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.

Down and dirty preparedness: Staying safe from disease at a mud race

Are you tough enough to run a mud race? Events like Tough Mudder, Spartan Race and Battlefrog show the popularity of mud races. The challenges include a lot of running and obstacles and require a dose of mental grit. Hazards include mud, fire, ice, walls, heights and electricity. And recently, that list of hazards includes infectious disease.

 A Tough Mudder in the "Kiss of Mud" obstacle.
Image credit // Hartmut Goldmann

For example, 1,000 people recently got sick from norovirus, a virus spread in animal and human feces, at a mud race in France.  Participants at mud races in the U.S. have also come down with norovirus and other infections, causing diarrhea, rash, vomiting and other unpleasant symptoms.

Bacteria and viruses don’t really care how big your muscles are. A lot of mud races are held on farms or in the woods. And since they’re in rural areas, there may be wild animals and livestock. Feces and urine can get mixed into the dirt and mud. When participants get in the mud or when they touch their faces after, microorganisms can be transmitted and make them sick.

Still think you’re tough enough?  Alright. Here are some tips to stay safe.

First off, know what you’re up against. Ask race officials about safety and what’s being done to keep it (relatively) clean out there. Know where to go for medical help if you need it. There’s more to worry about than bacteria. Sprains, cuts and more might be in store for you.

"Funkey Monkey."
Image credit // Tough Mudder

Second, keep your head up if you can. Don’t touch your face with your muddy hands if you can avoid it. Try to keep your mouth away from the mud. We know it’s tempting to get a face-full and take a really cool photo. But is it worth the risk?

Third, hold on tight. On obstacles like Tough Mudder’s Funkey Monkey, where you’ll be crossing monkey bars over a pool of muddy water, your best bet is not to fall off. Sound too tough for you? Keep your hands close to the edges of the bars, right where they meet the wood or metal frame. You’ll get a better grip that way.

Fourth, if you don’t feel safe, skip the obstacle. There’s no shame in staying safe. Some races like Battlefrog require you to complete all obstacles, but most are fairly chill. Do some research beforehand and make sure you’re up to the challenge.

Lastly, help each other out! Giving your course mates a hand, even if they are complete strangers, helps everyone stay safe and builds community.

Have a blast, and push yourself to overcome all fear!

Star-spangled preparedness

Summer. Charcoal. Fireworks. Freedom. 

You know what that means: It’s almost the Fourth of July! It looks like it’s going to be a hot one this year in many parts of the country.  Before you head out to celebrate, take a minute to think about how to do it safely.

Photo credit: pexels.com

Know where you’re going and how long the event will last. Many events don’t allow coolers inside the grounds, so think about where you’re going to get food and water. Make sure to bring plenty of sunscreen, a hat and sunglasses. Also, be sure to bring insect repellents.  Hot summer nights are a mosquito’s delight.  Make sure to protect yourself from becoming their source of food.

Fourth of July celebrations can get hot, and you might spend a lot of time in the sun. Make sure you’re drinking a lot of water. When you think you’ve had enough, keep going. Avoid caffeine and alcohol, as they can dehydrate you quickly. If you do plan to drink alcohol, have a plan to get home safely. As in, hand over the keys.

If you’ve got kids, make sure you keep them close if you’re going to be in a crowd. Pick a spot to meet up as a family in case you are separated. Know where to go in case there is an emergency. If you or anyone you’re with starts to feel sick or dizzy, ask for help. Find an event official or head to the first-aid area. You know where it is, since you found it as soon as you arrived, right?

Photo courtesy: pexels.com

Remember, everyone loves to celebrate freedom. Crowds can get big and overwhelming. Having a plan and knowing how to stay calm are the best ways to be safe. If you’re feeling overwhelmed, find a spot away from the crowds and take a break.

And lastly, be careful with fireworks. Yes, they’re really cool. Like these! But they’re also dangerous. They literally run on gunpowder. The stuff that makes things go bang. Remember that before you light the fuse. Have a source of water nearby. Make sure anyone nearby knows when you’re lighting them, and keep people back at a safe distance.

Alright, you’re about ready to celebrate! Check out our mass event fact sheet for a few extra safety tips before you head out. Grab a bottle of water and a hat, and throw a few more hot dogs on the grill. We’ll be over soon (what, didn’t we tell you you’re hosting?)! Happy Fourth of July! 

Getting Ready for Hurricane Season

Today's post is by Hannah d'Entremont, a public relations and political science students at West Virginia University.  She's also one of APHA's summer interns!

Do you remember how bad Hurricane Katrina was? What about Hurricane Sandy? Both hurricanes — which hit New Orleans and the northeast U.S., respectively — caused a lot of damage. They also caused many preventable injuries and deaths.

Hurricane season in the Atlantic began on June 1 and ends Nov. 30. Hurricanes can be dangerous and life-threatening. So it’s important to understand ways to stay safe.

Hurricanes are rated on a scale of one through five, with one being the weakest and five being the strongest. Sandy made landfall in Cuba as a Category 3 hurricane, and Katrina was a Category 3 when it hit Louisiana. But all hurricanes are dangerous, no matter their category. Strong winds and debris can cause damage to people, homes and communities.

Super-storm Sandy making landfall in the United States.
Photo credit: Rob Gutro,

Goddard Space Flight Center

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration predicts that this year’s hurricane season should include six to 11 named storms, three to six of which should become hurricanes. With that in mind, it makes sense to be prepared. Learn about your community’s hurricane warning system, evacuation routes and nearby hurricane shelters. (You should also know these things if you’re vacationing in an area at-risk for hurricanes.) Make a plan with your family. Write down emergency phone numbers and identify a meeting place in case you have to evacuate in a hurry and all family members are not together. Never ignore evacuation orders.

You should also have supplies such as food, water, medicine, safety items, personal care products and an emergency kit for your car packed and ready to go. Include paper maps in your kit in case electricity and cellphones aren’t working. Fill up your gas tank in advance if a storm is predicted to head your way.

For more hurricane tips, check out our Get Ready fact sheet on hurricanes.

Can we beat the heat?

Today's Guest Blog is from Allison Crimmins, an environmental scientist with EPA’s Climate Change Division. She focuses on the impacts and risks associated with climate change, especially on human health. Prior to joining EPA, she earned one Masters degree in oceanography by exploring past climates in ocean sediments and a second Masters’ degree in public policy from the Harvard Kennedy School. She lives, works, and judges the occasional science fair in Washington, D.C. but still cheers for the Chicago Bears.

See how recorded temperatures have risen in the
United States in since 1901 / U.S. EPA

I have an uncle in Arizona who likes to send taunting emails in the middle of winter, bragging about his region’s warm temperatures while my Midwestern family freezes. The tables would be turned in summer, and he’d get his share of emails when Arizona’s temperatures soared. Lately though, the rate of warming in the Midwest has accelerated, with temperatures rising three times as fast between 1980 and 2010 than the long-term temperature increase . With extremely hot days—the kind we’re used to seeing once in 20 years—projected to become commonplace across the U.S., there won’t be many places in the country left with bragging rights.

Heat waves have become more frequent and more intense, especially in the West, and they’re expected to become more intense across the entire U.S. Aside from making us miserable, heat waves can also make us very sick. Extreme heat is associated with increased hospital visits for cardiovascular, kidney, and respiratory disorders, and can also lead to an increased number of deaths from heat stroke and other cardiovascular and respiratory diseases.

The health risks from heat are heightened in cities, where the urban heat island effect can intensify temperatures. Cities can be up to 10°F warmer than surrounding rural areas and can maintain warmer temperatures throughout the night. With more people moving to urban areas and nighttime temperatures rising faster than daytime temperatures, there’s a lot of people who can’t catch a break from the heat.

It might be easy to think this is an issue that affects “other people,” but not me. Those most vulnerable to extreme heat include children, the elderly, people who work or exercise outdoors, pregnant women, some communities of color, and those with pre-existing medical conditions. Extreme heat affects people living in cities, but also people in rural areas that haven’t needed air conditioning in the past. It affects people in Arizona, the Midwest, and everywhere in between. When you look back at that list, it’s evident that we all fit into one or more of those categories, at least at some point in our lives.

The good news is that heat related deaths and illnesses are preventable and there is a lot of great information out there to help beat the heat. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has great resources on extreme heat and hot weather tips.

In addition to preparing for the heat, it’s also important to take action on climate change to help reduce these threats. EPA is taking a number of steps to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, including cutting carbon pollution from existing power plants, setting standards to increase fuel efficiency for all new cars and trucks sold through 2025, and working closely with the private sector to promote programs like ENERGY STAR, which helps Americans save money and improves the energy-efficiency of their appliances, homes, and businesses. To learn more about what EPA is doing to address climate change, please see: epa.gov/climatechange

You can also take action on climate change! Since everyone uses energy, everyone can be part of the solution. To learn about simple steps you can take to reduce your carbon footprint, see www.epa.gov/wycd. One of the best ways to make a difference, in my opinion, is just to share what you learn about climate change with friends and family. A good place to learn more about observed and projected climate impacts where you live is: www.epa.gov/climatechange

Get Ready’s Summer Safe series returns

Summer is finally here, which means it’s time to dust off the grill and break out the sunscreen. As school ends and families prepare for fun summer adventures, we want to make sure that you’re safe and healthy. APHA’s Get Ready campaign is once again hosting its Summer Safe blog series so you can have simple safety tips all summer long.

 

Stay tuned for blog posts on:

• Hurricane season
• Flash flooding
• Measles and other infectious diseases
• Crowd safety
• And lots more!

Check out the Summer Safe page on the Get Ready website for free fact sheets that you can print and share with your family or in your community.

If you have any questions or suggestions about summer safety, let us know in the comments, or send us a tweet @GetReady.

Keeping food safe during flooding and power outages

Disasters can strike when you least expect them. Knowing how to properly store food ahead of time can help keep you and your family safe from foodborne illnesses.

Two of the most common emergencies that can happen in the summer are flood and power outages, both of which can affect your food and make it unsafe to eat.

Keeping food safe during power outages:

It’s important to keep meat, poultry, fish, eggs and other perishable food at or below 40 degrees and frozen food at or below 0 degrees. But how can you tell what the temperature is if the power is out? The answer is with an appliance thermometer. You should have one for both your refrigerator and freezer.

To keep your foods cooler for longer during a power outage, the U.S. Department of Agriculture advises you to keep refrigerator and freezer doors closed as much as possible. The refrigerator will keep food cold for about four hours and a full freezer will stay cold for about 48 hours, or 24 hours if it is half full. (It’s a good idea to print this information out and save it somewhere you can find it when the power goes out.)

If your refrigerator has been without power for more than four hours, discard any perishable food, USDA says. Never taste the food to test its safety!

Keeping food safe during and after floods:

After a flood, drink only bottled water, as public water supplies may be contaminated. If bottled water is not available, boil tap water for safety. Before using dishes, metal pans or utensils that have touched floodwater, wash them with hot soapy water and sanitize by boiling them in clean water.

Losing food to flooding can be devastating, particularly if you have a lot of it. It’s normal to want to save it. But it’s just not worth risking your health or the health of your loved ones.

After a flood, make sure to throw away any of the following if there is any chance it came in contact with floodwater:

• food in cardboard boxes, paper, foil or cloth;
• spices, seasonings, flour, sugar, grain, coffee and other staples;
• unopened jars with wax cardboard seals, such as mayonnaise and salad dressings;
• all canned foods; and
• wooden cutting boards, plastic utensils, baby bottle nipples and pacifiers.

Remember: When in doubt, throw it out!

For more information, check out our Get Ready food and water safety fact sheet and get more tips on food safety from USDA.

Summer Safe: It’s Lightning Safety Awareness Week

Lightning can happen at any time of year, but did you know that summer is the peak season for deadly lightning strikes? That’s why the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration has declared June 24-30 Lightning Safety Awareness Week.

According to NOAA, dozens of people die and hundreds are injured every year when they are hit by lightning. But these incidents are largely preventable with just a few tips:

1. When thunder roars, go indoors! If you can hear thunder from a storm, it means you are also in striking distance of lightning; you should go indoors immediately.
2. Get somewhere safe. A safe shelter is a building with at roof and sides, such as a house, school, shopping mall, grocery store or office building. A hard-topped vehicle is also safe, but you’re not protected in motorcycles, open vehicles such as Jeeps or golf carts. 
3. If someone around you is stuck by lightning: Call 911 immediately. Lightning victims will not electrocute you, so they are safe to touch. Be prepared to start CPR or use an automated external defibrillator if the person does not have a pulse.

Pretty simple, right? Preparedness doesn’t get much easier!

For more information about lightning safety, check out NOAA’s new YouTube video.

Summer Safe: Learn how to get ready for a wildfire

Did you catch the news this week about the wildfires that have burned thousands of acres in Colorado and New Mexico?

Unfortunately, with the hot, dry weather that often comes this time of year, wildfires are more common. Plus, this week scientists reported that because of climate change, an increase in wildfires is expected over the next 30 years. That’s why we thought now would be a good time to talk about getting ready for wildfires.

Wildfires can start from natural causes like lightning, but most are caused by humans, such as when people leave campfires unattended or don’t dispose of burning cigarettes safely. (Learn more about fire prevention here: http://www.smokeybear.com/wildfires.asp). However it starts, a wildfire can spread quickly, burning forests and buildings in its path. Aside from the dangers of the actual fire, wildfires are also a health threat because of their heavy smoke, which can cause headaches, breathing trouble and chest pain and can cause extra health complications. 

Here are some quick steps you can take to prepare for wildfires:

• Find out about your community’s risk for wildfires. Check to see if there is a local wildfire warning system and know the evacuation routes.
• If you live in an area at risk for wildfires, make sure your property is safe: Clean your roof, gutters and property of dried leaves regularly. Move things that will burn, like gas tanks or stacks of firewood, away from your house. Have fire extinguishers and smoke detectors in your home, and check them regularly.
• Have an emergency kit, ideally in a bag or container that you can grab and take with you in case of evacuation.
• Make a plan with your loved ones, so that if you need to evacuate quickly, you’ll know where to go. Don’t forget to pick an out-of-town emergency contact who everyone can check in with, in case local phone lines are busy.
• If you see a wildfire, call 9-1-1 immediately.
• If you are in a car and see a wildfire, stay in the car, roll up the windows and close the vents. Drive slowly and keep your lights on. (Check out our Driving & Disasters Fact Sheet for more info ).
• If you are home, close all doors and windows and take care not to breathe in smoke. If you are told to evacuate, do so immediately.

For more information about preparing for wildfires, check out our Get Ready Fact Sheet on Wildfires, in English and Spanish. You can also visit the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s website for more information about what to do before, during and after a wildfire.

Summer Safe: Tips for staying healthy in hot weather

With record-setting warm weather across the U.S. this year, we wanted to kick off our Summer Safe series with some timely information about beating the summer heat.

To get the scoop about hot weather safety, we sat down with Linda Degutis, DrPH, MSN. Degutis is the director of the National Center for Injury Prevention and Control at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and she had a lot of advice about heat-related illnesses.

Though many people want to have ‘fun in the sun’ during the summer months, really hot weather can pose a dangerous threat to people’s health. As Degutis explained, “extreme heat can lead people to have very high body temperatures,” which could quickly lead to brain damage, organ failure or even death.

Degutis, a past president of APHA, warned about the two heat-related illnesses people should avoid in hot weather: heat stroke and heat exhaustion. Heat stroke is more serious, because your body can lose its ability to cool itself down and your body temperature can get dangerously high.

These are the symptoms you should look out for (click to view larger):

The people who are most at risk for heat-related illness are the elderly, young children and people with chronic medical conditions. Also, people who spend a lot of time out-of-doors, such as construction workers and landscapers, the homeless and those who exercise in the heat are at risk for the dangerous side effects of spending too much time in hot weather.

That’s the bad news. “The good thing about all of this is that we can prevent heat-related illnesses by taking some relatively simple precautions,” Degutis explained.
These include:

• During very hot weather, stay inside where it’s cool. If you don’t have air-conditioning in your house, go somewhere that does: A library, a grocery store, an indoor mall. Communities may also set up cooling centers where people can escape the heat, so check with your local government. 

• Stay hydrated by drinking plenty of water. Alcoholic beverages and sugary drinks like soda and juice can make you more thirsty, so stay away from those as much as possible in the heat.

• You can still stay active and enjoy the outdoors, but consider saving your exercise or outdoor activities for the cooler parts of the day: morning and evening. Avoid being outside in the middle of the day when it’s hottest.

• Wear lightweight, light-colored clothing, because dark clothes or heavy fabric can trap heat. Also, make sure you wear a hat and sunscreen — sunburns put you at higher risk for heat-related illnesses!

• Sign up for free weather alerts via email or text, so that you’ll know if there is an excessive heat warning for your area.

• Don’t forget to check on friends, older family members and elderly neighbors in very hot weather.

For more information about staying safe in hot weather, you can listen to the podcast of our interview with Degutis. We also have a full transcript of the interview, and we created a handy Healthy You tipsheet about staying safe in the heat that you can print and share.