This September--YOU can be the hero!

September is National Preparedness Month (NPM). The Cowlitz County Department of Emergency Management has committed to participate in National Preparedness Month to increase preparedness throughout the U.S. The event, now in its ninth year, is a nationwide, month-long effort hosted by the Ready Campaign and Citizen Corps, encouraging households, businesses and communities to prepare and plan for emergencies.

One of NPM’s key messages is: be prepared in the event an emergency causes you to be self-reliant for three days without utilities and electricity, water service, access to a supermarket or local services, or maybe even without response from police, fire or rescue.

Preparing can start with four important steps:
 1. Be informed about emergencies that could happen in your community, and identify sources of information in your community that will be helpful before, during and after an emergency
2. Make a plan for what to do in an emergency
3. Build an emergency supply kit
4. Get involved. Preparedness is a shared responsibility; it takes a whole community.

This year’s National Preparedness Month focuses on turning awareness into action by encouraging all individuals and all communities nationwide to make an emergency preparedness plan

Countdown to Preparedness Month!

Only a few more days until National Preparedness Month! How are you celebrating this year? Trimming the ol' preparedness tree with flashlights and batteries? Singing disaster carols while you rotate the supplies in your preparedness kit? Dressing up in a HazMat suit and going door to door asking neighbors for canned food and bottled water? Maybe not everyone celebrates like emergency managers do, but everyone can do their part to be prepared! Check out www.ready.gov to learn about things you can do to get better prepared for a winter storm, power outage or earthquake.

Email Scam

Spear-Phishing E-mail with Missing Children Theme 

The FBI has become aware of a spear-phishing e-mail made to appear as if it were from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children. The subject of the e-mail is “Search for Missing Children,” and a zip file containing 3 malicious files is attached. E-mail recipients should never open attachments or click links in suspicious e-mails. Spear-phishing attacks are often used by individuals conducting targeted, rather than opportunistic, attacks.

Those responsible for the attack may be seeking precise information stored on an organization’s network or systems rather than monetary gain. Every organization is at risk of being the target of a spear-phishing attack. This type of activity can best be mitigated with increased cyber security.

When weighing available options pertaining to the implementation of appropriate mitigation strategies, organizations must begin by asking themselves the following:
 If proprietary data, personally identifiable information (PII), research and development related data, e-mail, or other critical information were stolen, what would the current and future consequences be?
 Has my organization evaluated data criticality based on risk? What must be protected in the organization? To mitigate the threat of spear-phishing and other targeted attacks, DHS’s United States Computer Emergency Readiness Team (US-CERT) recommends the following actions:
 Always treat unsolicited or unexpected e-mail containing attachments or links with caution, even (and perhaps especially) when the e-mail appears related to known events or projects.
 Monitor for and report on suspicious activity, such as spear phishing e-mails, leading up to significant events and meetings.
 Educate users about social engineering and e-mail phishing related to high-level events and meetings.
 Measure expected network activity levels so that changes in patterns can be more easily identified.

If you have received a suspicious e-mail at work, please report it to your organization in accordance with your organization’s security policy. You may also report this activity to the FBI by filing a complaint at www.ic3.gov. US-CERT can be reached by telephone at 888-282-0870 or by e-mail at SOC@us-cert.gov. US-CERT’s web site can be found online at www.us-cert.gov. When available, each report submitted should include the date, time, location, type of activity, number of people, and type of equipment used for the activity, the name of the submitting company or organization, and a designated point of contact.

Carbon Monoxide Safety

What is Carbon Monoxide?

Carbon monoxide is a poisonous gas that cannot be seen or smelled and can kill a person in minutes. Carbon monoxide is produced whenever any fuel such as gas, oil, kerosene, wood or charcoal is burned. Hundreds of people die accidentally every year from carbon monoxide poisoning caused by appliances that are not used properly or that are malfunctioning. Carbon monoxide can build up so quickly that victims are overcome before they can get help.
Once inhaled, carbon monoxide:
* Can cause permanent brain damage.
* Can cause chest pains or heart attacks in people with heart disease.

What are the symptoms of carbon monoxide poisoning?
* Headache
* Weakness
* Dizziness
* Confusion
* Fatigue
* Nausea

What should be done with you suspect someone has been poisoned by carbon monoxide?
* Move the person to a place with fresh air immediately.
* Take the person to an emergency room and tell them that you suspect carbon monoxide poisoning.

How can I prevent carbon monoxide poisoning?
* Never burn charcoal inside homes, tents, campers, vans, trucks, garages or mobile homes. Do not burn charcoal in the fireplace in the home.
* Never use gasoline powered equipment indoors.
* Never use a gas oven to heat your home, even for a short time.
* Never sleep in a room while using an unvented gas or kerosene heater.
* Make sure that chimneys and flues are in good condition and are not blocked.
* Never idle a car in a garage, even when the garage door is open.
* Carbon monoxide warning devices may provide additional protection, but should not replace the other prevention steps.

30 Days, 30 Ways

It's time once again for the CRESA 30 Days, 30 Ways Preparedness Challenge in honor of National Preparedness Month.

The game is simple, each day one preparedness task will be posted on the website and YOU submit your completion of the task.  Pics or it didn't happen. :)

To learn more visit www.30days30ways.com.  You can also find the challenge on Facebook at www.facebook.com/30days30ways

The countdown is on, are you ready?

Local Business and Local Teacher Partner to Improve Health

From the Cowlitz County Health Department The Cowlitz County Health Department has partnered with the St. Helen’s Shopping Center and Patrick Carrico, an art teacher at Wahkiakum High School, to revitalize the local store’s appearance. A mural designed by Mr. Carrico will be painted on the side of the building facing 30th Avenue in Longview, WA on Saturday, August 17th, 2013.

The mural will depict the history of food in Cowlitz County beginning with Native American food gathering and advancing to modern times. The purpose of this project is to highlight the store’s dedication to providing healthy options for shoppers and improving the overall health of the community. St. Helen’s Shopping Center was specifically chosen for this project due to its commitment to being a Healthy Neighborhood Store.

The creation and maintenance of healthy neighborhood stores is a national initiative geared towards encouraging local shopping centers to provide fresh produce and other healthy food items for community members. “This project is about relationships and making small, simple changes to improve healthy options,” said Jenn Schapman, Health Educator with Cowlitz Health Department. In addition to Mr. Carrico and St. Helen’s Shopping Center, a number of local coalitions have been instrumental in making the mural a reality. The Highlands Neighborhood Association, Cowlitz Tribe, and City of Longview have been especially supportive of efforts to improve community wellness.

Cowlitz County Contact: PIO (360) 414-5599 x6450 community members are encouraged to help paint the mural! Everyone is welcome to grab a brush and help revitalize the local store; supplies will be provided. 

Please Join Us! DATE: Saturday, August 17th, 2013 TIMES: 10am-3pm LOCATION: St. Helen’s Shopping Center 236 30th Ave, Longview, WA 98632 For more information about the mural or to learn about how to become a Healthy Neighborhood Store in Cowlitz County, please contact Jennifer Schapman at 360.414.5599, ext. 6433 or schapmanj@co.cowlitz.wa.us # # #

Phone Scam

FYI from KLOG.com-- A Longview woman says that someone claiming to be from the “Longview Police Fraud Division” called her at home last night, and tried to obtain personal information from the woman. The woman called the Sheriff’s Office from her home on the west end of Longview shortly before 9 pm; she was immediately suspicious about the call, and did not give any information to the caller. The woman also says that she was able to get the caller’s phone number from her caller ID, saying that the call apparently originated from the 509 area code. Followup is being planned.