Do you live in an area where you can be affected by an earthquake? Are you sure?
If you live on the west coast of the United States, you are in one of those areas. There are other areas that could be affected by an earthquake as well. The center of the US has a fault that is not very active, but could do quite a bit of damage. From this website, you can find the faults in your area.
Do you know what to do when an earthquake hits? This is a link to a fun quiz to see if you know what to do in the event of an earthquake.
Are you prepared for an earthquake? Take a look at the 7 steps for Earthquake Safety, and be sure that EverybodySafe.com is part of your communication plan.
Fraudulent emails are being sent regarding CDC-sponsored State Vaccination Program
Have you received one of these emails? The subject is State Vaccination Program, and the email address it comes from is ”Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)” <cdc-mess-id:(number)med(at)cdcdelivery(dot)gov.
The email asks you to create your personal profile at the cdc.gov website. The link that they send you to is not the CDC website however. The first part of the link is “online(dot)cdc(dot)gov(dot)yhnbak(dot)org(dot)im(slash)h1n1flu(slash)profile.php” which has nothing to do with the CDC website. The rest of the link captures your email address. The spammers that created this hoax are not only trying to capture real email addresses but also get more information on the people who do fill out their information.
They are currently playing on the nervousness of people regarding the H1N1 virus that is going around. Many people will fill out information that they think is from the CDC and would help them get a vaccination against it. Here’s the CDC’s own information about this rumor – http://www.cdc.gov/hoaxes_rumors.html
The moral of the story is don’t click on links in emails. If you do see an email with interesting information, even if it looks real, go directly to the website and search for the relavent information. For instance, after receiving this email, if you go to CDC.gov and search for “State vaccination program”, the third item on the list is health related hoaxes and rumors. That link will take you to the post about the fact that this is an email hoax.
Do you know how Fire Prevention Week started? It was started to commemorate the Great Chicago Fire in 1871. Because of that, fire prevention week is always on the week surrounding October 9. There were other very large fires that week, including the Peshtigo Fire in Northern Wisconsin.
The Peshtigo Fire was the worst forest fire in US history.
What we can do now is think about fire safety and prevention. Fire and burn safety tips should be always on our mind. Here are a few tips we should always remember.
Practice kitchen fire safety
Don’t wear loose clothing around the stove
Don’t place flammable items near the stove – even if it is an electric or pilotless stove.
Don’t leave pan handles hanging over the floor where they can be bumped.
Handle pots and pans with oven mits
Watch the steam! Steam burns can be very serious.
Fire safety around your clothes dryer
Don’t keep any clothes or flammable items near the pilot of the dryer.
Smoking
Don’t smoke in bed
Don’t smoke when you are tired
Smoke outside (that will keep you awake and away from flammable items in the house)
Electricity
How is the wiring in your house? Up-to-date?
Don’t plug to many things in the same place.
Candle Safety
Stay in the room where candles are burning
Do you have sprinklers installed in your home? Do you have a fire extinguisher?
These are just a few tips that barely scratch the surface of fire safety. There are many more tips that we should be thinking about.
Please add your comments and suggestions for fire safety.
Is your partner on your emergency contact list or will they call your ex?
Making sure ALL of your loved ones know where you are.
If you were sick or injured and unable to communicate your emergency contact information to hospital workers, how would they know who to call? How would your partner or significant other know where you were? Contrary to popular belief there‘s no database of contact information for hospitals to pull from, so EverybodySafe.com provides a way to let everyone important to you know where you are.
It can take up to 18 hours for your family and loved ones to find out where you are, and even then, it might not be who you particularly want contacted.
H1N1 is at pandemic level. Fall flu season has started.
It’s been in the news for a while. People are starting to get the flu. Some worry too much, others ignore the flu symptoms and go to work, shopping and run any errands that they need to do. We need to have a balance.
Symptoms of H1N1 flu include fever, cough, sore throat, runny or stuffy nose, body aches, headache, chills and fatigue. Watch for these symptoms especially since the difference between H1N1 and seasonal flu can only be identified by your doctor.
If you have flu symptoms, stay home. If you have a fever, stay home for 24 hours after the fever is gone.
There are too many people that just ignore everything when they are sick. People go to work anyway. They send their kids to school. Sometimes it’s because of a boss that puts too much pressure on. Some people put the pressure on themselves. Sometimes it’s financial, especially in the current economy. What we have to remember is that it could be worse. When someone goes to work when they are sick, they are just spreading their illness.
Panic is not an answer either. It’s just – be careful, practice basic hygiene, stay home if you are sick and stay home for 24 hours after a temperature goes away. We can go directly to the source for news. Here is the information straight from the CDC website and the WHO website. As of early June, the threat level was increased to Phase 6, which means we are at a pandemic level.
This map shows the current geographic spread of the H1N1 virus in the US. By clicking the Previous and Next Week links, it will also show how that geographic spread has changed over the past weeks and months.
With this at pandemic level, we need to take this seriously, but not panic. Take care of yourself during this flu season.
Too many of us have the “It won’t Happen to Me” attitude. No one wants to think about bad things that can happen. That’s understandable, but the wrong way to do things. It’s better to prepare, then not worry.
We’re much better off if we are ready, since disaster can strike at any time.
What should we prepare for?
Natural hazards, such as weather and fire among others. Find out what applies to the area where you live or where you are visiting.
Hazardous materials, household chemicals, etc are items that we may have around the house, but need to watch out for.
Terrorism is another disaster that we need to be ready for.
Don’t forget illness. Talk to your doctor and do what you can to prevent illness, not wait for it to happen! Exercise, eat healthy, wash your hands.
Make a plan, Get a kit, Stay informed
Make a Plan – Spend some time writing up a plan. This should include what to do in any type of disaster.
Get a Kit – Kits can be purchased or put together on your own. They should include 72 hours of food and water. Other recommended items include a first aid kit, flashlight and whistle. Don’t forget to pack any medications you are taking.
Stay Informed – We all need a way to keep informed and inform others. A radio should be part of your kit so you can stay up-to-date on what’s happening in your area. Just one alert with EverybodySafe.com lets all of your contacts know what has happened to you.
Plan for those who need extra help.
Babies, older adults, people with disabilities/special needs– all need additional consideration. They will need extra help when disaster strikes.
Don’t forget your pets! Have carriers, leashes, and food and water for your pets. Don’t leave them behind. A small amount of preparation helps to make sure that they make it through a disaster with you.
Prepare for the Worst, Hope for the Best!
The best way to combat the “It won’t Happen to Me” Syndrome is to be prepared. Once a good preparedness plan is in place, all that’s needed is to revisit it once a year to make sure everything is up-to-date. Then, we can go along with life and have fun!
Dogs, cats, birds, fish, horses, even livestock need advance thought for what would happen if a disaster struck you or your area. Don’t forget that this can include small things. What if, without warning, you can’t make it home one night. You have a dog that needs to be walked, fed, and possibly needs medicine. Some people would say, oh well, there will be a mess to take care of, but I’ll do that tomorrow. Don’t ignore your animals! Cats, birds and other animals need care and attention too. Even if you think the cat doesn’t pay any attention to you, that same cat knows that you are not home filling the food and water bowl.
Sometimes that is a small need, where you can’t make it home for a night or two. Other times, it is more urgent. Hurricanes, floods, tornadoes and other natural disasters have an effect on pets as well as people. Too many pets are left stranded after a natural disaster. Pet shelters step in to fill the need, but good planning is even more helpful. Having a safety plan for yourself and your pets is necessary.
The “It Won’t Happen to Me” syndrome is, basically, denial. I won’t get into a really bad car accident and be rushed to the hospital. I won’t have a heart attack, even though there is family history. Yes, tornadoes, mudslides, hurricanes, forest fires… are around here but it won’t hit my house. There are terrorist attacks in large cities and at large events but it won’t happen when I’m there. My house won’t catch fire…
The list could go on and on. None of us wants to think about anything bad happening. However, if we don’t think about it, how can we prepare for it?
The answer is to think about these things long enough to be prepared. Once we have a plan for emergencies and disasters, we can go back to living our happy lives. But we have to plan !!
EverybodySafe.com can be used for the third item on the list. Part of staying informed is informing others on your status. Let them know if you are hurt by sending an alert, or if you are OK by sending an “I’m OK” message.
Don’t put this off any longer. Let’s go out and enjoy life, knowing that we will be prepared in the event of an emergency or disaster.
When the Continental Airline jet flying from Rio de Janeiro to Houston experienced severe turbulence, something as simple as wearing a seatbelt would have prevented dozens of people from being injured. When passengers were taken to a Miami hospital after an unplanned, emergency landing, EverybodySafe.com could have prevented worry and confusion among these passengers’ families.
If you are as severely injured as some of these passengers were, you are not in a state to communicate how to contact your family. How are your loved ones supposed to know that you’re injured and in a hospital hundreds of miles away from where you’re supposed to be?
Many people are under the assumption that there is a special database of contact information for hospitals to pull from so that they can contact family in case of an emergency. In reality, hospital staff will not look through your cell phone or spend time searching the internet for whom to call.
EverybodySafe.com uses e-mail, text messaging and phone calls to make sure that everyone who needs to know will be informed in case of emergency. When you sign up, you’ll receive ID cards, stickers and dog tags with your EverybodySafe.com ID number. Hospital staff and emergency workers simply call the 800-number or log on to the Web site, and EverybodySafe.com will contact everyone on your list to let them know where you are and what’s wrong.
For the rest of the passengers on the flight who were not injured, EverybodySafe.com also offers an ‘I’m OK’ feature, where with the push of a button you can let your loved ones know that you are safe.
Our I’m OK service is designed to let your family and friends know that you are OK. There are a few times where this can be used. One is when a natural disaster strikes. Was there a tornado, hurricane, fire, flood…. in your area? Everything is crazy because of so many people hurt or homes damaged? Wouldn’t it be nice to be able to let people know that you are OK? That’s now easy to do!! Sign up for our free I’m OK service and add up to 7 contacts and their email addresses. When an event like the ones described above happen, simply go to our site and send an I’m OK message, using your EverybodySafe ID number. The alert goes out immediately by email to all of your pre-defined contacts! One quick note on our system, and everyone is notified. Nice and simple. Sign up for the free service here.
There are many other times where the I’m OK service can be used. What are some ideas of where you could use the I’m OK service? Let us know your ideas and don’t forget to sign up!!
Do you know how Fire Prevention Week started? It was started to commemorate the Great Chicago Fire in 1871. Because of that, fire prevention week is always on the week surrounding October 9. There were other very large fires that week, including the Peshtigo Fire in Northern Wisconsin.
Too many of us have the “It won’t Happen to Me” attitude. No one wants to think about bad things that can happen. That’s understandable, but the wrong way to do things. It’s better to prepare, then not worry.
Natural hazards, such as weather and fire among others. Find out what applies to the area where you live or where you are visiting.
Make a Plan – Spend some time writing up a plan. This should include what to do in any type of disaster.
Dogs, cats, birds, fish, horses, even livestock need advance thought for what would happen if a disaster struck you or your area. Don’t forget that this can include small things. What if, without warning, you can’t make it home one night. You have a dog that needs to be walked, fed, and possibly needs medicine. Some people would say, oh well, there will be a mess to take care of, but I’ll do that tomorrow. Don’t ignore your animals! Cats, birds and other animals need care and attention too. Even if you think the cat doesn’t pay any attention to you, that same cat knows that you are not home filling the food and water bowl.
The “It Won’t Happen to Me” syndrome is, basically, denial. I won’t get into a really bad car accident and be rushed to the hospital. I won’t have a heart attack, even though there is family history. Yes, tornadoes, mudslides, hurricanes, forest fires… are around here but it won’t hit my house. There are terrorist attacks in large cities and at large events but it won’t happen when I’m there. My house won’t catch fire…
When the Continental Airline jet flying from Rio de Janeiro to Houston experienced severe turbulence, something as simple as wearing a seatbelt would have prevented dozens of people from being injured. When passengers were taken to a Miami hospital after an unplanned, emergency landing, EverybodySafe.com could have prevented worry and confusion among these passengers’ families.
Our I’m OK service is designed to let your family and friends know that you are OK. There are a few times where this can be used. One is when a natural disaster strikes. Was there a tornado, hurricane, fire, flood…. in your area? Everything is crazy because of so many people hurt or homes damaged? Wouldn’t it be nice to be able to let people know that you are OK? That’s now easy to do!! Sign up for our free I’m OK service and add up to 7 contacts and their email addresses. When an event like the ones described above happen, simply go to our site and send an I’m OK message, using your EverybodySafe ID number. The alert goes out immediately by email to all of your pre-defined contacts! One quick note on our system, and everyone is notified. Nice and simple.