* TIPS & GIVEAWAY * What Happens AFTER Disaster Strikes? & Clorox - $25 Visa Gift Card Giveaway (ends 10/7 at 11:59 PM CDT)

Being in the Midwest, we are sometimes prone to severe weather, like snowstorms, flooding, tornadoes and other natural disasters.  For the next few weeks, I'll be sharing tips with you on how to prepare your household in case one of these emergencies happen to you.  Read the prior posts about:
- building an emergency preparedness kit
- how to create an emergency preparedness plan
- creating an emergency plan for your pets 

It’s National Preparedness Month - Emergency Preparedness Plan: Check! Emergency Preparedness Kit: Check! – What happens AFTER disaster strikes? What do you do when you get home?

• In the wake of disaster, there is much to do as you assess the health and safety of your household as well as next steps to rebuild your life. The first thing you’ll want to do is check communication channels to ensure that local officials have declared it safe to return home.

• When home, cleaning up after a natural disaster can be a daunting task so it’s important keep your health top of mind using these steps:

o Before entering the home, look outside for loose power lines, damaged gas lines, foundation cracks or other damage

o During cleanup, wear protective clothing, including rubber gloves and rubber boots

o Look for flooding or large pools of standing water surrounding your home. These waters can be contaminated with high levels of bacteria that can make you sick, so disinfecting with a solution of bleach and water may help to remove mold and prevent the spread of infections and illness

• For more information please visit www.clorox.com/redcross and download the preparedness guide: Prepare Yourself Now for Peace of Mind Later

General Health & Safety Tips:

• For more information please visit www.clorox.com/redcross and download the preparedness guide: Prepare Yourself Now for Peace of Mind Later

• Keep your hands clean, either by washing your hands or using a hand sanitizer

• If you feel feverish or sick after a disaster or during clean-up, see a doctor immediately

• Eat healthy foods and drink lots of clean water

o REMEMBER – your emergency preparedness kit should include a minimum three-day supply of water for evacuations (2 weeks for home) for your entire household. This means approximately one gallon per person, per day for washing and drinking

• If water supplies are compromised and you are unable to boil water for one minute (three minutes at high elevation), you can create drinkable water by using un-scented disinfecting bleach such as Clorox. You can also use bleach to clean non-porous surfaces in your home

o To Disinfect Surfaces: Use 1/4 cup bleach to 1 gallon of water, or as directed on the label, to disinfect hard, non-porous surfaces in your home.

o To Disinfect Water: If you need to purify water during an emergency, (and do not have the means to boil it for 3-5 minutes), you must disinfect your water using bleach. If water is clear, add 8 drops (1/8 tsp.) of bleach per gallon of water. If water is cloudy, add 16 drops (1/4 tsp.) of bleach per gallon of water. Mix the solution thoroughly and let it stand for about 30 minutes before using it. Properly treated water should have a slight chlorine odor. If it doesn’t, repeat dosage and allow water to stand an additional 15 minutes. The treated water can be made drinkable by pouring it between clean containers several times.

We are happy to be able to give one (1) lucky My Chicago Mommy reader a $25 Visa gift card to start your own Emergency Preparedness Kit!

Entries to the giveaway will be accepted until Thursday, October 7th at 11:59 pm CDT. Here's how to enter:

Fill out the form below & hit "Submit" for each entry (i.e., submit your entry twice if you do the BONUS action).

Here are the ACTION CODES to use (one entry for each):

* Fill out your name & email address - use code: INFO

* Subscribe to the newsletter (do not need to be a new subscriber) - use code: SUBSCRIBE

* E-mail the giveaway to friends (cc: mychicagomommies@gmail.com & get 1 entry per friend up to 5 entries) - use code: EMAIL

* Follow MyChicagoMommy on Twitter - use code: TWITTER & enter your Twitter name after the code

* Tweet it out "Enter @mychicagomommy http://bit.ly/mcmclorox4 Clorox Giveaway" - use code: TWEET - please leave a comment with the link to your Tweet
* Leave a comment on My Chicago Mommy's Facebook Page saying "I want the gift card from Clorox!" - use code: FACEBOOK
* Follow Clorox on Twitter - use code: CLORTWIT & enter your Twitter name after the code
* Leave a comment on Clorox's Facebook Page saying "My Chicago Mommy sent me!" - use code: CLORFB 

* BONUS (2 entries): Visit Clorox & The Red Cross' website and answer the question "What is something you learned from visiting the site?” - use code: BONUS + comment on this post with your first name, last initial, & your answer.

Disclosure: As a blog tour participant, I received information and giveaways from The Clorox Company and Consumer Queen at no cost to me. I was compensated for my time by The Clorox Company for participating in this project. All views are my own.

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