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FEMA (Federal Emergency Management Agency) Daily Digest Bulletin

FEMA (Federal Emergency Management Agency)
Happy Veterans Day, Prepare for Winter Weather, Heat Your Home Safely

Individual and Community Preparedness eBrief

u s d h s f e m a

November 8, 2018

In this issue:

Join Us As We Celebrate Veterans and Military Families this Month!

November is Military Family Month, and this Sunday, November 11, the Nation celebrates Veterans Day. Military Family Month recognizes the sacrifices that family members of service members make for the safety and security of our Nation. On Veterans Day, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) thank veterans across the country for their service.

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Tips on Safely Heating Your Home this Season

Picture of oven: Never use an oven or stovetop to heat your home.

Did you know that home fires are most common in winter? Heating is the second leading cause of home fires. This winter, use these tips to heat your home safely:

  • Keep anything that can burn at least 3 feet from heat sources like fireplaces, wood stoves, radiators or space heaters.Never use an oven to heat your home.
  • Have a professional inspect your chimneys once a year to make sure they are working safely.
  • Make sure you have working carbon monoxide alarms. Test them once a month.

For more information on winter home fires and heating safety, visit https://www.usfa.fema.gov/prevention/outreach/heating.html. Follow @Citizen_Corps and @Prepareathon on social media and use #WinterFireSafety for more safety tips.

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Learn About Food Safety

Picture of hands holding a Ready.gov checklist while preparing an emergency kit

Following a disaster or severe winter weather, you could lose power for a few days. If the power goes off, it’s important to know how to prepare food safely.

Before an emergency, prepare for a power outage by buying canned foods, dry mixes, and other staples. Look for food that does not require refrigeration, cooking, water, or special preparation. Make sure you have a manual can opener and eating utensils handy.

If you lose power, keep your refrigerator and freezer door closed as much as possible to keep it cold. Refrigerated food should be safe as long as the power was out for no more than 4 hours.

Download a list of suggested non-perishable food supplies, and get more tips to manage food in an emergency at www.ready.gov/food.

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Tips on Preventing Cold Weather Illnesses

Picture of man dressed in warm winter clothes: Dress in layers to prevent frostbite.

The days are getting colder in much of the U.S. Do you know the health risks of cold weather? If it gets below freezing in your area, it’s important to know the warning signs and what to do if you or someone you know develops frostbite or hypothermia.

  • Frostbite causes loss of feeling and color around the face, fingers, and toes.
    • The signs of frostbite are numbness, white or grayish-yellow skin, or firm or waxy skin.
    • If you or someone you know develops frostbite, go to a warm room or soak in warm water. Do not massage or use a heating pad on frostbitten skin.
  • Hypothermia is unusually low body temperature—anything below 95 degrees Fahrenheit is an emergency.
    • People experiencing hypothermia may be exhausted, shivering, or confused, with fumbling hands or slurred speech.
    • In the event of hypothermia, go to a warm room and warm the center of the body first. Keep dry and wrapped up in warm blankets, including the head and neck.

To learn more about how to recognize and respond to frostbite and hypothermia, visit https://www.ready.gov/winter-weather.

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Download a New Human Trafficking Faith-Based and Community Toolkit

Kit promotional picture and logo. Kit is in Spanish and says, "basado en la fe y la comunidad: kit de herramientas."

The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has released a new Faith-Based and Community Toolkit! The toolkit was developed by the DHS Blue Campaign and the Center for Faith and Opportunity. It’s available in both English and Spanish.

The Faith-Based and Community Toolkit has tips and resources for communities and houses of worship to raise awareness of human trafficking. This toolkit gives faith leadership tools to recognize and respond to human trafficking. It can also help leaders build stronger partnerships with social service agencies, advocacy groups, and law enforcement. 

The toolkit has posters to display in houses of worship, community events, and public places. It also shows the next steps in developing trauma-informed approaches in houses of worship. Learn more about other DHS Blue Campaign Resources, including the General Awareness Training Video.

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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 FEMA-prepare@fema.dhs.gov.

GETS/WPS NewsNotes

Continuity Professionals, you are invited to participate in the next GETS/WPS User Council Webinar. The webinar will review recent events and will assist subscribers and their organizations in preparing for emergency events. Updates on the programs and other information on emergency communications will be provided.

If you are new to the programs, we suggest you review the information on the GETS web site https:www.dhs.gov/gets and the WPS web site https:www.dhs.gov/wps beforehand.

When: November 29, 2018 from 1:00 P.M. to 2:30 P.M. EST

Where: Please RSVP to receive further details.

Please download the latest GETS/WPS NewsNotes :

It contains information about Hurricane Florence, the new iPhone dialer app, updated WPS charge information, and other useful program information.

Government Emergency Telecommunications Service (GETS)

The Government Emergency Telecommunications Service (GETS) supports national leadership; federal, state, local, tribal and territorial governments; first responders; and other authorized national security and emergency preparedness (NS/EP) users. It is intended to be used in an emergency or crisis situation when the landline network is congested and the probability of completing a normal call is reduced.

GETS provides NS/EP personnel priority access and prioritized processing in the local and long distance segments of the landline networks, greatly increasing the probability of call completion.

Wireless Priority Service (WPS)

Wireless Priority Service (WPS) supports national leadership; federal, state, local, tribal and territorial governments, and other authorized national security and emergency preparedness (NS/EP) users. It is intended to be used in an emergency or crisis situation when the wireless network is congested and the probability of completing a normal call is reduced.

WPS provides NS/EP personnel priority access and prioritized processing in all nationwide and several regional cellular networks, greatly increasing the probability of call completion.