Check out preparedness events at APHA’s Annual Meeting

The American Public Health Association’s 2023 Annual Meeting and Expo is right around the corner! With all the excitement of the different events, there are so many options to choose from. If you’re attending the meeting in Atlanta, you’ll want to check out information briefings, scientific speakers, exciting keynote speakers and lots of other activities.

The Get Ready team made a list of preparedness events for each day that relate to preparedness and infectious disease prevention! If you’re attending, check out some of these sessions:

Sunday: 

1- 2 p.m., Sunday, Nov. 12, session 2014: “COVID-19: An On-Going Pandemic,” a poster session hosted by APHA’s Student Assembly

2:30 – 4 p.m., Sunday, Nov. 12, session 2061: “Children’s Environmental Health,” an oral session 

4:30 – 6 p.m., Sunday, Nov. 12, session 2167: “Disabilities, Disasters and Emergency Preparedness: A Collaborative Oral Session,” a collaborative session with the Injury Control and Emergency Health Services and Disability Sections 

Monday:

8:30 – 10 a.m., Monday, Nov. 13, session 3021: “Integrating Measurement, Mapping and Community Narratives to Assess and Alleviate Environmental Health Stresses,” an oral session Endorsed by APHA’s One Health and Community Health Planning and Policy Development Sections. 

10:30 – 11:30 a.m., Monday, Nov. 13, session 3068: “Climate Change & Health Poster Session,” a poster session hosted by APHA’s Environment Section

2:30 – 3:30 p.m., Monday, Nov. 13, session 3194: “Environments & Aging in Place” a poster session hosted by APHA’s Aging and Public Health Section

6:30 – 9p.m., Monday, Nov. 13, session 369: “Environment Section Social Hour,” a social hour hosted by APHA’s Environment Section

Tuesday: 

8:30 – 10 a.m., Tuesday, Nov. 14, session 4026: “Emerging Topics in Environmental Health,” an oral session hosted by APHA’s Environment Section

10:30 – 11:30 a.m., Tuesday, Nov. 14, session 4081.1: “Disaster Response Late Breakers Poster Session,” a poster session hosted by APHA’s Injury Control and Emergency Services Section

4:30 – 6 p.m., Tuesday, Nov. 14, session 4273.2: “From Combating Climate Denialism to Fighting False Solutions: The Continuing Absence of Health and Justice in Climate Policies and the Urgent Need for Change,” an oral session hosted by APHA’s Center for Climate, Health and Equity 

4:30 – 6 p.m., Tuesday, Nov. 14, session 4294: “Climate Change, Disasters and Environmental Health,” an oral session hosted by APHA’s Environment Section

Wednesday:

10:30 a.m. – 12 p.m., Wednesday, Nov. 15, session 5064: “Reimagining the Role of Health Departments and Their Partners in Responding to Climate Change: The Building Resilience and Climate Equity Framework,” an oral session hosted by APHA’s Center for Climate, Health and Equity 

12:30 – 2 p.m., Wednesday, Nov. 15, session 5136: “Climate Change and Health,” an oral session hosted by APHA’s Environment Section

All of this year’s Annual Meeting events are listed in the online program for registered attendees.

If you’re at the Annual Meeting stop by the Get Ready booth, located in APHA Central in the Expo Hall! Our team will have fact sheets for your individual preparedness to different emergencies as well free flashlights to complete your emergency stockpile! Stop on by and Get Ready with us!

Set your clocks and check your stocks: tips for emergency stockpiles!

Daylight saving time is coming to an end. That means it’s time to change your clocks and check your emergency stockpile! Pushing your clock back one hour is a great reminder to check in on your emergency supplies. This will help make sure all your tools are ready to be used in case of an emergency. Get Ready has a checklist and helpful tips to follow when making your emergency stockpile.

 The basics that should always be in your emergency supply are: 

1. Three-day water supply

2. Three-day supply of nonperishable food

3. Manual can opener

4. First-aid kit

5. Battery-operated or hand-crank radio

6. Flashlight and lanterns

7. Whistle to signal for help

8. Prescription medication

9. Battery-operated or solar cell phone charger

10. COVID-19 supplies, including masks and hand sanitizer

When daylight saving time begins or ends, it’s a great time to rotate out older supplies and fill in any missing items. You might want to refresh:

1. Food nearing its expiration date

2. Seasonal clothes

3. Pet supplies

4. Medication 

5. Hygiene supplies

6. Updated important documents

Get Ready also has a cost-friendly stockpiling fact sheet. The fact sheet outlines different plans like buying one item for your stockpile every time you go to the store. 

Using daylight saving time as a reminder to check on your stockpile and remove or change anything old is helpful. It will help keep you and your loved ones safe and prepared for any emergency!

Get ready for hurricanes: tips for being prepared!

With hurricanes becoming more common, preparing for them is more important than ever! No matter where you are, have a plan that’s ready to use. Our Get Ready Team has a new hurricane infographic that can be used to prepare you and your loved ones. The infographic builds on our fact sheet. Be sure to check them both out to know about being ready before, during and after a hurricane!

Here are a few quick tips:

Buy Insurance

Have flood insurance before a hurricane. It’s different from homeowners’ or renters’ insurance because they usually don’t cover floods. Flood insurance covers your broken or damaged belongings like a car, home or belongings after a flood. It takes 30 days before insurance can be used on your belongings. The more likely the area is for flooding, the higher the cost will be for having flood insurance. You can find out if flood insurance is right for you by going online to the Federal Emergency Management Agency. The National Flood Insurance Program and FEMA have lots of information on costs, types of insurance and helping after floods. 

Home Safety

Protect your home! Covering doors, windows and other open spaces with tape and boards will prevent flooding inside. The boards will stop the windows from shattering. Waste will also be floating around and keeping it out of your home by putting up boards will make cleaning up easier and faster.

Evacuation Plan

Have an evacuation plan ready for you and your loved ones. Practice evacuation plans as a family. Knowing the safety routes in your area before a hurricane can save lives! Learning about local warning systems is important. They can alert you about an evacuation or if you need to take cover at a nearby shelter. Officials in the area will usually send the alerts, like the Red Cross or FEMA. 

Supplies

Have a supply kit ready to grab and go! It should have:

• First aid kit

• Food

• Water

• Medication

• Important documents 

• Flashlight

• Extra batteries

• Clothing 

• Pet supplies

• Battery-operated radio

Make sure to check your supplies twice a year. Rotate out items like food and medicine before it’s expired. It’s also important to keep the kit in an easy to grab area in case of an evacuation.

Listen to Officials

Officials will have the most helpful information during an emergency. They can tell you when it’s time to leave or places to go that are safe. Listening to their directions is the best option! A great place to stay updated about a hurricane and its movements is through the National Hurricane Center online. If your power goes out, you can use a battery-powered or hand-crank radio to listen to National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Weather Radio. Find your local station at https://www.weather.gov/nwr/station_search. Another online information source is FEMA, which provides up-to-date information about storms and their aftermath. It also offers contact information for officials that can help you after a hurricane or other disaster.

Hurricanes can affect almost anyone so share these tips to protect you and your loved ones by being prepared! 

Get Ready Day is almost here!

 

Mark your calendars! This year, Get Ready Day is Tuesday, Sept. 19. 

What's Get Ready Day? It's a celebration and a reminder to take small steps to be a little more prepared for disasters and emergencies. Help your community, campus or workplace become prepared for emergencies or disasters by holding a Get Ready Day event!

Held each year on the third Tuesday in September, APHA's Get Ready Day is timed to coincide with National Preparedness Month. There are lots of ways to get involved:

• Sponsor a preparedness talk at your local senior center or hold a town hall.
• Set up a booth on campus, or pass out materials at your health department or workplace.
• Insert preparedness planning materials into your religious organization's bulletin, or post information on a bulletin board.
• Work with a local grocery store to promote preparedness and stockpiling to shoppers through displays or flyers.
• Offer a flu shot and/or COVID-19 vaccination clinic for your work, school or neighborhood. 

Want even easier ways to make a difference? You can share Get Ready fact sheets or infographics in print or online. 

Emergencies can be overwhelming, but preparing for them doesn't have to be. Whatever you do for Get Ready Day, spread the word and use the hashtag #GetReadyDay so we can see how you celebrate!

Get Ready for wildfire smoke: New resources to stay safe!

Canada has been experiencing some of its worst wildfires in modern history, but we’re not safe either! Whether you saw it on the news or experienced it firsthand, you may know what we’re talking about — wildfire smoke. To keep you, your family, friends and even pets safe, the Get Ready team has provided a new infographic and fact sheet. Be sure to check them both out to know what to do before, during and after wildfire smoke impacts you! 

Here are a few quick tips. 

Stay inside 

Our first tip is to stay inside! This is especially important for: 

• People with asthma 
• People with heart or lung disease 
• Children
• Pregnant women 
• Older adults 
• First responders 

Staying home with all windows and doors closed can be one of the best ways to stay safe. It’s a great way to protect your health, but not all houses are airtight enough to keep the smoke out. Maybe you notice a smoky smell inside your home, or perhaps your eyes start to sting. This could mean that your house is not providing enough protection. You may want to stay with family, friends, neighbors or at a public building. If you’re staying inside an airtight building with proper air conditioning and filtration, you can keep smoke inhalation to a minimum. Most buildings’ air conditioners are built with air filters, but the best way to make sure your indoor air is clean will differ based on the type of air conditioning unit. See the Environmental Protection Agency’s fact sheet for information about proper air filtration and the different options. 

Wear an N95 Mask 

If you must be outside for any reason or are at high risk for health problems, wear an N95 mask. They’ve been easier to find since the coronavirus pandemic, and you can often purchase them in hardware stores or drugstores. You may even have one lying around already! To fully protect your health, you’ll want the correct size where the mask fits over your nose and under your chin. Keep in mind that cloth and dust masks as well as bandanas do not filter out wildfire smoke. So go grab your N95! N95 masks do not come in suitable sizes for children. For more information about how to keep your child safe from wildfire smoke, the CDC provides some great guidance. 

Keep the air quality clean 

The last thing you want to do is make the indoor air pollution worse! Wildfire smoke doesn’t smell great, but don’t light a candle even if it smells nice! You should also avoid using gas or propane, smoking tobacco and vacuuming. Even if you’re craving a warm home-cooked meal or feel like cleaning around your house, avoid all of these activities as they can make the air quality inside worse.  

Wildfire smoke can quickly affect just about anyone, so share these tips with your friends, family, co-workers and anyone that you feel needs this information to protect their health!