Emergency Response
Emergency Preparedness Training for Families
Recently one of the Moms' Bible Study groups learned about evacuation plans, sheltering in place and keeping in touch with family members during an emergency. Here are some comments from their session:
- "I appreciated the everyday applicability of these ideas for keeping safe."
- "The session was very helpful! My favorite thing was learning how to ICE our cell phones. That's something I could do immediately!"
- "This kind of planning is a real culture change from how we usually think. But it is an important reality."
Nikka Deskin, Resource Leader for the Faith Group Collaboration for Community Emergency Response (FGC) is available for similar sessions with other groups at Bethlehem. Contact her at ndeskin@bethlehem-church.org, or 612.312.3404.
FGC was started by Bethlehem in 2007 and now has 35 member congregations. Visit www.faithgroupsprepare.org for ideas and materials to use with your families.
Here's a resource that you'll find useful! http://www.faithgroupsprepare.org/. Check the Individuals and Family section for ideas, checklists and helpful information to prepare for major emergencies. We don't expect tornados, floods, pandemics, terrorism or even bridge collapses. But they do happen.
Preparing and practicing a disaster response plan for yourself and your loved ones is just good stewardship. When we all take responsibility for being prepared, there will be fewer people stressing our community resources. And our Bethlehem members will be able to assist others throughout our community.
Bethlehem's Crisis Management group has been working with the Hennepin County Department of Health and the Faith Group Collaboration of Minneapolis to develop this resource for our congregations. If you'd like to participate in this work and help with Bethlehem's crisis management plans, call the church office - 612.312.3400.
Back-to-School Preparation
Prepare for Back-to-School - Let your children know about your plans to take care of them during an emergency. Make sure your children's school has current emergency contact numbers for you, your spouse and for a trusted friend or relative. In addition, a laminated card with contact numbers tucked into your children's school packs could be very useful.
Don't forget to prepare your college age students, too, as they leave home. Do they have current family numbers and contact information? Be sure they know the name, location and phone number of your family's out-of-state emergency contact, so they can report their status during an emergency. That's easy to add to a cell phone directory.
Being prepared means peace of mind in confusing situations.
Flu Season
Flu season is here!
Hands a re the most exposed part of the body - to germs. Wash them regularly. Cover your cough - not with your hands, but in your sleeve. Dispose of all used tissues and wash your hands. Give us all a helping hand - keep your hands clean and fresh.
Give us all a helping hand - keep your hands clean and fresh
Hand Washing Tips
Helping Hands
Think how important hands are in our society. We extend our hands in greetings. We reach out to touch things that attract us in stores. We say things like "I can hardly wait to get my hands in it", when we're eager to do something.
Hands are the most exposed part of the body - to germs. Grasping handles of shopping carts, doors, even steering wheels can be risky business. Touching the eyes, mouth, nose or food transfers the germs into our bodies - or from our bodies to others'. Frequent hand washing curbs disease. According the Minnesota Department of Health:
- A recent study of 305 students who washed four times a day showed 24% fewer colds and 51% less stomach upsets.
- Minnesota daycare-teachers helped children wash their hands every morning when they arrived and then disinfected all areas that parents may have touched. Result: 50% fewer illnesses at daycare.
How about your hand washing routines? Regular washing with plain soap and water will eliminate most bacteria --- if your hands are soaped for a full 20 seconds. That's about the time it takes to sing the ABC song with a child.
Give us all a helping hand -keep your hands clean and fresh.
In Case of Emergency
ICE all of your family's cell phones!
ICE stands for "In Case of Emergency." Emergency workers look for the codeword ICE when they find victims' cell phones. Should something happen to you, your child, spouse, or parent, others will know who to contact by checking cell phone directories. Help emergency workers help you! Program your cell phones today.
Examples: ICE 1-Husband D. Neil, ICE 2-Mother-Madge, etc.
For more emergency preparedness ideas, visit www.faithgroupsprepare.org
Pandemic Preparedness
Pandemic Flu or other Catastrophic Event Planning
Checklist for Individuals & Families
You can prepare for an influenza pandemic now. You should know both the magnitude of what can happen during a pandemic outbreak and what actions you can take to help lessen the impact of an influenza pandemic on you and your family. This checklist will help you gather the information and resources you may need in case of a flu pandemic.
1. To plan for a pandemic:
- Store a two week supply of water and food. During a pandemic, if you cannot get to a store, or if stores are out of supplies, it will be important for you to have extra supplies on had. This can be useful in other types of emergencies, such as power outages and disasters.
- Ask your doctor and insurance company if you can get an extra supply of your regular prescription drugs.
- Have nonprescription drugs and other health supplies on hand, including pain relievers, stomach remedies, cough and cold medicines, fluids with electrolytes, and vitamins.
- Talk with family members and loved ones about how they would be cared for if they got sick, or what will be needed to care for them in your home.
- Volunteer with local groups to prepare and assist with emergency response.
- Get involved in your community as it works to prepare for an influenza pandemic.
2. To limit the spread of germs and prevent infection:
- Teach your children to wash hands frequently with soap and water, and model the current behavior.
- Teach your children to cover coughs and sneezes with tissues, and be sure to model that behavior.
- Teach your children to stay away from others as much as possible if they are sick. Stay home from work and/or school if sick.
3. Items to have on hand for an extended stay at home:
Examples of food and non-perishables | Examples of medical, health, and emergency supplies |
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information provided by CDC at www.pandemicflu.gov
For more information go to these links
Government sites:
www.pandemicflu.gov
www.cdc.gov
www.pandemicflu.gov/plan/faithcomchecklist.html
www.health.state.mn.us/divs/idepc/diseases/flu/avian/index.html
Faith-Based Sites:
www.christianemergencynetwork.org
www.elca.org
Health Organization Sites:
www.who.int/csr/disease/avian_influenza/en/index.html
Shelter in Place
Shelter in Place
Snowstorms - when businesses close, schools close we're all supposed to "hunker down" in the safety of our homes. Here in Minnesota, we understand the potential dangers of snowstorms. But instead of "snow days" we shift into "play days." They're an excuse to get out and about with skis, snow boards, sleds and snow mobiles. What fun. But in other parts of the country those same storms bring paralyzing ice, huge drifts, or other violent weather. People are stranded for days on end. No TV, computers or even telephone service. How would you deal with that? What if you and your family were forced to shelter in place for days or even weeks? What if you had to live without electricity or heat? How about food? Are you ready?
For more information check out www.ready.gov or the health ministries' page on www.bethlehem-church.org.