Get Ready to Shake Out on October 17, 2013

Southeasterners must get better prepared before the next big earthquake, and practice how to protect ourselves when it happens. The purpose of the ShakeOut is to help people and organizations do both.

HOW CAN YOU PLAN A DRILL?

Today:

• Register yourself or your organization to be counted in the ShakeOut Drill, get email updates, and more.

Between now and October 17:

• Consider what may happen when an earthquake shakes your area. Plan what you will do now to prepare, so that when it happens you will be able to protect yourself and then recover quickly. See this page for what to do if you have a disability or an activity limitation.


• Download Audio and Video "Drill Broadcast" recordings that have been created to provide instructions during your drill (Video versions have text captions).


• Talk to other people or organizations about what they have done, and encourage them to join you in getting more prepared. Display posters around your community, classroom, or office space and provide flyers for further information.

October 17th, 10:17 am:

1. Drop, Cover, and Hold On: Drop to the ground, take Cover under a table or desk, and Hold On to it as if a major earthquake were happening (stay down for at least 60 seconds). Practice now so you will immediately protect yourself during earthquakes!


2. While still under the table, or wherever you are, look around and imagine what would happen in a major earthquake. What would fall on you or others? What would be damaged? What would life be like after? What will you do before the actual earthquake happens to reduce losses and quickly recover?


3. Finally, practice what your community will do after the shaking stops.

Prepare Your Business for Flu Season

Keeping Healthy: 10 Tips for Businesses from FLU.GOV.

Employees are a crucial resource at any business, and especially small businesses. There are steps you can take now, and during the flu season, to help protect the health of your employees.

1. Develop policies that encourage ill workers to stay at home without fear of any reprisals.


2. Develop other flexible policies to allow workers to telework (if feasible) and create other leave policies to allow workers to stay home to care for sick family members or care for children if schools close.


3. Provide resources and a work environment that promotes personal hygiene. For example, provide tissues, no-touch trash cans, hand soap, hand sanitizer, disinfectants and disposable towels for workers to clean their work surfaces.
4. Provide education and training materials in an easy to understand format and in the appropriate language and literacy level for all employees. See www.cdc.gov/h1n1flu/business.


5. Instruct employees who are well but who have an ill family member at home with the flu that they can go to work as usual. These employees should monitor their health every day, and notify their supervisor and stay home if they become ill. Employees who have a certain underlying medical condition or who are pregnant should promptly call their health care provider for advice if they become ill.


6. Encourage workers to obtain a seasonal influenza vaccine, if it is appropriate for them according to CDC recommendations (http://www.cdc.gov/flu/protect/keyfacts.htm). This helps to prevent illness from seasonal influenza strains.


7. Encourage employees to get the flu vaccine when it becomes available if they are in a priority group according to CDC recommendations. For information on groups recommended for seasonal and flu vaccines, please see www.flu.gov. Consider granting employees time off from work to get vaccinated when the vaccine is available in your community.


8. Provide workers with up-to-date information on influenza risk factors, protective behaviors, and instruction on proper behaviors (for example, cough etiquette; avoid touching eyes, nose and mouth; and hand hygiene).


9. Plan to implement practices to minimize face-to-face contact between workers if advised by the local health department. Consider the use of such strategies as extended use of e-mail, websites and teleconferences, encouraging flexible work arrangements (for example, telecommuting or flexible work hours) to reduce the number of workers who must be at the work site at the same time or in one specific location.


10. If an employee does become sick while at work, place the employee in a separate room or area until they can go home, away from other workers. If the employee needs to go into a common area prior to leaving, he or she should cover coughs/sneezes with a tissue or wear a facemask if available and tolerable. Ask the employee to go home as soon as possible.

Get Wireless Emergency Alerts on Your Phone

FROM READY.GOV:

Wireless Emergency Alerts (WEA) send free informational text messages to WEA-enabled cell phones within range of an imminent and dangerous local situation, severe weather event, or AMBER emergency.

• The WEA notification is designed to get your attention and notify you with a unique sound and vibration. When you receive an alert, take action and check local broadcasts for more information.
• Public safety officials use WEA to send you essential information whenever you are near the location of a life-threatening event.
• You do not need to register to receive WEA notifications. You will automatically receive alerts if you have WEA-capable phone and your wireless carrier participates in the program.
• To find out if your mobile device is capable of receiving WEA alerts, contact your mobile device carrier or visit CTIA The Wireless Association.
• If you choose not to receive WEA messages, you can adjust the alert settings on your mobile device. You can opt-out of receiving imminent hazard and AMBER alerts, but you cannot opt-out of Presidential alerts.

For more information about Wireless Emergency Alerts, download the WEA Fact Sheet or view Frequently Asked Questions.

VACATION CHECKLIST: WHAT TO DO BEFORE YOU GO

It's summertime and that means vacations for most families. Unfortunately, your vacation buzz can be lost too quickly when you get home and realize that you forgot to take care of a few essentials. Your vacation should be an enjoyable and relaxing time, so before you head out here are a few things to be sure to check off your list so that you can come back to your home in the safe condition you left it. 

• Hold mail and newspapers.
• Pay bills that will be due while gone.
• Make arrangements for a neighbor or friend to have a key to your house or apartment - or at least know where one is. Give them a number where you can be reached.
• Lock all doors and windows throughout the house.
• Leave a radio or something going in the house that makes sound and can be viewed as an indication that someone is home.
• Pour some baking soda into each of the toilets and the sink drains.
• Water plants.
• Unplug most electronic items especially those that have valuable data on them. These  include your TV, stereo, and especially computers. If there is a thunderstorm while you are away, these items can be damaged beyond repair if they are plugged in.
• Adjust the Thermostat: Set the temperature setting at no less than 52 degrees Fahrenheit during winter months to keep pipes from freezing and plants from dying. During the summer, you can set the air conditioning to 75 degrees Fahrenheit.
• Take out all garbage throughout the house.
• Make sure the dishwasher is not full of dirty dishes.
• Make sure there are no wet clothes in washer or dryer or wet rags in the sink or bathroom.  If there are then hang them to dry.
• Shut off the water.
• Shut off the water to the washing machine. The hoses can easily break and cause severe flood damage to your home.

Back to School and...GERMS!

Back to school means new teachers, new friends, new school supplies...and GERMS!

According to WebMD: "The average American child has six to 10 colds a year. In fact, children's colds cause more doctor visits and missed school days than any other illness. And every parent knows how easily colds passed to other family members once one child gets sick."

So what can parents do to protect their children?

Here are 10 tips from WebMD. WebMD has much more information on each tip so click here to learn more.

1. Have your children immunized.
2. Teach your children how and when to wash their hands.
3. Make sure your child has hand sanitizer.
4. Teach your child germ etiquette.
5. Be sure your child has their own school supplies.
6. Teach your child not to share at school.
7. Teach your child germ hot spots.
8. Keep your childs backpack clean.
9. Build your child's immunity from the inside.
10. Provide classroom germ supplies.

LEARN MORE ABOUT GERMS IN THE BACKPACK AND LUNCHBOX

Clothes Dryer Safety Tips

• Do not use the dryer without a lint filter.
• Make sure you clean the lint filter before or after each load of laundry. Remove lint that has collected around the drum.
• Make sure the air exhaust vent pipe is not restricted and the outdoor vent flap will open when the dryer is operating.
• Once a year, clean lint out of the vent pipe.
• Make sure the right plug and outlet are used and that the machine is connected properly.
• Follow the manufacturer’s operating instructions and don’t overload your dryer.
• Turn the dryer off if you leave home or when you go to bed!

This September: You Can Be the Hero.

National Preparedness Month 2013

This September: You Can Be the Hero.

September is National Preparedness Month (NPM). It is a time to prepare yourself and those in your care for emergencies and disasters. If you’ve seen the news recently, you know that emergencies can happen unexpectedly in communities just like yours, to people like you. We’ve seen tornado outbreaks, river floods and flash floods, historic earthquakes, tsunamis, and even water main breaks and power outages in U.S. cities affecting millions of people for days at a time.

Police, fire and rescue may not always be able to reach you quickly in an emergency or disaster. The most important step you can take in helping your local responders is being able to take care of yourself and those in your care; the more people who are prepared, the quicker the community will recover

This September, please prepare and plan in the event you must go for three days without electricity, water service, access to a supermarket, or local services for several days. Just follow these four steps:

• Stay Informed: Information is available from federal, state, local, tribal, and territorial resources. Access Ready.gov to learn what to do before, during, and after an emergency.
• Make a Plan: Discuss, agree on, and document an emergency plan with those in your care. For sample plans, see Ready.gov. Work together with neighbors, colleagues, and others to build community resilience.
• Build a Kit: Keep enough emergency supplies - water, nonperishable food, first aid, prescriptions, flashlight, and battery-powered radio on hand - for you and those in your care.
• Get Involved: There are many ways to get involved especially before a disaster occurs.  The whole community can participate in programs and activities to make their families, homes and places of worship safer from risks and threats. Community leaders agree that the formula for ensuring a safer homeland consists of volunteers, a trained and informed public, and increased support of emergency response agencies during disasters.

By taking a few simple actions, you can make your family safer. Consider planning a Ready Kids event in your community to encourage families to get prepared with their children.

• Volunteer to present preparedness information in your child’s class or in PTO/PTA meetings.
• Invite officials from your local Office of Emergency Management, Citizen Corps Council, or first responder teams to speak at schools or youth events.

Use local emergency management resources to learn more about preparedness in your community.

• Contact your local emergency management agency to get essential information on specific hazards to your area, local plans for shelter and evacuation, ways to get information before and during an emergency, and how to sign up for emergency alerts if they are available.
• Contact your local firehouse and ask for a tour and information about preparedness.
• Get involved with your local American Red Cross Chapter or train with a Community Emergency Response Team (CERT).

For more information, check out:

Ready.gov/be-informed

Ready.gov/make-a-plan

Ready.gov/build-a-kit Ready.gov/get-involved

Follow us: @Readygov

Email us: ready@fema.gov  or citizencorps@dhs.gov

Monthly Preparedness text messages: Text PREPARE to 43362 (4FEMA) to receive monthly preparedness tips. (msg/data rates apply)

Order publications: call 1-800-BE-READY, 1-888-SE-LISTO, and TTY 1-800-462-7585

Easiest Ever Peach Cobbler

It's July! And in Georgia, that means PEACHES!

Here is one of our all time favorite peach recipes. For more peachy inspiration, check out our Georgia Peach recipe board on Pinterest!

 Ingredients:

• 1 Stick Butter
• 1 Cup Sugar
• 1 Cup Milk (Buttermilk is even better if you have it!)
• 1 Cup Self Rising Flour
• 1 Can Peaches with Juice or even better 3 to 4 ripe peaches, peeled, pitted, thinly sliced

*If using fresh peaches: If the peaches are very ripe and juicy then you probably don't need to add anything to them. If the peaches are a little tart add about a couple of teaspoons of lemon juice and sugar to taste and mix in a bowl and let it sit for about 10 minutes so the natural juices come out.

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. In a 9 inch square pan, cream together sugar and butter. Mix in flour and milk until smooth. Pour peaches wih juice over the top.
3. Bake 30 to 45 minutes in the preheated oven, until golden brown.

VACATION CHECKLIST: WHAT TO DO BEFORE YOU GO

It's summertime and that means vacations for most families. Unfortunately, your vacation buzz can be lost too quickly when you get home and realize that you forgot to take care of a few essentials. Your vacation should be an enjoyable and relaxing time, so before you head out here are a few things to be sure to check off your list so that you can come back to your home in the safe condition you left it. 

• Hold mail and newspapers.
• Pay bills that will be due while gone.
• Make arrangements for a neighbor or friend to have a key to your house or apartment - or at least know where one is. Give them a number where you can be reached.
• Lock all doors and windows throughout the house.
• Leave a radio or something going in the house that makes sound and can be viewed as an indication that someone is home.
• Pour some baking soda into each of the toilets and the sink drains.
• Water plants.
• Unplug most electronic items especially those that have valuable data on them. These  include your TV, stereo, and especially computers. If there is a thunderstorm while you are away, these items can be damaged beyond repair if they are plugged in.
• Adjust the Thermostat: Set the temperature setting at no less than 52 degrees Fahrenheit during winter months to keep pipes from freezing and plants from dying. During the summer, you can set the air conditioning to 75 degrees Fahrenheit.
• Take out all garbage throughout the house.
• Make sure the dishwasher is not full of dirty dishes.
• Make sure there are no wet clothes in washer or dryer or wet rags in the sink or bathroom.  If there are then hang them to dry.
• Shut off the water.
• Shut off the water to the washing machine. The hoses can easily break and cause severe flood damage to your home.

7 Tips to Reduce Dust Mites

1. Reduce indoor humidity to 55% or less.

2. Place an impermeable dust mite cover around the mattress box spring and pillows.

3. Regularly wash all bedding in at least 130 degree water.

4. Vacuum daily.

5. Leave beds unmade initially so they can air out and dry.

6. Keep pets out of the bedroom.

7. Hire an IICRC certified firm for periodic carpet cleaning.