Get Ready campaign offers more than 20 fact sheets, materials in Spanish

From earthquakes and power outages to H1N1 flu and handwashing, APHA’s Get Ready campaign offers a wealth of free fact sheets to help people become more prepared. And now, the ever-growing list of Get Ready materials includes 20 resources in Spanish.

In April, the Get Ready campaign debuted seven new Spanish-language translations of its preparedness materials on its website, including fact sheets on water stockpiling, (PDF) pet preparedness (PDF) and cold and flu supplies. (PDF) Also new are professionally translated Spanish versions of the Get Set activity kit, (PDF) which encourages high school students to become involved in preparedness, and the Get Ready Kids Guide to flu (PDF).

The new materials join a wealth of other resources that have long been available in Spanish through the campaign, including fact sheets on floods, (PDF) winter storms, (PFD) H1N1 flu (PDF) and emergency stockpiling. (PDF) Offering campaign materials in languages other than English helps spread the Get Ready preparedness message, according to campaign organizers, particularly with the growing number of Spanish-speaking U.S. residents.

As of 2000, about one in five U.S. residents — about 47 million people — spoke a language other than English at home according to the U.S. Census Bureau. Among those were 28.1 million Spanish speakers, just over half of whom reported speaking English "very well." And the number of Spanish speakers continues to grow.

So whether you are looking for materials for use at community, school or other events or to share with family and friends, the free bilingual Get Ready campaign resources are worth a look — and a download.

Help the hungry and improve your community preparedness through national food drive on May 8

Did you know food banks play an important part in community preparedness? Here’s why: Because if there are 49.1 million people who already don't have enough to eat and a disaster such as a flood, tornado or flu outbreak strikes, the demand on food banks will increase. That's why it’s important to support our community food banks year-round. You can help improve preparedness in your community thanks to an upcoming national food drive, Stamp out Hunger.

Organized by the National Association of Letter Carriers, the U.S. Postal Service and other sponsors, Stamp Out Hunger is the nation’s largest single-day food drive. Since its inception in 1993, the food drive has collected nearly 1 billion pounds of food, including a record-setting 73.4 million pounds in 2009.

It’s easy to help Stamp Out Hunger this year. Just leave a sturdy bag containing non-perishable foods, such as canned vegetables, pasta, rice or cereal, next to your mailbox before your mail comes on Saturday, May 8. Food items should be in non-breakable containers, such as boxes and cans, and should not be expired.

The nation’s 230,000 letter carriers will be collecting the donations and delivering them to food banks and other hunger relief organizations in more than 10,000 local communities. If you’re not sure whether your postal carrier will be taking part Saturday, contact your local post office. For more on the food drive, visit the event website, Facebook page or Twitter.

Every little bit helps and moves your local food bank — and your community — one step closer to being prepared.

Emergency preparedness kits: Buy one or make one?

When disaster strikes, you’ll need quick, easy access to the right supplies to keep you and your loved ones safe and healthy. One of the best ways to make sure you’re ready for an emergency is to have a preparedness kit (PDF).

You can buy a ready-made preparedness kit off the shelf, or you can make one yourself. Both options will provide you with important supplies, but if you buy a kit, check to make sure that all of the items included meet the needs of you and your family. For example, a purchased toolkit may not come with items you need if you have pets to care for.

To cover all of your bases, start with a checklist. APHA’s Get Ready campaign offers tips for packing and creating (PDF) a preparedness kit. Use this as a guide to help you gather the items you need to make your own kit or to make sure a store-bought kit has the right contents.

The Get Ready checklist also gives you tips for storing your kit and how often to check the kit to make sure the items are still fresh. This important information isn’t included in many pre-assembled toolkits. And if you have pets, check out the fact sheet (PDF)
on including emergency supplies for pets.

Similar checklists and tips are available from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the American Red Cross and the Federal Emergency Management Agency.

So which is better, making your own preparedness kit or buying one? Both are fine, but make sure your kit contains everything you’ll need. A checklist will help. Also, make sure it has enough supplies to last at least three days. Creating your own kit will take a little extra effort, but you can be sure it includes everything on your list. And when disaster strikes, a well-stocked kit will provide a special something not on a checklist: peace of mind.

Winners of APHA’s 2010 Get Ready Scholarship announced

Six students have been chosen as the recipients of APHA’s second annual Get Ready Scholarship.

The scholarship, which is awarded in conjunction with APHA’s Get Ready campaign, encourages high school, undergraduate and graduate college students to recognize emergency preparedness as a public health issue.

The six winners are:
• Leah Wight— Golden Valley High School, Merced, Calif. (high school level)
• Courtney Farr — Robert L. Patton High School, Morganton, N.C. (high school level)
• Brittany Voorhees — Holy Names University, Oakland, Calif. (undergraduate level)
• Delaney Moore — Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis, Indianapolis, Ind. (undergraduate level)
• Tazeen Dhanani — George Mason University, Fairfax, Va. (graduate level)
• Kristen Paz — Pepperdine University, Malibu, Calif. (graduate level)

This year’s scholarship recipients were chosen from 900 applicants from across the nation. They will receive a $500 scholarship for school-related costs as well as a one-year APHA membership. Winners were determined through an essay contest on the importance of emergency preparedness and infectious disease prevention.

"APHA firmly believes in encouraging today’s youth to become tomorrow’s public health leaders," said Georges C. Benjamin, MD, FACP, FACEP (E), APHA’s executive director. "We are pleased to be able to award these talented, young students with financial assistance to help further their education."

Excerpts from the winning entries can be viewed online now.

Congratulations to our scholarship winners and our thanks to everyone who submitted an essay!

Get Ready Mailbag: Tsunamis can be an unexpected coastal danger

Welcome to another installment of the Get Ready Mailbag, when we take time to answer questions sent our way by readers like you. Have a question you want answered? Send an e-mail to getready@apha.org.

Q. What exactly is a tsunami? What I can do to be prepared in case I ever experience one?

A. A tsunami is a series of huge waves that happen after an undersea disturbance, like an earthquake, volcano eruption or landslide. From the area where the tsunami begins, waves move outward in all directions. Tsunamis can move hundreds of miles per hour in the ocean and then crash into land with waves as high as 100 feet or more.

The massive earthquake in Chile in early 2010 set off tsunami warnings across the Pacific, including warnings in Hawaii. Fortunately, the waves were less destructive than feared.

A tsunami can strike almost anywhere along the U.S. coastline. And though they may not damage every coastline they strike, all tsunamis are potentially dangerous. The most destructive tsunamis in the United States have occurred along the Pacific coast. So pay particular attention if you are along the shores of Hawaii, California, Oregon, Washington or Alaska.

If you are ever on the beach and notice that the water recedes from the shoreline, move away immediately. This is a sign that a tsunami is coming.

If you are in a coastal area and you experience an earthquake, turn on your radio to learn if there is a tsunami warning. If there is a warning and officials say to evacuate, do so immediately and follow your evacuation plan. Get away from the shoreline right away and move to higher ground.

Knowing how to prepare for a tsunami is the best way to stay safe in an unlikely event that you experience one.