Easy-to-understand fact sheet on Ebola now available from Get Ready

Have questions on Ebola? Want to help your friends, family and community understand the disease and its risks?

APHA’s Get Ready campaign has a new free tool you can use. Our fact sheet on Ebola has answers to common questions on the disease. The fact sheet features information from leading authorities on Ebola — such as the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the World Health Organization — in a simple, easy-to-understand  format.

Use the Get Ready fact sheet to share information on how Ebola spreads, its symptoms and what to do to prevent it. You can even add your group’s logo.

Read and share the fact sheet now or download and print the formatted PDF.

How to prepare for wildfires

Although people living in wilderness areas enjoy the beauty of the environment, they face a real danger from wildfires. As recent emergencies in California, Arizona and elsewhere have shown, wildfires can spread extremely fast, consuming homes and endangering lives. According to the Federal Emergency Management Agency, you can reduce your risk by preparing before a wildfire strikes.

Here are some steps you can take to help protect your home, family and property from wildfires.

• Practice wildfire safety: Make sure the roads leading to your home are visible, wide enough to accommodate firefighting equipment and are clearly marked. Immediately report any hazardous conditions that could lead to a wildfire.
• Follow good design: Landscape your home with wildfire safety in mind. Avoid using materials and plants that have the potential to fuel the fire such as pine, evergreen, eucalyptus, junipers and fir trees.
• Have a kit: Put together an evacuation kit that includes a battery-operated radio, flashlight, bottled water, a first-aid kit, cellphones and chargers, important documents and needed medications. 
• Be ready to leave: Post emergency assistance phone numbers next to all the phones in your home. Plan several escape routes from your home, both by car and by foot. Practice your evacuation plan, and if advised to leave the area, do so immediately.

 For more information, check out our Get Ready fact sheet on wildfires.

Staying cool during a heat wave

Heat waves can come on suddenly and without warning. Extreme heat can be a danger, especially for seniors and people with certain medical conditions. In fact, extreme heat caused more U.S. deaths in the past 30-plus years than hurricanes, floods, earthquakes and lightning combined, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Stay cool

Air conditioning is the best way to protect yourself from heat-related illness and death. When it’s really hot out, stay inside in locations with air conditioning. If you lack AC at home, check out shopping malls, libraries or heat-relief shelters in your area. Going to a local museum is also a good way to beat the heat.

Stay hydrated

Drink plenty of water, even if you aren’t thirsty. Avoid drinking liquids that contain alcohol or large amounts of sugar, as these can cause you to lose more body fluid and become dehydrated.

Who is at risk?

Anyone can get sick from hot weather. People at higher risk of heat-related illnesses include seniors, infants, young children and those who are overweight. People with chronic heart or lung problems or disabilities are also at greater risk.

Symptoms of heat-related illnesses

If you feel faint, dizzy or nauseous or have heavy sweating or exhaustion when it’s hot, ask a family member, friend or neighbor to sit with you until you feel better.  If you don’t feel better soon, call a doctor immediately or go to the nearest hospital. 

For more tips, download the Get Ready campaign’s heat waves fact sheet in English or Spanish.

Preparing for hurricane season: New podcast features tips from National Hurricane Center

The 2013 hurricane season is now officially underway. To help Americans be prepared, the Get Ready Report Podcast team spoke with staff at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s National Hurricane Center.

According to NOAA, there’s a 70 percent likelihood of 13 to 20 named storms this season, well above the seasonal average of 12. The agency says as many as 11 of those storms could become hurricanes.

Hurricanes can cause three major hazards: strong winds, storm surges and inland flooding, according to James Franklin, branch chief at the National Hurricane Center.

“People need to know what those hazards can do, and then know which of those hazards you’re particularly vulnerable to, depending on where you live,” Franklin says in the new podcast.

Anyone who lives along the East Coast from Texas to Maine is at potential risk. But Franklin notes that hurricanes are not just coastal threats, citing 2012’s Hurricane Sandy as an example of when wind gusts were produced as far as Wisconsin.

Here are some tips to use this hurricane season:

• Become familiar with information and alerts from both the National Hurricane Center and your local weather center. 
• Understand the difference between a hurricane watch and a hurricane warning. During a watch, prepare your home, review your plan for evacuation and listen closely for instructions from local officials. During a warning, finish preparations and immediately leave the threatened area if directed by officials.
• Develop a plan that includes an evacuation strategy and an emergency supply kit, including enough water and nonperishable food to last at least three days, a first-aid kit, a flashlight, a battery-operated radio, extra batteries and medical supplies. 

 For more tips on how to prepare for hurricanes, check out our Get Ready hurricane fact sheet.

Get Ready has new fact sheets for people living with disabilities

Have you ever used our cool, super helpful and totally free Get Ready fact sheets?

We’re excited to tell you that we just added five new fact sheets to our huge list of topics. These new fact sheets focus on helping people living with disabilities think about and prepare for disasters. You can check them out on our disability preparedness page.

We have a general fact sheet with preparedness tips for people with disabilities, as well as fact sheets for people with hearing, mobility, vision and cognitive disabilities. These fact sheets are available in English and in Spanish on our disabilities page. You can add your own logo with our easy-to-use instructions.

Plus, to make the fact sheets accessible to anyone who needs them, we’ve made audio and American Sign Language video recordings of the fact sheets. Once you’ve accessed the fact sheets, check out the podcasts we created on disabilities and preparedness as well.

We hope these new fact sheets help you and the people you care about get ready for any emergency. Let us know what you think in the comments!

Check out our newest Get Ready fact sheet: Disaster preparedness on the road

Do you know what to do if you’re in a car when a tornado hits? What about an earthquake? (Hint: Don’t park under a bridge or overpass!)

April is Distracted Driving Awareness Month, so we thought it would be a great time to mention our newest fact sheet about safe driving during disasters. It’s full of information to get you ready to drive in any type of emergency. We’ve also included tips about what to keep in your car so that you’re prepared for disasters even when you’re on the go. Click on the fact sheet below to download a PDF in English. You can get a Spanish version of the fact sheet and check out all of other topics on our Get the facts page.

After you check out our fact sheet, you should check to see if your town has an evacuation route. And while you’re at it, sit down with family and loved ones to plan a place to meet once everyone gets away from the disaster area safely.

Being prepared for emergencies on the road will help you remain calm, drive safely and arrive alive.

Get ready for an earthquake: It’s the Great Central U.S. ShakeOut!

Are you ready for an earthquake? If you live in the Central United States, tomorrow is a great opportunity to practice your preparedness skills, as millions of Americans in nine states will participate in the second annual Great Central U.S. ShakeOut.

Scheduled for Tuesday, Feb. 7, the ShakeOut will give residents the chance to participate in simulations so that they know what to do when an earthquake hits. As the Great Central U.S. ShakeOut website reminds us, it’s important to participate in these drills because “to react quickly you must practice often. You may only have seconds to protect yourself in an earthquake, before strong shaking knocks you down — or drops something on you."

Drop, Cover, Hold On image courtesy www.dropcoverholdon.org

Earthquake drills are important because earthquakes can happen anywhere, any time — as millions of Americans learned on the East Coast in 2011. What’s more, people can be confused by conflicting information about the best thing to do in an earthquake. While some people believe that they should run outside or get into a door frame during an earthquake, these are no longer recommended as safe practices. According to experts, the best way to protect yourself is to drop, cover and hold on.

Here’s a great video about the Great Central U.S. ShakeOut, which includes a group of children practicing a drop, cover and hold on drill.

If you don’t live in the Central U.S., there are other ShakeOut drills planned later this year for other U.S. states and around the world. Of course, you don’t have to wait to organize your own earthquake preparedness drill. There are plenty of free resources available to help you get ready.

Check out our Get Ready earthquake preparedness fact sheet, available in English (PDF) or Spanish (PDF).

For resources to plan your own earthquake drill, visit the ShakeOut website. For a fun take on home earthquake preparedness, try your hand at this online game.

If you are participating in the Great Central U.S. ShakeOut, we’d love to hear how it goes. Feel free to share your experiences in the comments below!