Emergency Preparedness

With the numerous holidays, extended school breaks, and Douglas County's proximity to multiple outdoor recreation areas, many people are out and about this time of year. However, it's important to be aware of the increased health hazards associated with winter months. lllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllll Cold, weather is associated with the worsening of chronic lung conditions, increased risk of heart attack, frost bite, hypothermia, etc. Additionally, with the potential for winter storms and travel on snowy/icy roads, there are necessary emergency preparedness steps that should be taken as well. lllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllll Please see the following links for detailed information:

• General Info (CDC): Winter Weather Tips | Winter Weather Preparedness Checklists
• Heart Health (American Heart Association):  Cold Weather and Cardiovascular Disease
• Chronic Respiratory Diseases (American Lung Association): Cold Weather and Your Lungs
• Winter Weather and Kids (American Association of Pediatrics): Winter Safety Tips for Kids
• Travel in Winter Weather (National Weather Service): Winter Safety (emphasis on Travel)
• Winter Storm Preparedness (Red Cross | FEMA) : How to Prepare for Winter Storms | Snowstorms & Extreme Cold

During wildfire season, the air quality and smoke conditions in the region may, at times, pose a risk to your health. Douglas Public Health Network advise residents to exercise caution, be aware of smoke concentrations in your area, and protect yourself when concentrations rise by avoiding strenuous outdoor activity, staying in side, or leaving the area if possible. This is especially important for those who suffer from asthma or other respiratory problems. lllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllll For those who must work outside, decisions on whether to use respirators or masks as personal protection should be made with the employer. Contact Oregon OSHA for additional information on occupational regulations for particulate respirators. (https://osha.oregon.gov/Pages/index.aspx) llllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllll The following links provide additional information regarding wildfires and smoke:

• How to use the visibility index during wildfires: http://www.oregon.gov/deq/aq/Pages/Wildfires-Visibility.aspx
• Smoke and wildfires in Oregon: http://oregonsmoke.blogspot.com
• Smoke and wildfires in California: http://californiasmokeinfo.blogspot.com
• Wildfires and health threats from smoke: http://public.health.oregon.gov/Preparedness/Prepare/Pages/PrepareForWildfire.aspx
• OHA Smoke precautions Fact Sheet: https://apps.state.or.us/Forms/Served/le8622.pdf
• OHA Air filter Fact Sheet: CleanAir_PDF

**A PERMANENT ADVISORY IS IN PLACE FOR SOUTH UMPQUA RIVER IN DOUGLAS COUNTY** (Click HERE to view the advisory.)        llllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllll Please see the following links for more information:

• Oregon Health Authority Algae Bloom Advisories:  OHA Blue-Green Algae Bloom Advisories
• About harmful algae bloom:  Oregon DEQ Harmful Algae Bloom Info; Toxic Algae Bloom Info from the Partnership for Umpqua Rivers

For additional information contact the Oregon Health Authority: Harmful Algae Bloom Surveillance Program

There are plenty of free resources available to introduce and encourage emergency preparedness for kids off ages. Ready.gov (FEMA's official preparedness website) has an entire kids section with a game, activities, and kid-friendly information about a number of natural disasters and how to prepare for them. These can all be found here: https://www.ready.gov/kids/games lllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllll For infants through age 6, Sesame Street Communities has a wide variety of games, activities, videos, and other resources to help start the preparedness conversation with the youngest members of your family. And all the resources are centrally located, here: https://sesamestreetincommunities.org/topics/emergency-preparedness) llllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllll The American Red Cross, in collaboration with Disney, developed a game to teach emergency preparedness skill to kids ages 7-11. The game is compatible with both Android and Apple devices and can be downloaded from your device's app store on online here: https://www.redcross.org/monster-guard.html llllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllll The CDC has multiple resources. For elementary aged kids, there's "Ready Wrigley" a preparedness dog. Ready Wrigley resources include printable, kid-friendly checklists, a printable activity book, and an App (compatible with Apple devices only). All resources can be found here: https://www.cdc.gov/cpr/readywrigley/index.htm. For middle-school aged kids, the CDC developed a Zombie Campaign. This campaign utilized a blog, graphic novel, and fictional zombie outbreak scenario to teach emergency preparedness. These resources are available here:  https://www.cdc.gov/cpr/zombie/.  Additional disaster specific CDC resources can be found here: https://www.cdc.gov/childrenindisasters/children.html lllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllll Finally, for kids interested in the science behind weather, Weather WizKids is a great resources. Developed by a television meteorologist, this site provides plenty of kid-friendly information on the science behind various weather conditions as well as safety information. (http://www.weatherwizkids.com/weather-safety.htm)

Children not only have specific needs that should be address when preparing for emergencies, but they are also very sensitive to the trauma that may be associated with experiencing a natural disaster. Fortunately, there are numerous resources available to help parents not just with preparing before hand but also with how to handle the aftermath. lllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllll In addition to kid-friendly activities and resources, Ready.gov (FEMA's official site) also includes a section specifically for parents that includes resources for preparing with your children as well as how to cope following a disasters. These materials are available online, here: https://www.ready.gov/kids/parents lllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllll The American Red Cross has materials for parents for each stage of a disaster: planning, help guide children through an emergency situation, and how to help your child recover after the event has passed. These resources can be found here: https://www.redcross.org/get-help/how-to-prepare-for-emergencies/disaster-safety-for-children.html lllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllll The National Child Traumatic Stress Network has numerous resources specifically addressing the trauma that can be associated with experiencing an emergency situation and how to cope. These resources (as well as many more child trauma related resources) can be found here: https://www.nctsn.org/resources/all-nctsn-resources?search=&resource_type=All&trauma_type=4&language=All&audience=29&other=All lllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllll Finally, the US Department of Health and Human Services's Office of the Administration for Children and Families' (ACF) Office of Human Services, Emergency Preparedness and Response (OHSEPR) maintains an extensive list of resources for children and families related to disaster preparedness, response and recovery available here: https://www.acf.hhs.gov/ohsepr/children-and-families

Educators can also play a role in preparing children whether they're at home or at school when disaster strikes. Below are are a few resources for those interested in incorporating emergency preparedness into their lesson plans. lllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllll One excellent resource is Ready.gov, FEMA's emergency preparedness resources. In addition to resources for parents and games for kids, there are also detailed curricula for educators for students 1st through 12th grade. Each curriculum includes suggested age-appropriate in-class discussions, activities, printable worksheets and activity sheets, links to additional resources, and tables linking content to specific components of several national educational standers (like Common Core). The curricula correspond closely to the kid content on Ready.gov but also utilize additional resources as well. All Ready.gov teaching materials can be found here: https://www.ready.gov/kids/educators (Downloadable curricula can also be accessed here: https://www.fema.gov/media-library/assets/documents/34411) lllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllll The American Red Cross developed lesson plans for elementary students (grades 1-6) for use along with their free app (developed in coordination with Disney, available for both Apple and Android devices).  The lesson plans include and  introductory lesson as well as 10 unique plans each associated with a different type of natural disaster. Lesson plans can be used as one large unit or individually. Additionally, individual printable activity sheets are available for each lesson for those not interested in incorporating the entire curricula. The app and all teaching resources can be found here: https://www.redcross.org/monster-guard.html lllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllll The CDC has an extensive list of resources for teachers and childcare centers, with resources for kids of various ages specifically related to: planning and preparing for emergencies, protecting children 0-5, helping children cope after and emergency, and preparedness information specifically for child welfare and juvenile justice agencies. Links to these resources can be found here: https://www.cdc.gov/childrenindisasters/schools.html lllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllll This list includes a Zombie Preparedness Toolkit  related to the  CDC Zombie Outbreak campaign/graphic novel targeted at middle school kids. However, for educators interested in this campaign, the CDC has actually developed a number of zombie-related preparedness activities for use in both individual classrooms as well as school wide. These resources can be accessed here: https://www.cdc.gov/cpr/zombie/educate.htm lllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllll Finally, in addition to resources for parents, the National Child Traumatic Stress Network has also produced a few guidelines as well as webinar for teachers to help students cope following a disaster. These resources can be accessed here: https://www.nctsn.org/resources/all-nctsn-resources?search=&resource_type=All&trauma_type=4&language=All&audience=33&other=All