EDENotes

Knowing is Half the Battle

As a product of the 80′s I grew up not only playing with G.I Joe action figures, I mean really they made such better boyfriends for Barbie than Ken ever did, but also watching the G.I. Joe cartoons. Do you remember how each episode ended?

Every episode ended with a PSA that always finished with the line  ”Now you know, and knowing is half the battle.”

It’s kind of funny how the one line, that didn’t really have anything to do with the show, has stuck with me for years.

Knowing is half the battle, transcends into the work that I do now with EDEN; educating people about potential disasters and what can be done to prepare for such disasters. So today, I feel like me G.I. Joe Mission is to tell you that EDEN has new resources to help inform you of some newly emerging and potentially disastrous topics, H7N9 and Novel Coronavirus.

While as of right now the Novel Coronavirus has not been found in the United States, but being informed early is one of the best steps to being prepared. As for the H7N9 bird flu, the US Government has declared that H7N9 ”

• poses a significant potential for a public health emergency”. So do yourself and your family a favor get informed; because knowing is half the battle.

Keeping in Touch with Technology

Events across the country the past few weeks have really brought disaster preparedness to the forefront of our minds. Whether you think of the tragic events in Boston or West, Texas or of the flooding across much of the Midwest; including historical levels in the Chicago-land area, our country has been hit hard the past two weeks.

As many of you know, I am based in Indiana. But when the Boston bombings happened, it hit close to home. I have several friends from college that live and work in the area where the blasts occurred. Like many others, there was a sense of urgency to find out if loved ones were safe.

It didn’t take me long to see  how effective technology can be. As I looked at my Facebook feed here were the messages I started to see:

The sense of relief was astounding.

Many friends and families were able to connect in the same way, via Social Media. Others used text messaging or American Red Cross’s Safe and Well website.

According to Ready.gov, text messages are the best and way to communicate following a disaster since less bandwidth is required that a phone call, email, or social media update. How would you get in contact with your family? Have you talked about different options with your loved ones?

For more information read this article by Mariah Smith, of the Mississippi State University Center for Technology Outreach, Technology Can Speed Emergency Responses.

Don’t Become a Zombie

By now most of you have heard of the Center for Disease Control’s (CDC) Preparedness 101: Zombie Apocalypse blog post. The original post was released nearly two years ago and caused quite an uproar at the time because the post generated enough traffic that CDC’s website crashed.

Photo courtesy of the Center for Disease Control

I for one thought the original blog post and campaign that followed was genius. I will admit I am a huge fan of The Walking Dead and pretty much all horror movies, but I don’t think that was the reason this campaign was so great. It was great because it worked. It actually got people talking about disaster preparedness – which was the whole point. It’s the reason that those of us in the disaster world do what we do.

I digress.

What really got me on this topic today, because at this point I’m sure your thinking I’ve gone a little nutty talking about something that is two years old, was the Canadian Parliament.  What??

Yes, earlier this week during Question Period, Winnipeg Member of Parliament Pat Martin gave a speech about the dangers of a zombie invasion in the United States becoming a “zombie apocalypse” that Canada most certainly need to deal with, because we know “that zombies don’t recognize borders.”

Please take a moment and watch Mr. Martin’s brief speech and the response from Minister of Foreign Affairs John Baird, here.

Kudos to the CDC for creating a campaign that people are still talking about two years later. Kudos to the Canadian Parliament on having a sense of humor. Kudos to both groups for highlighting disaster preparedness.

Be Prepared. Make a Kit. Photo courtesy of the Center for Disease Control

** Attention Citizens of Michigan, Montana, and New Mexico ** There is no need to worry. Zombies are not real. There are no bodies of the dead rising from their graves and attacking the living. Please do not panic.

‘Tis the Season

The holiday season is upon us all, which means we’re busy buying gifts for our loved ones and decorating our houses from top to bottom.

Decorating for the holidays is a long-standing tradition that includes for many having a Christmas tree decorated in your home.

Unfortunately, some decorations may increase your chances of fire. Based on data from the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) and the U.S. Fire Administration (USFA), an estimated 240 home fires involving Christmas trees and another 150 home fires involving holiday lights and other decorative lighting occur each year. Together, these fires result in a yearly average of 21 deaths and $25.2 million in direct property damage.

Here are a few simple fire safety tips that can keep lights, candles, and the ever popular Christmas tree from causing a disaster:

• Use Only Nonflammable Decorations. 
• Make sure all exits are accessible and not blocked by decorations or trees. 
• Never put wrapping paper in the fireplace.
• Maintain your holiday lights.
• Never overload an electrical outlet.
• Do not leave holiday lights on unattended.
• Never leave burning candles unattended.

All the delegates of EDEN wish you and your family a safe and wonderful holiday season!