Welcome to the September 2005 edition of the Federal Citizen Information Center's FEDINFO E-letter! These subscription e-letters from Pueblo are sent 6-8 times a year with helpful updates, practical information, and special offers to make your life a little easier. You can always find the latest information at our family of websites: Pueblo.gsa.gov, www.USA.gov, ConsumerAction.gov, and Kids.gov.
This issue includes:
Hurricane Katrina has proved to be one of the most dangerous storms in U.S. history. Even though Katrina no longer has hurricane force winds, hazards from weakened and damaged trees, downed power lines, high water, and other dangers remain. We urge citizens to be mindful of instructions from state and local officials who have asked that individuals remain in shelters, homes or safe places until given further notice.
Check out the Hurricane Katrina Recovery page to get information on disaster assistance and how to help victims. You'll find links on:
- Disaster Assistance for Victims
- State Disaster Information (Alabama, Florida, Louisiana, and Mississippi)
- Agencies Accepting Donations for Victims
- and additional disaster resources
You can find additional information on Hurricane Katrina in our FAQ database.
Your Labor Day cookout is right around the corner, and there are going to be a lot of hungry mouths to feed. To help you satisfy them all, here are some handy food preparation and storage tips to remember.
- When cooking for a large group, it's especially important that the food is safely prepared, stored, and transported. If it's mishandled, you may have an uninvited guest at your gathering. Although invisible, bacteria can cause serious food-borne illnesses.
- However, there are clear cut steps you can take to keep your food safe. To stop bacteria from spreading from the cutting boards to utensils, sponges, and counter tops, wash your hands and kitchen surfaces often. Avoid cross-contamination by separating raw meat, poultry, and seafood from other foods in the refrigerator.
- Just because your burgers look done on the outside, doesn't mean they are. Make it a habit to check all of your favorite foods, not just your holiday turkey, with a food thermometer.
- When transporting food, keep your cold foods cold -- you don't want Aunt Millie's famous deviled eggs to go bad! For your hot dishes, it's a good idea to wrap and place them in an insulated container. And as soon as your meal is over, put all remaining leftovers in shallow containers and refrigerate or freeze them immediately .
Check out these resources for more helpful tips:
September is National Preparedness Month. Take this opportunity to learn how you can prepare for emergencies, put together an emergency supply kit, establish your family communications plan, and become better aware of threats that may affect you, your family and community. Check out FCIC's Citizen Guide to Disaster Preparedness for helpful tips and information.
Throughout the month, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, American Red Cross, and other partners, will host a series of events to highlight the importance of citizen emergency preparedness. You can find opportunities to volunteer or get USA aid or CPR training.
Click here to get more information on National Preparedness Month.
A SPECIAL FREE OFFER FOR FEDINFO SUBSCRIBERS
FCIC is the help desk for everyday life--and we'd like to help you! Here's your chance to get a FREE handbook from Visa and FCIC. "Personal Financial Choices: Setting a New Course" will guide you through the basics of money management, developing a workable spending plan, smart shopping, credit management and more.
The handy tips, worksheets, and activities in the handbook make it easy to identify your personal goals and values, track your spending, and determine how much credit you can afford. This resource guide is ideal for use by families, and is available in bulk quantities to groups. Women's clubs, adult educators, and high school teachers will find the handbook especially useful for sessions focused on making money management strategies apply to real life.
To get your FREE publication and a FREE Consumer Information Catalog listing more than 200 valuable consumer publications, just fill in your name and address on our special order form.
Many consumers are now using SPAM-blocking software or junk-mail filters offered by their e-mail providers. These filters may also prevent you from receiving e-letters that you have subscribed to like FEDINFO. If you are using these filters, you may want to consider adding the following e-mail address to your "safe list": cic.info@gsa.gov.
We hope that you have found this e-letter valuable. If you have any comments, questions or suggestions, please contact us at: http://www.pueblo.gsa.gov/emailus.htm.
Click here for previous issues of the FEDINFO E-newsletter.
This e-mail was sent to you because you signed up to receive updates, notifications of new information, and special offers from the Federal Citizen Information Center. You may leave the list at any time by visiting http://www.pueblo.gsa.gov/maillist.htm.
Issue 2005-5