The INDEPENDENT, September 21, 2006
Page 7
September is Preparedness Month
September is healthy aging month, too
September is National Pre-
paredness Month, and the U.S.
Department of Homeland Se-
curity has joined with almost
1,200 national, state and local
agencies and organizations to
encourage Americans to pre-
pare their homes, businesses,
schools and communities for
disasters of all kinds. According
to FEMA Acting Regional Di-
rector Dennis Hunsinger, en-
gaging citizens in homeland
security and disaster prepared-
ness is a critical first step in ef-
fective government response
and recovery efforts.
“National
Preparedness
Month is a great time to learn
how to prepare for natural dis-
asters and the ever-present
threat of terror-strikes,” said
Hunsinger. “This year, the De-
partment of Homeland Security
and the National Preparedness
Coalition are focusing on family
emergency preparedness, and
urging everyone to help make
themselves and their loved
ones better prepared.”
With summer heat still en-
abling wildfires throughout the
Pacific Northwest, and flood
September is designated as
the month to focus attention on
the positive aspects of growing
older. The older population –
people 65 years or older –
numbered 36.3 million in 2004,
the most recent year for which
data is available. They repre-
sented 1.4 percent of the U.S.
population or about one in
every eight Americans. Ore-
gon’s older population num-
bered more than 600,000.
Studies have found that pos-
itive relationships can help you
stay healthier, live longer, and
enjoy life more. A major study
found that people with strong
relationships had less mental
decline and lived more active,
pain-free lives without physical
limitations.
Power “blinks”
BPA caused
According to West Oregon
Electric Cooperative, the pow-
er outages, called “blinks,” ex-
periences on Friday, Septem-
ber 8 through Tuesday, Sep-
tember 12, were the result of
two bad “insulator strings” on
the Bonneville Power Adminis-
tration (BPA) lines about one
mile out from the Tillamook
substation. They were located
and replaced on September
12.
Republicans to
meet Sept. 29
Columbia County Republi-
cans will be holding their
monthly informal MeetUp at
Mr. Joe’s Coffee Cafe, 555 Co-
lumbia River Hwy, St. Helens,
on Friday, September 29.
Come at 6:30 p.m. to order
food, with the meeting begin-
ning at 7:00 p.m. We will be
there for information and lively
discussion of issues of interest
to those attending. All County
Republicans are welcome.
Contact Fred Yauney at 503-
543-6271 for further informa-
tion.
season just around the corner,
not to mention the ever-present
threat of earthquakes and even
volcanic activity, Hunsinger re-
minds residents that the time to
plan how they’ll respond when
disaster strikes, is “before dis-
aster strikes!”
“No matter how busy or hec-
tic your daily routine, now is the
time to think about what to do
in the event of unexpected in-
frastructure failure – or any oth-
er major disaster,” said Hun-
singer. “A good place to start is
by downloading our “Are You
Ready? An In-depth Guide to
Citizen Preparedness” from
<ww w.fema.gov>, and there is
a wealth of information at
<www.ready.gov>. There is
also a calendar of National Pre-
Please see page 17
Unemployment still at 5.9 percent
Columbia County’s season-
ally-adjusted unemployment
rate was essentially un-
changed at 5.9 percent in Au-
gust. The rate was near the
statewide rate of 5.5 percent
but higher than the national
rate of 4.7 percent. Total em-
ployment in the county rose by
70 from the previous month
and the number of unemployed
people decreased by 94. Total
employment was 22,174 in Au-
Schann’s
Basket
gust and 1,336 people were
unemployed.
August 2005’s seasonally-
adjusted unemployment rate
was 7.0 percent. Total employ-
ment this August was 569
greater than one year before
and 208 fewer people were un-
employed.
Unemployment rates for oth-
er counties can be found at
http://www.qualityinfo.org/olmis
j/AllRates.
Thursdays,10am til the
eggs are gone
at the pocket park by
Black Bear Coffee Co.
831 Bridge St., Vernonia
Eggs ~ $2 dozen
Plus vegetables and
herbs in season
Aging experts recommend
staying involved in religious
and community functions,
maintaining a network of
friends and family with whom
you regularly interact, and vol-
unteering in organizations that
get you out and among other
people. Here are some tips for
staying socially connected.
• Volunteering for part-time
work can contribute to your
knowledge and skills. Helping
others is good for the body and
spirit, improves our mood and
well-being and builds strong
communities.
• Join a club.
• Learn a new hobby. Get to-
gether with others who have
similar interests.
• Take advantage of pro-
grams offered by your local li-
brary, community or senior cen-
ter, and county Extension of-
fice.
• Register for an adult edu-
cation or college course in a
subject that interests you. You
might be amazed at how much
you enjoy school.
• Stay in close contact with
family or friends. Write, e-mail,
or call someone daily.
• Get connected while you
improve your health. Join a
walking club, Jazzercise, or the
local fitness center, go golfing,
or take yoga or cooking class-
es.
• Pets can also nourish our
well-being.
Source: Denise Rennekamp,
Extension associate, OSU.