Have you used our materials? Let us know what you think!

Since the start of APHA's Get Ready campaign, thousands of people have used Get Ready fact sheets and materials in their communities, on campus and at home.

If you're reading this, chances are good that you're one of them! 

From games for kids to emergency supply checklists, we've been providing free info on preparing for public health disasters and emergencies for more than six years.

Now's your chance to let us know what you think. 

Take our short survey  (
http://www.surveygizmo.com/s3/788937/APHA-s-Get-Ready-Campaign) and tell us your thoughts. We'd love to hear from you!

This Valentine’s Day, love your family enough to have a plan

What’s the greatest gift you can give your family this Valentine’s Day?

We’ll give you a hint: It’s not covered in chocolate.

The best gift you can give to your loved ones is to be ready for an emergency. As the Federal Emergency Management Agency explains in its Ready.gov video, below, “Before a disaster turns your family’s world upside-down, it’s up to you to be ready.”

Here are some basic steps that you need to take to get ready for a disaster:

• Think about the types of emergencies that could happen where you live. Do you live in an area prone to flooding? Are you often in the path of tornadoes or hurricanes? The Get Ready campaign has fact sheets available for many types of disasters to help guide your plans.

• Have an emergency kit ready. Make sure you have adequate supplies of drinking water, food, essential medicines and emergency medical supplies, as well as tools such as flashlights, a radio and plenty of batteries. Take a look at our full checklist. 

• Make a plan. If a disaster knocked out cellphone service, how would you communicate with your family? Where would you meet up with your loved ones in an emergency? What are the evacuation routes in your town? FEMA’s Ready.gov website has tools to help you put your emergency plan in writing.

To help you talk to your loved ones about getting ready for an emergency, we've made some free Valentine's Day e-cards. They're a fun way to share our message: "I love you enough to have a plan." Check out all of our cards on the Get Ready website!

Being prepared for emergencies doesn’t take a lot of time or money, but it does require that you sit down with the people you care about, make a plan and gather some supplies. A few hours of preparation now could save the lives of those you love in the future.

We think that’s a way better gift than a box of chocolates.

Flu Fridays: How to take care if you get the flu

Welcome back to Flu Fridays! So far, we’ve discussed what causes the flu and given you tips on how to avoid getting sick. We really want you to stay healthy this winter, but in case the flu strikes you or someone you care for, we want you to be ready.

Before you develop symptoms, you can get ready for cold and flu season by stocking up on basic supplies. We’ve put together a checklist of useful things to have in your home in case of a flu emergency (PDF).

If you do get sick, the most important thing you can do is stay home. The flu virus is highly contagious, and no one will admire you for coming into work or dragging yourself to school while you’re coughing and sneezing all over the place. If a loved one is sick, you should encourage them to stay in bed and rest until 24 hours after their fever is gone — that’s when the virus can no longer be spread.

While at home, you can do a number of things to make yourself (or the person you’re taking care of) feel more comfortable. Encourage the sick person to get plenty of rest, and have her or him drink clear fluids — water, broth or sports drinks will help prevent dehydration. Over-the-counter medications can help relieve symptoms like body aches, fever and coughing, but these will not make the person less contagious. Flu.gov has great information about treating the symptoms of the flu.

To prevent the spread of the flu when someone is sick at home, it’s best to have the sick person rest in an area separate from others in the family. Family members should wash their hands frequently with soap and water, especially after being around the sick person. (The person with the flu should wash their hands frequently as well!) People who are high risk for catching the flu, such as young children, pregnant women and the elderly, should avoid contact with the person who is sick. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention offers more information about caring for someone sick at home on its website.

The exception to the “stay home” rule is if you or your loved one needs to visit a health provider. And that brings us to our next point: Know when to seek medical attention. Flu symptoms can be severe, but if you or someone you’re taking care of develops any of the following symptoms, they need immediate medical attention. Be alert for:

• difficulty breathing,
• blue or purple discoloration in the lips,
• sudden confusion or change in behavior,
• sudden dizziness,
• pain or pressure in the chest,
• severe vomiting, or
• seizures.

We hope the flu doesn’t come near you this season, but in case it does, you’ll be ready!

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!

Flu Fridays: Four things to do to stop the spread of flu

Welcome back! Now that we have a better understanding of what causes the flu, this week we’ll talk about how to protect yourself and your loved ones from this illness.

A little more background: The flu is spread when someone infected with the virus coughs, sneezes or talks. Droplets of saliva can carry the virus up to six feet away, as shown in the picture below. These droplets can land in the noses or mouths of people nearby, or they can land on surfaces, where people can unknowingly get the virus on their hands.

Sneeze image courtesy CDC/ Brian Judd.

Because we can’t see the virus, we have to take extra steps to prevent its spread. Here are four things you can do to protect yourself from the flu:

1. Get a flu vaccine. The flu vaccine is the best defense against the flu. Every year, scientists develop a new vaccine based on the type of flu viruses that are circulating. (Remember those fast-mutating strains we talked about last week?) The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends that everyone 6 months of age and older get a flu vaccine. If you haven’t gotten your flu shot yet, it’s not too late!

2. Practice good hygiene. If the picture above made you want to wash your hands, that’s good. Regular hand-washing can help prevent flu and other infectious agents from entering your body. Be sure to use soap and water or alcohol-based hand sanitizer. You can read a lot more about good hand-washing technique on our hand-washing resource page. Making sure that you eat well and get enough rest can also help you to stay healthy.

3. Don’t be “that guy.” (Or gal!) If you do get sick with a flu-like illness, do everyone a favor: Stay home! Most people agree that if someone is sick, they shouldn’t come to school or work. But many people (64 percent, according to the National Foundation for Infectious Diseases) also admit to occasionally going about their daily activities despite being sick with the flu.

Still thinking about going into work, despite your sneezing and fever? Consider this: People with the flu can be contagious for 24 hours before they have any symptoms, and might still be contagious for 24 hours after their fever goes away. And if you’re sick and have to cough or sneeze, remember to cover your mouth!

4. See your doctor if you have flu symptoms. Common symptoms of the flu include fever, cough, sore throat, runny or stuffy nose, body aches, headache, chills and fatigue.

If you experience these symptoms, and especially if they start suddenly, make sure you seek medical attention. If you have the flu, your health care provider may be able to prescribe anti-viral medications that could help you get better faster.

Not sure if it’s the cold or the flu? This fact sheet from APHA can help you tell the difference. And here’s another tip: Instead of running to the store when you get sick, how about stocking up on supplies beforehand? Here’s a list of what you’ll need.

Thanks for joining us for Flu Fridays. We hope that you learned something to help you stay flu-free this year!