Make sure your emergency kit is stocked with the items on the checklist below. Most of the items are inexpensive and easy to find, and any one of them could save your life. Headed to the store? Download a printable version to take with you. Once you take a look at the basic items, consider what unique needs your family might have, such as supplies for pets, or seniors.
After an emergency, you may need to survive on your own for several days. Being prepared means having your own food, water and other supplies to last for at least 72 hours. A disaster supplies kit is a collection of basic items your household may need in the event of an emergency.
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From the Georgia Department of Public Health website
Mosquito-borne Viral Diseases
Several mosquito-borne viruses circulate in Georgia each year and are capable of causing disease in humans and other animals. The most common mosquito-borne viruses in Georgia include West Nile virus, Eastern Equine encephalitis virus, and LaCrosse virus. Saint Louis encephalitis virus has also been detected in Georgia in the past. Mosquito-borne viruses are most active late spring through early fall in Georgia.
Mosquito-borne viruses can infect birds, horses, and other animals in addition to humans. If public health reports positive birds or horses in your area, or if you see large numbers of mosquitoes, you could be at increased risk of infection. Always take personal protective measures to avoid mosquito bites, especially when mosquito-borne viruses have been identified near you.
For more information on mosquitoes in North Georgia, click on the LOCATIONS tab above in the navigation bar and choose the County Environmental Health office for your county in North Georgia.
Information on Repellents:
The Georgia Department of Public Health recommends the use of products containing active ingredients that have been registered with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) for use as repellents applied to skin and clothing.
Of the products registered with the EPA, those containing DEET, picaridin, IR3535, and some oil of lemon eucalyptus and para-menthane-diol products provide longer-lasting protection.
EPA registration means that EPA does not expect the product to cause adverse effects to human health or the environment when used according to the label.
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From DMV.org by Bridget Clerkin
A vehicle's interior can warm rapidly and prove fatal to children and pets.
With its longer days and warmer air, summer is a seasonal favorite of many. But the same things that make this time of year so pleasant can also make it potentially dangerous.
The hottest months of 2018 are here and already, many children have lost their lives this year to vehicular heatstroke. Most of the victims were infants, with a 3-year-old marking the year’s oldest casualty to date.
The statistics are undoubtedly tragic, but sadly, they’re nothing new. Since 1998, 754 children age 14 and under have passed away from vehicular heatstroke. At an average of 37 incidents each year, the scenario is the leading auto-related killer of children outside of roadway accidents.
Children under 1 are the primary victims.
And that’s to say nothing of the thousands of animals that lose their lives each year inside a hot car.
But the heartbreaking situation is nothing if not preventable.
Below are some tips, tricks, and facts to help make this summer as safe as possible for your smallest passengers.
Heat Rising
One of the things that makes vehicular heatstroke so dangerous is how quickly it strikes.
In 10 minutes, the interior of a car can heat up by 19 degrees. And cracking a window doesn’t help.
In 10 minutes, the interior of a car can heat up by 19 degrees.
The issue arises from the rays of shortwave radiation beaming down from the sun. The solar energy is absorbed particularly well by dark-colored objects, such as a dashboard, steering wheel, or car seat, which can reach temperatures of up to 200 degrees from exposure to the rays.
The heat-absorbed objects then, in turn, emit longwave radiation, which works quickly and effectively at warming the air inside of a vehicle.
Children and animals are particularly at risk in the superheated environment as it takes far less to bring up their core temperatures.
Even in a vehicle parked in the shade, a 2-year-old’s body can reach a potentially fatal 104 degrees in under 2 hours, according to a recent study conducted by the University of Arizona. (Cars parked in the sun could become deadly in just one hour, the study found.)
And while vehicles with light-colored interiors take slightly longer to reach dangerous levels, they aren’t immune to the lethal effects, which can take place on days with a temperature as low as 57 degrees.
Still, a number of technological solutions are being developed to help combat the problem—and they’re becoming more widely available (go to DMV.org to learn more).
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