Summer camps mean summer fun — and disaster preparedness

Have you ever tried to tell a child it’s time to stop playing outside?  As tough as it may be to tell one child to make the next cannonball in the pool their last because it’s dinnertime, imagine gathering a group of dozens of kids who are having fun at summer camp.

These campers are disaster prepared. Image: FEMA

As regular Get Ready Blog readers know, disasters and emergencies can occur anywhere. And that means they can occur when kids are away from home, as well. Luckily, at summer camps, there are grown-ups in charge who are working hard to keep kids safe while they’re having fun.

But that doesn’t mean that they can’t use a little help getting ready. In fact, a recent survey found that many U.S. summer camps aren’t completely prepared to handle situations like prolonged power outages or evacuations.

So what can you,as a parent do? For one, ask your summer camp for a copy of its disaster plan. Provide resources owners and counselors can use to prepare for emergencies. Connect them with local partners and officials who can help them make plans.

You can also help your child get ready for any disasters that may occur while away at camp. For example, you can:

• Pack a camp preparedness kit. Your child will need a flashlight and batteries to get around camp at night. But it makes sense to have other emergency items as well, like first-aid supplies, a whistle, snacks and an emergency information card.
• Make a communications plan. How will you and your child communicate during an emergency? Make sure your children have a list of emergency contacts in their phones and on paper. Identify a third-party contact, like a friend or family member out of town, who can be reached if you can’t.
• Be prepared for the heat. Summer camps mean summer weather, which usually means heat. Make sure your child knows how to be prepared for hot weather and to recognize the signs of heat illness.
• Watch out for mosquitoes and ticks. They can carry diseases like West Nile virus and Lyme disease. Pack plenty of bug repellent. And know how to check for and remove ticks.
• Watch out for rodents. Cabins and campgrounds can be home to mice and other rodents, which can spread diseases. Tell your kids not to touch rodents, dead or alive, and to tightly pack up food so rodents aren’t tempted to come inside. 

For even more summer safety tips for kids, check out this page from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Disasters and kids: APHA shares tips for well-being

Image: FEMA/Patsy Lynch

Children find comfort in daily routines. They wake up, eat breakfast, go to school, play with friends. When emergencies or disasters disrupt their routine, kids can become confused or frightened.

So how can we help kids be more resilient before, during and after emergencies? Four of APHA’s member groups set out to answer that question during a May webinar.

Organized by the Injury Control and Emergency Services Section, Public Health Education Health Promotion Section, Maternal and Child Health Section and Mental Health Section, the webinar brought together real-world experts in community preparedness, emergency medicine and children’s mental health to weigh in.

A recording of the webinar, “Fostering Resilience in Children” is online now.

Parents can also get tips for preparing kids for disasters via our Get Ready fact sheet. Our advice? Talk with your children about the kind of emergencies that can happen and encourage them to share their fears. Reassure your children that while an emergency may be unlikely, getting prepared will help keep them and their family safe.

You can also share our kids’ preparedness fact sheet, written at their reading level, and print out our Get Ready preparedness games and puzzles.

How prepared is your child’s school for disasters?

Photo: Lisa Apt/www.iwalktoschool.org

You’ve bought your kids their supplies, shown them how to ride the bus and even managed to get them out of bed. But there’s one more thing to think about now that school’s back in session: Emergency preparedness. Being prepared is important no matter where you are, so how can you be sure your child’s school is ready?

Most schools have some sort of emergency preparedness policies, either by regulation or choice. But they can vary from school to school. To really know what’s going on, call your child’s school leaders and check in.

Here are five preparedness questions you can use to get the conversation started.

1. What steps are in place in case of disasters? Most schools have plans ready for disasters and community problems. Get a copy and find out where your child will be in case of an emergency. Ask about fire drills and other lessons.
     
2. What can I do to get my child ready? Ask about vaccination requirements as your child ages and make sure your children are up to date on their vaccinations. Also, make sure your child knows her or his address, the full names of parents or guardians as well as important phone numbers. It’s also a good idea to designate another trusted emergency contact for your child in case you’re unavailable.
     
3. Where can I get information about the school during an emergency? Extreme weather or emergencies can close schools or send students home early. Ask how you’ll be notified and how you can be ready if schedules change.
     
4. If a serious emergency occurs, is there a place for children to shelter-in-place? Is there a stockpile of food, water and medical supplies? Schools should be able to provide for students’ basic needs during emergencies.
     
5. After an emergency, what support is offered to students? Emergencies can be hard on students, even if no one is hurt. Ask about how students are supported afterward in terms of academics, mental health and more.

Making sure your child’s school is ready for emergencies is an important part of back-to-school season. With a few questions, you can take an active role in making sure your children will be safe while they learn.

For more information on how to get ready for disasters, check out our school preparedness fact sheet.

Bring preparedness to the dinner table this Thanksgiving

It’s almost here: that moment when the turkey is stuffed and roasted, the potatoes are mashed and the cranberry sauce is plated. And then it’s quiet, as family and friends take the first bite of the meal they’ve looked forward to all year. But, if you’re like most families, that silence won’t last long. Before the football game and sales at the mall, Thanksgiving is a time for catching up, connecting and talking with those you love over a great meal.

So what will you talk about with your family at the dinner table this year? At Get Ready, we think there’s no better time to chat about preparedness. Here are some preparedness Thanksgiving questions and topics to get your family talking:

• This year, were there times that you needed to be prepared? How did it go?
• What are you thankful you knew about preparedness this year?
• Where do you and your family feel the least ready for an emergency? How can you better prepare yourself for those times?
• Did you get a flu shot?

You can also spend some time this holiday on preparedness activities. A few suggestions:

• Get Ready trivia: Make preparedness fun. Grab some of the Get Ready fact sheets and quiz your family on what to do in case of an emergency. Check out our info on winter storms, and Ebola.
• Check your stocks: You’ve already got the canned goods out from preparing a tasty meal. Take this time as a family to add any extra preparedness supplies to your emergency stockpile kit.
• Keep the kids busy with our Get Ready games and puzzles.

Get the conversation going and share with us what you learn. How will you make preparedness a part of your Thanksgiving?

CDC superdog teaches kids how to be prepared for disasters

Ready Wrigley

Dogs have always been a human’s best friend, but who knew they could also help kids prepare for emergencies? The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Office of Public Health Preparedness and Response would like you to meet Ready Wrigley, a caped cartoon superdog who helps children and families learn how to prepare for the unexpected.

Ready Wrigley is the star of two free activity books — perfect for families, friends and classrooms — that kids can enjoy as they learn how to keep safe. The books come with fun puzzles, games and tips that are written at a child’s level.

In her debut activity book, Ready Wrigley focuses on teaching kids about hurricanes, such as what a hurricane is and how to spot one. Along with helpful checklists to create a hurricane emergency kit, the book tells kids what to do in case of an evacuation.

This year, a second Ready Wrigley activity book debuted that focuses on earthquakes. The book, which was released just in time for National Preparedness Month in September, explains how earthquakes happen and what to do when one occurs. Directions teach kids how to “drop, cover and hold on,” and tell them what they can expect after an earthquake.

Involving kids in your family’s preparedness activities can be key to staying safe. And teaching kids about disasters and emergencies before they occur can help them be less afraid when something does occur.

Want even more preparedness info for kids? APHA’s Get Ready campaign features free preparedness games and materials for children. Visit our kids page to download them, and check out our parents page for information on talking to your kids about preparedness.

Mental health and emergencies: Being prepared and coping afterward

Public health disasters don’t just affect the environment — they impact mental and emotional health, too. In observance of National Mental Health Awareness Month, the Get Ready Report podcast team spoke with Robert Motta, director of the Child and Family Trauma Institute at Hofstra University about mental health preparedness.

Motta and his students were involved in mental health response following Hurricane Sandy, which damaged communities in the Northeast U.S. in October, killed more than 100 people and left thousands of people homeless. Such emergencies can “have a dramatic impact on mental and emotional health,” Motta says.

After traumatic events, people may experience feelings of anger, guilt, grief and helplessness as well as dramatic mood swings. Such feelings can continue long after the disaster is over, developing into post traumatic stress disorder that can last for months or years.

And it’s not just adults that are affected. To help children cope with emergencies, Motta says parents should stay calm and optimistic and provide assurance that unpredictable things can happen.
“Parents can prepare themselves by realizing that children can be more influenced by their reactions than the actual event,” Motta told the Get Ready campaign.

Knowing you are prepared before an emergency happens can lessen stress during an emergency, says Motta. Instead of struggling to find out where to get help during an emergency, communities and residents can be ready ahead of time by organizing support groups and determining where emergency services such as shelters, food banks and call centers are available.

For more tips on mental health preparedness, listen to the podcast with Motta and read the transcript. For more information, download the Get Ready campaign’s mental health and disaster fact sheet.

National Infant Immunization Week: Keeping children healthy

It’s National Infant Immunization Week! The observance, which runs April 20-27, promotes the benefits of immunizations and works to improve the health of children. While immunization is important for overall health, it also helps people be more prepared for emergencies.

“Immunization is a personal preparedness step that can promote day-to-day emergency readiness and build a stronger public health system,” Steve Krug, chairperson of the American Academy of Pediatrics Disaster Preparedness Advisory Council, told the Get Ready campaign.

Immunizations are among the most successful and cost-effective public health tools to protect children against preventable diseases and keep them healthy. Each year, immunization of babies prevents 14 million cases of disease.

“Not only do (immunizations) protect vaccinated individuals, but they also help protect entire communities by preventing and reducing the spread of infectious diseases, such as chickenpox, measles and the flu,” Krug said.

Fully immunized children are better protected from diseases such as the flu or whooping cough that spread more easily when people are in close contact with each other. To check if you or your children are up to date on vaccinations, check out these immunization schedules recommended by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

For more information on how vaccines help protect us from disease, download our fact sheet with general information on vaccines or our fact sheet on vaccinations for kids.

Helping your neighbors in a disaster

Are you prepared to help your neighbors during an emergency? According to the Federal Emergency Management Agency, in 95 percent of emergencies, the victim or a bystander provides the first immediate assistance. Being ready and knowing how to react can make a big impact and even save lives, as this week’s attack in Boston showed.

Here are some quick tips for helping those in need during an emergency:

Neighbors helping neighbors in a flood.
Photo By DAVE SAVILLE/ FEMA News Photo

• Start by making sure that you and your family are prepared. Keep your emergency kits stocked and in a safe, accessible place. Have a plan for where your family will meet and how to contact each other if phones or electricity are down. It will be hard to help others if you are too worried about yourself and your loved ones. 
• Get to know your neighbors. Learn more about them and spread the word about preparedness. Keep an eye out for those who will be able to assist you in helping those with disabilities, special needs or physical limitations. If there are caretakers or family who visit regularly, be sure to say hello to them as well. You could be a vital lifeline in the event they are not able to visit for several days. 
• Prepare for company. When creating your emergency kit, add some extras in case you need to take in your neighbors or your in-laws happen to be in town that weekend. That includes food, water, blankets and other necessities, such as toilet paper. Don’t forget entertainment, either. While adults might get by with a deck of cards, kids without TV may need something to stay occupied. Activities that don’t waste batteries and are suitable for groups will work best.
• Get certified in CPR and first aid. According to the American Heart Association, 88 percent of cardiac arrests occur in the home, but less than a third of Americans are properly prepared to administer CPR. Check with your local American Red Cross chapter or volunteer center for CPR classes.
• Volunteer with National Volunteer Organizations Active in Disaster, Community Emergency Response Team, Red Cross or other organizations active in emergency response and preparedness. Such groups offer numerous free training opportunities ranging from CPR and basic preparedness to shelter management and urban search and rescue. Commitment levels can also vary based on skills and your availability.

See our fact sheets on building a stockpile, activities and information for kids, and preparedness tips for people with disabilities to learn more about how you can help your neighbors in a disaster.