Emergency Preparedness

Extreme Heat 

What is Extreme Heat?

Extreme heat is defined as summertime temperatures that are much hotter and/or humid than average. Because some places are hotter than others, this depends on what’s considered average for a particular location at that time of year. Humid and muggy conditions can make it seem hotter than it really is

Extreme Heat often results in the highest number of annual deaths among all weather-related hazards. In most of the United States, extreme heat is defined as a long period (2 to 3 days) of high heat and humidity with temperatures above 90 degrees. In extreme heat, evaporation is slowed and the body must work extra hard to maintain a normal temperature. This can lead to death by overworking the human body.

 Remember that:

• Extreme heat can occur quickly and without warning.
• Older adults, children, and sick or overweight individuals are at greater risk from extreme heat.
• Humidity increases the feeling of heat as measured by a heat index.

 

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Some factors that might increase your risk of developing heat-related illness include:

• High levels of humidity
• Obesity
• Fever
• Dehydration
• Prescription drug use
• Heart disease
• Mental illness
• Poor circulation
• Sunburn
• Alcohol use

How to stay safe when extreme heat threatens: 

Stay Cool

• Wear Appropriate Clothing: 
  Choose lightweight, light-colored, loose-fitting clothing.

Stay Cool Indoors:

• Stay in an air-conditioned place as much as possible. If your home does not have air conditioning, go to the shopping mall or public library—even a few hours spent in air conditioning can help your body stay cooler when you go back into the heat. Call your local health department to see if there are any heat-relief shelters in your area.
  • Keep in mind: Electric fans may provide comfort, but when the temperature is in the high 90s, they will not prevent heat-related illness.
  • Taking a cool shower or bath or moving to an air-conditioned place is a much better way to cool off. Use your stove and oven less to maintain a cooler temperature in your home.

Schedule Outdoor Activities Carefully:

• Try to limit your outdoor activity to when it’s coolest, like morning and evening hours. Rest often in shady areas so that your body has a chance to recover.

Pace Yourself:

• Cut down on exercise during the heat. If you’re not accustomed to working or exercising in a hot environment, start slowly and pick up the pace gradually. If exertion in the heat makes your heart pound and leaves you gasping for breath, STOP all activity. Get into a cool area or into the shade, and rest, especially if you become lightheaded, confused, weak, or faint. 

Wear Sunscreen:

• Sunburn affects your body’s ability to cool down and can make you dehydrated. If you must go outdoors, protect yourself from the sun by wearing a wide-brimmed hat, sunglasses, and by putting on sunscreen of SPF 15 or higher 30 minutes prior to going out. Continue to reapply it according to the package directions.
• Tip: Look for sunscreens that say “broad spectrum” or “UVA/UVB protection” on their labels- these products work best.

Do Not Leave Children in Cars:

• Cars can quickly heat up to dangerous temperatures, even with a window cracked open. While anyone left in a parked car is at risk, children are especially at risk of getting a heat stroke or dying. When traveling with children, remember to do the following:
• Never leave infants, children or pets in a parked car, even if the windows are cracked open.
• Tip: To remind yourself that a child is in the car, keep a stuffed animal in the car seat. When the child is buckled in, place the stuffed animal in the front with the driver.
• When leaving your car, check to be sure everyone is out of the car. Do not overlook any children who have fallen asleep in the car.

Avoid Hot and Heavy Meals: They add heat to your body!

Drink Plenty of Fluids:

• Drink more fluids, regardless of how active you are. Don’t wait until you’re thirsty to drink.
• Warning: If your doctor limits the amount you drink or has you on water pills, ask how much you should drink while the weather is hot
• Stay away from very sugary or alcoholic drinks—these actually cause you to lose more body fluid. Also avoid very cold drinks, because they can cause stomach cramps.

Replace Salt and Minerals:

• Heavy sweating removes salt and minerals from the body that need to be replaced. A sports drink can replace the salt and minerals you lose in sweat.
• If you are on a low-salt diet, have diabetes, high blood pressure, or other chronic conditions, talk with your doctor before drinking a sports beverage or taking salt tablets.

 Keep Your Pets Hydrated:

• Provide plenty of fresh water for your pets, and leave the water in a shady area.

Stay Informed

 Check for Updates:

• Check your local news for extreme heat alerts and safety tips and to learn about any cooling shelters in your area.

Know the Signs:

• Learn the signs and symptoms of heat-related illnesses and how to treat them.

Use a Buddy System:

• When working in the heat, monitor the condition of your co-workers and have someone do the same for you. Heat-induced illness can cause a person to become confused or lose consciousness. If you are 65 years of age or older, have a friend or relative call to check on you twice a day during a heat wave. If you know someone in this age group, check on them at least twice a day.

Monitor Those at High Risk:

• Although anyone at any time can suffer from heat-related illness, some people are at greater risk than others:
• Infants and young children
• People 65 years of age or older
• People who are overweight
• People who overexert during work or exercise
• People who are physically ill, especially with heart disease or high blood pressure, or who take certain medications, such as for depression, insomnia, or poor circulation
• Visit adults at risk at least twice a day and closely watch them for signs of heat exhaustion or heat stroke. Infants and young children, of course, need much more frequent watching.

Recognize and Respond

Know the signs of heat-related illness and the ways to respond to it:

Heat Cramps:
Signs: Muscle pains or spasms in the stomach, arms, or legs

Actions: Go to a cooler location. Remove excess clothing. Take sips of cool sports drinks with salt and sugar. Get medical help if cramps last more than an hour.

Heat Exhaustion:
Signs: Heavy sweating, paleness, muscle cramps, tiredness, weakness, dizziness, headache, nausea or vomiting, or fainting

Actions: Go to an air-conditioned place and lie down. Loosen or remove clothing. Take a cool bath. Take sips of cool sports drinks with salt and sugar. Get medical help if symptoms get worse or last more than an hour.

Heat Stroke:
Signs: Extremely high body temperature (above 103 degrees) taken orally; red, hot, and dry skin with no sweat; rapid, strong pulse; dizziness; confusion; or unconsciousness

Actions: Call 911 or get the person to a hospital immediately. Cool down with whatever methods are available until medical help arrives.

 

Wildfire Smoke - Air Quality Safety 

Take these steps to protect your health on smoky days:

Stay Inside and keep indoor air clean
Close windows and doors. Don’t smoke, use candles, or vacuum. Use an air cleaner with a HEPA filter if possible. Use fans or an air conditioner (AC) when it’s hot, if possible. Set your AC to recirculate, rather than bringing in fresh air. If you don’t have AC and it’s too hot to stay home, go to a place with AC like a mall, the library, or a movie theater. If you do use AC, be sure to check and clean or change the filter regularly.

 Limit vigorous physical activity outdoors when the air quality is poor
Reducing physical activity is an effective strategy to lower the dose of inhaled air pollutants and reduce health risks during a smoke event. 

 Know Your Air Quality 
Air quality conditions may change quickly. Go to Washington State Air Quality Advisory (WAQA) to check air quality condition check out Washington State's Smoke Blog  

Don't Add to Indoor Pollution
Do not burn candles or use gas, propane, wood-burning stoves, fireplaces, or aerosol sprays.  Do not fry or broil meat, smoke tobacco products or vacuum. 
These are all possible pollutants to indoor air.  

Reduce Smoke in Your Vehicle 
When driving, close the windows and vents and run the air conditioner in recirculate mode

If your health condition gets worse around smoke, contact your health care provider

 


Additional Resources
Wildfire Smoke and Washington State Workers, WA State Labor and Industries
Health and Wildfire Smoke, WA State Department of Health
Air Quality Information, Benton County Clean Air Agency
Air Now, airnow.gov
Wildfires, Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)
Wildfire Information, Washington State Department of Ecology

Guidance Documents 
Washington State Department of Health Summary Guidance: School Closure, Children's Outdoor Activities Cancellation
334-431-WIldfireSmokeSCHOOLSummary.pdf

Washington State Department of Health Summary Guidance: Cancelling Outdoor Public Events and Activities
334-430-WIldfireSmokeOUTDOORSummary.pdf

 

Earthquakes

An earthquake is the sudden, rapid shaking of the earth, caused by the breaking and shifting of underground rock. Earthquakes can cause buildings to collapse and cause heavy items to fall, resulting in injuries and property damage. 

Earthquakes can: 

• Happen anywhere
• Happen without warning;
• Cause fires and damage roads; and
• Cause tsunamis, landslides, and avalanches. 

If an earthquake happens, protect yourself right away. 

Drop, Cover, then Hold On! 

• If in a vehicle, pull over and stop.
• If in bed, stay there.
• If outdoors, stay outdoors.
• Do not get in a doorway.
• Do not run outside. 

How to stay safe when an earthquake threatens:

Prepare NOW 

• Secure items, such as televisions, and objects that hang on walls. Store heavy and breakable objects on low shelves.
• Practice Drop, Cover, then Hold On with family and coworkers. Drop to your hands and knees. Cover your head and neck with your arms. Crawl only as far as needed to reach cover from falling materials. Hold on to any sturdy furniture until the shaking stops.
• Create a family emergency communications plan that has an out-of-state contact. Plan where to meet if you get separated.
• Make a supply kit that includes enough food and water for at least three days, a flashlight, a fire extinguisher, and a whistle. Consider each person’s specific needs, including medication. Do not forget the needs of pets. Have extra batteries and charging devices for phones and other critical equipment.
• Consider obtaining an earthquake insurance policy. Standard homeowner’s insurance does not cover earthquake damage.
• Consider a retrofit of your building to correct structural issues that make it vulnerable to collapse during an earthquake. 

Survive DURING 

• Drop, Cover, then Hold On like you practiced. Drop to your hands and knees. Cover your head and neck with your arms. Hold on to any sturdy furniture until the shaking stops. Crawl only if you can reach better cover without going through an area with more debris.
• If in bed, stay there and cover your head and neck with a pillow.
• If inside, stay there until the shaking stops. DO NOT run outside.
• If in a vehicle, stop in a clear area that is away from buildings, trees, overpasses, underpasses, or utility wires.
• If you are in a high-rise building, expect fire alarms and sprinklers to go off. Do not use elevators.
• If near slopes, cliffs, or mountains, be alert for falling rocks and landslides. 

Be Safe AFTER 

• Expect aftershocks to follow the largest shock of an earthquake.
• Check yourself for injury and provide assistance to others if you have training.
• If in a damaged building, go outside and quickly move away from the building.
• Do not enter damaged buildings.
• If you are trapped, cover your mouth. Send a text, bang on a pipe or wall, or use a whistle instead of shouting so that rescuers can locate you.
• If you are in an area that may experience tsunamis, go inland or to higher ground immediately after the shaking stops.
• Save phone calls for emergencies.
• Once safe, monitor local news reports via battery operated radio, TV, social media, and cell phone text alerts for emergency information and instructions.
• Use extreme caution during post-disaster clean-up of buildings and around debris. Do not attempt to remove heavy debris by yourself. Wear protective clothing, including a long-sleeved shirt, long pants, work gloves, and sturdy, thick-soled shoes during clean-up