Flood Safety Awareness Week

In partnership with NOAA, the National Flood Insurance Program has developed a webpage featuring an interactive map depicting historical information about how floods have impacted millions of Americans in recent years.  The site also provides tools and resources for understanding your risk and knowing what to do: before a flood, during a flood, and after a flood.  To learn more about Flood Safety Awareness Week and to utilize these resources, visit www.floodsmart.gov/noaafloodweek.

Deaf Link for Emergency Preparedness

Deaf Link has produced some short preparedness videos using American Sign Language (ASL) interpreters for the State of Texas.  While much of the information contained in each video is generic, there may be an occasional reference to Texas and the Gulf of Mexico. Some of the topics include Flood cleanup, Hurricane Preparedness and Evacuation, and Special Needs planning.


http://www.txdps.state.tx.us/dem/pages/deaflink.htm

Does your Emergency Preparedness Kit contain recalled or expired items?

Currently the United States is in the midst of one of the largest food recalls in American history. As Americans dig through their cabinets and refrigerators to remove potentially contaminated food associated with the recent peanut recall, we would like to also remind citizens to open and check their Emergency Preparedness Kits to remove any potentially harmful items from these also.

Because peanut products are often recommended as staples in Emergency Preparedness Kits due to their long shell life and because they are a good source of protein, we encourage all kit owners to look at their kits to ensure food products are not on the peanut recall list. Please keep in mind that the peanut product recall extends beyond peanut-flavored products. The following are some examples of foods also included in the recall that may contain peanuts:

• Granola

• Snack bars

• Crackers

• Cereal

• Trail Mix

• Cookies

• Noodles

• Dog treats

A full list of recalled peanut products and what individuals should do with recalled items can be found on the Food and Drug Administration’s Web site, http://www.accessdata.fda.gov/scripts/peanutbutterrecall/index.cfm.

In addition to checking for peanut-related items, please be sure to check for other items in your kit that may have expired, including medications, food and pet food, water, and other recalled items. The U.S. government provides information on unsafe, hazardous, or defective products ranging from consumer products, food, medicine, and cosmetics at www.recalls.gov.

Blue Rocks Emergency Preparedness Night

On May 28, at the Wilmington Blue Rock baseball game, Delaware Citizen Corps and the Wilmington Office of Emergency Management will partner with American Red Cross of Delmarva Peninsula and Public Health to hold a preparedness night. The night is scheduled for May 28th at 6:05 PM, there will be a gym bag giveaway for the first 1000 customers, 9-Disaster Kits will be given away between each inning, a Wilmington/DE Citizen Corps Disaster Preparedness sign will be purchased to be displayed in the outfield for one full year, electronic disaster preparedness announcements will be displayed at each game throughout the year etc… Other DE Citizen Corps partners will be invited to join in and share the evening to help spread the Disaster Preparedness message for Families and Businesses.