[BNAWX] Public Information Statement

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NOUS44 KOHX 231744
PNSOHX
TNZ005>011-023>034-056>066-075-077>080-093>095-240500-

PUBLIC INFORMATION STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE NASHVILLE TN
1244 PM CDT FRI MAY 23 2014

...TODAY IS NATIONAL HEAT AWARENESS DAY 2014...

TODAY HAS BEEN DECLARED NATIONAL "DON'T FRY DAY" BY NWS AND THE
NATIONAL COUNCIL ON SKIN CANCER PREVENTION (NCSCP). NWS IS
PARTNERING AGAIN THIS YEAR WITH THE ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION
AGENCY (EPA), THE OCCUPATIONAL SAFETY AND HEALTH ADMINISTRATION
(OSHA), THE CENTERS FOR DISEASE CONTROL AND PREVENTION (CDC), AND
THE NCSCP TO PROMOTE SUN-SAFE BEHAVIORS.

HEAT AND UV RADIATION ARE SILENT KILLERS THAT CLAIM MORE LIVES
MOST YEARS THAN FLOODS, LIGHTNING AND TORNADOES COMBINED. DURING
THE SUMMER OF 2013 THE MIDWEST ENDURED A HEAT WAVE FROM LATE
AUGUST TO EARLY SEPTEMBER DURING WHICH 328 WEATHER STATIONS TIED
OR BROKE ALL-TIME DAILY HIGH TEMPERATURES RECORDS. HEAT IS ONE OF
THE LEADING WEATHER-RELATED KILLERS IN THIS COUNTRY, RESULTING IN
HUNDREDS OF DEATHS PER YEAR.

SKIN CANCER, WHICH CAN DEVELOP FROM OVEREXPOSURE TO UV RADIATION,
IS THE MOST COMMON FORM OF CANCER IN THE UNITED STATES. EACH
YEAR, DOCTORS DIAGNOSE MORE THAN 3.5 MILLION NEW CASES OF SKIN
CANCERS IN MORE THAN 2.2 MILLION PEOPLE. SKIN CANCER IS
PREVENTABLE. THE FIRST STEPS ARE TO KNOW HOW TO ACCESS THE
CURRENT HEAT AND UV RADIATION (UV INDEX) FORECASTS, AND TO KNOW
HOW TO USE THEM. BELOW ARE SOME ESSENTIAL HEAT AND UV RESOURCES.

NWS PROVIDES HEAT-RELATED WATCH, WARNING, AND ADVISORY PRODUCTS
TO WARN THE PUBLIC ABOUT EXCESSIVE HEAT EVENTS ON ITS HOMEPAGE:

  WWW.WEATHER.GOV

THIS YEAR NWS IS LAUNCHING A NEW BEAT THE HEAT CAMPAIGN,
BEGINNING WITH THIS PARTNERED DONT FRY DAY AWARENESS MESSAGE,
AND EXTENDING THROUGHOUT THIS SUMMER. THE BEAT THE HEAT CAMPAIGN
WILL INCLUDE A NEW OUTREACH WEB PAGE WITH LINKS TO POSTERS,
SOCIAL MEDIA POSTS, AND EDUCATIONAL RESOURCES. THESE MATERIALS
PROVIDE USEFUL INFORMATION ON THE DANGERS OF EXTREME HEAT
EXPOSURE AND TIPS FOR STAYING SAFE IN THE SUMMER HEAT AND SUN.
STAY TUNED BY VISITING OUR WEATHER SAFETY WEBSITE AND LOOK FOR
THE HEAT ICON AT:

  WWW.WEATHER.GOV/SAFETY

AND THE NOAAWATCH WEBSITE:

  WWW.NOAAWATCH.GOV/THEMES/HEAT.PHP

NWS PROVIDES AN EXPERIMENTAL NATIONAL FORECAST MAP SHOWING
ELEVATED AND ALERT UV LEVELS FOR MID-DAY:

WWW.CPC.NCEP.NOAA.GOV/PRODUCTS/STRATOSPHERE/UV_INDEX/UV_ALERT.SHTML

EPAS WEBSITE OFFERS HOURLY UV INDEX UPDATES AND SUN SAFETY TIPS:

  WWW2.EPA.GOV/SUNWISE

AT THE EPAS SUNWISE WEBSITE, YOU CAN ACCESS YOUR LOCAL UV INDEX
BY ZIP CODE AND SIGNUP TO RECEIVE AUTOMATED UV ALERTS VIA EMAIL.
YOU ALSO CAN DOWNLOAD THE UV INDEX AS A SMART PHONE APP THAT
SHOWCASES WINNING POSTERS FROM THE SUNWISE WITH SHADE POSTER
CONTEST.

  WWW.EPA.GOV/ENVIRO/MOBILE/

COMMUNITIES CAN ACCESS THE EPAS EXCESSIVE HEAT EVENTS GUIDEBOOK
DEVELOPED IN COLLABORATION WITH THE NWS, CDC AND THE DEPARTMENT
OF HOMELAND SECURITY. THE GUIDE OFFERS HEAT MITIGATION PLANS.

  WWW.EPA.GOV/HEATISLAND/ABOUT/HEATGUIDEBOOK.HTML

OSHA IS AGAIN CONDUCTING A NATIONWIDE CAMPAIGN TO EDUCATE WORKERS
AND EMPLOYERS ABOUT THE HAZARDS OF WORKING IN THE HEAT AND STEPS
NEEDED TO PREVENT HEAT-RELATED ILLNESSES. SINCE THE CAMPAIGN
BEGAN IN 2011, OSHA HAS REACHED MORE THAN 10.7 MILLION WORKERS IN
THE UNITED STATES ON THIS VITAL ISSUE.

THIS SUMMER, OSHA HOPES TO REACH EVEN MORE PEOPLE WITH ITS
SIMPLE, LIFE-SAVING MESSAGE "WATER. REST. SHADE." OSHA HAS
SIGNIFICANTLY INCREASED OUTREACH TO WORKERS WITH LIMITED ENGLISH
PROFICIENCY WITH RESOURCES TARGETED TO THIS AUDIENCE. OSHAS
HEAT-RELATED PUBLICATIONS, INCLUDING FACT SHEETS, TRAINING
GUIDES, COMMUNITY POSTERS, QUICK CARDS, AND A HEAT APP, ARE
AVAILABLE IN ENGLISH AND SPANISH. FOR THE LATEST INFORMATION ON
THE 2014 CAMPAIGN, GO TO:

  WWW.OSHA.GOV/HEAT

NWS IS WORKING WITH OSHA TO PROTECT OUTDOOR WORKERS AND EDUCATE
EMPLOYERS DURING EXCESSIVE HEAT EVENTS. NWS WILL CONTINUE
INCLUDING SPECIFIC OUTDOOR WORKER SAFETY PRECAUTIONS IN ITS HEAT
ADVISORIES AND EXCESSIVE HEAT WARNINGS.

CDC LEADS THE EFFORT TO REDUCE ILLNESS AND DEATH CAUSED BY SKIN
CANCER THROUGH EDUCATION, SURVEILLANCE, AND RESEARCH EFFORTS.
SKIN CANCER IS THE MOST COMMON FORM OF CANCER IN THE UNITED
STATES. THE MAJORITY OF SKIN CANCERS CASES CAN BE TRACED TO UV
RADIATION. YOU CAN REDUCE SKIN CANCER RISK BY STAYING IN THE
SHADE, WEARING PROTECTIVE CLOTHING, USING SUNSCREEN WITH BROAD
SPECTRUM (UVA AND UVB RAYS) PROTECTION AND SUN PROTECTION FACTOR
(SPF) 15 OR HIGHER, AND BY AVOIDING TANNING BEDS. INFORMATION ON
SKIN CANCER STATISTICS, PREVENTION, AND CDCS SKIN CANCER
INITIATIVES IS AVAILABLE AT:

  WWW.CDC.GOV/CANCER/SKIN/

NCSCP REPRESENTS THE NATIONS PREMIER SKIN CANCER ORGANIZATIONS,
RESEARCHERS, CLINICIANS, AND ADVOCATES FOR THE PREVENTION OF
MELANOMA AND SKIN CANCER. THESE 40 NATIONAL ORGANIZATIONS INCLUDE
THE AMERICAN ACADEMY OF DERMATOLOGY, THE AMERICAN CANCER SOCIETY,
THE MELANOMA RESEARCH FOUNDATION, AND THE SKIN CANCER FOUNDATION
AS WELL AS FEDERAL AGENCY PARTNERS AND MANY OTHER FOUNDATIONS AND
ASSOCIATIONS DEVOTED TO SKIN CANCER PREVENTION. SPECIFIC TIPS ON
PREVENTING SKIN CANCER AS WELL AS MORE THAN 35 "DONT FRY DAY"
RESOURCES, INCLUDING MEDIA GUIDES, POSTERS, GRAPHICS, AND AN
ACTION KIT FOR METEOROLOGISTS ARE AVAILABLE AT THE NATIONAL
COUNCILS WEBSITE:

  WWW.SKINCANCERPREVENTION.ORG

THE PARTNERS OFFER THE FOLLOWING HEAT WAVE AND UV SAFETY TIPS TO
THE PUBLIC:

1.  SLOW DOWN. STRENUOUS WORK OR RECREATIONAL ACTIVITIES SHOULD
BE REDUCED, ELIMINATED OR RESCHEDULED TO THE COOLEST TIME OF THE
DAY.

2.  GET ACCLIMATED. GRADUALLY INCREASE OUTDOOR WORK AND
RECREATIONAL ACTIVITIES SO YOUR BODY ADJUSTS TO HOT CONDITIONS.

3.  DRESS IN LIGHTWEIGHT CLOTHING, AND WEAR UV-BLOCKING
SUNGLASSES AND A HAT WITH AT LEAST A 2 TO 3-INCH BRIM ALL AROUND.

4.  DRINK PLENTY OF WATER OR OTHER NON-ALCOHOLIC FLUIDS.  AVOID
DRINKING ALCOHOLIC BEVERAGES.

5.  DO NOT TAKE SALT TABLETS UNLESS DIRECTED BY A PHYSICIAN.

6.  TAKE FREQUENT BREAKS DURING WORK OR PLAY. WHEN ITS REALLY
HOT, SPEND MORE TIME IN AIR-CONDITIONED PLACES OR SEEK SHADE
OUTSIDE, ESPECIALLY DURING MIDDAY HOURS.

7.  CHECK THE UV INDEX WHEN PLANNING OUTDOOR ACTIVITIES TO
PREVENT OVEREXPOSURE TO THE SUN. AVOID SUNBURNS AND INTENTIONAL
TANNING.

8.  GENEROUSLY APPLY SUNSCREEN OF SPF 15 OR HIGHER WITH BROAD
SPECTRUM (BOTH UVA AND UVB RAYS) PROTECTION.

9. SEEK SHADE WHENEVER YOU CAN.

10. KNOW WHAT THE SIGNS AND SYMPTOMS OR HEAT ILLNESS ARE. CHECK
ON WORKERS, PARTICULARLY THOSE WEARING PROTECTIVE SUITS.

ELDERLY PERSONS, SMALL CHILDREN, CHRONIC INVALIDS, THOSE ON
CERTAIN MEDICATIONS OR DRUGS, OUTDOOR WORKERS, PERSONS WITH
WEIGHT AND ALCOHOL PROBLEMS AND CARETAKERS FOR THESE PEOPLE
SHOULD PAY CLOSE ATTENTION TO THE ABOVE TIPS, PARTICULARLY DURING
HEAT WAVES IN AREAS WHERE EXCESSIVE HEAT IS RARE.

FOR MORE INFORMATION, PLEASE CONTACT:

  JANNIE G. FERRELL
  JANNIE.G.FERRELL at NOAA.GOV
  301-713-1867 EXT. 135

NATIONAL PUBLIC INFORMATION NOTICES ARE ONLINE AT:

  WWW.WEATHER.GOV/OS/NOTIF.HTM

$$








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