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Looking for a way to make disaster preparedness fun for kids? Check
out the new PSA from Save
the Children and 20th Century Fox featuring characters from the upcoming movie Ice Age: Collision Course! The
children’s rights organization and film distributor recently teamed up to
encourage parents to create In Case of
Emergency (ICE) cards for their children so families can quickly
reunite after a disaster.
Make an ICE card with phone numbers of family and friends you can
call in case of an emergency. Print the free cards at home, put one copy in
your child’s bag, and keep another copy for yourself.
Disasters can strike when you least expect them. Plan ahead to
stay connected to those you love. Create your
ICE card today!
Safe rooms
are a good way to protect you and your family or employees from hurricanes or
tornadoes. Having a safe room for your home or business can help provide “near-absolute
protection” from injury or death caused by the dangerous
forces of extreme winds.
Are you interested in building a safe
room for your home or small business? Download FEMA P-320 Taking Shelter from the
Storm: Building a Safe Room For Your Home or Small Business, and FEMA P-361
Safe Rooms for
Tornadoes and Hurricanes: Guidance for Community and Residential Safe Rooms. These publications
help home or small business owners assess their risk and determine the best
safe room for their needs.
To learn more about safe rooms, visit fema.gov/safe-rooms. You can also
check out this list of FAQs.
If a safe room in not available during a
hurricane, the best protective action is to evacuate before the hurricane makes
landfall. Otherwise, seek the best available shelter:
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Go to a small, interior, windowless room such as a closet or bathroom on the lowest level of a sturdy building; for a hurricane, make sure the room is not subject to flooding;
- Cover yourself with any materials that may provide protection from debris, such as cushions, a sleeping bag, or a blanket; and
- Kneel down and bend over into a ball, and cover your head and neck with your arms.
To learn more about how to protect
yourself and your family during severe weather, visit the America’s
PrepareAthon! website.
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You never know where you’ll be when an
emergency occurs, so it’s a good idea to be ready wherever you are. That means preparing
supplies for your
home, work, and vehicle.
The Ready
Campaign has information about creating a disaster supply kit for each
location.
For your home:
- Create a kit containing enough food, water, and supplies to last at least three days; and
- Keep the kit in a designated place and make sure family members know where it is.
For your
work:
- Be prepared to shelter in place for at least 24 hours;
- Include food, water, and other necessities like medicines in your kit. Keep the kit in one container and be ready to grab and go; and
- Have comfortable walking shoes in case an evacuation requires walking long distances.
For your
vehicle:
- Include jumper cables, flashlights, clothing, and a first aid kit; and
- Consider having a fully charged cell phone and phone charger, flares, baby formula, and diapers if you have a small child.
FEMA Region V is still accepting applications for its
Regional Youth Preparedness Council. If you know a student in grades 8 – 11 who
is making a difference in his or her community’s disaster preparedness,
encourage him or her to apply. The FEMA Region V Youth Preparedness Council has
similar goals as the national FEMA Youth Preparedness Council, but consists
solely of representatives from the states within Region V’s area of
responsibility: Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Minnesota, Ohio, and Wisconsin. Applications
must be received by June 30, 2016 11:59 p.m. CDT. Download an application form today!
The FEMA Region V Youth Preparedness
Council is a unique opportunity for youth leaders to make a difference in their
communities while sharing their opinions, experiences, ideas, solutions, and
questions on youth disaster preparedness with the regional leadership of
FEMA.
Region V Youth Preparedness Council
members fill three roles while on the Council:
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Project planners: The cornerstone of Council members’ service is the self-selected local projects they are required to complete during their one-year tenure on the Council.
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Ambassadors for youth preparedness: Council members spread the word about the importance of youth preparedness in their local communities and on a regional scale.
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Liaison to FEMA on the youth perspective: The members of the Council have a fantastic opportunity to meet with FEMA and its partner organizations to share their insights, opinions, and unique perspective on FEMA’s efforts and initiatives and those of others.
Disclaimer: The reader recognizes that the
federal government provides links and informational data on various disaster
preparedness resources and events and does not endorse any non-federal events,
entities, organizations, services or products. Please let us know about other events
and services for individual and community preparedness that could be included
in future newsletters by contacting citizencorps@fema.dhs.gov.
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