Wondering how you can help prepare newcomers for emergencies? Take a proactive approach! Newcomers should be familiar with local emergency protocols and available resources. Provide guidance about potential risks, share videos and tips on preparedness, and inform newcomers about how to access available support before, during, and after emergencies. You may also assist clients in gathering an emergency kit for various emergency scenarios.
This blog post reviews four types of weather and climate emergencies that newcomers may encounter and shares resources to help communities stay informed and safe. For informationon preparing newcomers for fire, extreme heat, cold weather and snow, and public health emergencies, see part two of this series.
Focus on Credible Information
Disinformation and misinformation are common during emergencies. To best support newcomers in finding credible sources of information:
• Offer clients various credible resources on emergency preparedness and response. Resources should ideally be in your clients’ preferred languages and formats.
• Explain which sources do not usually provide accurate information about emergencies. Advise that information shared on social media may not be reliable. Flag details to look for that can suggest that a source is unreliable.
• Discuss the potential for misinformation and disinformation from non-credible sources and the impact they can have.
• Encourage newcomers to monitor or set up notifications for local weather alerts and emergency preparedness advisory.
• Emphasize the importance of staying attentive to local advisories before, during, and after an emergency as recommendations may change.
• Explain relevant terminology, including the difference between different advisory levels (such as a watch versus a warning).
1. Floods: Safety and Evacuation
Key Risks:
Floods are the most common disaster in the United States. Depending on their location, newcomers should be informed of potential flooding risks. Flooding can occur after heavy rain, hurricanes, or rapidly melting snow. Vehicle and property damage, water contamination, drowning, and other injuries can occur.
Preparedness Tips:
● Inform about flood-prone areas and risks.
● Explain how to access flood watch or warning alerts and their different meanings.
● Demonstrate and practice how to protect belongings.
● Create an emergency plan with flood evacuation routes.
● Emphasize the dangers of driving or walking through floodwaters.
● Explain that any food (including fruits and vegetables) touched by floodwater must be thrown away, as the water may contain sewage, chemicals, and dangerous bacteria.
Resources:
● FEMA Flood Preparedness (available in English, Spanish, Korean, Chinese, and Vietnamese)
● Ready.gov: Floods (available in English, Spanish, French, Haitian Creole, Chinese, Korean, Russian, Tagalog, and Vietnamese)
The following are available in in eighteen languages including Spanish, Arabic, French, Ukrainian, Dari, and Pashto, from the Vermont Language Justice Project::
● National Weather Service: Flooding
● Returning to Your Home After a Flood
● Flood Water on Your Fruits and Vegetables Can Make You Very Sick if You Eat Them
2. Hurricanes: Evacuation and Shelter
Key Risks:
Coastal areas and some inland regions may be affected by hurricanes at specific times of the year. Hurricanes involve strong winds, rain, and storm surges. They can cause significant damage to homes and buildings, knock down trees and power lines, and generate tornadoes and flooding, which can lead to destruction and loss of life.
Preparedness Tips:
● Inform clients of when hurricane season takes place in their area. For the Atlantic basin in the U.S., this lasts June 1-November 30, with a peak in September; for the Pacific basin, the season runs May 15-November 30, with a peak in late August.
● Explain the importance of evacuation routes and shelters.
● Discuss how to prepare an emergency kit with essentials like water, food, medications, and important documents.
● Provide information on how to find credible sources for weather alerts and official instructions.
Resources:
● FEMA: Be Prepared for a Hurricane (available in English, Spanish, Korean, Chinese, and Vietnamese)
● Ready.gov: Hurricanes (available in available in English, Spanish, French, Haitian Creole, Chinese, Korean, Russian, Tagalog, and Vietnamese)
● NRC-RIM: Hurricane Preparedness (English, Dari, and Pashto)
● Settle In: Staying Safe During Hurricanes (available in English, Dari, Pashto, Ukrainian, Russian, and Spanish)
3. Tornadoes: Shelter and Safety
Key Risks:
Tornadoes occur suddenly under specific environmental conditions and can cause extensive damage and loss of life, particularly in the midwestern and southern regions of the U.S.
Preparedness Tips:
● Review the different types of tornado alerts.
- A tornado watch means that tornados are possible near the watch area.
- A tornado warning means that a tornado has been sighted or indicated via radar.
- A tornado emergency, the highest alert per the National Weather Service, means a violent tornado has touched down in the watch area.
● Discuss the signs of a tornado and tips for how to best prepare before a tornado, including how to prepare and identify a safe place in the home (basement, interior room, or closet).
● Explain how to practice tornado drills.
● Provide guidance for what to do during and after a tornado. Include different scenarios, such as when you are in a vehicle or outside.
● Emphasize the importance of not attempting to outrun a tornado.
Resources:
● FEMA: Tornado (available in English, Spanish, Korean, Chinese, and Vietnamese)
● Ready.gov: Tornadoes (available in available in English, Spanish, French, Haitian Creole, Chinese, Korean, Russian, Tagalog, and Vietnamese)
● National Weather Service: Tornado Safety
● OSHA: Tornado Preparedness and Response
● Settle In: How to Prepare for a Tornado (available in English, Dari, Pashto, Ukrainian, Russian, and Spanish)
4. Earthquakes: Preparedness and Evacuation
Key Risks:
Earthquakes pose a significant risk in certain regions of the United States. Earthquakes can destabilize buildings and cause fires from broken gas and electrical lines. Newcomers from countries without frequent earthquakes may need extra guidance on how to prepare for and react to an earthquake.
Preparedness Tips:
Explain “Drop, Cover, and Hold On” protocols during an earthquake.
● Identify how to safely exit a building after the shaking stops (never using an elevator) and where to find open spaces away from power lines and falling debris. Explain that elevators cannot be used safely in the aftermath of earthquakes.
● Discuss how to locate local shelters.
● Explain how to determine if it is safe to return a building or your home after an earthquake is over.
Resources:
● FEMA: Earthquake (available in English, Spanish, Korean, Chinese, and Vietnamese)
● Ready.gov: Earthquakes (available in English, Spanish, French, Haitian Creole, Chinese, Korean, Russian, Tagalog, and Vietnamese)
● American Red Cross: Earthquake Safety (available in English, Spanish, Burmese, Arabic, Chinese, French, Hakha Chin, and Polish)
● CA.gov: Earthquake Warning California
● Settle In: How to Prepare for an Earthquake (available in English, Dari, Pashto, Ukrainian, Russian, and Spanish)
Check out other Switchboard resources on newcomer emergency preparedness:
Evidence Summary: What are the best strategies for emergency preparedness and emergency information dissemination among resettled refugees?
Checklist: In-Home Health and Safety
Information Guide: Safety Planning and Emergency Preparedness for Refugee Housing
