It's Almost Time to ShakeOut
The Great ShakeOut earthquake drill is this week! At 10:16 a.m. on Thursday, October 16, millions of people will Drop, Cover and Hold On to practice protecting themselves during earthquakes. Participating in drills is a great way to get prepared for disasters! A recent FEMA survey showed practicing what to do during emergencies will help you respond faster when disasters occur.
Remember, if you can't ShakeOut on October 16, you can choose another day during the month of October to participate. Just visit www.shakeout.org to register your drill.
We also invite you to follow along in a special Tweet Chat with ShakeOut, America's PrepareAthon! and the American Red Cross at 3 p.m. (Eastern) on October 15. Experts will provide safety tips and other information to get you prepared for earthquakes. Join the conversation using hashtag #EQChat.
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The Taming of the Flu
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), winter is the typical season for influenza activity, but flu outbreaks can happen as early as October. The flu is different from a common cold, and usually comes on suddenly. Flu symptoms can include:
- Muscle or body aches;
- Sore throat;
- Cough;
- Headaches; and
- Fever.
Anyone can get the flu, but some people are at high risk of developing serious flu-related complications. This includes people age 65 years and older, people with chronic medical conditions (such as asthma, diabetes or heart disease), pregnant women and young children.
Now is a good time to prepare for the upcoming flu season. The best way to prevent this respiratory illness is by getting a flu vaccine each year. There are several vaccine options available this season, including the flu shot and nasal spray. If you are sick with the flu, avoid spreading it by:
- Staying home from school or work;
- Covering your mouth with your elbow when you cough or sneeze; and
- Washing your hands often with soap and warm water.
For more information about the upcoming flu season and how to prevent its spread of this illness, visit CDC.gov .
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Preparing for Everyone's Needs
When planning for emergencies, it is vital to account for the needs of everyone who may be impacted. For example, there are several steps that individuals with disabilities and others with access and functional need s can take to stay safe and independent during a disaster. Such steps include, but are not limited to:
Individuals with disabilities and others with access and functional needs should also include items in their disaster kits essential for their needs, such as:
- A TTY Text Telephone;
- Hearing aids and batteries;
- Written descriptions of service needs; and
- Supplies for a service animal.
For more ideas on how to plan for disasters, check out this emergency preparedness instructional video for individuals with disabilities and others with access and functional needs.
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Calling All Local Councils and CERT Programs!
With the end of the year quickly approaching, we are asking all local Citizen Corps and CERT programs to update their information on the registration system!
We ask that all registered programs update their information by no later than November 28th . Citizen Corps and CERT information collected by this deadline will be included in the 2015 National Preparedness Report.
While we encourage you to update any new information in your online profiles, we are particularly interested in updates to the following for 2014:
- Numbers of individuals trained;
- Number of trainings conducted;
- Number of volunteers and volunteer hours;
- Council membership;
- Number of exercises; and
- Funding sources.
Updating your online profiles provides us with information that we can use to justify continued Federal support for the Citizen Corps and CERT programs, including:
- The website and all of its free downloadable resources and an online searchable directory of programs;
- Free printed materials for registered programs through the FEMA Warehouse;
- Technical assistance and support through the Citizen Corps and CERT inboxes;
- Recognition programs like the Individual and Community Preparedness Awards;
- Outreach and education efforts, including regular e-briefs and webinars; and
- The development of new content and updates to existing content, including the CERT curriculum and supporting materials.
In addition to using the data for the National Preparedness Report, we use the information provided by you to demonstrate the contributions you make to national, state, territorial, tribal and local preparedness and resilience, highlight areas of growth, identify needs for new resources, and set strategic direction.
We are also currently in the process of adding a function to the registration system through which state and local programs would be generate their own reports, so that you can also use the data you enter to help support and manage your programs.
We hope that you will take the time to update your profiles, so that all of the great work you've done will be accounted for in the National Preparedness Report and elsewhere!
If you have any questions, please don't hesitate to reach out to us at citizencorps@fema.dhs.gov or at cert@fema.dhs.gov . Thank you!
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Webinar Reminder: CERT Competitive Events
Calling all CERT programs! Learn how you can organize a competitive event for your program on our upcoming webinar next Wednesday, October 22 from 3:00 – 4:00 p.m.
This CERT webinar will feature the organizers of the Northern Nevada Regional CERT Rodeo, the Mississippi CERT Olympics, and the Kansas City CERT Rodeo. Each of these CERT programs have planned and organized competitive events (often referred to as CERT Rodeos/Games/Olympics) for their CERT volunteers. Presenters will discuss their experiences and insights from developing and hosting competitive events, sharing how they planned and organized their events, lessons learned, and how their events benefitted their programs and communities.
We hope that you will be able to join us on October 22 for this exciting webinar.
Date/Time
- Wednesday, October 22, 2014
- 3:00 p.m. Eastern Daylight Time (EDT) / 12:00 p.m. Pacific Daylight Time (PDT)
Join the Webinar
Presenters will include representatives from:
- State of Mississippi
- Kansas City, Missouri
- Carson City, Nevada
- Washoe County, Nevada
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Dates for Your Calendar!
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