Thursday, June 14, 2018

Letter from Southeast Tennessee Executive Director, Julia Wright - June 2018

June showed up sooner than we thought, didn't it?  When I think of June, I think of summer sun, storms and swimming.

The heat, sun and water are so welcomed and inviting after a long winter, but they always bring their own set of very dangerous situations. We all know what they are but in the excitement of enjoying all of the good things those elements have to offer, we can easily forget to prepare for the worst.

Few people realize that skin can become damaged in less than fifteen minutes exposure to the sun - and that doesn't have to be on the beach. The CDC recommends broad spectrum 15 SPF or higher sunscreen application before you go outside. Wear wrap style sunglasses with UV A and B protection for your eyes and the very sensitive skin around them. The rest is no brainer stuff, like hats, umbrellas and t-shirts or light weight long sleeve shirts to avoid over exposure.

Getting into the water might sound like a fun activity that requires little skill, but knowing how to swim and handle situations that might occur in a pool, river, ocean, lake, or any kind of body of water, is smart for everyone.

The American Red Cross has created an app for just such knowledge. Learn to help keep your loved ones safe in & around water with drowning prevention & emergency response information with the Swim by American Red Cross app.   The app includes educational games and videos for kids plus a swim lesson progress tracker. The app, in combination with a Red Cross swimming course offered through the UTC aquatics center, will make you safer before jumping into the water.

Hurricane season officially began June 1st but we already saw one storm named Alberto that couldn't wait for opening day. 2018 is predicted to be an above average year with 14 named storms, of which six could become hurricanes.  Be sure to plan your vacations to hurricane territory with and emergency and evacuation plan.


I wish you a safe, sun-soaked summer!

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