Emergency Management

Severe Weather awareness isn't just for a week in April.  View weather safety information anytime to stay safe during dangerous weather.

According to the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources, Minnesota experiences an average of 29​ tornadoes per year. In 2021, Minnesota recorded 64 tornadoes, including 22 on December 15 alone, which were the latest reported tornadoes on record. A record was set in 2010 with 113 tornadoes touching down across the state.

Each day of the week focuses on a different weather safety topic:

• Monday: Alerts and Warnings
• Tuesday: Severe Weather, Lightning and Hail
• Wednesday: Floods
• Thursday: Tornadoes (with statewide tornado drills)
• Friday: Extreme Heat and Wildfires​

Receive customized weather alerts by signing up here: https://inws.ncep.noaa.gov/ 

Find the latest from the National Weather Service here, with its info-graphic - Twin Cities Weather Story

For forecast and weather information, visit the National Weather Service Twin Cities website

Enhanced Weather Outlook graphical tool HERE to help you see what weather hazards may be present or forecasted

Current NWS Radar

Make sure you are ready as you travel over the river and through the woods, to Grandmother's house, or anyone else's house  https://www.ready.gov/car

Extreme Heat can be not just dangerous, but deadly!  Learn more

Preparedness for pets is important too.  Make sure your furry friends are safe too with these tips

How do you stay safe in a flood?  Here's what you need to know

And why not take time to make a plan

Weather safety tips in other languages here

Preparedness information, flood insurance, and other information to be prepared or recover from disasters is available from HSEM

As leaders in multi-language health, safety and emergency readiness communications, TPTNow has worked with bilingual community leaders and health and safety experts to create preparedness information, messaging and high quality videos in multiple languages. 

Videos on various preparedness topics can be found HERE.  Videos are available on many topics in English, Spanish, Hmong, Somali, Vietnamese, Lao, and Khmer.

TPT/ECHO website

FEMA’s (Federal Emergency Management Agency) website has information and materials available in languages other than English.

Disaster survivors can find translated information about disaster assistance programs, emergency preparedness, response and recovery activities, and flood insurance. The information comes in various formats and is available for sharing and downloading. Additional resources will be added periodically, so please visit often.

Downed trees from storm damage?  Here's what you need to know.  https://www.stpaul.gov/departments/parks-recreation/natural-resources/forestry/storm-response

Air Quality Index and information can be found here.

Be Air Aware and understand how air quality can affect your health!

In order to encourage Americans to prepare themselves, their families, and their communities, the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), in partnership with The Advertising Council, has sponsored public service advertisements (PSAs) that educate and empower Americans to prepare for and respond to all kinds of emergencies.

Disasters often strike quickly and without warning. They are frightening for adults, and can be traumatic for children. Your family may have to leave home and change your daily routine. Be prepared to give your children guidance that will help reduce their fears.

Preparedness starts with each one of us taking steps to stay safe before, during, and after disasters or emergencies. By setting aside the time and resources to be prepared at home, you can help keep you family safer – and help keep emergency responders safer, too! The Red Cross has many resources to help youth and their grown-ups be better prepared at home. 

Alexa, how do I prepare for a disaster?

The Red Cross has created several apps that are free and can help you be prepared and help keep your family safe.  Learn more

The Minnesota Pollution Control Agency (MPCA) posts current and forecasted Air Quality Conditions.

The Air Quality Index (AQI) was developed by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to provide a simple, uniform way to report daily air quality conditions. Minnesota AQI numbers are determined by hourly measurements of five pollutants:

• Fine particles
• Ground-level ozone
• Sulfur dioxide
• Nitrogen dioxide
• Carbon monoxide

Sign up for air quality forecasts and alerts.

Exposure to air pollution can affect everyone’s health. When we breathe in air pollutants, they can enter our bloodstream and contribute to coughing or itchy eyes and cause or worsen many breathing and lung diseases, leading to hospitalizations, cancer, or even premature death.

No matter where you live, you can be exposed to air pollution from vehicle exhaust, smoke, road dust, industrial emissions, pollen, gas-fueled yard equipment, chemicals we use in our homes, and other sources.

Both short-term and long-term exposure to air pollutants can cause a variety of health problems. For people with asthma or chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD/emphysema or chronic bronchitis), air pollution can make it harder to breathe, trigger asthma attacks, or cause wheezing and coughing. Air pollution also increases the risk of respiratory infections, heart disease, stroke, and lung cancer, and more severely affects people who are already ill.

Populations most at risk of health problems related to air pollution:

• People with lung diseases, such as asthma, chronic bronchitis, emphysema, and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease
• Infants and young children
• People who work or exercise outdoors
• Adults over 65
• People with a cardiovascular disease
• People in poverty; people who lack access to health care
• People who smoke or are exposed to second-hand smoke
• People working in occupations where there is high exposure to contaminated air
• People who spend a lot of time near busy roadways

Allergies - Pollen forecast 

Sunscreen

• Put on broad spectrum sunscreen that filters out both UVA and UVB rays and has an SPF of 15 or higher before you go outside. Don’t forget to put a thick layer on all exposed skin. Get help for hard-to-reach places like your back. And remember, sunscreen works best when combined with other options.
• Sunscreen is not recommended for babies who are 6 months old or younger. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration recommends keeping infants out of the sun during midday and using protective clothing if they have to be in the sun.
• SPF. Sunscreens are assigned a sun protection factor (SPF), which is a number that rates how well they filter out UV rays. Higher numbers indicate more protection. You should use a broad spectrum sunscreen with SPF of 15 or higher.
• Reapplication. Sunscreen wears off. Put it on again if you stay out in the sun for more than 2 hours and after swimming, sweating, or toweling off.
• Expiration date. Check the sunscreen’s expiration date. Sunscreen without an expiration date has a shelf life of no more than 3 years. Its shelf life is shorter if it has been exposed to high temperatures.

Most skin cancers are caused by too much exposure to ultraviolet (UV) light. UV rays are an invisible kind of radiation that comes from the sun, tanning beds, and sunlamps. UV rays can damage skin cells.

Protection from UV rays is important all year, not just during the summer. UV rays can reach you on cloudy and cool days, and they reflect off of surfaces like water, cement, sand, and snow. In the continental United States, UV rays tend to be strongest from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. daylight saving time (9 a.m. to 3 p.m. standard time).  

Current UV Index for Saint Paul

Heat Stroke
Heat stroke is the most serious heat-related illness. It occurs when the body can no longer control its temperature: the body’s temperature rises rapidly, the sweating mechanism fails, and the body is unable to cool down. When heat stroke occurs, the body temperature can rise to 106°F or higher within 10 to 15 minutes. Heat stroke can cause permanent disability or death if the person does not receive emergency treatment.

Symptoms of heat stroke include:

• Confusion, altered mental status, slurred speech
• Loss of consciousness (coma)
• Hot, dry skin or profuse sweating
• Seizures
• Very high body temperature
• Fatal if treatment delayed
• First Aid
• Take the following steps to treat a worker with heat stroke:

Call 911 for emergency medical care.

• Move the worker to a shaded, cool area and remove outer clothing.
• Cool the worker quickly, using the following methods:
• With a cold water or ice bath, if possible
• Wet the skin
• Place cold wet cloths on the skin
• Soak clothing with cool water
• Circulate the air around the worker to speed cooling.
• Place cold wet cloths or ice on the head, neck, armpits, and groin; or soak the clothing with cool water.

Heat exhaustion 

Heat exhaustion is the body’s response to an excessive loss of water and salt, usually through excessive sweating. Heat exhaustion is most likely to affect:

• The elderly
• People with high blood pressure
• Those working in a hot environment

Symptoms of heat exhaustion include:

• Headache
• Nausea
• Dizziness
• Weakness
• Irritability
• Thirst
• Heavy sweating
• Elevated body temperature
• Decreased urine output
• First Aid

Treat a worker who has heat exhaustion by doing the following:

• Take worker to a clinic or emergency room for medical evaluation and treatment.
• Call 911 if medical care is unavailable.
• Have someone stay with the worker until help arrives.
• Remove the worker from the hot area and give liquids to drink.
• Remove unnecessary clothing, including shoes and socks.
• Cool the worker with cold compresses or have the worker wash their head, face, and neck with cold water.
• Encourage frequent sips of cool water.

Heat Cramps
Heat cramps usually affect workers who sweat a lot during strenuous activity. This sweating depletes the body’s salt and moisture levels. Low salt levels in muscles cause painful cramps. Heat cramps may also be a symptom of heat exhaustion.

Symptoms

• Muscle cramps, pain, or spasms in the abdomen, arms, or legs

Workers with heat cramps should do the following:

• Drink water and have a snack or a drink that replaces carbohydrates and electrolytes (such as sports drinks) every 15 to 20 minutes.
• Avoid salt tablets.
• Get medical help if the worker:
  • Has heart problems.
  • Is on a low sodium diet.
  • Has cramps that do not subside within 1 hour.

Heat Rash

Heat rash is a skin irritation caused by excessive sweating during hot, humid weather.

Symptoms of heat rash include:

• Red clusters of pimples or small blisters
• Usually appears on the neck, upper chest, groin, under the breasts, and in elbow creases

Workers who have heat rash should:

• Work in a cooler, less humid environment, if possible.
• Keep the rash area dry.
• Apply powder to increase comfort.
• Don’t use ointments and creams.

More information can be found here from the CDC

It’s a warm summer day, and you’re feeling parched. Make sure you reach for a tall glass of water. You’re already beginning to feel the signs of dehydration.

Dehydration is a condition in which you lose so much body fluid that your body can’t function normally. It occurs when you lose more fluids than you take in. Dehydration may happen on a particularly hot day if you sweat a lot, or if you’re sick with fever, diarrhea or vomiting. It can also occur if don’t drink enough water, or if you’re taking a medication that increases your pee (urine) output.

When you aren’t properly hydrated, your body’s natural response is thirst. You should respond to thirst right away by drinking fluids — preferably water. You can usually treat mild dehydration by drinking more fluids. But dehydration isn’t always easy to spot. It can be found in the aging parent who forgets to drink water or the fussy baby who can’t tell you they’re thirsty. Make sure to keep your loved ones hydrated. If you or a loved one has a moderate to severe case of dehydration, you may need to go to the hospital to get IV fluids. Left untreated, severe dehydration can be fatal.

What are the symptoms of dehydration?
If you suspect that you or your child is severely dehydrated, seek immediate medical attention. 

Signs of dehydration in kids include:

• Dry tongue and dry lips.
• No tears when crying.
• Fewer than six wet diapers per day (for infants), and no wet diapers or urination for eight hours (in toddlers).
• Sunken soft spot on your infant’s head.
• Sunken eyes.
• Dry, wrinkled skin.
• Deep, rapid breathing.
• Cool, blotchy hands and feet.
   

Dehydration symptoms in adults may include:

• Headache, delirium and confusion.
• Tiredness (fatigue).
• Dizziness, weakness and lightheadedness.
• Dry mouth and/or a dry cough.
• High heart rate but low blood pressure.
• Loss of appetite but maybe craving sugar.
• Flushed (red) skin.
• Swollen feet.
• Muscle cramps.
• Heat intolerance or chills.
• Constipation.
• Dark-colored pee (urine). Your pee should be a pale, clear color.

More information can be found from the Mayo Clinic or the Cleveland Clinic

Colds, flus and other respiratory illnesses are more common in colder months. People are indoors more often, allowing viruses to pass more easily from one person to another. And the cold, dry air may weaken resistance.

If you’re coughing and sneezing this winter, how do you know if you have a cold or something more serious? Do you need antibiotics? Are you contagious?

Johns Hopkins University: Winter Illness Guide

The flu is a respiratory disease caused by a virus that attacks the nose, throat, and lungs. Illness is usually mild or moderate, not requiring hospitalization. However, at times flu can be severe, even leading to death. It is not the same as the "stomach flu."

Flu symptoms include fever, dry cough, sore throat, headache, extreme tiredness, and body aches. These symptoms usually begin suddenly and might be severe enough to stop your daily activities.

Seasonal Influenza Information can be found here