It's Flu Season

From our friends at the Cowlitz County Health Department:
It is officially flu season in Cowlitz County. The Daily News did a story today on how we are seeing an uptick in seasonal flu locally, as well as state-wide, and nationally (Boston and New York have declared emergencies because of how many people are sick and the surge on healthcare). Below are some facts about seasonal flu and websites for reference. The Health and Human Services Department would like all employees to know these facts about seasonal flu.


Seasonal Flu Facts:
• Seasonal Influenza (flu) spreads easily from person-to-person thru uncovered coughs and sneezes. The flu can spread to others before a person knows they're sick.


• It is important to cover all coughs and sneezes and to wash your hands with hot water and soap and/or use hand sanitizer on a regular basis.


o Tip: Covering coughs and sneezes with the inside of your elbow instead of your hands limits the amount of potential virus on your hands. Practicing good “respiratory etiquette” can help limit transmission of the flu from person to person.


o If you do have symptoms of the flu it is important to stay home until your symptoms have passed and call your doctor if needed. Staying home while sick limits you sharing your illness with others and limits your exposure to other illness while your body is trying to recover.


• Getting the seasonal flu vaccine not only helps protect you against getting the seasonal flu but also helps protect those around you. The more people who get vaccinated the harder it is for the flu to spread within our communities from person to person.

o Fact: The best protection for those people who cannot get the vaccine because of pre-existing medical conditions or allergies to vaccine is for those they come in contact with to have been vaccinated.

• Flu vaccine is safe for the majority of people to receive. The seasonal flu shot can be given to anyone six months and older and you are encouraged to do so if you have not already this fall/winter season.

• The flu shot contains inactivated (killed) viruses. You can not get the flu from the flu shot because the virus is not alive. Your arm might be a little sore afterward but you cannot get the flu from the flu shot.

• It’s not too late to get vaccinated. You can get flu vaccine from your local healthcare provider and/or through a local pharmacy. Contact your doctor’s office or a local pharmacy to see when they offer flu vaccine.

Check out the Washington State's Department of Health Flu Overview: http://www.doh.wa.gov/YouandYourFamily/IllnessandDisease/Flu.aspx

So You Survived the Mayan Apocalypse...Now What?

Come join us for a GREAT presentation about preparing for disasters, specifically earthquakes, from speaker James Roddey.  Roddey is an award winning author, director and natural hazards expert.  He has discussed natural disasters and preparedness on CNN, The CBS Evening News, NPR and more.  He is currently the Director of ReadySetPrepare, which offers consultation services and motivational presentations on building resilient communities, and disaster readiness for businesses and families.

Cowlitz County DEM has booked Mr. Roddey for a presentation on February 7th from 6:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. at the PUD Auditorium (961 12th Avenue in Longview).  Admission is FREE!  There will be door prizes, information booths and tons of great information.

Space is limited, so RSVP's are appreciated.  For more information or to reserve your seat, please email Jennifer Engkraf at EngkrafJ@co.cowlitz.wa.us. 

Surviving an Active Shooter

It seems like every time we turn on the news, there is another random act of violence somewhere in the world. Whether unprovoked mass shootings are a new reality or not—we need to proactively respond to it in a smart way. We’ve all been taught to park in well-lit areas, be aware of our surroundings and have keys ready for quick entry in the car and this behavior for most of us has become routine.


We must develop a similar automatic response mechanism if we hear shots fired. Training is the best way to make this happen. There are a number of good videos like the one above from the City of Houston's Office of Public Safety and Homeland Security. Here is a link to another: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vK9lMgzwMXA  There is even a free online FEMA training course to familiarize yourself with a variety of response scenarios.

Be alert, be aware and know what to do!

Cold and Rainy Weather Ahead...

From the PDX National Weather Service.

SOUTHWEST WASHINGTON AND NORTHWEST OREGON WILL THEN SEE PERIODS OF
RAIN THAT COULD BE HEAVY AT TIMES LATE SUNDAY NIGHT THROUGH
TUESDAY NIGHT INTO WEDNESDAY. SNOW LEVELS OVER MUCH OF THE AREA
WILL BE ABOVE 6000 FEET. RIVERS ARE EXPECTED TO RISE
DRAMATICALLY...AND RUNOFF WILL LIKELY BE AIDED BY SNOW MELT IN THE
COAST RANGE AND THE CASCADE FOOTHILLS. 

COMPUTER FORECAST MODEL
DETAILS AT THIS POINT DO NOT SUPPORT FLOODING...BUT ONLY MINOR
CHANGES TO THE TIMING AND LOCATION OF THE HEAVY RAINFALL COULD
CHANGE THIS SITUATION. THIS SITUATION WILL CONTINUE TO BE
MONITORED CAREFULLY INTO EARLY THIS COMING WEEK.

Memorial Vigil for Chief Ralph Painter

A fundraiser and memorial vigil for Rainier Police Chief Ralph Painter will be held on Saturday at El Tapatio Restaurant in Rainier.  It marks the second anniversary of his shooting death on January 5, 2011. 

From noon until 8:00 p.m., the restaurant will donate half of its proceeds to the Ralph Painter Memorial Scholarship Fund and the local Backpacks for Kids program, a charity close to Painter's heart.

At 7:00 p.m. a candlelight vigil will be held for Painter on the restaurant's patio. 

El Tapatio is located at 117 West A Street in Rainier.

Get to Know Your Phone

An intrepid blog readers shared this cool article with me about how to turn your SmartPhone into a virtual survival kit: http://www.makeuseof.com/tag/turn-your-mobile-phone-into-a-survival-kit-si/.  If you have a SmartPhone, make sure you are using it to its full capability. 

Learn Something

Was your New Year's Resolution to get more prepared?  Or to learn more?  If so, or even if not, take advantage of Longview Parks and Rec's First Aid/CPR classes.  There are two coming up, one on January 12th and another on February 23rd, both 9:00 a.m. to noon.  They are reasonably priced at $50, but really, isn't the cost of saving a life priceless? 

To learn more or to sign up, go to www.mylongview.com/reconline or call 442-5400.