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Prayers Plus Post-Storm Health

The destruction that hurricanes, tornadoes, and other severe weather can cause is obvious. What's not as obvious, however, are the potential health risks victims may face as they return to their communities and homes.

From finding clean drinking water to avoiding carbon monoxide poisoning, there are just as many safety precautions to take after severe weather as before and during. Follow these guidelines

Food and Water Safety

Food may not be safe to eat during and after an emergency. Safe water for drinking, cooking, and personal hygiene includes bottled, boiled, or treated water. Your state or local health department can make specific recommendations for boiling or treating water in your area.

Identify and throw away food that may not be safe to eat

Throw away food that may have come in contact with flood or storm water.
Throw away food that has an unusual odor, color, or texture.
Throw away perishable foods (including meat, poultry, fish, eggs and leftovers) that have been above 40 degrees Fahrenheit (F) for 2 hours or more.
Thawed food that contains ice crystals or is 40 degree F or below can be refrozen or cooked.
Throw away canned foods that are bulging, opened, or damaged.
Food containers with screw-caps, snap-lids, crimped caps (soda pop bottles), twist caps, flip tops, snap-open, and home canned foods should be discarded if they have come into contact with floodwater because they cannot be disinfected.
If cans have come in contact with floodwater or storm water, remove the labels, wash the cans, and dip them in a solution of 1 cup of bleach in 5 gallons of water. Relabel the cans with a marker.
Do not use contaminated water to wash dishes, brush your teeth, wash and prepare food, wash your hands, make ice, or make baby formula.

Store food safely

While the power is out, keep the refrigerator and freezer doors closed as much as possible.
Add block ice or dry ice to your refrigerator if the electricity is expected to be off longer than 4 hours. Wear heavy gloves when handling ice.
Clean and sanitize food-contact surfaces

CDC recommends discarding wooden cutting boards, baby bottle nipples, and pacifiers . These items cannot be properly sanitized if they have come into contact with contaminated flood waters. Clean and sanitize food-contact surfaces in a four-step process:

Wash with soap and warm , clean water.
Rinse with clean water.
Sanitize by immersing for 1 minute in a solution
of 1 teaspoon of chlorine bleach (5.25 percent, unscented)
per gallon of clean water.
Allow to air dry.
Feeding infants and young children

Breastfed infants should continue breastfeeding. For formula-fed infants, use ready-to-feed formula if possible. If using ready-to-feed formula is not possible, it is best to use bottled water to prepare powdered or concentrated formula. If bottled water is not available, use boiled water. Use treated water to prepare formula only if you do not have bottled or boiled water.

Immunization

Children

Children aged 10 years and younger should be treated as if they were up-to-date with recommended immunizations and given any doses that are recommended for their current age. Additionally, children and adolescents (aged 11-18 years) should receive the following recommended immunizations:

Adult formulation tetanus, diphtheria and pertussis vaccine
Meningitis
Influenza vaccine
Adults

Adults (aged >18 years) should receive the following recommended immunizations:

Adult formulation tetanus and diphtheria if it has been 10 years since a previous tetanus vaccination
Pneumonia vaccine (PPV) for adults 65 years or older or adults with a high risk condition
Influenza vaccine
People in shelters

In addition to the vaccines given routinely as part of the child and adolescent schedules, the following vaccines should be given to evacuees living in crowded group settings, unless the person has written documentation of having already receive them:

Influenza - Everyone 6 months of age and older should receive influenza vaccine. Children 8 years old or younger should receive two doses, at least one month apart, unless they have a documented record of a previous dose of influenza vaccine, in which case they should receive one dose of influenza vaccine.
Varicella - Everyone 12 months of age and older should receive one dose of this vaccine unless they have a reliable history of chickenpox or a documented record of immunization.
MMR - Everyone 12 months of age and older and born during or after 1957 should receive one dose of this vaccine unless they have a documented record of two doses of MMR.
Hepatitis A - Everyone 2 years of age and older should receive one dose of hepatitis A vaccine unless they have a clear history of hepatitis A or a documented record of immunization.
Immunocompromised individuals, such as HIV-infected persons, pregnant women, and those on systemic steroids, should not receive the live viral vaccines varicella and MMR.

Handwashing

After an emergency, finding running water can be difficult. However, keeping your hands clean helps you avoid getting sick. It is best to wash your hands with soap and water for 20 seconds. However, when water is not available, you can use alcohol-based hand products made for washing hands (sanitizers).

When should you wash your hands?

Before preparing or eating food
After going to the bathroom
After changing diapers or cleaning up a child who has gone to the bathroom
Before and after caring for someone who is sick
After handling uncooked foods, particularly raw meat, poultry, or fish
After blowing your nose, coughing, or sneezing
After handling an animal or animal waste
After handling garbage
Before and after treating a cut or wound
Using alcohol-based hand sanitizers

When your hands are visibly dirty, you should wash them with soap and water when available. However, if soap and water are not available, use alcohol-based hand sanitizers.

Apply product to the palm of one hand.
Rub hands together.
Rub the product over all surfaces of hands and fingers until your hands are dry.
Note: the volume needed to reduce the number of germs on hands varies by product.

Washing with soap and water

Place your hands together under water (warm water if possible).
Rub your hands together for at least 15-20 seconds (with soap if possible). Wash all surfaces well, including wrists, palms, backs of hands, fingers, and under the fingernails.
Clean the dirt from under your fingernails.
Rinse the soap from your hands.
Dry your hands completely with a clean towel if possible (this helps remove the germs). However, if towels are not available it is okay to air dry your hands.
Pat your skin rather than rubbing to avoid chapping and cracking.
If you use a disposable towel, throw it in the trash.
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Electrical Hazards

After a hurricane, flood or other natural disaster you need to be careful to avoid electrical hazards both in your home and elsewhere.

Never touch a fallen power line. Call the power company to report fallen power lines.
Avoid contact with overhead power lines during cleanup and other activities.
Do not drive through standing water if downed powerlines are in the water.
If a powerline falls across your car while you are driving, stay inside the vehicle and continue to drive away from the line. If the engine stalls, do not turn off the ignition. Warn people not to touch the car or the line. Call or ask someone to call the local utility company and emergency services. Do not allow anyone other than emergency personnel to approach your vehicle.
If electrical circuits and electrical equipment have gotten wet or are in or near water, turn off the power at the main breaker or fuse on the service panel. Do not enter standing water to access the main power switch. Call an electrician to turn it off.
Never turn power on or off yourself or use an electric tool or appliance while standing in water. Do not turn the power back on until electrical equipment has been inspected by a qualified electrician. All electrical equipment and appliances must be completely dry before returning them to service. Have a certified electrician check these items if there is any question.
If you see frayed wiring or sparks when you restore power, or if there is an odor of something burning but no visible fire, you should immediately shut off the electrical system at the main circuit breaker.
Consult your utility company about using electrical equipment, including power generators. Do not connect generators to your home's electrical circuits without the approved, automatic-interrupt devices. If a generator is on line when electrical service is restored, it can become a major fire hazard and it may endanger line workers helping to restore power in your area.
Electrocution

If you believe someone has been electrocuted take the following steps:

Look first. Don't touch. The person may still be in contact with the electrical source. Touching the person may pass the current through you.
Call or have someone else call 911 or emergency medical help.
Turn off the source of electricity if possible. If not, move the source away from you and the affected person using a nonconducting object made of cardboard, plastic or wood.
Once the person is free of the source of electricity, check the person's breathing and pulse. If either has stopped or seems dangerously slow or shallow, begin cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) immediately.
If the person is faint or pale or shows other signs of shock, lay him or her down with the head slightly lower than the trunk of the body and the legs elevated.
Don't touch burns, break blisters, or remove burned clothing. Electrical shock may cause burns inside the body, so be sure the person is taken to a doctor.
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Avoid Carbon Monoxide

Carbon monoxide (CO) is an odorless, colorless gas that can cause sudden illness and death if inhaled.

When power outages occur during emergencies such as hurricanes or winter storms, the use of alternative sources of fuel or electricity for heating, cooling, or cooking can cause CO to build up in a home, garage, or camper and to poison the people and animals inside. Generators, grills, camp stoves, or other gasoline, propane, natural gas, or charcoal-burning devices should never be used inside a home, basement, garage, or camper - or even outside near an open window. Every home should have at least one working carbon monoxide detector. The detector's batteries should be checked twice annually, at the same time smoke detector batteries are checked.

How to recognize CO poisoning

Exposure to CO can cause loss of consciousness and death. The most common symptoms of CO poisoning are headache, dizziness, weakness, nausea, vomiting, chest pain, and confusion. People who are sleeping or who have been drinking alcohol can die from CO poisoning before ever having symptoms.

Important CO poisoning prevention tips

Never use a gas range or oven to heat a home.
Never use a charcoal grill, hibachi, lantern, or portable camping stove inside a home, tent, or camper.
Never run a generator, pressure washer, or any gasoline-powered engine inside a basement, garage, or other enclosed structure, even if the doors or windows are open, unless the equipment is professionally installed and vented. Keep vents and flues free of debris, especially if winds are high. Flying debris can block ventilation lines.
Never run a motor vehicle, generator, pressure washer, or any gasoline-powered engine outside an open window, door, or vent where exhaust can vent into an enclosed area.
Never leave the motor running in a vehicle parked in an enclosed or partially enclosed space, such as a garage.
If conditions are too hot or too cold, seek shelter with friends or at a community shelter.
If CO poisoning is suspected, consult a health care professional right away.




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Dryer Lint makes a great fire starter
for fireplaces or (outdoor) fire pit

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ALMOST THAT TIME OF THE YEAR AGAIN.....

BUGS...... BUGS......

Bug-Free Room
• Put a couple of drops of lavender or peppermint essential oil on a cool light bulb to help repel bugs.
• Place several drops of oil of lavender or peppermint on a cotton ball or two. Put them into a small jar or margarine container. Poke a few holes in the lid and cover. Put around the room.

Natural Insect Repellent
Mix 2 drops of oil of peppermint or lavender with 2 teaspoons of almond or sweet oil and dab on the skin.

Pest-Free Picnic Table
Add 5 drops of lavender essential oil to 32 ounces of water. Pour into a spray bottle and wipe down the table and chairs.

HERE IS A NEW ONE FOR YOU
ANTS...ANTS....ANTS....

This is summertime- ants tends to enter and aim right for the kitchen....If you look outside and stare at the beautiful hummingbird feeder which contains 3 part water and 1 part white sugar, and a bit of red food colouring.
Bring the feeder INSIDE the house or cottage and watch those ants single filing directly to the opening of the feeder with an unfortunate NO-WAY-OUT door.
They get stuck inside the feeder and drown----
IT WORKS .
A once a week clean-up is all it takes.

They are cute, made of plastic and sold at any hardware or Wal Mart store for approx 5 to 6 dollars.