Help for Haiti

If you are interested in donating money to help the Red Cross disaster relief effort in Haiti, please visit the SW Washington Red Cross page or text "Haiti" to 90999 and a $10 donation will be added to your phone bill. If you have any questions or would like more information, please call 1-800-Red-Cross. Also, the local Red Cross office (on the corner of 14th and Hudson in Longview) will be open from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. to accept monetary donations.

Girl Scouts Prepare for War, Pestilence

I ran across this article a few days ago and thought I'd mention it. I was once a proud Brownie (Troop 32 represent!) Preparedness is a large part of Boy Scouts curriculum, but seems to be a little underutilized for their female counterparts. I think it's a great idea to teach valuable preparedness skills to Girl Scout troops, as they can then spread the preparedness message to their families. After all, what's more persuasive than a Girl Scout?
WASHINGTON — The United States wants to enlist its 3.4 million Girl Scouts in the effort to combat hurricanes, pandemics, terror attacks and other disasters.

The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) launched a campaign Tuesday to entice the blue, brown and green-clad multitudes to be even more prepared, with the promise of a new patch if they pitch in.

The young scouts will be able to emblazon their sashes or vests with the patch if they undergo the training which readies them for an emergency.

“This new preparedness patch will increase citizen preparedness and enhance our country’s readiness for disasters,” said DHS Secretary Janet Napolitano in a statement.

“As a former Girl Scout, I know the ‘Be Prepared’ motto well, and I look forward to working with the Girl Scouts to spread the preparedness message to all of our nation’s citizens.”
The move is part of a month-long government effort to make Americans better able to cope with natural and man-made disasters.

Napolitano has urged individuals, families and businesses to stock fresh water and food, and prepare an emergency plan — to be enacted in the event of a disaster.

The unveiling of the patch marks a partnership between the scouts and Citizen Corps, a community-based initiative under the DHS’s Federal Emergency Management Agency, which coordinates national response to disasters.

Girl Scouts of the USA chief executive Kathy Cloninger said the tie up with Citizen Corps “provides an opportunity for our girls to lead the way in ensuring that their families and their communities are prepared for emergencies.”

The patch will be available alongside existing Girls Are Great, Girl Scouts Against Smoking, Media Know-How and Read to Lead patches, and, of course, the Cookie Sale Activity Pin.

Girl Scouts sell an astonishing 200 million boxes of cookies each year on average, according to the organization, which was founded in 1912 and chartered by the US Congress in 1950.

It is not the first time the girl guides have been called into action in defense of the homeland.

During World War II, Girl Scouts “operated bicycle courier services, invested more than 48,000 hours in Farm Aid projects, collected fat and scrap metal, and grew Victory Gardens,” according to Girl Scouts of the USA.

As the end of the second millennium neared and computers around the world were expected to be stricken with a debilitating bug, Girl Scouts were enlisted in some parts of the country to hand out advice about the threat poised by Y2K.

After the September 11, 2001 attacks scouts hosted remembrance ceremonies and wrote thank-you letters to rescuer workers.

Damp Weekend in Store for Cowlitz County

If you enjoy singing in the rain (and wind), this weekend should be an exciting time for you. The National Weather Service has issued a special weather statement for tonight through Monday. They predict a wet and windy holiday weekend. A large-scale, upper-level low pressure system will develop and reside offshore through the upcoming week. A strong jet stream will direct a series of storm systems around this low pressure. Many of the systems will rotate bands of precipitation and periods of strong winds onshore into the Pacific Northwest through the week. The strongest system looks to impact the area on Sunday afternoon and evening, bringing strong wind gusts and heavy rain. For more information, visit the Portland National Weather Service website.

How Can You Help Haiti?

From Clark Regional Emergency Services Agency Blog

By now, you have likely heard of the devastating earthquake and series of aftershocks that have hit Haiti over the past 24 hours. Whenever disasters of this magnitude strike, there is an instant desire to help. Americans are known for being generous with support and donations; however, it is also important to remember that donations efforts can create problems for the affected disaster area.

While it may seem natural to want to collect food and clothing for disaster victims or send teams of people into the disaster area, the gathering of large quantities of items or people can present their own logistical nightmare for the communities devastated by the disaster.

I will never forget the story I heard of the semi-truck full of bacon that arrived at one disaster scene that could not be cooked, refrigerated or shared with the community that it was sent to, nor will I forget the bags of used underwear that arrived on my emergency management office doorstep in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina.

If you want to help others, in any disaster situation:

•Stay informed of the situation. The Department of Homeland Security has a nice blog underway to share information on the situation in Haiti.
•Donate money to a relief organization. There are 3 specific efforts undeway in this regard:
◦American Red Cross
◦Mercy Corps
◦Texting "HAITI" to 90999 to donate $10 via charging your cell phone bill
Families of Americans living in Haiti are encouraged to contact the State Department at 1-888-407-4747.

Would You Be Ready?

If you and your family had to evacuate your home RIGHT NOW, would you be ready? The photo shown is the mass exodus from Houston, Texas in the wake of Hurricane Rita. The cars in the median are ones that ran out of gas. The people stranded could only hope that a kind-hearted person would pick them up so they didn't have to brave the hurricane while walking along the freeway. Granted, we don't generally suffer from horrendous storms such as hurricanes, but have you noticed that large volcano near Castle Rock? Evacuation is a definite possibility for all Cowlitz County residents. While I am proud to say that I have a pretty thorough evacuation kit for my car, I am a little embarrassed to say that it is currently sitting in my garage helping no one. I am also guilty of letting my car run on fumes before I can be bothered to fill up. Since I've shared these emergency preparedness shortcomings, I am now forced to get better so as to be a good example to my dear readers. At any rate, if the thought of having only minutes to leave your cozy home sends you into a panic, hyperventilate no more! Join us on February 2nd from 6:00 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. at the Cowlitz County PUD Auditorium for Prepare to Be Your Own Hero, a class all about evacuation including tips for special needs populations and pet owners. Marcie Maynes, owner of Simple-Safety, will teach participants about creating 3-day evacuation kits, maintaining sanitation, mobile bathrooms, emergency communications, reunification plans, general preparedness and more. This class is FREE and open to the public. Space is limited, so if you are interested please call our office at 577-3130 or email DEM@co.cowlitz.wa.us.

Don't Toss Those Batteries!

In our line of work we routinely suggest that people keep extra batteries on hand in case of power outage, etc. What we neglect to tell people is the proper way to dispose of those old, crusty batteries that no longer work. Did you know that throwing away those dead AA's can seriously harm the environment? Click here for a very informative website about proper battery disposal. Click here for the local Waste Control website with information on exactly where to take your batteries. Click here because I said so.

Community Emergency Response Team Training

Do you like learning new skills? Are you interested in becoming more prepared for emergencies? Do you like cookies? If you answered yes to any one of these, you might be interested in attending the upcoming Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) training. CERT is about readiness, people helping people, rescuer safety, and doing the greatest good for the greatest number. CERT is a positive and realistic approach to emergency and disaster situations where citizens will initially be on their own and their actions can make a difference. Through training, citizens can manage utilities and put out small fires; provide basic first aid, search for and rescue victims and organize themselves and spontaneous volunteers to be effective in the face of disaster. It is a 22 hour course, taught over the course of a month. Participants learn the basics of disaster preparedness, disaster psychology, light search and rescue, terrorism awareness, fire suppression, disaster medical operations and much more. Graduates can choose to become a volunteer for the Department of Emergency Management and help out in times of disaster. Classes are every Saturday in February and are provided at no cost. If you would like more information, a class schedule or an application, please email our office at dem@co.cowlitz.wa.us or give us a call at 577-3130. Applications must be returned to our office no later than January 20th.