Entry bubble Snow and SAD

By: Colleen | February 10, 2010 | Category: Health

Last week I was in Los Angeles. More specifically, I was sitting outside on a patio in Santa Monica with a view of the ocean. plow

This week? Well, things have been a hazy shade of winter. In case you haven't heard, DC has had a "little" snow the past few days. The masses are beginning to get some serious cabin fever.

While it's normal to feel restless while cooped up, for some people it is more than a case of the winter blues.

Season Affective Disorder (SAD) is when lack of exposure to sunshine and not enough vitamin D cause people to get depressed and unhealthily sluggish.

Treatments are available, and if you're feeling exceptionally bummed during this time of year you should consult your doctor. They may suggest installing special light boxes throughout your home, or medication.

While waiting for the next ten inches to hit our area, I'm seriously considering a career-path that requires me to be in Hawaii.

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Entry bubble The Start of Hurricane Season

By: Joanne | June 09, 2009 | Category: Home and Family

hurricane cloudIt’s a warm, beautiful, blue-sky day and the last thing on your mind is preparing for a catastrophic hurricane. Please allow me to put on my “grim voice of reality” hat and remind you that June is the official start of hurricane season.

Even though I live well inland, hurricanes have brought serious flooding to communities where I’ve lived, and in the recent past we can all recall catastrophic damage to various coastal communities in the US. There are about 35 million people in the United States that are most threatened by Atlantic hurricanes. That’s a lot of you.

The National Hurricane Center is predicting a normal hurricane season, which means that there’s a good chance we’ll have 4-7 hurricanes and some of them will be major storms. It’s only a matter of time until we’re hit by our first storm, which will be named Ana.

What should you do? Prepare!

Put together your emergency supply kit, prepare your family emergency plan, and don’t forget to plan for your pets, because they’re family too.

Know how to receive important updates (like evacuations) from your state and local emergency preparedness offices, and pay attention to weather updates from the National Weather Service available on the radio, by e-mail, RSS feed, and on your mobile device.

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Entry bubble Hurricane Ike Survivors: Find Family & Friends

By: Joanne | September 16, 2008 | Category: Home and Family

Did you evacuate to get out of the path of Hurricane Ike? Do you need to find friends or family who were displaced by Ike? If you answered yes to either of these questions, read on.

There are websites you can register with to help you connect with your loved ones to let them know that you’re safe and well after the storm. I’m going to give you links to a few registries – if you were displaced by the storm or if you’re looking for someone, I suggest you visit them all.

  • FEMA, the Federal Emergency Management Agency, operates the National Emergency Family Registry and Locator System. 
  • The Red Cross operates the Safe and Well List. The Safe and Well List even lets you to post a message (from a list of standard messages) so you can give your loved ones a little more information. For those without internet access, call 1-800-REDCROSS (1-800-733-2767) to register.
  • Next of Kin National Registry is a free tool for daily emergencies and national disasters. The system gives emergency response agencies the information they need to contact your loved ones if you’re ever missing, hurt badly or worse.
  • If you’re a tourist or other foreign national affected by a disaster in the U.S., contact your consulate.

And do remember that there are many ways that you can help the people impacted by Hurricane Ike by volunteering or donating. There are volunteer opportunities for kids, seniors, teens and groups and many reputable organizations you can support through donations to bring relief to hurricane survivors.

No matter what charity you chose to support, always be on the watch for identity theft and other scams and fraud schemes  that try to take advantage of your good will and desire to help those in need.

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Entry bubble Be Prepared for Hurricanes

By: Joanne | July 15, 2008 | Category: Home and Family

hurricane cloudLast week I wanted to talk about the sun, but this week I’ve got rain on my mind. Get out your umbrellas folks, because it’s hurricane season again. The tropical storms and hurricanes are already churning away out there in the ocean and sooner or later they’re going to hit land. Most of us think that hurricanes aren’t a threat, but the good people of New Orleans know how truly devastating these storms can be. Even if you live well inland, you need to be prepared for severe weather, because bad weather can strike anywhere.

The dangers of a hurricane or tropical storm come in a number of forms: storm surge, high winds, tornadoes, and flooding. If the big one heads your way this summer, it's important for your family and business to have a plan that covers all of these hazards.

The steps are really pretty simple:

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