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 climate and health emergencies that newcomers may encounter and shares resources to help communities stay informed and safe. This post is the second in a two-part series. For information on preparing newcomers for floods, hurricanes, tornadoes, and earthquakes, see part one of this series. Part one also discusses how to aid newcomers in sourcing credible information.
1. Fires: Prevention, Response and Air Quality
Key Risks:
Wildfires, house fires, and other fire-related emergencies are increasingly common in the U.S., particularly in areas affected by drought or extreme heat. Wildfires can heavily impact air quality, which can have serious health impacts.
Preparedness Tips:
● Provide information about local fire hazards.
● Discuss fire safety, including how to properly use smoke detectors and fire extinguishers. Advise clients on the importance of not dismantling the smoke detectors; when and how to change the batteries; and how to report to the leasing office if any detectors are non-functional.
● Discuss the proper way to use and store fire extinguishers. Remind clients that fire extinguishers expire; this expiration date should be checked annually.
● Review home preparations, including how to seal windows and doors to limit exposure to smoke.
● Provide examples of household evacuation plans in the event of a fire and support
newcomers in developing a plan that is tailored to their specific type of housing and local guidance.
● Highlight the importance of understanding and abiding by local fire restrictions. Explain how these restrictions can change depending on weather conditions.
● Provide information about the National Fire Danger Rating System (NFDRS), a system that categorizes the risk of fire danger in a given area. Advise clients to regularly monitor this rating, if available in their area.
● Review local community-level evacuation plans in the event of a widespread fire.
● Explain how to contact emergency services in case of a fire.
● Discuss how to check air quality indexes. Advise clients to stay indoors when air quality is poor. Highlight the benefits of wearing a mask when needed.
Resources:
● FEMA: Fire Prevention and Community Risk Reduction
● American Red Cross: Home Fire Safety (available in English and Spanish)
● NYC Fire Department: Translated Materials on House Fire Prevention (available in Arabic, Bengali, Chinese, Creole, French, Italian, Korean, Polish, Russian, Spanish, and Urdu)
● U.S. Fire Administration: Home Fires
● Settle In: Basic Home Safety (Arabic, Burmese, Dari, Kinyarwanda, Pashto, Russian, Spanish, Swahili, and Ukrainian)
● American Lung Association: Wildfire Smoke (available in English, Spanish, Chinese, Vietnamese, Tagalog, and Russian)
● AirNow: Air Quality Index (AQI) Basics (available in English and Spanish)
● EPA: Air Quality (available in ten languages, including Spanish, Arabic, Haitian Creole, Russian, and Vietnamese)
● NRC-RIM: Stay Safe from Wildfire Smoke (available in English, Dari, Pashto)
● Ready.gov: Build a Kit (available in eleven languages, including Spanish, Arabic, Haitian Creole, and Chinese)
● Vermont Language Justice Project: Wildfires and Your Health (available in eighteen languages, including Spanish, Arabic, Ukrainian, Pashto, Dari, and American Sign Language)
2. Summer Safety: Extreme Heat and Swimming
Key Risks:
High temperatures can cause heatstroke, dehydration, and other heat-related illnesses, especially among vulnerable populations such as the elderly and young children. Additionally, as people participate in more water activities in the warmer weather, drowning risks and water-related injuries also rise.
Preparedness Tips:
● Emphasize the importance of staying cool, drinking plenty of fluids (especially water), applying sunscreen, and avoiding outdoor activities during the hottest part of the day.
● Explain the signs of heat exhaustion and heatstroke.
● Emphasize the danger of leaving children or animals in parked cars—even a few minutes can be fatal as vehicles heat up rapidly.
● Provide information on safe swimming practices and how to supervise children in and around water.
● Provide suggestions for how to keep homes cool without consuming too much electricity and review potential resources, such as local cooling centers, if available. Highlight the location of these resources.
Resources:
● CDC: Extreme Heat and Your Health
● American Red Cross: Water Safety (available in English, Spanish, and Haitian Creole)
● National Weather Service: Heat Safety Tips and Resources
● NRC-RIM: Summer (Heat and Water) Safety (available in English, Arabic, Dari, French, Haitian Creole, Kinyarwanda, Pashto, Russian, Spanish, Swahili [Congolese], Ukrainian)
● Settle In: Staying Safe in Extreme Heat (available in English, Dari, Pashto, Ukrainian, Russian, Spanish)
● Vermont Language Justice Project: Staying Safe Near Lakes, Rivers, and the Swimming Pool (available in fifteen languages, including Spanish, Arabic, Ukrainian, Pashto, and Dari)
● Vermont Language Justice Project: Taking Care of Yourself and Others in Hot Weather (available in sixteen languages, including Spanish, Arabic, Ukrainian, Pashto, Dari, and American Sign Language)
3. Winter Safety: Cold Weather and Snow
Key Risks:
Harsh winters can lead to hypothermia, frostbite, and unsafe driving conditions. Newcomers from warmer climates may be unfamiliar with the different cold weather hazards.
Preparedness Tips:
● Provide clothing guidance (and ideally, the clothing itself) for cold temperatures. Explain the importance of layers, hats, gloves, scarves, and appropriate shoes.
● Discuss the dangers of icy sidewalks and slippery roads.
● Strategize how to keep homes warm without overloading heating systems, such as heating only common rooms and covering doors and windows with blankets.
● Discuss vehicle and transportation safety tips, especially if they own a car.
● List the symptoms of hypothermia and frostbite, including when clients need to seek medical treatment.
Resources:
● CDC Safety Guidelines: During & After a Winter Storm (available in English and Spanish)
● National Weather Service: Winter Safety (available in English, Spanish, Chinese, and Vietnamese)
● American Red Cross: Winter Storm Safety
● Settle In: Staying Safe During Freezing Temperatures (available in English, Dari, Pashto, Ukrainian, Russian, and Spanish)
● Switchboard and Society of Refugee Healthcare Providers:
- Helping Clients Prepare for Extreme Winter Weather: Vehicle and Transportation Safety
- Resources for Before, During and After the Storm
● Vermont Language Justice Project: How to Stay Safe in Very Cold Weather (available in seventeen languages including Arabic, French, Ukrainian, Dari, and Pashto)
4. Public Health Emergencies
Key Risks:
The COVID-19 pandemic showed us the importance of preparedness during a public health emergency. Preparing for public health emergencies includes staying up to date on the health status of each family member and identifying sources of credible, vetted information, particularly as information may change quickly in the case of a novel disease.
Preparedness Tips:
● Stress the importance of understanding each family member’s health status and risks. This includes staying up to date with vaccinations, making preventative care appointments, and ensuring that medical records are accessible.
● Review the locations of the closest healthcare facilities, the types of care each facility offers, and the transportation plans for accessing each facility.
● Identify different types of credible and noncredible sources of health information for newcomers to access.
● Discuss the potential for misinformation and disinformation from non-credible sources.
● Encourage clients to contact their primary care provider with health-related questions or concerns.
Resources:
● The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (assistance available in sixteen languages, including Spanish, Arabic, Haitian Creole, and Russian)
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
Conclusion
Emergency preparedness is critical to helping newcomer communities in the U.S. stay safe and resilient in the face of disasters. Connecting newcomers with trusted resources can contribute to the well-being of communities and help mitigate the risks associated with disasters.
