18Oct / 2022

#PrepYourHealth for Power Outages

A young woman and boy make hand shadow puppets using a flashlight against a white wall.

October is Energy Awareness Month

Power outages (i.e., when the electrical power goes out unexpectedly) and precautionary power shutoffs are happening more often because of and to prevent emergencies. These emergencies include disasters, such as hurricanes and wildfires.

The U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) says, on average, U.S. electricity customers experienced just over 8 hours of electric power interruptions in 2020. That was the most since EIA began collecting electricity reliability data in 2013.(1)

The EIA further reported that customers in Alabama, Iowa, Connecticut, Oklahoma, and Louisiana experienced the most time with interrupted power in 2020. Severe weather was a factor in all these states.

Alabama experienced several hurricanes, including a direct hit from Hurricane Sally.
Tropical Storm Isaias left about 750,000 electricity customers in Connecticut without power. Some didn’t have power for over a week.
A derecho affected Iowa and other parts of the Midwest. It caused widespread power outages, damaged grid infrastructure, and forced the early retirement of Iowa’s only nuclear power plant.
An ice storm in October was to blame for widespread power outages across Oklahoma.
Louisiana experienced three hurricanes and two tropical storms.(1)

The impacts of power outages and power shutoffs are felt by everyone. Here are some ways you can prepare your health for a power outage.

Be Power Prepared

Be prepared to be without electricity during an emergency and, possibly, for several days after.

A power outage can affect people’s ability to use devices and the availability of refrigeration. This makes it especially important that people who rely on durable medical equipment and refrigerated medicines like insulin take steps to prepare. For example:

Identify emergency lighting, safe heating alternatives, and backup power sources for your mobile devices, appliances, and medical equipment.
Create an emergency power plan that includes model and serial numbers for your medical devices.
Read the user manual or contact the manufacturer to find out if your medical device is compatible with batteries or a generator.
Fully charge your cellphone, battery-powered medical devices, and backup power sources if you know a disaster, such as a hurricane, is coming.
If possible, buy manual alternatives for your electric devices that are portable, dependable, and durable. For example, a manual wheelchair, walker, or cane as a backup for an electric scooter.

Power outages can also put people at increased risk for post-disaster hazards, such as food and carbon monoxide poisoning.

The effects of emergencies, such as power outages, are experienced differently by different populations.

The places of our lives, including our neighborhoods and built environment, can influence our experience with emergencies.(2)

People who live in rural areas and places with an aging infrastructure may experience more frequent and longer-lasting power outages and face greater adversity because of it. They may also have limited access to the supplies they need to prepare for power outages.

Planning for Power Outages

People who use electricity- and battery-dependent assistive technology and medical devices must have an emergency power plan in case of a power outage.

Checklists are a way to break large jobs down into smaller chores. They can help you pack for a trip, grocery shop, and even prepare for emergencies.

The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) National Network’s emergency power planning checklist is for people who use electricity and battery-dependent assistive technology and medical devices. These include:

Breathing machines (e.g., respirators and ventilators).
Power wheelchairs and scooters.
Oxygen, suction, or home dialysis equipment.

The Food and Drug Administration’s “How to Prepare for and Handle Power Outages” guide for home medical device users is another useful planning resource. Use it to organize your medical device information, identify the supplies for the operation of your device, and know where to go or what to do during a power outage.

Health Care Preparedness

A power outage or shutoff can limit the operations of hospitals, outpatient clinics, pharmacies, and other patient-care facilities.

Healthcare facilities need electricity to care for patients, provide services, and “keep the lights on.” Since many facilities have resident populations, hygiene and feeding are also part of the electrical demand.

Resilience to power outages begins with the leadership at the facility. Here are some resources to help healthcare facilities plan for and respond to public health emergencies.

Additional resources to help healthcare systems and hospitals plan for public health emergencies are available on the CDC website.

Resources

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/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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07Oct / 2022

Difficulties reading the cone of uncertainty

It seems that there is always surprise when a hurricane makes landfall in some areas, which some attribute to poor forecast communication with the cone on a map that shows possible paths. Scott Dance and Amudalat Ajasa for The Washington Post discuss the challenges that people have reading the cone of uncertainty:

Indeed, many residents and authorities have said Ian’s track surprised them, even though the cone for days included the storm’s eventual landfall point on its southern edge. So some meteorologists and social scientists are saying the disaster is only the latest evidence that the Hurricane Center should revamp the way it depicts forecasts — communicating the scope and intensity of a storm’s threats, rather than just the expected path of a single point at its center.

Maybe, when it comes to communicating hurricane forecasts, we should get rid of possible-paths maps altogether and focus on possible outcomes. The shape and direction of a storm matters a lot less than the chances the storm hits your town. So no path, just choropleth map that shows probabilities.

Tags: forecast, hurricane, uncertainty, Washington Post, weather

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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

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15Jun / 2022

Prep Your Health to Evacuate

A line of vehicles parked along the side of a road at night. A wildfire burns in the distance.

June is a busy time of year for emergency preparedness and response.

June marks the start of the Atlantic hurricane season. It’s also wildfire season.

Hurricanes and wildfires are common causes of evacuations. Both are happening more often and with greater intensity.(1) Annual increases in the number of strong hurricanes and large wildfires likely mean more people will face these threats.

In 2017, more than 8 million people across the country were affected by evacuation orders because of flooding, wildfires, and hurricanes. That includes an estimated 6.8 million residents of Florida who were under evacuation orders in response to Hurricane Irma. It was one of the largest mass evacuations in U.S. history.

Don’t get caught unprepared for an evacuation order. Learn what you can do now to prepare for evacuations and mitigate some of the stress of having to relocate.

Know Your Zone

Different communities plan for evacuations in different ways. It’s important to know the plans and procedures where you live.

Emergency planners in many states and localities subdivide their jurisdictions into numbered or lettered evacuation zones. The City of Ashland, Oregon, for example, is divided into 10 zones. City officials use numbered zones to manage evacuations.(2)

Residents of Ashland are encouraged to know their zone before an evacuation. The city set up an interactive evacuation map where residents can learn their zone by searching their addresses.

Contact your local public safety or emergency management agency to learn how decisions about evacuations are made where you live.

Find the emergency management agency for your state or territory using the free search tool on USA.gov.

Learn the Alerts

It’s as important that you know what to do when you are notified to take protective action, such as evacuating. Ensure you have multiple ways to receive emergency alerts. They might include watching local television, listening to local radio, following trusted sources on social media, and signing up to receive emergency alerts by phone call or text.

Many local governments across the country—primarily in areas at high risk for wildfire—have adopted the Ready. Set. Go! (RSG) program. RSG was developed by the International Association of Fire Chiefs as a way to educate about wildland fire risk, promote wildfire preparedness, and communicate in plain language what to do in the event of a fire.

As the name suggests, there are three steps to RSG.

Ready means be prepared. People are asked to gather emergency supplies, make an emergency action plan, sign up for emergency notifications, and stay informed of local hazards.
Set is a warning to get organized because of significant danger in the area. People under “set” status should prepare to evacuate. They should pack “go kits” and consider relocating—voluntarily—to a safer location.
Go! is the signal to evacuate immediately to a designated shelter or someplace in a safer area. Find out how you can protect yourself and others from COVID-19 when evacuating to a public shelter or the home of friends or family.

How ever your local officials communicate an evacuation, don’t hesitate to leave if given the order. Follow instructions on where to go and how to get there. Your normal route out of your neighborhood may not be the safest during an emergency.

Make An Evacuation Plan

Your emergency care plan is more than a list of names and phone numbers. It’s more accurate to think of it as a user guide for how to stay healthy, informed, and connected during an emergency.

An emergency action plan should include:

phone numbers for your physician, pediatrician, pharmacist, counselor, and veterinarian.
copies of current personal care plans (e.g., an asthma action plan, a food allergy and anaphylaxis care plan, and an emergency care plan for children and youth with special healthcare needs).
a copy of the family reunification plans for your child’s school or daycare.(3)

To help you plan for an evacuation, your emergency action plan might also include a MyEvacuation Plan checklist. This evacuation planning tool guides you through actions you can take to prepare for an evacuation, such as:

creating “go bags” for each member of your household.
getting an emergency refill on your prescription medicines (if eligible and where available).
finding a place where you and your pet can safely stay in an evacuation.
having multiple ways to receive evacuation orders and instructions. You will likely get the order to evacuate from local police, fire, or other local officials on the radio, television, social media, and/or by text alert.

Visit the Prep Your Health website for more tips on how you can plan ahead for emergencies.

Emergency Response Planning

People experience disasters differently. Some are at higher risk of impacts because of their economic status, geography, disability status, etc.

The COVID-19 pandemic and other recent emergencies have brought inequities to the forefront of public health. State and local emergency planners must engage with their communities if they are to understand the conditions in the places where people live, learn, work, and play and their effects on emergency preparedness and response.

People with lower incomes often live in places that lack the space to shelter in place or financial resources to evacuate.
People with disabilities may be unable to evacuate on their own. The percentage of people living with disabilities is highest in the South.(5) This includes the hurricane-prone states of Alabama, Georgia, Florida, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Texas.
Some people may be unable to evacuate without help and less prepared to stay in their homes in the aftermath of a major disaster.

The Federal Emergency Management Agency has planning guides to help emergency planners involve the whole community in preparedness.

Resources

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

08Sep / 2021

More Than Meals: MOW Delivers Preparedness, Response Help

This student-authored post is published by CPR in partnership with Medill News Service and the Northwestern University Medill School of Journalism, Media, Integrated Marketing Communications. The views and opinions expressed in this article are the author’s own and do not necessarily reflect the views, policies, or positions of CPR or CDC.

One sizzling day this summer, Mo Perry made what she thought would be a routine visit to her Meals on Wheels (MOW) client, Alvin.

Perry didn’t expect to find Alvin looking disoriented and his residence overheated. Alvin’s air conditioner was broken. And his visual impairment had made it difficult for him to call for help.

“In Alvin’s case, he’s really isolated,” Perry said. “If we hadn’t stopped by, it could have been a bad situation.”

Perry’s story is an example of how MOW volunteers deliver on the organization’s More Than a Meal motto. Food deliveries double as welfare checks.

Checking on older adults during emergencies is important because they are disproportionately affected by extreme weather, said Dr. Christine Kistler, a professor of geriatric medicine at the University of North Carolina.

“Older adults tend to be the population that dies during snowstorms, heat waves, and natural disasters because they have less physiological reserve,” Kistler said. She explained that in addition to differences in their physiology, older adults are generally less aware of when they’re overheating or freezing and should seek out a supportive environment. Sometimes, they don’t know where to turn.

If a client doesn’t answer the door, MOW drivers follow an established protocol. First, they try to contact the client and then the client’s emergency contacts. If all else fails, they call first responders. “We don’t quit for the day until we know they are okay,” said Natalie Huggins, a MOW volunteer coordinator based in Richland, Washington.

Volunteers also use their visits with clients to help them prepare for and respond to emergencies. MOW chapters in the Pacific Northwest delivered fans during this summer’s extreme heat.

In Lee County, Florida, it’s not winter storms but hurricanes that worry MOW administrators. Rebecca Busby, Food Programs Manager at MOW of Lee County, said her chapter provided clients with shelf-stable food ahead of Hurricane Elsa in July 2021.

Older adults can face barriers to accessing emergency supplies on their own. Many older adults have mobility disabilities that make it difficult for them to run essential errands.

Older adults might not have the financial means to pay for unanticipated expenses, according to Janaira Quigley, a former program manager at MOW in San Diego. When clients are struggling to cover their living costs on a fixed income, emergency supplies can be a low priority. “Emergency preparedness, that’s way down on the list,” Quigley said. “They’re just trying to make ends meet.”

In addition to supplies, MOW volunteers their clients stay informed.

In Florida, volunteers ensured that their clients stayed up to date as Hurricane Elsa approached. Meals came with a flyer with information on what they need to prepare for, what they can do with their pets, and what they need to have on hand, said Rebecca Busby.

Information about COVID-19, including tips on how older adults can stay safe, was distributed nationally, according to Carter Florence, Senior Director of Strategy and Impact at MOW America.

“I think for seniors, information is important. They don’t hop online, and they don’t get text messages,” said Sarah Hall, Development Director of MOW in Spokane, Washington. “A big barrier is making sure that people stay in contact and not just assume that they know what’s going on.”

MOW is also an important source of information for first responders. Chapters in Florida help responders to identify people who are at increased risk of injury and death during emergencies like hurricanes.

As for Mo Perry in Minnesota, the experience of working with clients like Alvin proves the importance of community connections to building resilience. “I think of it sort of like roots underground that intermingle and hold the trees in place when the storms come,” she said.

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12Aug / 2021

Learning from 2020: Preparing for a Second COVID-19 Hurricane Season

June 1, 2021, marked the beginning of the second Atlantic Hurricane Season during the COVID-19 pandemic. The pandemic has affected how we prepare for emergencies in a number of ways, including how we gather emergency supplies, what we include in our emergency supply kits, where we shelter, and how we seek care and preventive services.

These tasks can seem more daunting when dealing with multiple disasters or public health emergencies at the same time. In 2020, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) conducted two online surveys to assess people’s attitudes and behaviors about going to a disaster shelter during the COVID-19 pandemic. Responses showed that people were concerned about the combined effects of these disasters, including concern about potentially being exposed to COVID-19 in a public shelter. With this information, CDC and its partners can better address specific concerns and make sure the public knows the steps that are being taken to protect them in disaster shelters, should they need to evacuate.

What we learned over the past year

Emergency managers often seek to understand communities so that when disaster strikes, they can protect those at greatest risk with effective messaging and instructions. In June 2020, CDC surveyed 500 adults from across the country. The survey asked respondents how the pandemic may affect their plans to shelter for disasters, including hurricanes, tornadoes, and wildfires. The concern about the combined effect of these disasters was apparent in the responses: 52% of respondents said worries about getting a COVID-19 infection could keep them from going to a shelter during an extreme weather incident. And 64% said they would bring a mask in their shelter “go bag.”

CDC explored these concerns further with an online survey in October 2020. The agency surveyed 3,000 adults from 98 counties in 8 states along the Atlantic and Gulf Coast that have experienced recent hurricanes. About 28% of respondents said they had changed their emergency response plans because of the COVID-19 pandemic. People listed fears about going to a shelter, such as other people not wearing masks, being unable safely distance from those outside their households, and concern about older family members getting COVID-19.

Respondents said they would be more likely to go to a shelter if, among other criteria, masks were required (42%), hotels were used as shelters (40%), distance was kept between different households at the shelter (38%), and medical care was available in the shelter (36%).

Adapting disaster sheltering for the pandemic

Anticipating questions about safe sheltering during the pandemic, CDC worked with the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and the American Red Cross in spring of 2020 to develop shelter guidelines that can protect people against COVID-19. These strategies, implemented in 2020, included the following:

Limit the use of congregate (group) facilities, such as gyms and convention centers, and instead use sheltering options like hotel and motel rooms.
Implement public health measures where the use of congregate shelter options may still be required, including
- Keeping people with symptoms of COVID-19 in a separate area of the shelter, and referring them to medical care when needed;
- Requiring the use of masks inside the shelter, and
- Encouraging distancing, handwashing, and the use of hand sanitizer.

2020 was a record year for wildfire activity and for hurricanes, with 30 named storms.

The American Red Cross provided 1.2 million nights of shelter stays in 2020. About 90% of the evacuees stayed in hotel rooms.

While it’s difficult to determine if some occupants developed COVID-19 in a disaster shelter in 2020, the CDC and the Red Cross are not aware of any COVID-19 outbreaks in disaster shelters. In addition, the Louisiana Department of Health reported no COVID-19 spikes after either Hurricane Delta or Hurricane Laura.

Prepare and protect your health

CDC continues to work with FEMA, the American Red Cross, and other emergency partners to provide public health guidance to help protect shelter residents from COVID-19. CDC and partners continue to recommend that a range of disaster sheltering options be made available to individuals in line with guidance from appropriate state and local health officials, and that available options incorporate the use of COVID-19 protective measures, such as mask wearing and distancing, when group shelters must be used.

Additional information on FEMA assistance available to state, local, tribal and territorial partners during the COVID-19 pandemic can be found at Bringing Resources to State, Local, Tribal & Territorial Governments | FEMA.gov.

Getting a COVID-19 vaccine as soon as you can is one more step you can take to protect yourself and others when in a group setting. People can be better protected in shelters when most people around them have also been fully vaccinated.

However, CDC is not making a recommendation that shelters require proof of vaccination to shelter.

“Access to safe shelter from disasters is critical even during community spread of COVID-19,” said Captain Renee Funk, associate director for emergency management for CDC’s National Center for Environmental Health and Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry. “Therefore, shelters should accept all people seeking safety regardless of vaccination status.”

The end of hurricane season, on November 30, also overlaps with the start of the flu season in October. Since storms can form and make landfall late in the hurricane season, it is possible you may have to evacuate to a shelter in October or November. Getting vaccinated for the flu protects you and may also protect other evacuees, including those who are at risk for serious illness.

Learn more about how to protect yourself and your family from hurricanes.

Thanks in advance for your questions and comments on this Public Health Matters post. Please note that the 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/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.

05Apr / 2021

Emergency Preparedness Tips for Parents of Children with Special Healthcare Needs

A young girl wearing sunglasses on the beach.

April is National Autism Awareness Month. It is also a time of year when people must prepare for severe weather.

April, May, and June are peak months for tornadoes in many states. And the Atlantic hurricane season officially starts on June 1.

Emergencies come in all sizes and affect people in different ways. All emergencies require some amount of personal health preparedness beforehand to stay safe and healthy during and afterward. At a minimum that means stocking up on emergency supplies, such as food, water, prescriptions, and backup power sources.

For Jennifer Silliman and her family, it means that and more. Her 11-year-old daughter, Allyson, has autism. They live in South Florida, where they’ve experienced over a dozen hurricanes and tropical storms since moving there in 2003.

Preparing for emergencies can be challenging for families caring for a child with autism or other disability. But a little preparation now can make a big difference when an emergency happens.

Planning is paramount

All children have unique needs during an emergency. Preparedness planning for children with special healthcare needs is often more complicated because they may have:

A hard time moving from one place to another,
Urgent or constant medical needs,
Difficulty communicating, and
Trouble with transitioning to different situations.

A disaster can present some or all these difficulties at once.

Having a plan for how to stay healthy, informed, connected, and calm is important. If there is a child with special healthcare needs in your family, your emergency action plan should include an emergency care plan.

An emergency care plan is important paperwork that you and your child’s doctor can write together. It’s used to communicate information about your child to caregivers. During an emergency, this could include teachers, grandparents, friends, and neighbors.

“My biggest fear is that Allyson would get separated from me and my husband during an emergency,” says Jennifer. “Allyson is nonverbal, so she cannot tell people where she lives, what her phone number is, or how to contact her parents.”

Because of her communication challenges, Allyson wears a bracelet that has her full name and her parents’ names and contact information. “She wears it all the time. She never takes it off,” says Jennifer.

Nothing worthwhile is easy

When there is a hurricane in the forecast, Jennifer’s family makes sure they have the basics, such as water, batteries, and flashlights. But they must also prepare for Allyson’s personal needs.

Personal needs include the everyday items that she could not do without in an emergency. Allyson’s needs include a weighted blanket and a white noise machine to help her sleep and several favorite foods.

“My daughter has six foods that she eats every day, including honeydew melon and French toast sticks. Almost every food she eats must be refrigerated or cooked in a microwave and this can present challenges if the power goes out during a hurricane,” says Jennifer.

Some of Allyson’s other must-haves are noise-canceling headphones and a tablet preloaded with her favorite television shows and music. Then there’s the backup battery power that’s needed to run these things. All would be invaluable if her family ever had to evacuate to a shelter.

Strive for peace of mind

Preparing for an emergency can be stressful for all families, especially those with children with special healthcare needs. Having—and practicing—an emergency action plan can help families respond with confidence to the real thing.

Communication is key. It’s important for all families to talk to their children about what is happening in a way that they can understand. Keep it simple and consider the child’s age and type of disability.

Even though Jennifer’s daughter, Allyson, does not have a lot of expressive language, she does understand when others talk to her. “We want to be respectful of Allyson, so we tell her ‘Hey, we might need to pack up and go,’ or ‘It might get really loud tonight, and the house might get dark.’ I think telling children what’s going on puts them at ease.”

After a disaster, parents, caregivers, and healthcare providers must know how to help children cope with their different and strong emotions. Some children react right away; others may show signs of difficulty much later. Coping with a disaster can be particularly difficult for children with disabilities.

Visit the Prepare Your Health website for more information on how to prepare for emergencies.

Resources

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17Feb / 2021

Threats Unseen: Beware of Norovirus During an Emergency

Woman clutches her stomach as if feeling nauseous

Natural disasters are unpredictable. Often, we don’t know when or where they will happen or if we will have to leave our homes because of them. Evacuations for hurricanes and wildfires can force people into emergency shelters, where close quarters, shared spaces, and high-touch surfaces can make it easy for norovirus to spread. Graphic that defines norovirus. Text also in body of article.

Norovirus outbreaks occurred in most evacuation shelters in Butte and Glenn counties, Calif., during the Camp Fire in November 2018. Public-health officials identified 292 people ill with acute gastroenteritis caused by norovirus.(1)

A norovirus outbreak among evacuees from Hurricane Katrina in 2005 was also reported in CDC’s Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report. That outbreak might have affected approximately 1,000 evacuees and relief workers.(2)

What is Norovirus?

Norovirus is a very contagious virus that causes vomiting and diarrhea. Most “stomach bugs” are likely norovirus infections because it’s a relatively common virus. Anyone can catch norovirus from direct contact with an infected person, touching a contaminated surface, or eating contaminated food. It only takes a very small amount of virus particles to make
you sick. The number of particles that could fit on the head of a pin is enough to infect more than 1,000 people.

A person infected with norovirus usually starts to feel ill 12 to 48 hours after they’ve been exposed. The most common symptoms of norovirus infection are diarrhea, vomiting, nausea, and stomach pain. But it can cause fever, headache, and body aches, too.

Be Prepared

Follow the guidance of local officials when going to an emergency shelter during the COVID-19 pandemic. They will tell you when and where to take shelter and what to bring with you.

Act now to prepare “go kits” for family members. Include everyday personal items you cannot do without and other personal protective supplies, such as hand sanitizer with at least 60% alcohol, bar or liquid soap, disinfectant wipes and spray, and at least two masks per person age 2 or older in your household.

If your Emergency Action Plan is to go to a shelter in an evacuation, your kit might also include plenty of nonperishable food, mess kits (e.g., reusable cups, plates, bowls utensils). Also, pack paper towels and disposable plastic gloves to clean up after a sick family member. If you are cleaning up after someone vomits or has diarrhea, use a bleach-based cleaner to prevent the spread of norovirus.

Wash Your Hands

Clean hands are essential to health, whether in an emergency or day-to-day life. Handwashing can keep you healthy and prevent the spread of respiratory and diarrheal infections, like norovirus, from one person to the next. Unseen woman washing her hands with soap in a sink.

Wash your hands thoroughly with soap and water especially after using the toilet or changing diapers; always before eating, preparing, or handling food; and before giving yourself or someone else medicine. Here’s how:

Wet your hands with clean, running water (warm or cold) and apply soap.
Lather your hands by rubbing them together with the soap. Lather the backs of your hands, between your fingers, and under your nails.
Scrub your hands for at least 20 seconds. Need a timer? Hum the “Happy Birthday” song from beginning to end twice.
Rinse your hands well under the water.
Dry your hands using a clean towel or air dry them.

You can use alcohol-based hand sanitizers in addition to hand washing. But you should not use hand sanitizer as a substitute for washing your hands with soap and water. Hand sanitizers aren’t as effective at removing norovirus particles as washing hands with soap and water.

If you start to feel sick, continue to wash your hands often with soap and water and try to avoid direct contact with others. You should not prepare food for others or provide health care while you are sick, and for at least 2 days after symptoms stop.

Learn More

CDC and state and local health departments help to raise awareness among healthcare providers and the public about norovirus and how to prevent it. Learn more about how they work to prevent and stop norovirus outbreaks.

For more suggestions on how to prepare your health for emergencies, visit https://www.cdc.gov/prepyourhealth/.

Resources

References

11Jan / 2021

In Case You Missed It: Top Posts of 2020

best of 2020 image

Most of us were ready to say goodbye and even good riddance to 2020.

It is a year that no one will soon forget for obvious reasons, like the COVID-19 pandemic and a record-breaking Atlantic hurricane season, and lesser-known ones—did you know that California and Colorado experienced the largest wildfires in their states’ histories?

But 2020 wasn’t all bad. Some good things happened, too.

Multiple COVID-19 vaccines were approved for use.
Communities came together to meet the needs of their neighbors.
People found ways to practice gratitude for people, places, and things in their lives.

We were also able to publish 36 posts on various personal health preparedness topics to the Public Health Matters blog. Let’s look back at some of the most viewed blog posts of 2020.

Managing Asthma During COVID-19

One in 13 people can be affected by asthma. People with moderate to severe asthma may be at higher risk of getting very sick from COVID-19. This post shared tips on how people can prevent and control asthma attacks during the pandemic.

Headed Out? How to Stay Healthy When Running Essential Errands

Since the start of COVID-19 pandemic, we have all tried to do our part to slow the spread by staying home. But that is not always possible. This post shared tips on how to stay healthy when running essential errands, for example, to the grocery store, pharmacy, bank, and gas station.

Prepare Your Health for the 2020 Hurricane Season

Published during Hurricane Preparedness Week in May, this post shared tips on how to prepare your health for a hurricane or tropical storm during the COVID-19 pandemic. In total, the 2020 Atlantic hurricane season produced 30 named storms (top winds of 39 mph or greater), of which 13 became hurricanes (top winds of 74 mph or greater), including six major hurricanes (top winds of 111 mph or greater). This was the most storms on record, surpassing the 28 from 2005, and the second-highest number of hurricanes on record.(1)

AFM is Serious: Know the Symptoms. Act Fast.

Acute flaccid myelitis (AFM) is a serious neurologic condition that causes limb weakness and paralysis. It is uncommon but mostly affects children. There have been three AFM outbreaks in the United States—in 2014, 2016, and 2018. This post shared information on when to suspect AFM, when to reach out to your pediatrician, and how to prevent exposure to COVID-19.

2020 didn’t come up roses but stay optimistic. There’s always this year.

Resources

References

https://www.noaa.gov/media-release/record-breaking-atlantic-hurricane-season-draws-to-end

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What is Norovirus?

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Headed Out? How to Stay Healthy When Running Essential Errands

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AFM is Serious: Know the Symptoms. Act Fast.

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