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DHS and FEMA
Updates

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This Citizen Corps News Digest is provided by FEMA's Individual & Community Preparedness Division to highlight community preparedness and resilience resources and activities recently announced by federal agencies and Citizen Corps partners.

DHS -FEMA Updates

Be heard…Email comments or suggestions to us at cert@dhs.gov

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Keep Warm During a Winter Power Outage

Prepare to stay warm if the power goes out in your winter wonderland.

The freezing rain, ice, and snow of winter storms topple trees and knock down power lines. 

Be ready with these power outage preparedness tips from The Ready Campaign:

  • Build or restock your  emergency preparedness kit . Include a flashlight, batteries, water, food, prescription medication, cash, first aid supplies, and extra clothing, blankets or sleeping bags to stay warm.
  • Have alternative charging methods for your phone or any device that requires power. For more information, visit  Get Tech Ready .
  • If you rely on anything that is battery-operated or power dependent like a medical device, determine a backup plan. For more planning tips, visit  Seniors  and  Individuals with Disabilities and Others with Access and Functional Needs .
  • Locate the manual release lever of your electric garage door opener and know how to operate it.
  • Keep your car's gas tank full. Gas stations rely on electricity to power their pumps.
  • If you use your car to re-charge devices, do NOT keep the car running in a garage, partially enclosed space, or close to your home. This can lead to carbon monoxide poisoning.
  • Close off unused rooms to consolidate and retain heat.
  • The power may be out for a prolonged period. Plan to go to another location (the home of a relative or friend, or a public facility) that has heat.
  • Only use generators outside, away from your home and NEVER run a generator inside a home or garage or connect it to your home's electrical system. For more information, visit the Generator Safety page of the Department of Energy.

Visit Ready.gov for more tips on how to prepare for a Winter Power Outage .


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Avoid Hypothermia This Winter

It does not have to be freezing for hypothermia to set in.

According to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) , hypothermia can occur at temperatures above 40°F. Rain, sweat, or submersion in cold water can cause it.

Know the warning signs and what to do if you suspect you or someone you know may be suffering from hypothermia .

Warnings Signs of Hypothermia

Adults:

  • Body temperature below 95 degrees
  • Uncontrollable shivering
  • Exhaustion
  • Confusion, fumbling hands
  • Memory loss, disorientation
  • Incoherence, slurred speech
  • Drowsiness

Infants:

  • Bright red, cold skin
  • Very low energy

If someone is suffering from hypothermia, get medical attention immediately and begin warming the person until help arrives. Find several ways to warm a person on the CDC's Hypothermia page .

If you must go outside, prevent hypothermia by:

  • Wearing several layers of loose-fitting, lightweight, warm clothing rather than one layer of heavy clothing. The outer garments should be tightly woven and water repellent.
  • Wear mittens, which are warmer than gloves.
  • Cover all of your body. Wear a hat and a scarf, covering your mouth to protect your face and to help prevent loss of body heat.

For more information on how to prepare for the winter, visit the Prepareathon Winter Storm section .


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New Ready Business Resources in English and Spanish

Prepare your business with the new toolkits and videos from Ready Business .

Organizations and their staff face a variety of hazards. The Ready Business program helps organizations plan for these hazards.

The Ready Business Toolkit series includes hazard-specific versions. The following versions include step-by-step guides in English and Spanish to build preparedness within an organization.

  • Earthquake “QuakeSmart” Toolkit
  • Hurricane Toolkit
  • Inland Flooding Toolkit
  • Power Outage Toolkit
  • Severe Wind/Tornado Toolkit

The Ready Business videos, available in English and Spanish, briefly explain several key parts of getting ready, such as:

  • Staff/Employee Management;
  • Physical Surroundings;
  • Physical Space;
  • Building Construction;
  • Systems; and
  • Community Service.

Download and view these new resources at www.ready.gov/business


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Webinar: Winter Preparedness Promising Practices: Tools and Resources for Organizations and Families

Learn how to prepare for extreme cold or a winter storm during a webinar on January 24 at 2:00 p.m.  ET.

The Federal Emergency Management Agency's Individual and Community Preparedness Division is holding a winter weather preparedness webinar.  Webinar speakers will outline effective preparedness practices and programs for organizations to prepare for extreme cold and winter storms. The webinar will also offer  safety tips for communities and families. Plus, the webinar will have a resource sharing session to access various winter weather preparedness materials available for download.

Title: Winter Preparedness Promising Practices: Tools and Resources for Organizations and Families

Date: Wednesday, January 24, 2018

Time: 2:00 – 3:00 p.m. (ET)

This webinar will feature presenters from the following organizations:

  • National Weather Service, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA)
  • Georgia Power
  • Burleigh County Snowmobile Community Emergency Response Team (CERT), North Dakota
  • Scituate Alliance for Natural Disaster Services (SANDS)
  • Individual and Community Preparedness Division, FEMA

How to Join the Webinar:

We hope that you will be able to join us on January 24! 

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Important Dates to Remember


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Disclaimer: The reader recognizes that the federal government provides links and informational data on various disaster preparedness resources and events and does not endorse any non-federal events, entities, organizations, services or products. Please let us know about other events and services for individual and community preparedness that could be included in future newsletters by contacting: citizencorps@dhs.gov

About FEMA

FEMA's mission is to support our citizens and first responders to ensure that as a nation we work together to build, sustain, and improve our capability to prepare for, protect against, respond to, recover from, and mitigate all hazards.

Follow FEMA online at www.fema.gov/blog, www.twitter.com/fema, www.facebook.com/fema, and www.youtube.com/fema. Also, follow Administrator Craig Fugate's activities at www.twitter.com/craigatfema.

The social media links provided are for reference only. FEMA does not endorse any non-government websites, companies or applications.

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