04Jan / 2023

Resolve to Be Ready, Part II

A calendar with the year 2023 circled in red marker.

January is the time many of us make resolutions for the new year. Sometimes resolutions feel too big and long drawn out. As a result, our motivation to see them through can peter out before the end of the year.

Last year, we suggested 12 micro-resolutions to help you prepare your health for emergencies. Here are a dozen more ways to resolve to be ready this year.

January

Be prepared to prevent data loss. Data loss happens more often than you might think.

This month’s micro-resolution is to back up your important files. These include medical records, financial documents, family photos, and emails. Save at least one extra copy of your files to an external storage device or the cloud. This ensures you can still access the information if the original is lost, damaged, or destroyed.

February

February is National Canned Food Month. Canned goods are an emergency preparedness staple. And for good reason. They are reasonably affordable, require little to no preparation, and have a long shelf life.

As often as people buy and cook with canned goods, some can find food labels confusing. This month’s micro-resolution is to improve your food label literacy. One way to do that is to get the FoodKeeper app to help you maximize the freshness and quality of the items in your emergency food supply.

March

Severe weather, including tornadoes, can happen at any time of year. They are, however, more likely to happen in most places during the spring months(1)

This month’s micro-resolution is to take a SKYWARN® Storm Spotter Program class. You’ll learn:

Basics of thunderstorm development
Fundamentals of storm structure
Identifying potential severe weather features
Information to report
How to report information
Basic severe weather safety

Classes are free and open to the public.

Storm spotters are volunteers. They help keep their local communities safe by providing timely and accurate reports of severe weather to the National Weather Service.

April

April is National Financial Literacy Month.

Developing a habit of putting money aside—even if it is a small amount—is the easiest way to develop an emergency fund and build financial resiliency. Without savings, the financial shock of an emergency could affect you, your family, and your community.

This month’s micro-resolution is to download and fill out the “Your Disaster Checklist” (available in multiple languages). Use it to help you keep track of account numbers, valuables, medical information, and more.

May

May 5 is World Hand Hygiene Day. Effective handwashing is a practical skill that you can easily learn, teach to others, and use every day to help prevent the spread of illness and disease.

This month’s micro-resolution is for parents and caretakers. Teach the children in your care when and how to wash their hands.

June

June is Pet Preparedness Month. It’s also the start of the Atlantic hurricane season. What better time of year to practice evacuating with your pet:

Train your pets to get in and stay in their carriers by making it a comfortable place.
Take your pets for rides in a car like one you would evacuate in.
Know where your pet might hide when stressed or scared. Practice catching your pet, if needed.

Have your entire family practice evacuating with your pets so everyone knows what to take, where to find the pets, and where to meet.

July

Most locations in the contiguous United States will experience their hottest day of the year between July 15-31.(2) Hot weather—regardless of when it happens and how long it lasts—can cause heat-related illness.

This month’s micro-resolution is to learn the symptoms of heat-related illness what to do if someone shows signs of heat stroke, exhaustion, or cramps.

August

August 20 is National Radio Day. Radio is one of many ways you can stay informed before, during, and after an emergency. Other ways include local television, social media, and Wireless Emergency Alerts (WEAs).

WEAs look like text messages. They are designed to get your attention with a unique sound and vibration repeated twice. This month’s micro-resolution is to check the settings on your mobile device to make sure you are receiving WEAs.

September

September is not just National Preparedness Month. It is also National Self-Care Awareness Month. Emergencies, including disease outbreaks and natural disasters, can cause increased stress. You and others might feel fear, anxiety, and other strong emotions. It’s important to take care of your family and friends, but it should be balanced with care for yourself.

This month’s micro-resolution is to find one small way each day to care for yourself. Yours might include:

connecting with friends and family. Talking with people you trust about your feelings and concerns can relieve stress.
showing kindness to others. According to researchers, helping others release hormones that boost your mood and wellbeing
practicing relaxation techniques like meditation and deep breathing exercises. Relaxation techniques can help slow your breathing, lower blood pressure, and reduce muscle tension and stress.

October

October is Health Literacy Month. People need information they can find, understand, and use to make the best decisions for their health every day. The same is true during an emergency when there’s usually an increase in the amount of information and speed at which it comes out.

One thing you can do to improve your health literacy is to ask questions of healthcare professionals. For example, your pharmacist is trained to help you manage and improve your health every day. They can give you patient-centered answers to questions on many topics, including emergency preparedness. Ask your pharmacist these questions the next time you visit the pharmacy.

November

Winter is coming. It may arrive in some parts of the country before the month end.

This month’s micro-resolution is to prepare your car for winter. Now is a good time to equip your vehicle with a roadside emergency kit. Winterize your ride with the following items:

Food and water
Ice scraper and a folding shovel
A flashlight and batteries
Car and portable chargers for your cellphone
First-aid supplies
Winter clothes, blankets, and sleeping bags
Road flares
Jumper cables

December

December is Hi Neighbor Month. Neighbors can be an important source of assistance in the hours, days, and weeks after an emergency. Because they live close—maybe even next door—neighbors might be your first and best option for help after a tornado or during a power outage.

This month’s micro-resolution is to find a way to get involved with your neighbors. Ways to get involved include

offering to help your neighbors, especially people who are older, live alone or with a disability, or rely on electricity-dependent equipment, prepare for emergencies.
involving trusted neighbors in your emergency action planning.
joining an organization active in disaster, such as your local Medical Reserve Corps Unit or Community Emergency Response Team.

Resources

Public Health Matters: Resolve to Be Ready
Resolve to be Ready Social Media Toolkit (FEMA)

References

Thanks in advance for your questions and comments on this Public Health Matters post. Please note that CDC does not give personal medical advice. If you are concerned you have a disease or condition, talk to your doctor.

Have a question for CDC? CDC-INFO (http://www.cdc.gov/cdc-info) offers live agents by phone and email to help you find the latest, reliable, and science-based health information on more than 750 health topics.

03Oct / 2022

Improve Health Literacy Before an Emergency

A worried looking older woman stares at a laptop computer.

October is Health Literacy Month

Getting the right person to deliver the right message at the right time saves lives, but only if the audience can make sense of the message.

People need information they can find, understand, and use to make the best decisions for their health every day. The same is true before and during an emergency when there’s an increase in the amount of information and speed at which it comes out.

Health literacy is all about finding, understanding, and using information and making information findable, understandable, and usable. Health literacy is important to effectively prepare for and safely respond to an emergency like a natural disaster.

Two Parts to Health Literacy

The definition of health literacy was updated in August 2020 to acknowledge health literacy as the shared responsibility of individuals and organizations.

Organizational health literacy is the degree to which organizations equitably help people find, understand, and use information and services to inform health-related decisions and actions for themselves and others.

Personal health literacy is the degree to which people have the ability to find, understand, and use information and services to inform health-related decisions and actions for themselves and others.

Health Literacy in an Emergency

Taking care of our health is part of everyday life, not just when we visit a doctor, emergency department, or hospital.

Health literacy can help you prepare your health for an emergency and stay healthy during an emergency. For example, health literacy can affect your ability to

Plan for and respond to an evacuation.
Get preventive care such as staying up to date on vaccines for infections and illnesses.
Avoid post-disaster hazards, such as carbon monoxide poisoning.
Manage a chronic disease (e.g., managing insulin during an emergency).

Many different factors can affect a person’s health literacy. Often people face multiple challenges that can make it difficult or even impossible for them to find, understand, and use information to make decisions. These challenges can include cultural differences, physical or mental disabilities, and unfamiliarity with emergency response terms.(1)

The term “social distancing” is one that confused people, who—up until the COVID-19 pandemic—had little or no experience with disease outbreaks. CDC responded by taking a plain language approach. Instead of asking people to “social distance” themselves from others, CDC said to “stay 6 feet away from others.”

Plain language is not “dumbing down” information or changing the meaning of a message. It’s about creating communication people can understand the first time they read it or hear it.

Bring Down Barriers to Health Literacy

Health literacy is the shared responsibility of the whole community. Businesses, schools, community leaders, government agencies, health insurers, healthcare providers, the media, and many other organizations and individuals all have a part to play in improving health literacy. Some of the ways we can do that include the following:

Work with health educators and other preparedness partners to familiarize people with health information and services and build their health literacy skills over time.
Consult with trusted messengers, including community, cultural, and faith leaders, to better understand your audience (e.g., cultural and linguistic norms, environment, and history) and to recruit members of your intended audience who can help you develop your messages or test them.
Work with trusted messengers to share your messages.
Use certified translators and interpreters who can adapt to your intended audience’s language preferences, communication expectations, and health literacy skills.
Practice clear communication strategies and techniques (e.g., follow plain language guidelines and define new and unfamiliar terms and acronyms).
Translate messages into multiple languages, including American Sign Language. Publish messages in alternate formats like braille, large print, and simplified text.(2, 3)

Improving health literacy requires many sectors and organizations to work together to make health information, resources, and services accessible to everyone.

Be About It

Everyone is responsible for improving health literacy. Here are some ways health, including crisis and emergency risk communicators, can “be about” improving health literacy.

Use these talking points to make the case for building a health-literate organization.
Take an online health literacy course to improve your practical skills as a health communicator. Training in health literacy, plain language, and culture and communication is essential for anyone working in health information and services.
Get involved with health literacy activities in your state.
Seek out and share resources that can help you better understand, relate to, and communicate with others.

Visit the Non-CDC Training webpage for more training materials on health literacy, plain language, cultural competency, consumer-patient skill building, and shared decision-making.

References

Resources

Have a question for CDC? CDC-INFO (http://www.cdc.gov/cdc-info/index.html) offers live agents by phone and email to help you find the latest, reliable, and science-based health information on more than 750 health topics.

30Jun / 2022

3 Uses for ZIP Codes to Stay Informed

A person takes mail from mailbox.

July 1 is U.S. ZIP Code Day.

The U.S. Postal Service (USPS)—then called the U.S. Post Office Department—introduced the Zone Improvement Plan (ZIP) code in 1963. USPS’ purpose was to facilitate the automatic sorting of mail and reduce the number of steps a piece of mail would go through to reach a recipient.(1)

Since then, USPS has created and deleted ZIP codes as needed. It expanded ZIP codes from 5 digits to 9 and then to 11.(1)

The meanings and utility of ZIP codes have changed too. Today, they have impact implications and uses beyond moving mail.

Your ZIP code can help you stay informed before and during emergencies, including disease outbreaks and natural disasters. Here are three examples of the kinds of information you can find using your ZIP code.

Your Hazards Risk

You can’t prepare for something if you don’t know it’s a threat. Part of staying informed is knowing about the hazards that can cause you harm and how to mitigate (or reduce) your risk. Your ZIP code can help you learn about hazards in your area.

The National Risk Index is an online mapping application from FEMA that is searchable by ZIP code. It was developed with local emergency planners in mind, but you too can use it to identify the hazards most likely to threaten your health and safety.

The Index uses data for natural hazards and community risk factors to develop a “baseline relative risk measurement” for each county and census area. It analyzes expected annual loss, social vulnerability, and community resilience to determine a community’s potential for negative impacts resulting from 18 natural hazards.(2) Hazards include earthquakes, heat waves, hurricanes, and wildfires.

Learn more about how the Index calculates risk.

The Nearest Vaccine Provider

As with other diseases, you are protected best from COVID-19 when you stay up to date with the recommended vaccine doses and boosters.(3)

Staying up to date means getting all doses in the primary series and all boosters recommended for you. CDC recommends COVID-19 vaccines for everyone ages 6 months and older, and COVID-19 boosters for everyone ages 5 years and older, when eligible.(3)

COVID-19 vaccines are available at no cost.(4) Use your ZIP code to find COVID-19 vaccines and boosters near you. You can also text your ZIP code to 438829 for location information.

You can also use your ZIP code to find the nearest Test to Treat sites. There are hundreds of locations nationwide where you can

get tested or bring your test results,
get a prescription from an on-site healthcare provider if you are at high risk of getting very sick, and
fill your prescription for an oral COVID-19 treatment.(5)

Learn more about the Test to Treat initiative, including what to bring with you when you go.

Your Local Forecast

The right message at the right time from the right person can save lives in times of crisis. Having multiple ways to receive those messages, including emergency alerts, can help you stay healthy and safe during an emergency.

Some of the most important kinds of emergency alerts are hazardous weather advisories, watches, and warnings. They are issued by the National Weather Service (NWS) when hazardous weather is happening, about to happen, or likely to happen.

There are two ways you can use your ZIP code to stay informed of weather advisories, watches, and warnings where you live:

Enter your ZIP code on the NWS website to see a localized weather forecast.
Search for your local NWS Weather Forecast Office on social media.

Take both actions to improve your odds of receiving the right message from the right source in enough time to take action.

Visit the Prepare Your Health website for more tips on how to stay informed before and during an emergency.

Resources

Look Up a ZIP Code

References

Have a question for CDC? CDC-INFO (http://www.cdc.gov/cdc-info/index.html) offers live agents by phone and email to help you find the latest, reliable, and science-based health information on more than 750 health topics.

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20Apr / 2022

Prep Your Health with Advance Care Planning

writing

April is National Donate Life Month. April 16 is National Healthcare Decisions Day.

Emergencies, including personal injury and illness, are often unpredictable. That unpredictability is both a reason to prepare and something to prepare for.

Plan Ahead for Personal Health Emergencies

Many people face decisions about treatments that a medical emergency might leave them incapable of making.(1)

Advance care planning is an important preparedness step toward making sure you get the medical care you would want if you cannot speak for yourself.(2)

While you might prefer to think that you will never need such a plan, advance care planning is a way to care for others if you get ill or are injured.

Advance care planning is not just for older adults. At any age, a medical emergency could leave you too ill or injured to make your own health care decisions.

Advance care planning can save loved ones from confusion, family infighting, and second-guessing if they made the right decisions on your behalf.(3)

Advance care planning involves several steps:

Learn about the types of healthcare decisions that you might need to make.
Consider those decisions ahead of time.
Make your decisions known to others.

Talk to family and a doctor as part of your advance care planning. They can help you understand the choices you may need to make and think through your decisions before you put them in writing.(4)

Organ Donation

Organ donation is one of many important decisions you can make as part of your advance care planning for medical emergencies. Others include deciding when you want emergency medical professionals to use cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) or an automated external defibrillator (AED) to restart your heart.

Organ donation is the process of taking healthy organs and tissues from one person for transplantation into another. Organs you can donate include:

Internal organs: Kidneys, heart, liver, pancreas, intestines, lungs
Skin
Bone and bone marrow
Cornea(5)

Learn more about how donation works and the difference you can make when you become an organ donor.

Become a Donor

Anyone can sign up to be an organ donor regardless of age, race, ethnicity, religion, or health status. It only takes a few minutes. Sign up online through your state registry or in person at your local department of motor vehicles. Your donation can save or improve more than 80 lives.(6)

You can update your information on your state’s online donor registry at any time. Most states let you choose which organs and tissues you want to donate.(7)

Make Your Decisions Known

Preparedness isn’t a prediction of the future. There’s no guarantee that you’ll need advance care planning. You may never need others to make healthcare decisions on your behalf.

Once you’ve come to decisions on things like organ donation, you should talk to your family about your decisions and write them down. There are several ways to do that.

Advanced directives, including living wills, are legal documents that go into effect only if you are incapacitated and unable to speak for yourself.(8) You can use them to organize and communicate your decisions about things like end-of-life care and organ donation.

Another way to make your decisions known is to carry a wallet card that explains that you have an advance directive and where it is kept.

Give copies of advance care planning documents to your healthcare proxy, your healthcare providers, your hospital, and anyone you think should have the information.

Create digital duplicates of hardcopy documents. Save them in a password-protected format to a flash or external hard drive or a secure cloud service.

Like most important paperwork, advance directive documents, wallet cards, and even online profiles for decisions like organ donation require occasional maintenance. Periodic proofreading for errors and outdated information will save yourself and others time, frustration, and added worry in an emergency.

References

Resources

Public Health Matters: Get Involved: Donate Blood. Save Lives.
Give Peace of Mind: Advance Care Planning
Advance Care Planning: Health Care Directives
CDC Transplant Safety
HRSA Organ Donor

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28Mar / 2022

Creating a Nutritious Emergency Food Supply

Nutrition Facts label

March is National Nutrition Month.

There are several things to think about when picking food to include in your emergency food supplies. They include:

Shelf life. Shop for nonperishable items
Foods that don’t require cooking, water, or special preparation are best.
Does your family have food allergies or other special dietary needs?
How much do you need to keep your family fed? Where will you store it?

Often less attention is paid to the nutritional facts of the foods in our emergency kits. But taking care of your body is an important part of self-care during an emergency. One way to do that is to try to eat healthier foods.

Here are a few tips to help you build a nutritious emergency food supply.

Improve Your Food Label Literacy

Knowing how to read food labels is a practical skill that you can use to make decisions about what goes in your emergency food supply. An annotated example of a Nutrition Facts label.

Nutrition Facts labels include information on serving size, calories, and nutrients that can help you make healthier food choices.(1)

Because you can’t know how an emergency will affect your every day, you may want to stock your food supply with more calories than you normally eat. A day spent cleaning up after a disaster expends more calories than one spent sheltering in place.

When using food labels to help make healthier choices consider the serving size, especially how many servings there are in the food package. The number of servings you eat determines the number of calories you’re eating. Eating too many calories per day is linked to overweight and obesity.

Shop Smart

When shopping for food, imagine having to rely on your emergency food supply and emergency water supply. How will you meet your family’s nutritional needs on a limited supply of water and without access to grocery stores and restaurants? Here are some things to think about when buying for your emergency food supply.

Include Fruits and Vegetables

Canned and shelf-stable fruits and vegetables can be a nutritious addition to your emergency food supply. Look for low and no sodium and no-sugar-added options. Also, consider dried fruit and nuts.

Look for Lower Sodium Foods

Sodium (salt) helps to preserve some foods, especially shelf-stable canned items. Salty food can increase your thirst, which could cause you to drink more water than you planned when creating an emergency water supply.

You should store at least 1 gallon of water per person per day for 3 days for drinking and sanitation. Try to store a 2-week supply of water, if possible.

Most of the sodium you eat is added to packaged foods before you purchase them. This makes reading food labels and choosing lower sodium foods even more important.(2)

Different brands of the same foods may have different sodium levels. For example, sodium in chicken noodle soup can vary by as much as 840 mg per serving for different brands. Look for brands that advertise low or reduced sodium. Compare the nutrition facts panels of different brands to choose the lowest sodium option.(2)

Include Protein

Protein is a critical part of our diet. Everyone needs a minimum amount of protein every day, even during an emergency.

Protein also gives you a feeling of fullness. Feeling full can help keep you from eating other foods in your emergency supply and make your emergency food supply last longer.(3)

Protein-rich foods include:

canned or pouched fish,
canned poultry,
beans and legumes,
nuts
low-fat or non-fat dairy products packaged in shelf-stable packaging. You can usually find these products in the cereal aisle at the grocery store.

Things like canned or packaged tuna, salmon, or chicken; protein bars, nut butters (presuming no one has an allergy), and some non-dairy milk alternatives are good choices for your emergency food supply.

If buying dairy or non-dairy beverages, look for products that are UHT, or Ultra High-Temperature Pasteurization (also referred to as Ultra Pasteurization or UP). These are shelf-stable and do not require refrigeration for safe storage.

If buying canned proteins, look for labels that say canned in water, low sodium, or no salt added.

Avoid Added Sugars

Added sugars include sucrose, dextrose, table sugar, syrups, honey, and sugars from concentrated fruit or vegetable juices.(4)

The leading sources of added sugars in the US diet are sugar-sweetened beverages, such as regular soda (not sugar-free), fruit drinks, and sports drinks, and foods like cookies and cakes.(4)

One way to avoid added sugars in your emergency food supply is to choose foods with little to no added sugar. Examples include fruit canned in its juice or water.

Help Others Create a More Nutritious Food Supply

People get most of their food for an emergency food supply from food retail venues, such as grocery and corner stores, and food pantries. Having healthier food available and making it affordable in places like these empowers people to make healthier food choices every day and when preparing for emergencies.(5)

When nutritious foods are not available, people may settle for foods that are higher in calories and lower in nutritional value.(5)

The whole community can work together to improve access to healthier food in several ways. They include:

connecting people to healthier foods by addressing transportation gaps in communities.
increasing nutritious food offerings in food service venues
bringing partners together to link local food hubs to organizations that sell or serve food in low-income communities.

Learn more ways government, communities, businesses, nonprofit groups, and others can work to improve access to healthier food.

Resources

Public Health Matters: Keeping your Emergency Kit Nutritious
Food and Food System Resources During COVID-19 Pandemic
What’s New with the Nutrition Facts Label (FDA)
National Hunger Hotline (USDA)
3 Day Emergency Diet Plan (Kidney Community Emergency Response)
American Heart Association Heart-Check Certified Product List

References

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14Mar / 2022

Prep Your Health for Floods

road closed sign

March 14–20 is Flood Safety Awareness Week

Floods are the most widespread of all weather-related natural disasters. They happen in every U.S. state and territory.(1) Floodwater can be dangerous. It can contain different hazards that can harm your health and the health of others.

Here are some ways you can prepare for and respond to flooding.

Know Your Risk

Flooding can happen year-round anywhere it rains.(1) If you live in a flood-prone area, you should prepare.

Use FEMA’s Flood Map Service Center to find your official flood map. You can also contact your local emergency management agency.

Use the information you gather to make an informed decision about how best to protect your finances and property.(2) Homeowners’ insurance policies do not cover flooding. A flood insurance policy typically takes up to 30 days to go into effect.

Prepare Yourself or Your Household

Planning for an emergency can give you and your family peace of mind. If the entire process seems too big, you can take small steps throughout the year.

Collect emergency supplies, including
- personal items such as water, medications, and supplies for pets
- personal protective equipment, including
  - an N-95 respirator
  - long pants or waders
  - rubber boots
  - rubber gloves
  - goggles (i.e., safety glasses)
- insect repellent
- cleaning supplies (Unscented household bleach can be used to disinfect surfaces, canned goods, and even water if bottled water is not available.)
Collect, check, and protect important paperwork, including homeowners or renters and flood insurance policy documents.
Stay informed of weather updates. Follow trusted sources of information on social media like your local National Weather Service Weather Forecast Office.

Along with preparing yourself for a flood, you should also take steps to get your home ready for a flood. This includes learning practical skills like how to turn off the utilities in case you must evacuate.

Protect Your Health

Floodwater can be dangerous. It can contain things that may harm health. We don’t know exactly what is in floodwater at any given point in time. Protect yourself and others from possible contaminants, chemical hazards, and objects.

Stay out of floodwater. Exposure to contaminated floodwater can cause wound infections, skin rash, gastrointestinal illness, tetanus, and other health problems. If you must enter floodwater, wear rubber boots, rubber gloves, and goggles.(3)
Don’t drive into flooded areas—turn around, don’t drown! Have an evacuation plan that gives you options in case a path is flooded.(3) A few inches of water can sweep a car away.
Prevent injuries. If you happen to have an open wound during a flood, make sure to avoid floodwater by keeping wounds clean and covered. (3)

Going home after a flood can present challenges, too. Here are some practical steps to take when you first reenter your home.

Throw out any food, including emergency supplies, that may have come into contact with floodwater. Discard canned foods that are bulging open, or damaged. Food in undamaged cans can be saved if properly cleaned.
Use Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)-registered insect repellents to protect yourself from mosquito bites. Immediately following a hurricane, flooding occurs. Mosquito eggs laid in the soil by floodwater mosquitoes during previous floods hatch. This results in very large populations of floodwater mosquitoes. Most of these mosquitoes are considered nuisance mosquitoes. In general, nuisance mosquitoes do not spread viruses that make people sick.(4)
Dry out your home to prevent mold. When returning to a home that has been flooded, be aware that mold growth may be present. Mold can be a health risk for your family. If possible, air out your house by opening doors and windows. Use fans to dry wet areas. Position fans to blow air out doors or windows. Use proper protective gear such as safety glasses, gloves, and N95 respirator when removing mold.(5)

Visit the CDC website for more information on what to do when reentering a flooded home.

References

Resources

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23Feb / 2022

3 Ways to Improve Your Food Label Literacy

A person pushing a shopping cart in a grocery store.

Canned goods are an emergency preparedness staple. And for good reason. They are reasonably affordable, require little to no preparation, and have a long shelf life. These characteristics make them a good choice for your emergency food supply.

As often as people buy and cook with canned goods, they can find food labels confusing.(1, 2) Because labels are required for most packaged foods, it’s good to know how to read and understand them.(3)

Knowing how to read food labels is a practical skill that can help you avoid food allergens, reduce sodium and sugar in your diet, reduce food waste, and better manage your emergency food supply.

Here are three ways you can improve your food label literacy.

Learn to Identify Allergens

Food allergies affect millions of Americans and their families. They occur when the body’s immune system overreacts to certain proteins in food.

Food allergic reactions vary in severity. Mild symptoms can include hives and lip swelling. One severe, life-threatening reaction, often called anaphylaxis, may involve fatal respiratory problems and shock.(4)

The best way to prevent a food allergy reaction is to avoid the foods that cause reactions.

Laws and regulations, such as the Food Allergen Labeling and Consumer Protection Act of 2004 (FALCPA), and the Food Allergy Safety, Treatment, Education and Research Act (FASTER) make it easier for people to identify potential food allergies in food products.

FALCPA requires labeling for the eight most common food allergens. They are milk, eggs, fish, crustacean shellfish, wheat, soy, peanuts, and tree nuts.

FASTER identifies sesame as a major food allergen. Food labels must start to identify sesame as an allergen beginning January 1, 2023.

FALCPA says the name of the food source of a major food allergen must appear in one of three ways:

Using the allergens common name in the ingredient list (e.g., milk).
In the ingredient list in parentheses after the name of a less common form of the allergen (e.g., “lecithin (soy),” “flour (wheat),” and “whey (milk)”).
Immediately after or next to the list of ingredients in a “contains” statement. (e.g., “Contains wheat, milk, and soy.”).(5)

Consumers may also see advisory statements such as “may contain [allergen] or “produced in a facility that also uses [allergen].” Statements like these are used to address “cross-contact,” which can occur in different ways:

When multiple foods are produced in the same facility using shared equipment.
When multiple foods are produced on the same production line.
As the result of dust or aerosols containing an allergen.(4)

Make a habit of carefully reading labels even for foods you purchase often because ingredients and manufacturing processes can change. Reading labels each time you shop to avoid food allergens will ensure your emergency food supply is ready when you need it.

Be Informed About Expiration Dates

Americans throw away almost 40 million tons of food every year. Confusion over date labeling accounts for an estimated 20% of consumer food waste, according to FDA.(6)

Many people incorrectly think phrases like “Best By” and “Best if Used By” refer to food safety. Manufacturers use phrases like these to refer to when the food is at peak freshness and flavor.

Shelf-stable foods like canned goods can last for years past their “best by” date if the can is in good condition. That means no rust, dents, or signs of swelling.(7)

Vermont Law School’s Center for Agriculture and Food Systems launched the “Labels Unwrapped” website to help you better understand food labels. The “Labels 101” resource includes examples of common phrases on food packaging and explanations of the terms used to communicate quality.

After an emergency, it’s important that you take steps to prevent illness from unsafe food. Visit CDC’s website for information on what to do with food after an emergency or disaster.

Get the FoodKeeper App

The FoodKeeper app was developed by the USDA’s Food Safety and Inspection Service and others to help you understand how to store food and beverages.

The app allows you to search different foods by category for information about when you should consume them and how to safely store them. For example, the app recommends that you keep low-acid, unopened canned goods like stew, soups, and beans in the pantry.

The app also suggests you eat them within 2 to 5 years of purchase. You should refrigerate and eat low-acid canned goods within 3 to 4 days after opening.

Use your new understanding of food labels and tools like the FoodKeeper app to help you manage your pantry and maintain your emergency food supply. At the same time, you can avoid allergens, reduce waste, and save money on your food bill.

Resources

References

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15Feb / 2022

Prep Your Health for Earthquakes

A seismograph

February is Earthquake Awareness Month

If people were asked where in the United States do most earthquakes happen, they are likely to answer California. They’d be correct.(1) But earthquakes are a hazard in other parts of the country, too.

The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) estimates that nearly half of all Americans live in areas with some potential for damaging earthquakes. That includes people living in the central states where there is what USGS calls “strong shaking potential.”(2)

If you live under the threat of earthquakes, there are ways you can prepare. They start with collecting emergency supplies, including personal needs, and planning ahead. Here are three more ways you can prepare.

Know Your Risk

There’s no way to know when or where an earthquake will happen. The best scientists can do is calculate the probability that a significant earthquake will happen in a specific area within a certain number of years.(3)

It is, however, possible to better know the earthquake hazard where you live and the earthquake risk to your community.

An earthquake hazard is anything associated with an earthquake that may affect the normal activities of people. This includes landslide, liquefaction, tsunamis, and seiches.(4)

Use the USGS National Seismic Hazard Map to learn the general earthquake hazard in your area. The map shows how many times earthquakes could cause damaging ground shaking in 10,000 years. That doesn’t mean the earthquakes won’t happen before. They could happen at any time.(5)

Your earthquake risk is the probable building damage and the number of people that are expected to be hurt or killed if an earthquake occurs on a particular fault. Earthquake risk and earthquake hazard are sometimes incorrectly used interchangeably. High earthquake hazard does not mean high risk.(6)

The best way for you to stay informed about both the hazard and risk to your community is to contact your local emergency management or geological survey office. Understanding your risk can help you take steps to protect yourself and your property.

Earthquakes can trigger tsunamis. A tsunami can strike any U.S. coast, but the hazard is greatest in places near subduction zones. For example, Hawaii, Alaska, Washington, Oregon, California, and the U.S. Caribbean islands. If you live along the coast in one of these places, you are at risk from tsunamis.

Practice Your Response

Earthquakes can have immediate and long-term impacts on health and safety. They can cause injuries, anxiety and stress, and death.(7)

Participating in emergency response activities like the Great ShakeOut earthquake drill can teach you practical skills that you can use during an earthquake. Take these steps:

STOP and stay put. Stay inside if you are inside and outside if you are outside. If inside and if possible, move away from glass, hanging objects, bookcases, cabinets, and large furniture that could fall. If you are outside, move away from buildings, utility wires, and fuel and gas lines.
DROP down onto your hands and knees. This position protects you from falling but allows you to still move if necessary.
COVER your head and neck (and your entire body if possible) underneath a table or desk. If there is no shelter nearby, get down near an interior wall or next to low-lying furniture that won’t fall on you, and cover your head and neck with your arms and hands. If you are in bed, hold on and stay there. Protect your head with a pillow.
HOLD ON to your shelter (or to your head and neck) until the shaking stops. Be prepared to move with your shelter if the shaking shifts it around.

Studies of injuries and deaths caused by earthquakes over several decades show that you are much more likely to be injured by falling or flying objects than to die in a collapsed building.(8)

Imagine your home or workplace being picked up and shaken sideways. What would be thrown around and cause injury or damage?

Reduce your risk of injury by taking no-cost steps to secure the space around you:

Move or secure furniture, such as bookcases, away from beds, sofas, or other places where people sit, sleep, or spend a lot of time.
Move heavy objects to lower shelves.
Move heavy or unstable objects away from doors and escape routes.(9)

Learn more about how to protect yourself during an earthquake.

Protect Your Property

Consider buying earthquake insurance if you have the means and live someplace where there’s a high earthquake hazard. Standard homeowners’ and renters’ insurance policies do not cover damage resulting from land movement or landslides.

Earthquake insurance isn’t a realistic option for everyone. Increases in insurance premiums have made it difficult to find coverage in many areas. California experiences 90% of the country’s earthquakes, but only 10% of residents had earthquake insurance in 2014.(10)

There are many things to consider when deciding whether to buy earthquake insurance. They include how often earthquakes happen in your area, how long it’s been since the last earthquake, the value of your home and its contents, and the cost of the insurance and restrictions on coverage (i.e., the deductible).(11)

Learn more about earthquake insurance.

Resources

Public Health Matters: How Scales Help Us Describe Disasters
Public Health Matters: Be Prepared for a Day at the Beach
Ready Wrigley Prepares for Earthquakes
Natural Disasters and Severe Weather: Earthquakes

References

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10Jan / 2022

Resolve to Get Ready

The New Year is the time many of us make resolutions for the coming year. Sometimes resolutions feel too big and long-drawn-out to accomplish. As a result, our motivation to see them through can peter out before the end of the year.

This year, instead of making one resolution for the year, make 12 micro-resolutions. Focusing on one thing each month can make it easier for you to reach your goal, whether it’s to quit smoking or prepare your health for emergencies.

Here are some example micro-resolutions you can make this year to improve your personal health preparedness.

January

January is Get Organized Month. Get organized by creating a checklist of your personal needs. Being organized can help you stay calm during an emergency. Ways to get organized include using checklists to help you collect emergency supplies and scanning important paperwork.

February

Just 35% of respondents to a recent Healthcare Ready survey said they could list all their prescription details if they had to evacuate their homes without their medicines or medical supplies.(1)

You don’t have to memorize the details of your prescriptions. Instead, make a list of your medicines, including information about your diagnosis, dosage, frequency, and medical supply needs. Make an annual appointment with your doctor to discuss your prescriptions and how you can create an emergency supply of them.

March

National Proofreading Day is observed in March. Organize, check, correct, and protect your important paperwork, such as medical records, insurance (e.g., flood and earthquake) documents, action plans, etc. Examples of common errors found in medical records include

Missing or outdated personal information.
Missing information about a new medication or allergy.
Missing or incorrect information about your health history or the date of your visit.
Mischarges for a test you didn’t have.(2)

April

Practice your emergency action plan with your entire family, including pets. Take the 10-minute evacuation challenge. Set a timer for 10 minutes. In those 10 minutes, see if everyone can:

Put on long pants, a long sleeve shirt or sweatshirt, shoes, and a hat.
Take emergency supplies and other important things to the car.
Find your pets, put them in carriers if they have them, and take them to the car.
Pack the car.
Get in the car and buckle your seatbelt.

May

May is National Wildfire Awareness Month. Create defensible space if you live in an area prone to wildfires. Defensible space is a buffer you create between your home or another structure on your property and the grass, trees, shrubs, or any wildland area around it.

June

The Atlantic hurricane season begins June 1 and ends on November 30. Be prepared to evacuate in case you find yourself in the path of a storm:

Collect emergency supplies and create “go kits” for your family.
Test drive your evacuation route to identify detours, gas stations, emergency departments, urgent cares, veterinarians, etc. along the route.
Learn the difference between a hurricane watch and a hurricane warning.

Learn more ways to prepare for hurricanes and tropical storms.

July

Emergency supplies expire. Check your supplies regularly so you can be sure they’re safe to use when you need them. Remove, throw away or use, and replace any food and water, prescription medications, and supplies every six (6) months.

August

August 15 is National Check the Chip Day. Microchipping your pet(s) is one of the best ways to ensure that you and your pet are reunited if separated during an emergency. Remember to register the microchip with the manufacturer and to keep your contact information up to date.(3)

Also, keep a photo of your pet with your important paperwork to help with identification and as proof of ownership.

September

Get a flu shot. It’s best to be vaccinated before flu begins spreading in your community. September and October are generally good times to be vaccinated against flu. Ideally, everyone should be vaccinated by the end of October. Even if you are not able to get vaccinated until November or later, vaccination is still recommended because flu most commonly peaks in February and significant activity can continue into May.(4)

October

Participate in emergency drills and exercises like the Great ShakeOut earthquake drill for practice and the peace of mind of knowing how to respond to an earthquake. The Great ShakeOut is held annually on October 21. The drill is an opportunity for you to practice how to “Drop, Cover, and Hold On” during an earthquake or aftershock.

November

Take action to protect yourself and others from carbon monoxide poisoning and house fires. Change the batteries in your carbon monoxide (CO) detectors and smoke alarms at the beginning and end of Daylight-Saving Time. If you own a generator, know how to operate it safely during a power outage.

December

There are ways to prepare for emergencies that have nothing to do with collecting supplies. Learning practical skills, like CPR and seizure first aid, is also important to your health preparedness. Many practical skills don’t require special certification or formal training to perform, but you do need education. Seek out local volunteer organizations that can help you learn these types of skills.

There are many ways you can improve your emergency preparedness without being overwhelmed. Doing one thing each month can help you be prepared for an emergency that can happen anytime. Make sure how you prepare aligns with your needs and those of your family.

References

Resources

07Dec / 2021

Get Involved with Your Neighbors During Hi Neighbor Month

December is Hi Neighbor Month.

Social connections are important to your personal health preparedness. The relationships we build with others are ties that bind during an emergency. One of the more important social connections you can make is with your neighbors.

The Importance of Neighbors

Neighbors can be an important source of assistance in the days after an emergency. Because they live close—maybe even next door—neighbors might be your first and best option for help after a tornado or during something like a power outage.

Research shows that people who think they’re prepared for disasters often aren’t as prepared as they think. Forty-six percent of people surveyed by FEMA expect to rely heavily on their neighbors for help within the first 72 hours after an emergency.(1)

Yes, ask your neighbors for help if you need it, but—if possible—try to be the helper. The more prepared neighbors are to meet the basic and personal needs of their families on their own, the more resilient the community.

Be a Good Neighbor

There’s no science to being a good neighbor. But there are things you can do to create a feeling of community where you live. Here are some neighborly suggestions on how you can build trust with your neighbors.

Introduce yourself. A survey conducted by Pew Research Center in 2018 found that most Americans (57%) knew only some of their neighbors.(2) Starting an initial introduction with neighbors you don’t know can help them and you feel more comfortable about asking for help.
Show kindness. Look for small ways you can be kind to your neighbors. For example, offer to watch their house, collect mail, put out trash cans, or water their yard while they are on vacation.(3)
Be a responsible pet owner. Use a leash in public and clean up after them properly. Cleaning up after your dog helps to keep the environment clean and reduces the risk of diseases spreading to people and other animals.(4)
Lead by example. Pick a regular time to take a walk around the neighborhood. Use your walk to meet new neighbors and model community-minded behaviors, such as picking up trash or litter.(3)

Other simple ways to build goodwill with neighbors include maintaining the exterior of the house and lawn, keeping the noise down, and respecting property lines and personal space.

Neighbors Helping Neighbors

People who live in communities in which members are regularly involved in each other’s lives are more empowered to help one another after an emergency.(5) Here are some ways you can get involved in your community.

Offer to help your neighbors, especially older adults and people who live alone or with a disability or chronic disease or rely on electricity-dependent equipment, prepare for emergencies. You can offer to help them collect supplies, sign up for evacuation assistance, and collect and protect important paperwork.
Join neighborhood groups on social networking sites.
Volunteer with an organization active in disaster, such as your local Medical Reserve Corps (MRC) Unit or Community Emergency Response Team (CERT).
Emergency plan with neighbors. Just 13% of respondents to FEMA’s 2021 National Household Survey said they plan with neighbors.(6) But involving trusted neighbors in your emergency action planning can help improve your resilience. At a minimum and if possible, exchange contact information so you can reach each other in an emergency.

Learn more ways to prepare your health for emergencies.

Resources

References

Have a question for CDC? CDC-INFO (http://www.cdc.gov/cdc-info) offers live agents by phone and email to help you find the latest, reliable, and science-based health information on more than 750 health topics.

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Category Archives: #prepyourhealth

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Two Parts to Health Literacy

Health Literacy in an Emergency

Bring Down Barriers to Health Literacy

Be About It

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Your Hazards Risk

The Nearest Vaccine Provider

Your Local Forecast

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Plan Ahead for Personal Health Emergencies

Organ Donation

Become a Donor

Make Your Decisions Known

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Improve Your Food Label Literacy

Shop Smart

Include Fruits and Vegetables

Look for Lower Sodium Foods

Include Protein

Avoid Added Sugars

Help Others Create a More Nutritious Food Supply

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Know Your Risk

Prepare Yourself or Your Household

Protect Your Health

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Learn to Identify Allergens

Be Informed About Expiration Dates

Get the FoodKeeper App

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Know Your Risk

Practice Your Response

Protect Your Property

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January

February

March

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October

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The Importance of Neighbors

Be a Good Neighbor

Neighbors Helping Neighbors

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