http://www.americanfamilysafety.com/be-ready-library Wed, 10 May 2006 14:29:44 +0000 http://backend.userland.com/rss092 en Photo courtesy of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration You’ve no doubt seen news coverage of the 35 tornadoes that hit five states this month: Tennessee, Missouri, Illinois, Indiana and Kentucky. Several dozen residents were killed, with many more injured. While Doppler radar and tornado warning systems have dramatically reduced ... http://www.americanfamilysafety.com/be-ready-library/2005/11/tornado-preparedness Bugs and rats are unpleasant topics, but they’re an unfortunate reality when hurricanes and flooding occur. “Insect and rodent populations increase rapidly after disasters like hurricanes, due to vast supplies of food and ample harborage among abandoned homes,” says Allen James, president of Responsible Industry for a Sound Environment (RISE), a ... http://www.americanfamilysafety.com/be-ready-library/2005/11/don%e2%80%99t-bug-me It didn’t take long for the “blame game” to reach critical mass after Hurricane Wilma tore through South Florida. Emergency water and ice distribution centers ran out of supplies, even though the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) had delivered more than 300 truckloads of water, ice and meals three days ... http://www.americanfamilysafety.com/be-ready-library/2005/11/treading-water One of the most important lessons we’ve learned from Hurricanes Katrina, Rita and Wilma is that every American—regardless of where you live—must have an adequate supply of safe drinking water on hand for emergency situations. America’s top disaster preparedness agencies have consistently offered the following advice: Maintain the equivalent of 3 ... http://www.americanfamilysafety.com/be-ready-library/2005/10/got-water Tropical Storm Wilma has officially developed into the 12th hurricane of the 2005 season, and experts predict it will reach Florida by the weekend. At press time, Wilma is packing 75-mph winds, moving from the northwestern Caribbean Sea toward the Gulf of Mexico. According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric ... http://www.americanfamilysafety.com/be-ready-library/2005/10/a-relentless-hurricane-season In last week’s Hot Off the Press column, I covered the health risks New Orleans residents have been facing since floodwaters inundated their city. But drinking polluted water is only one of the ways you may become ill if your town floods during a disaster. Germs and hazardous substances can enter ... http://www.americanfamilysafety.com/be-ready-library/2005/10/floods-your-health New Orleans—Members of California Task Force 3 Urban Search and Rescue’s Decontamination Unit “decon” U.S. Coast Guard personnel working rescue missions by boat. The floodwaters are highly contaminated with E. coli and other health hazards. (Bob McMillan/FEMA photo) “Water, water everywhere, Nor any drop to drink.” These lines from Samuel Taylor Coleridge’s ... http://www.americanfamilysafety.com/be-ready-library/2005/09/a-public-health-nightmare Photos courtesy of Clemson University Farmers in areas battered by Hurricanes Katrina, Ophelia and Rita face unprecedented challenges. Media coverage has focused primarily on high-profile cities like New Orleans and Houston, but “we are witness to immense tragedies in the rural areas of Alabama, Mississippi and Louisiana,” says Ralph Paige, executive ... http://www.americanfamilysafety.com/be-ready-library/2005/09/heartbreak-in-the-heartland As Hurricane Ophelia pounds North Carolina and cleanup from Hurricane Katrina continues, stranded pets have been making headlines over the last week. While human lives take priority in any rescue effort, many residents refused to heed mandatory evacuation orders because they didn’t want to leave their beloved pets behind. “The people ... http://www.americanfamilysafety.com/be-ready-library/2005/09/voiceless-victims Hurricane Katrina’s victims in Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama and Florida are now a public-relations nightmare for the government—federal, state and local. The Federal Emergency Management Agency has asked the media to refrain from taking photographs of recovered bodies, but many Americans believe it’s not about preserving victims’ dignity. In a poll ... http://www.americanfamilysafety.com/be-ready-library/2005/09/death-watch