Carver CountyMinnesotaU.S. CARVER COUNTYNews Releases and Upcoming Activities2010 Census Workers May Come to Your Door
Information taken from Chaska Police 4-1-1/Issue #274
Census workers will begin going door-to-door, at the end of April running through July, attempting to contact those who did not respond to the Census form via return mail. Census workers will carry a specific piece of identification. If you are approached by an unidentified census worker, report it to your local law enforcement. Remember these important facts:
No legitimate Census worker will ask to enter your home for any reason.
No legitimate Census form, or worker will ask you for your Social Security number, nor will they ask for any financial or banking information.
You will never be contacted via e-mail, and no legitimate Census form exists that can be used online. Report fraudulent e-mail to ITSO.Fraud.Reporting@census.gov
The AMBER Stick
Information taken from Chaska Police 4-1-1/Issue #274
The AMBER Stick is a portable, electronic child identification device that enables law enforcement to download the profile of a child, vulnerable adult, or a loved one within seconds. The AMBER Stick is compatible with the National Code AMBER Alert System and data from the AMBER Stick can be immediately downloaded into the national database. The AMBER Stick is carried on a key chain, in a purse, or in a wallet by parents or caregivers. Software on a small USB flash drive stores pictures, height and weight measurements, medical information, emergency contacts, and physical descriptions for an entire family. The AMBER Stick is secured by a password to ensure privacy and is encrypted. For more information, go to www.amberstick.com.
Medical Reserve Corps (MRC) Orientation and Training
For more information abut the Medical Reserve Corps (MRC) of Carver County, visit our Get Connected page.
Upcoming orientation and training sessions are:
South Metro MRC Collaborative Orientation and Training Offerings:
To be determined
Online Training Connection
MRC of Carver County, MN members are encouraged to take the following free online courses. When you have completed a course, please email a copy of your certificate of completion to Carver County Public Health/MRC at mrc@co.carver.mn.us or send it by fax to (952) 361-1390.
Personal & Family Emergency Preparedness
The goal of this course is to provide the tools to help you develop your own personal preparedness plan. The course is divided into 6 sections which each take 5 to 10 minutes to complete. If you don't have a preparedness plan, please take this course.
Mass Dispensing Sites: A Primer for Volunteers
This training is designed to provide an overview of the general operations of mass dispensing sites and serves as an orientation for individuals who may be asked to work in those sites during an emergency. All U of M MRC members are encouraged to take this 1 hour course.
Off-Site Care Facility — An Alternate Care Site: A Primer for Volunteers
This training provides an overview of the general operations of an off-site care facility (also referred to as Alternate Care Site). Topics covered in this 1 hour course include examples of alternate care sites and the types of emergencies that necessitate their establishment, basic or austere medical care, the concept of the incident command structure as it applies to at such a care site, Standard Precautions, and preparation of the volunteer.
Additional Online Training through the Center for Public Health Preparedness:
The Center for Public Health Preparedness offers free online courses of interest to MRC members. Topics include Isolation and Quarantine, Disaster Mental Health, Personal Protective Equipment, Mass Fatalities, and Disease Surveillance, as well as several more: http://cpheo.sph.umn.edu/cpheo/umncphp/online/home.html#isolation MINNESOTAHealth Officials Remind Minnesotans to “Swim Healthy” this Summer
Germs on and in swimmers’ bodies can make people sick; preventive measures can help people avoid illness
Source: Minnesota Dept. of Health
July 1, 2010
Awareness of disease risks and healthy swimming practices can play an important role in stopping the spread of illnesses when you go to the pool or the beach this summer, according to the Minnesota Department of Health (MDH).
“Germs on and in swimmers’ bodies can end up in the water and can make other people sick,” said Dr. Kirk Smith, epidemiology supervisor for MDH. “Even healthy swimmers can get sick from recreational water illnesses, but the young, elderly, pregnant women and people with weakened immune systems are especially at risk.”
The best way to prevent recreational water illnesses is to keep germs out of the water in the first place. Follow these steps for a safe and healthy swimming experience:
Don’t swim when you have diarrhea.
Don’t swallow pool or lake water.
Practice good hygiene. Shower with soap before swimming.
Wash your hands thoroughly after using the toilet or changing diapers.
Take children on bathroom breaks or change diapers often.
Change diapers in a bathroom, not at poolside or beachside.
From 2000 to 2009, 22 disease outbreaks at swimming pools and 13 outbreaks at beaches were reported in Minnesota. These outbreaks resulted in over 900 illnesses. The most common symptom of recreational water illness is diarrhea, which is frequently severe enough to result in hospitalization. Symptoms may not begin until a week or more after swimming.
Cryptosporidium, one of the most common waterborne disease agents, is a chlorine-resistant parasite that can survive and be transmitted even in a properly maintained pool.
For more information about Healthy Swimming, see the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Healthy Swimming Web page at www.cdc.gov/healthywater/swimming.
Minnesota Pollution Control Agency (MPCA) Air Quality Updates
For hourly air quality updates, visit the MPCA AQI Web site at aqi.pca.state.mn.us.
Sign up at mn.enviroflash.info to receive daily air quality forecasts and air pollution health alerts by email or text message.
U.S.FEMA Continues to Monitor Tropical Storm Bonnie, Encourages Americans to be Prepared
Visit Ready.gov to Learn Simple Steps You and Your Family Should Take
July 22, 2010
WASHINGTON, D.C. — This evening, the National Hurricane Center (NHC) announced that the tropical depression has been upgraded to Tropical Storm Bonnie with sustained winds of 40 mph, to become the second named storm of the Atlantic Hurricane season. The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) continues to monitor the storm and stands ready to support state, territory and local officials in the region and the Gulf Coast to ensure they have the resources to respond should a storm strike. FEMA also is urging everyone in the region to take steps now to ensure they are prepared for possible severe weather.
The NHC has issued a tropical storm warning for the east coast of Florida from Golden Beach Southward, including the entire Florida Keys and Florida Bay and along the west coast of Florida, northward to Bonita Beach. The NHC has also issued a tropical storm watch for the entire east coast of Florida north of Golden Beach to Jupiter inlet, including Lake Okeechobee. A warning means that tropical storm conditions are expected somewhere within the warning area within 36 hours. A watch means that the conditions are possible within the watch area, generally within 48 hours.
"We continue to monitor the storm and FEMA personnel continue to work closely with state, territory, and local officials to ensure they have the support they need," said FEMA Administrator Craig Fugate. "The most important thing for people living in the area to do right now is to ensure their family is prepared and to follow the instructions of local officials. For more information and helpful tips, anyone can visit www.Ready.gov."
FEMA has life-saving and life-sustaining commodities and supplies strategically located across the country to support states in their response. These supplies, including water, meals, tarps, blankets, generators and other essential items, can be replenished through the national logistics supply chain.
In Florida and locations around the Gulf Coast alone, more than one million liters of water, 1.8 million meals, 70,000 rolls of plastic sheeting, 260,000 tarps, 250,000 blankets, 60,000 cots and 300 generators are available for use as needed. FEMA has conducted resource support planning and preparations with all hurricane-prone states and territories for the current hurricane season to ensure a coordinated disaster response, if needed.
The storm's tract is currently moving west-northwestward toward the Gulf of Mexico. FEMA also remains in close contact with our federal partners at the National Hurricane Center and the U.S. Coast Guard. If the tract continues in that direction, the Unified Area Command will make any decisions regarding the movement of assets and workers involved with the BP Deepwater Horizon Operations.
The National Weather Service remains the source of official severe weather watches and warnings, including flash flooding which can take only a few minutes to develop in the case of heavy rains. Puerto Rico, the Virgin Islands and surrounding areas have already been receiving heavy rainfall. FEMA encourages all individuals in the region to listen to NOAA Weather Radio and their local news to monitor for severe weather updates, and to follow the directions provided by their local officials.
FEMA's mission is to support our citizens and first responders to ensure that as a nation we work together to build, sustain, and improve our capability to prepare for, protect against, respond to, recover from, and mitigate all hazards.
Role of FEMA in Disasters
FEMA coordinates the federal government's role in preparing for, preventing, mitigating the effects of, responding to, and recovering from all domestic disasters, whether natural or man-made, including acts of terror. For more information on FEMA's activities, visit www.FEMA.gov.
FEMA is not the whole team — FEMA is part of the emergency management team. That team includes federal partners, state, tribal and local officials, the private sector, non-profits and faith-based groups, and most importantly — the general public.
Individual and community preparedness is the responsibility of everyone. Individuals, families and businesses should prepare emergency supply kits and develop family emergency plans. Our team can only be as prepared as the public, which is why it is important that people living in hurricane-prone areas take steps to prepare and protect their family. Emergency preparedness information for individuals and businesses is available online at www.Ready.gov.
