49 age group. Seasonal flu affects the elderly, the very young and those with compromised immune systems.
H1N1 could fizzle out and not be a problem or it could be severe and last for 1 or 2 years. We just don't know.
Currently, there are more cases than normal across the world in 170 countries. The vaccine should be available shortly.
Dr Goldberg, Director Oregon Dept. of Human Services says preparedness is a team sport.
but the best I've heard is from Gen. Caldwell of the Oregon Military Dept. He says if it's wet and it's not yours, don't touch it.
Please be careful. Let's nip this in the bud by keeping our distance, washing our hands regularly and using antibacterial waterless hand cleanser, COVER your cough. If you don't feel well, stay home! We can help stop the spread if we all work together. Thanks
Friday, August 21, 2009
Oregon Preparing for H1N1
Today there was a statewide summit by Governor Kulongsoki about the H1N1 threat to the state of Oregon. More than 800 people attended from private and public sectors, including representatives from schools, hospitals, businesses, state and county emergency managers, and more.
The H1N1 flu has caused almost 500 deaths in the United States since it was discovered in March, including 11 people from Oregon. The Governor asked that every Oregonian be ready to take care of themselves and their families in case the flu gets worse as flu season starts.
The worst case scenario might be that 1 or 2 out of every 5 Oregonians could be sickened by the flu. In this case the Governor urges that if you are sick that you stay at home to prevent spreading the flu. Symptoms of the H1N1 flu are similar to the seasonal flu: high fever, cough, sore throat, chills, body aches, and fatigue. Symptoms can range from mild to severe depending upon your age, health, and other factors.
For more information, http://www.cdc.gov/h1n1flu/
Wednesday, August 19, 2009
The Speed of Social Media
Today a utility worker damaged power lines and knocked out power to a chunk of Clark County - 4800 people were without power.
http://www.koinlocal6.com/content/news/breakingnews/story/Power-outage-in-Clark-County/ib_sSireyE-FxNUXnziOZg.cspx?rss=1102
What is interesting is not the power service loss - the power company will quickly restore it and everyone will soon forget - but that social media has quickly reported this phenomenon. Over three hours ago KOIN news posted on their twitter and website that power was out, and OEM's own twitter re-tweeted it. But that same news won't be reported on tv news, radio or newspaper until this evening - long after the event has happened.
There have been numerous stories about regular Internet users being able to post information during disasters at times when officials do not have the resources to collect the information fast enough. Now we see traditional media quickly reporting news via Twitter!
Ironically, as I'm writing this article I find out through CNN that there may have been a tornado in Minneapolis. NOAA reported a possible tornado, but officials are still have not positively identified the storm as a tornado - merely a severe thunderstorm.
Right now it is 3:15 PM. A quick search on twitter for the hashtag #tornadompls found the following: http://twitpic.com/ei4nb This was photographed by a cell phone from a car and uploaded to twitpics 2 hours ago!
http://www.koinlocal6.com/content/news/breakingnews/story/Power-outage-in-Clark-County/ib_sSireyE-FxNUXnziOZg.cspx?rss=1102
What is interesting is not the power service loss - the power company will quickly restore it and everyone will soon forget - but that social media has quickly reported this phenomenon. Over three hours ago KOIN news posted on their twitter and website that power was out, and OEM's own twitter re-tweeted it. But that same news won't be reported on tv news, radio or newspaper until this evening - long after the event has happened.
There have been numerous stories about regular Internet users being able to post information during disasters at times when officials do not have the resources to collect the information fast enough. Now we see traditional media quickly reporting news via Twitter!
Ironically, as I'm writing this article I find out through CNN that there may have been a tornado in Minneapolis. NOAA reported a possible tornado, but officials are still have not positively identified the storm as a tornado - merely a severe thunderstorm.
Right now it is 3:15 PM. A quick search on twitter for the hashtag #tornadompls found the following: http://twitpic.com/ei4nb This was photographed by a cell phone from a car and uploaded to twitpics 2 hours ago!
From FEMA
Earthquakes: One of the most frightening and destructive phenomena of nature is a severe earthquake and its terrible aftereffects.
Earthquakes strike suddenly, violently, and without warning at any time of the day or night. If an earthquake occurs in a populated area, it may cause many deaths and injuries and extensive property damage.
Although there are no guarantees of safety during an earthquake, identifying potential hazards ahead of time and advance planning can save lives and significantly reduce injuries and property damage.
How can I protect myself from an earthquake?
What to do before an earthquake
What to do during an earthquake
What to do after an earthquake
Earthquakes strike suddenly, violently, and without warning at any time of the day or night. If an earthquake occurs in a populated area, it may cause many deaths and injuries and extensive property damage.
Although there are no guarantees of safety during an earthquake, identifying potential hazards ahead of time and advance planning can save lives and significantly reduce injuries and property damage.
How can I protect myself from an earthquake?
What to do before an earthquake
What to do during an earthquake
What to do after an earthquake
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