While advances in medicine have lessened the demand for blood transfusions, the need for blood donors remains great. According to the American Red Cross, someone in the United States needs blood every two seconds. That comes to a total of 41,000 blood donations needed every day. January has been named National Blood Donor Month in an effort to offset a seasonal period when blood donations drop significantly.

If you’ve never donated blood before, it is a simple, four-step process: registration, medical history and mini-physical, donation and refreshments. The actual blood donation is a safe process that typically takes 10 to 12 minutes. A sterile needle is used only once for each donor and is then discarded. The average adult has about 10 pints of blood in his or her body. Approximately 1 pint is given during a donation.

In  the Macomb area, contact the Mississippi Valley Regional Blood Center at (309) 836-2329, or the American Red Cross at (309) 837-1594.

The owners and staff of Purdum Gray Ingledue Beck wish you the happiest of holidays.  To allow our employees time with family, our hours will be as follows.

Closed December 24th, 25th and 26th reopening on Monday December 29th.

Closed at noon on December 31st, all day on January 1st and at noon on January 2nd. Regular business hours resume on Monday January 5th.

Should you have an emergency during this time, please contact Beau Ingledue at 309-333-1292.

While the amount of danger from winter weather varies across the country, nearly all Americans, regardless of where they live, are likely to face some type of severe winter weather at some point in their lives. Winter storms can range from a moderate snow over a few hours to a blizzard with blinding, wind-driven snow that lasts for several days. Many winter storms are accompanied by dangerously low temperatures and sometimes by strong winds, ice, sleet and freezing rain.

A primary concern is that winter storms can knock out heat, power and communications services to your home or office, sometimes for days at a time. Heavy snowfall and extreme cold can immobilize an entire region.

The National Weather Service refers to winter storms as “deceptive killers” because most deaths are indirectly related to the storm. People die in traffic accidents on icy roads and of hypothermia from prolonged exposure to cold. Because of this, it is important to be prepared for winter weather before it strikes.

Know the Terms

Familiarize yourself with these terms to help identify winter storm hazards:

• Freezing rain – Rain that freezes when it hits the ground, creating a coating of ice on roads, walkways, trees and power lines.
• Sleet – Rain that turns to ice pellets before reaching the ground. Sleet also causes moisture on roads to freeze and become slippery.
• Winter weather advisory – Winter weather conditions are expected to cause significant inconveniences and may be hazardous. When caution is used, these situations should not be life-threatening.
• Winter storm watch – A winter storm is possible in your area. Tune in to National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Weather Radio, commercial radio or local television for more information.
• Winter storm warning – A winter storm is occurring or will soon occur in your area.
• Blizzard warning – Sustained winds or frequent gusts to 35 miles per hour or greater and considerable amounts of falling or blowing snow (reducing visibility to less than a quarter mile) are expected to prevail for a period of three hours or longer.
• Frost/freeze warning – Below-freezing temperatures are expected.

Before Winter Storms and Extreme Cold

To prepare for a winter storm you should do the following:

• Add these supplies to your emergency kit:
  • Rock salt or more environmentally safe products to melt ice on walkways
    • Visit the Environmental Protection Agency website for a complete list of recommended products.
  • Sand to improve traction
  • Snow shovels and other snow removal equipment
  • Sufficient heating fuel
    • You may become isolated in your home and regular fuel sources may be cut off. Store a good supply of dry, seasoned wood for your fireplace or wood-burning stove.
  • Adequate clothing and blankets to keep you warm
• Make a family communications plan. Your family may not be together when disaster strikes, so it is important to know how you will contact one another, how you will get back together and what you will do in case of an emergency.
• Listen to a NOAA Weather Radio or other local news channels for critical information from the National Weather Service (NWS). Be alert to changing weather conditions.
• Minimize travel. If travel is necessary, keep a disaster supply kit in your vehicle.
• Bring pets/companion animals inside during winter weather. Move other animals or livestock to sheltered areas with non-frozen drinking water.

Winterize Your Home

• Winterize your house, barn, shed or any other structure that may provide shelter for your family, neighbors, livestock or equipment. Clear rain gutters, repair roof leaks and cut away tree branches that could fall on a house or other structure during a storm.
• Extend your fuel supply by insulating walls and attics, caulking and weather-stripping doors and windows and installing storm windows or covering windows with plastic.
• Maintain heating equipment and chimneys by having them cleaned and inspected every year.
• Insulate pipes with insulation or newspapers and plastic and allow faucets to drip a little during cold weather to avoid freezing. Running water, even at a trickle, helps prevent pipes from freezing.
• All fuel-burning equipment should be vented to the outside and kept clear.
• Keep fire extinguishers on hand, and make sure everyone in your house knows how to use them. House fires pose an additional risk, as more people turn to alternate heating sources without taking the necessary safety precautions.
• Learn how to shut off water valves (in case a pipe bursts).
• Insulate your home by installing storm windows or covering windows with plastic from the inside to keep cold air out.
• Hire a contractor to check the structural ability of the roof to sustain unusually heavy weight from the accumulation of snow or water, if drains on flat roofs do not work.

During Winter Storms and Extreme Cold

• Stay indoors during the storm.
• Walk carefully on snowy, icy walkways.
• Avoid overexertion when shoveling snow. Overexertion can bring on a heart attack—a major cause of death in the winter. If you must shovel snow, stretch before going outside.
• Keep dry. Change wet clothing frequently to prevent a loss of body heat. Wet clothing loses all of its insulating value and transmits heat rapidly.
• Watch for signs of frostbite. These include loss of feeling and white or pale appearance in extremities such as fingers, toes, ear lobes and the tip of the nose. If you or a loved one shows symptoms, get medical help immediately.
• Watch for signs of hypothermia. These include uncontrollable shivering, memory loss, disorientation, incoherence, slurred speech, drowsiness and apparent exhaustion. If you or a loved one has symptoms of hypothermia, get the victim to a warm location, remove wet clothing, warm the center of the body first and give warm, non-alcoholic beverages if the victim is conscious. Get medical help as soon as possible.
• Drive only if it is absolutely necessary. If you must drive, travel in the day; don’t travel alone; keep others informed of your schedule; stay on main roads; and avoid back road shortcuts.
• Let someone know your destination, your route and when you expect to arrive. If your car gets stuck along the way, help can be sent along your predetermined route.
• If the pipes freeze, remove any insulation or layers of newspapers and wrap the pipes in rags. Completely open all faucets and pour hot water over the pipes, starting where they were most exposed to the cold (or where the cold was most likely to penetrate).
• Maintain ventilation when using kerosene heaters to avoid build-up of toxic fumes. Refuel kerosene heaters outside and keep them at least 3 feet from flammable objects.
• Conserve fuel, if necessary, by keeping your residence cooler than normal. Temporarily close off heat to some rooms.
• If you will be going away during cold weather, leave the heat on in your home, set to a temperature no lower than 55° F.

Dress for the Weather

• If you must go outside, wear several layers of loose-fitting, lightweight, warm clothing rather than one layer of heavy clothing. Outer garments should be tightly woven and water repellent.
• Wear mittens, which are warmer than gloves.
• Wear a hat. A hat will prevent loss of body heat.
• Cover your mouth with a scarf to protect your lungs.

After Winter Storms and Extreme Cold

• Go to a designated public shelter if your home loses power or heat during periods of extreme cold. Text SHELTER + your ZIP code to 43362 (4FEMA) to find the nearest shelter in your area (example: shelter 12345).
• Continue to protect yourself from frostbite and hypothermia by wearing warm, loose-fitting, lightweight clothing in several layers. Stay indoors, if possible.

In addition to insuring your home, Purdum Gray Ingledue Beck, Inc. is committed to helping you and your loved ones stay safe when disaster strikes. If you would like more information on developing a family emergency plan or building a disaster supply kit, please contact us at 888-833-1755 or www.macombinsurance.com today.

iOS Security Alert: iPhones/iPads at Risk
Internet security firm FireEye has reported a significant new iOS security flaw dubbed “Masque Attack”. The vulnerability allows malicious replacement apps, installed through enterprise/ad-hoc (non App Store) provisioning, to overwrite genuine apps previously installed through Apple’s official App Store. The replacement can occur as long as both malicious and genuine apps use the same bundle identifier. The vulnerability has been verified for both jailbroken and non-jailbroken devices that use iOS 7.1.1, 7.1.2, 8.0, 8.1 and 8.1.1.

All apps are susceptible for such replacement except iOS preinstalled apps, e.g. Mobile Safari. In practice an attacker could lure a victim to install a replacement app with a deceiving name such as “New Angry Bird”, which is actually a malicious replacement for an email or online banking app. Using a well-designed interface to mimic the original app, the replacement app could steal sensitive information including logon credentials.

Further, the replacement apps have been shown to be able to access the original app’s local data – for example cached emails or login-tokens – which the malware can then use to log into the user’s account directly. Such attacks could result in compromising bank, email, or other sensitive accounts and information that users access on their mobile devices, including sensitive corporate emails.

Attackers can trick a user into downloading a Masque Attack app from outside the Apple-approved App Store, usually through a prompt via text message, email, or hyperlink.

Mitigations

iOS users should protect themselves from Masque Attacks by following these steps:

1. DO NOT install apps from third-party sources other than Apple’s official App Store or the user’s own organization.
2. DO NOT click “Install” on pop-ups from third-party web pages, regardless of what description the pop-up uses for the app.
3. When opening an app, if the iOS shows the alert “Untrusted App Developer”, click on “Don’t Trust” and uninstall the app immediately.
4. If using iOS 7, check the profile section by navigating to Settings – General – Profiles. Any profiles used to install a non-App Store will be shown here and can be deleted. Apple has removed the ability to see these profiles on the devices using iOS 8.
5. Suspicious applications can be removed by deleting them, and re-installing cleanly from the App Store.
6. If you suspect that your App was subject to this attack, change all passwords on your business/banking accounts accessed on mobile Apple devices.

This data security alert is part of the NoDataBreach risk management services provided with your Beazley Breach Response (BBR) insurance policy.

Fixed rate annuities make a great alternative to bank CD’s since they currently have a more favorable rate of return.  Fixed rate annuities are not guaranteed by the FDIC, however, in Illinois they are guaranteed by the Illinois Guarantee Fund and other states have similar arrangements. The most important factor when considering the fixed rate annuity is that you will leave the money in the account for the full term to avoid surrender penalties.  With that being said, the current rates as of 7/31/2014 are:

36 Month 1.90%

60 Month 3.00%

These rates are locked in for the term of the contract.

Please contact Beau or Brad by phone at 309.833.1755 or by email at info@macombinsurance.com to learn more.

* Single premium deferred annuities. Rate guaranteed for 3 or 5 year contracts; should you choose to continue this annuity after the third or fifth year guaranteed period, the minimum rate is 1%.  IRS penalty for withdrawals before age 59 1/2.  Issued by Liberty Bankers Life Insurance Company, Policy Form.  Interest rate effective 7/31/2014 and subject to change without notice.  $10,000 minimum purchase payment. Monthly interest subject to a minimum amount of $100.  Excess withdrawal are subject to market value adjustment. Information is based on an Illinois contract.

Clients of our agency have access to an enormous wealth of information surrounding human resource matters, loss control, compliance, wellness programs and much more.  Please email me for an introduction and login credentials at info@macombinsurance.com.

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We would like to wish our clients and friends a terrific and safe Independence Day.

In order to allow our staff the opportunity to enjoy the holiday we will close at 2PM on Thursday, July 3^rd and reopen on Monday, July 7^th at 7:30AM. Should you have an emergency while we are closed, please call Dawn at 309-333-2331 or Ardell at 309-333-0222.

In the words of Benjamin Franklin, “Where liberty dwells, there is my country.”

Enjoy!

Beau

Do you need flood insurance? That is answered by thinking whether or not you own property that could be damaged or destroyed by water. If the answer is yes, then you should seriously consider buying flood insurance. Most persons who need the protection buy coverage offered by the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP). If your community doesn’t participate in the program, you’ll have to look into coverage from private insurance companies.

Is A Flood Loss Likely?

The chances of your business, home or personal property being damaged by a flood depends primarily upon where you live. They also depend on other factors such as:

• how much of a flood warning you receive
• the level of flood precautions you take (such as moving personal property from lower levels to higher levels), and
• the precautions taken by your community (such as the use of flood controls in construction standards or sandbagging threatened areas).

Floods are related to weather conditions and tend to affect very wide areas. This often makes chances of a flood loss higher than a loss from fires or windstorms. Many people have the obsolete belief that flood insurance is only needed if you live in a flood prone area.

I Live In A Flood Zone?!

If you hear the term “flood zone,” you may think that it refers to locations that are particularly vulnerable to flooding. Wherever you live in the USA, you live in a flood zone. While your area may have a lower chance of flooding than a coastal area or a location situated near a body of water, your area could still experience flooding. A very dry part of the country can be susceptible to flash floods; hilly locations may be harmed by drainage; snowy locations may suffer from heavy snow thaw; other areas may suffer deluges or flooding due to a heavy rain season which has soaked the surrounding soil. So, if you’ve insured yourself against fire, wind and other causes of loss, it certainly makes sense to also protect yourself from the potential of a flood loss.

Why Worry When Disaster Coverage Is Available?

Are you thinking that, after a flood, your loss may be handled by the government declaring a disaster area? However, you’re still taking a couple of large risks. First, your flooded locale may not be deemed a disaster area. Second, being designated as a disaster area is not a bargain. Disaster area status only gives citizens access to government disaster loans. IF you qualify for assistance, you have replaced insurance protection with an obligation to pay off a large, long-term loan. Is it worthwhile to gamble on an opportunity to pick up more debt? You’ll find flood insurance to be a cheaper and much more valuable alternative.

Call Lori at 309-833-1755 to discuss what options you have.