The U.S. Department of Labor is ready to make available National Dislocated Worker Grant funding to help North Carolina, South Carolina, and Georgia assess workforce needs in the wake of Hurricane Florence.

In recent years, the active shooter threat has become more of a reality. Between 2014 and 2015, according to the FBI, the United States experienced nearly six times as many active shooter events as during the period between 2000 and 2001. Is your organization fully prepared to respond to an active shooter?

Learn to how prepare and what to do:

Surviving an active shooter event
Active Shooter – what do do to prepare and during a crisis
Active Shooter
Get Tips on Protecting Your Place of Business
Active Shooter: What You Can Do
RUN. HIDE. FIGHT Video

If someone is injured:
Stop the Bleed Campaign
Bleeding, Cuts, and Scrapes
Bleeding Control
What should be in your bleeding control kit?

Severe weather can strike at any time. Are you prepared?

April showers bring May flowers, but you should be prepared for possible severe spring weather, too. This can include tornadoes, lightning, and floods.

Prepare your family for spring weather hazards while at home or traveling with information from the National Weather Service. Learn how to prepare and respond to the hazards most common during springtime by clicking any of the links below:

• Severe Weather/Tornadoes
• Floods
• Lightning
• Tsunamis
• Rip Currents/Beach Hazards
• Heat

Find additional flood and tornado preparedness information on the Prepareathon (formerly America’s PrepareAthon!) website

CERT Webinar: San Francisco Neighborhood Emergency Response Team uses Twitter to Save Lives

On Wednesday, April 5, 2017, FEMA’s Individual and Community Preparedness Division in partnership with the San Francisco Neighborhood Emergency Response Team (NERT) invites you to join the ”Using Twitter to save lives” training event. Members of the San Francisco NERT will share information on how volunteers can use Twitter during a disaster. This includes how to quickly report and verify the most critical information within a 140-character limit.  The team will also teach you how to gather and report information which can reduce the number of emergency calls to 911 to help make sure every call gets through to a response operator.

Title: San Francisco Neighborhood Emergency Response Team uses Twitter to Save Lives

Date: Wednesday, April 5

Time:  3:00 – 4:30 p.m. EDT

Featured Speakers from San Francisco NERT:

• Anietie Ekanem, CEO and Chief Solutions Guru, Social Niche Guru Inc.
• Brooke Rogers, Freelance Digital Content Producer, San Francisco NERT

How to Join the Webinar:

• Please register for the event using the Adobe Connect registration web link.
• Be sure to test your Adobe Connect connection prior to the meeting.
• This webinar will offer captioning.

We hope to that you will be able to join us on April 5!

BE PREPARED FOR SPRING & SUMMER NATURAL CATASTROPHES

Spring and Summer are certainly two joyous seasons. From the perfume of fresh flowers blooming & the symphony of birds chirping, to the scent of sunblock & sand between your toes... Although, most do not consider that natural catastrophes such as severe weather, floods, extreme heat, and wildfires are very likely during Spring and Summer! Resolve to be ready by taking a moment to read the tips below. Share this and encourage your family and friends to prepare throughout the year for all weather hazards during spring and summer 2017.

GENERAL SEASONAL PREPAREDNES TIPS

Make a family emergency communication plan and include pets. Identify an out of town emergency contact to coordinate information with family/friends. Check on neighbors. Keep an emergency kit wherever you spend time: home, car, work, etc. Download the FEMA App and set up local alerts. Listen to local officials by radio, TV, or social media and take action. Practice your preparedness plans with a drill or exercise. Take a first aid class so you can help until first responders arrive. Learn more! Read our Disaster & Survival Forum and remember power outages are the most common emergency (Why? Because almost all other emergencies cause power outages).

SPRING PREPAREDNESS TIPS

Severe Weather

If ordered to evacuate, take action immediately. Know the route and plan where to go.
Identify a safe location, in case of tornado. Stock emergency shelter and sleeping supplies, from blankets and tarps to ponchos and body warmers.

Flood

Never drive or walk through flooded streets; Turn Around, Don’t Drown. Check your flood insurance policies to ensure you have enough coverage. Keep an automotive emergency kit in your vehicle so that one is available when disaster strikes

Rain Ponchos

Keep dry during rainfall or a storm to prevent sickness. Our adult and child rain ponchos are about wallet-size when folded, yet when opened, are large enough to adequately cover the body to protect against the elements.

SUMMER PREPAREDNESS TIPS

Extreme Heat

Extreme heat can be deadly. Stay inside where it is cool. Wear cool clothes and change activities to stay safe. Never leave children or pets in a car. Stock a Mylar solar sleeping bag / blanket, which can be used as a heat shield.

Wildfire Safety

Report a wildfire if you see one; you may be the first to see it.
Wildfires can kill. If ordered to evacuate, know the route and plan where to go. Stock up evacuation & fire supplies at home.

Children & Youth + Back to School

Ensure children are included in preparedness conversations.
Know the emergency plan for your child’s school, college and child care facility.
Practice evacuation plans and other emergency procedures with children on a regular basis.
Make sure children have emergency contacts memorized or written down in a secure place. Purchase your child a kids first aid and child id kit.

Disaster Kits

Survival Kits For Emergency Disaster Preparedness

Food & Water

Emergency Food Rations & Water Supply

Shelter & Sleeping

Emergency Blankets, Tents, Canopies, Tarps & More

Signal & Messaging

Devices for Signaling & Communicating in Emergencies

Survival Tools

Fire Starters, Survival Knives, SOL, Leatherman & much more

Emergency Heat & Light

Warmers, Heating, Candles-Flashlights-Lanterns-GlowSticks

CERT Gear & Supplies

CERT Kits & vests, caps, shirts, logo patches, fieldbooks +

Red Cross Supplies

American Red Cross Emergency Kits: Be Red Cross Ready

Triage & Incident Command

S.T.A.R.T. Triage Tags, Tape, Kits + ICS Gear and Supplies

Sanitation & Hygiene

Personal Hygiene Kits, Toilets & Chemicals + Sanitary Items

Roadside+Auto Emergency

Auto Emergency Survival Kits, Roadside Tools & Survival Items

Empty Bags & Containers

Backpacks, Duffels, Buckets and Rolling kits to build your own

SAR Gear: Rescue Stuff

Search & Rescue Kits and Essential SAR Provisions

Disaster Supplies for Pets

Disaster Emergency Kits for Dogs and Cats + Survival Food

Fire Safety & Evacuation

Caution Tapes, Escape Masks & Ladders + Fire Safety Gear

Survival Guides & Videos

Disaster Planning Books, Checklists & Videos for Survival

Hi-Vis Safety Vests

CERT Vests & Bright Reflective Safety Vests for Visibility

Trauma & Field Medicine

1st Aid, Trauma, Responder, Field Medical & Mass Casualty

Also See...

With Hurricane Matthew hitting the southern states, there have been numerous business closings. None so surprising as the closing of 25 Waffle House locations due to the dangerous storms. The southern staple is so notorious for staying open that the closure of one store is significant enough for FEMA to unofficially monitor the chain's activity. After Hurricane Irene, the chain only closed one store after multiple had lost power in the same area. The closure helped FEMA discover where to focus their resources. Fans of the restaurant seem to take the closures to heart more so than the advice of local officials. "Folks, when they shut down the Waffle House -- it's time to leave town," tweeted Todd Starnes. The chain has not announced when the stores will re-open.

As we have 2 Matthews here at First Aid Mart, and we're in the Hurricane Preparedness Business - the current weather drama is top of mind to us.

Even if a hurricane hasn't reached land, the effects of the hurricane could be severely dangerous. Hurricane Matthew has already proven himself to be the strongest Atlantic tropical storm since 2007, after transitioning to a category 4 hurricane at 11pm ET Monday. This is a reminder that being prepared for emergency weather could mean the difference between life and a possibly life threatening situation.

Hurricane Matthew already has already met the south eastern United States and has reached 140 MPH winds during Monday evening, gradually making his way north through the Caribbean at a speed of 7 MPH. Tuesday Hurricane Matthew reached the Bahamas and through Thursday made a big mess of the Bahamas.

• 3 Steps to Prepare for Hurricanes
• Hurricanes and CERT
• How to Prepare for a Hurricane
• Hurricane Basics

By Saturday afternoon a Category 2 Storm with 105 MPH winds will strike the east coast. A cone of uncertainty 350-mile-wide will cross south eastern Florida all the way through Virginia. The US, EURO, and The National Hurricane Center all have very close approximations and can confirm that, everyone within this cone must prepare.

Right now the projected path is right off of the Eastern coast and may change within a moment's notice. When that happens, we will not have a lot of time to prepare for this emergency.

See View of Hurricane Matthew From International Space Station

Also read:

• Hurricane Preparedness
• Hurricane Safety for National Preparedness
• Hurricane Readiness
• Hurricane Awareness ?
• Hurricane Watch / Hurricane Warning ?
• Dorothy: this is Kansas. #HurricanePrep
• Heads up to Hurricanes and Disaster Preparedness
• Hurricane Season
• Hurricane Preparedness: Keep Important Documents in A Safe Place
• Hurricanes
• Hurricane Preparedness: Prepare Your Home Before a Hurricane
• Key Facts about Hurricane Readiness
• Another Free Hurricane Safety Tip – Download Be Ready Poster Free
• Handling a Hurricane
• Disaster Preparedness: Hurricanes

(By the way - at one point we had 3 Matthews here at First Aid Mart, but one went by "Matt" and we didn't like him much.  Ha Ha.)

National Preparedness Month ends Today, with America's PrepareAthon!?

The PrepareAthon is a grassroots campaign for action to increase community preparedness and resilience. Join others around the country to practice your preparedness!

September is a time to remember and a time to prepare.

Learn more about National Preparedness .

America’s PrepareAthon! takes a Whole Community approach to disaster preparedness with registered preparedness actions at the grassroots level across the Nation. The campaign offers easy-to-implement resources to help individuals, organizations, and communities practice simple, effective actions. Preparedness actions can be scaled from individual actions to community-wide events.

For ideas on what you can do for America’s PrepareAthon!, we encourage you to explore the site where you’ll find access to free resources, learn about preparedness events happening in your area, read preparedness stories, and be able to register your own preparedness activities.