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Real-Life Inspiration for Preparedness, by K.P.
Background Information:
My interest in preparedness started in earnest really just a few months ago. Before that, I had been an avid backpacker, rock climber, and other sports which require self-sufficiency and forethought. I am also a Red Cross volunteer. I was at hurricane Wilma, and I have done local search and rescue, amongst other things. This February I was dispatched to the south-western region of Kentucky for the Ice Storms. What I learned there changed me in a lot of ways.
I was aware of the pending economic collapse, but hadn't really thought of practical things to do until then. As a pre-1840s Re-enactor, I was pretty sure I could comfortably live in a pre-industrial setting. A little hubris, maybe, but at 23 sometimes that goes with the territory.
While we drove into Kentucky, parts of it looked like a war-zone. Downed trees and power lines, roofs collapsed, the whole deal. It was a long drive, and it really set in for us how serious this was. People's lives were on the line.
There were three FEMA gas depots throughout the State, but FEMA did next to nothing to help here. Without electricity, the pumps at the gas station will not work. Some place had hooked up diesel generators to power the pumps if they could, and very few business that were still open would accept anything but cash.
When we arrived in the small town to which we had been dispatched, we found that the Red Cross volunteers at the shelter had not slept for any normal amount of time in close to 8 days. At the height of the storms our shelter slept 150 people.
We gave the local volunteers a needed break, and worked 20-hour days. It was rough; but anyone who has been in that situation knows it can very rewarding as well. We served 800 hot meals a day, gave out pallets upon pallets of MREs and uncounted bottles of water.
The grid-water had been contaminated, so bottled water was really all the people could drink or wash with if they didn't have a very, very deep well, even then they were on a boil-alert. If your house did not have a wood burning stove, then you were sleeping with us. All together the power and gas were out, in some places, for more than 20 days.
That's the background and the quick version of events which eventually led to my interest in this area.
On to the practical details that I learned. First and most important was this: when the trucking lines break down, within two or perhaps three days, every store will be sold out of all dry food. That means, that if you don't have at least two weeks worth of food stored up, you'll be visiting me at the Shelter.
We slept (at out busiest day) 150 people in the shelter. No electricity, no gas, no water. We're talking serious survival kind of situations. In talking with the people there, excluding the elderly, the main reason people could not stay in their homes was heat. If you had a wood burning stove, you were basically fine. You could get by.
FEMA had a recording when you called them, that gave the residents the Red Cross local number. They did such unhelpful things as tell people we were giving our generators, gasoline, and kerosene. Things that to my knowledge the RC has never done, and we were not doing. FEMA had fliers telling people the could free food if they needed it. Supposedly they actually gave out about 1000 meals, but after that they referred people to us.
Lesson learned here: Do not, under any condition, assume FEMA or any other government agency will help you. Help yourself, and help your neighbors.
When I got back from Kentucky, I started to put the things I had seen in order. I started to mentally make lists of the things I would need when this situation came to my neck of the woods. I did not want to be in the shelter when (not if) something happened near me.
The main reason I saw in this specific situation was heat. So I planned on picking up at least two working wood burners. Then came water, then came food, and in a long-term scenario: barter.
Heat:
My house has a fireplace, and although that is not very efficient, in a pinch it would do until I can find the kind of stoves I really want. So I moved on to next item.
Water:
Water was pretty easy. I have a couple of streams on my property, and I can collect rain water. Some friends and I built a gravity-fed purification system. We modified two used beer kegs that we bought very cheap to hold water on top and bottom. We connected them with a 4 foot long stainless steel pipe with a very fine metal mesh at the bottom and filled with activated charcoal. When the water is first put through a matrix of gravel and varying degrees of fine sand, then through this system, you get very, very pure water. We believe it to be near laboratory-grade water. In fact, this system is just a scaled up version of a purifier at out local pharmaceutical company.
The benefit of using kegs is two-fold. First, they are readily available almost anywhere, and two they are stainless steel. I suppose you could also pretty easily convert this into a still if you so desired, for barter or producing barter-goods.
I have been working on something called an Archimedes' Screw to help move the water. It is basically a screw inside a cylinder. When a mechanical force is applied to the screw to turn it, either by hand, modified bicycle, or wind turbine, the screw pulls water up the cylinder, from a low place to a high place. This is not finished yet, so I cannot give it 100% clearance, but the theory seems sound.
Food:
Food takes a bit longer. I started by ordering some 6-gallon mylar bags and a couple packages of 500cc oxygen absorbers. I went to the local Big Box store, the kind that has a bakery inside, and asked if I could have their used 5-gallon buckets with lids. They were happy to help; and they were free. I cleaned them by alternating a bleach wash, a salt wash, and a vinegar with lemon juice wash. That got all of the icing smell out of the buckets. That step was more my OCD then a necessity, since the mylar will keep anything from being contaminated. Although I thought this might reduce the likely hood of insects poking around my buckets...
Place a mylar bag in a 5-gallon bucket. You want 6-gallon bags so you can press all the air, and seal the very end. This allows you to re-use the bags several times. Fill the bag with about 5 gallons of rice, beans, powdered milk, lentils, noodles, red winter wheat... whatever you are storing. Seal about 9/10's of the bag with a clothes iron being sure to leave room for your O2 absorbers to fit though; I like to make a two-inch seal. Grab the bag and lift it and shake it a bit to allow the contents to settle some, pressing the air up towards your seal.
You'll want to do several of these at once, because as soon as you open the O2 absorbers, they start working. I put the unused one in a zip-lock bag which I suck all the air out as I seal it. I also put in the tester pellet that comes with the absorbers so I know if they are good or not.
So let's say you are putting up five buckets. Each bucket gets ~2000cc worth of O2 absorbers. If you bought 500cc packs, that would be four per bucket for a total number of 20. Feel free to err on the side of caution here, if you are using some stored in the zip lock bags. The extra costs of the materials is drastically outweighed by the value of the stored food. If I have had the O2 absorbers exposed to air more than once, I toss in an extra one, more than twice, I toss in two extra, and I have never had any done more than that.
You want all your buckets prepped for final sealing before you open your O2 absorbers, for obvious reasons. I usually ask for a hand with this next stage to allow me to move as quickly as possible with as little exposure to general environmental air for the absorbers.
So, toss in your 4 absorbers, press out as much of the air as you can, and finish off the seal. I like to make my seals 2 inches thick, and again I use a clothes iron. I use a large dictionary with a wooden cutting board on top to make this seal. Snap down the lid of the bucket.
The bucket is necessary to protect the mylar. Although the mylar bags are strong in the sense that they can bear a lot of weight, pressure, or vacuum, they are highly susceptible to puncture.
Once all your buckets contain O2 absorbers and are sealed with lids on, take clear packing tape and put a long strip on the lid. I write the date I packed the bucket, the approximate storage life, the contents, and the weight/volume. I stack the buckets off the ground three-high.
Keep in mind that every dollar you spend here is worth many multiples of that in the future. Even if we are all wrong on the possibility of Schumeresque Scenarios, think of the money you will save just because of inflation.
Now, speaking of money. If you spend $20 for 50 pounds of rice today, and three years from now, you could sell it for $100; if you did not do your storage well, you're out $100 plus the cost of storage materials, not $20. So make sure that you do it carefully. You can also rotate out and in new stock.
Bartering:
No one (or at least not me) has the resources/time/etc to put into long-term storage everything they need for the rest of their lives. Eventually bullets and beans run out. So, you will need something to trade.
I like [non-numismatic pre-1965] junk silver, and one-ounce silver coins/bars. In my mind, these would work for direct bartering: things like mason jars, food, animals, ammunition, whatever. Flea markets are a great place to pick up small amounts of junk silver if your budget does not allow for larger purchases, like $500 or $1,000 face-value bags.
If we find ourselves in a prolonged period of hyperinflation like the Former Yugoslavia experienced (more on this later), then we might want to hedge our bets. You could buy a few 10-ounce silver bars, with the intent to sell them for the hyper-inflated currency before the bottom drops out to purchase needed items. Just a thought.
One could lay up, mason jars, paraffin, salt, sugar, alcohol, tobacco; lots of things for barter. There is also the good old stand-by, ammunition. My concern with ammo for barter, is that you might not know what that ammo is going to be used for, nor know for sure it will not be used against you or someone else. I do see the incredible versatility and all the good reasons for an ammo-based barter system. So do what you like.
The other event that really sent a lot of this home for me was a 6-week stay in Serbia. Listening to stories about how people would smuggle in gas during the embargo, buy any solid good while the money was worth something, and generally do everything they could to survive really had an effect on me. At the height of the crisis, they had 37% inflation per day culminating in the issue of the 500 billion Dinar note. This was of course fifteen to twenty years ago, but the scars are still visible. Belgrade did not demolish or clean up any of the damage done during the 1999 NATO bombing. The Serbs see that every day.
There is a quote I like, that many of you may know that I feel is appropriate here:
"History has shown us that government leaders often ignore the fundamental fact that people demand both dignity and freedom. Stripping motivated people of their dignity and rubbing their noses in it is a very bad idea." - John Ross, Unintended
Consequences
[JWR Adds: This otherwise excellent novel was marred by some vulgarity and
gratuitous
sex scenes. Beware!]
Back to the practicals...
People stocked up on silver, charcoal, wood burning stoves, anything that could be a store a value and increase their chances of survival. Another interesting happening was the use of checks. Checks in Serbia and the Former Yugoslavia are all printed with a maximum amount. Usually 5,000 Dinars, (about $70 in today's Dinar/ Dollar exchange rate). So, if you had a business, you are issued a certain number of checks each month. What happened during the crisis is interesting. The checks were spontaneously monetized.
Here is and example of what I mean. I write a check for 5,000 Dinars, but I don't address it to you. You give me the goods for the check. Then, instead of cashing the check at the bank, you give it to someone else for your needs. This usually went on, especially in very small towns for up to four months before my account was drawn for the amount.
This also had the benefit of me being able to write a check I might not have had the money to back it right away, so it was like credit for me, and cash for you. This doesn't happen anymore in Serbia, by the way.
Although I imagine I'm preaching to the choir, I know from my own experiences that it's easy to get down, and disheartened. But don't fret. Get to work, lay in your stores, and every day do at least one practical thing that increases your and your family's chance of survival. Keep your powder dry.- KP
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Community Disaster Recovery--Asking the Right People the Right Questions
I was pleased to see this post over at the Mountain Steps blog: A letter to our county commissioner about emergency preparation for hyperinflation. It is commendable to make such inquiries, but it is essential to ask detailed questions. Especially when contacting elected officials, vague, general questions tend to elicit vague, general answers, and hence most likely no action will be taken.
It is also essential that you do some research first, to direct your inquiry letter or phone call to the right individuals. Flunkies don't create or change policy, they just implement it. You need to direct your letter to someone that has the authority to make policy, and has the budget to implement it. (In some cases, this will mean separate contacts to whomever controls the purse strings.)
I recommend that you ask detailed questions, such as:
Do you have a back-up generator, and how many days of fuel do you keep on hand? What is your contingency plan to implement before that fuel runs out?
Can you continue to operate without grid power? If not, then what contingency plans do you have?
Is the city's water supply gravity fed, from end to end? If not, then what contingency plans have been put in place to provide water to utility customers, in the event of a grid power interruption longer than 48 hours?
And ask:
Are electrically-pumped filters used, or traditional gravity filters?
Then, if you discover that the water system is mostly via gravity, but it uses electric pumps only for pressurized filtration, then ask: If electrically-pumped filters are used, then has a disaster contingency waiver been established with the USEPA, (for turbidity and other standards), to allow bypassing of filters in the event of a grid-down emergency situation?
Similarly detailed letters or phone inquiries should be made to your local irrigation district, your fire department, power utility, phone companies (both cellular and land line), refinery, hospital, kidney dialysis clinic, coal mine, National Guard, grocery store, et cetera.
Do not expect the grid to magically stay up and running, Assume the worst case, and plan accordingly.
OBTW, one key word to search for when estimating the resiliency of your community's infrastructure is co-generation. Find out where the co-gen plants are, and their capacity!
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Preparedness Through Joining the National Guard, by Christopher D.
Several months ago, a man wrote an article for the SurvivalBlog detailing the ups and downs of being a prepper while serving on Active Duty. As a former Active Duty soldier I could appreciate what he was saying but more than anything else I found myself being thankful that I was now doing my prepping while serving in the National Guard.
Many preppers join the local volunteer fire department or rescue squad in order to learn valuable skills for free that could help in an emergency. They also do it so that they can learn skills that will help pull their communities through during tough times. I would like to propose that some of the readers who are of this mindset could gain much by joining the National Guard.
I have been in the Army seven years now. I started on Active Duty serving in Georgia, Germany, and Iraq. After three year I moved back home and joined the Guard. I am currently wrapping up a tour as the commander of a 170-soldier Military Police (MP) company. Like anything else, the Guard has its positives and negatives and I’d like to provide readers with both so that they can make an educated decision about what I think is a great opportunity. (Full disclosure: I like my job.)
First, the positives:
1. Job training. Hands down, from a survivalist mindset, this has to be the best thing that the Guard has to offer. The training for jobs in the Guard is the same as what you’d receive on Active Duty. The difference is, while it’s common for Active Duty soldiers to stay in the same carrier field for the duration of their career, Guardsmen often end up training in more than one field for a variety of reasons. I have soldiers who started out as mechanics who retrained as Military Police after a few years because there were more opportunities for career development in our MP focused unit. Likewise, in my unit we are authorized three medics up to the rank of Specialist [E4] (the fourth enlisted rank in the Army). When they decide that they want to pursue their Sergeant stripes, they will either go to another unit that has slots for a medic at the rank of Sergeant (there are two such units within 25 miles of us) or retrain as Military Police to pursue one of the many slots available in that field for the rank of Sergeant and beyond. The point is that the choice is theirs. How valuable would it be for you to train as a mechanic, infantrymen, medic, MP, or chemical specialist? It is not uncommon for some of my older soldiers to be formally schooled in up to three different Military Occupation Specialties (MOS).
2. Learn additional skills beyond your MOS. Every one of my soldiers has practiced putting in an IV, knows how and when to use a nasopharyngeal airway, and can perform a range of basic first aid tasks. Two of my soldiers have been school trained as armorers as an additional duty to their primary job. I put everyone on the range 2-3 times a year firing 9mm, 5.56mm, 7.62mm, .50 cal, 12 gauge, and 40mm. Our people know how to maintain and fire a variety of pistols, rifles, machine guns, shotguns, and other less common weapon systems. We practice navigating alone or in small groups cross country using a map and compass. We also train everyone on basic hand-to-hand combatives. Finally, our Military Police soldiers get trained on collapsible batons, OC, and soon, Tasers.
3. Continue to live where you want. One of the big complaints of preppers on Active Duty is having to move every few years. In the National Guard you choose your armory (presuming they have an open slot) and you can live anywhere that you like. In my state 90% of counties have at least one National Guard armory. As you go up in ranks you may have to go to another armory that has the slot that you want but you’re never forced to do so. If the openings don’t exist for your career track at your armory, you can always retrain into another field where the slots do exist.
4. Be a leader when trouble strikes. When society gets shaken you will likely be called upon to stabilize and sustain your city, state, or nation. Some would see this as a downside as they would prefer to hunker down when things get bad. I see it instead as a positive. Even as a mere mid level leader in the Guard I have the ability to make decisions that will help restore towns to a state of normalcy. This was proven to me when our company was charged with restoring law and order to a coastal Mississippi town in the wake of Hurricane Katrina. We fed people, stopped the looting, and gave the utility workers the support that they needed to restore basic services. Not only was it a rewarding experience, but it also pulled me into the survivalist community. I promised myself that my family would be prepared when disaster struck.
5. Local in focus, global in reach. Unlike the Reserves, National Guard soldiers serve at the direction of their state’s Governor. If this sounds odd to you, remember that before 1933 the National Guard Bureau was called the Militia Bureau. If you’re interested in helping in natural disasters, the Guard is the way to go. I’ve responded to tornados 30 miles North of my home as well as hurricanes 500 miles South. I’ve even conducted exercises in South America and Europe with the Guard. The President can always federalize a Guard unit, but at our core, we’re a state asset.
6. Learn even more skills outside the Army. The GI Bill and Tuition Assistance can help you go back to school for vocational, college, or post graduate training with little or no out of pocket expense.
7. Gain an extra paycheck. Not much more to say on this one. Live off your civilian job salary and you can just apply your Guard paycheck to paying off your house or any other debts that you have faster.
8. Gain full time employment. While the Guard is traditionally a part time force (usually one weekend a month, two weeks a year… though the War on Terror was stretched that), there are some full time jobs out there. Put in some time and prove yourself and you could serve full time from your hometown. Of particular interest to people who understand the threats that exist domestically are the Civil Support Teams (CST) that each state has that’s composed of Army and Air National Guardsmen. These are the first responders for just about everything that a terrorist might level against us here at the home front. All the soldiers in a CST serve full time and represent the best that we have for detecting and dealing with chemical, biological, radiological, or nuclear threats.
9. The camaraderie of a group of like minded individuals. It’s good to know people in your community that you can count on in a pinch. Plus the Guard can be a good networking opportunity if you’re looking for employment in an emergency response field (police, fire, EMT, etc.).
And now, the negatives:
1. Overseas deployments. Sooner or later you’re probably going to go to Iraq or Afghanistan if you’re in the National Guard. If you have a family, this is definitely a negative. However, for some of you the experience that this brings would be invaluable in a survival situation. Just prepare your family to operate without you, preferably in conjunction with the support of trusted friends and neighbors. Know also that the Guard has really made headway since the wars started in providing dwell time to its soldiers. Current deployment cycles attempt to limit a unit to one deployment for every five years.
2. Some units in the Guard lack vision and don’t train hard. It pains me to say that but we must remember that the Army is a microcosm of the society it serves. Some leaders are no good and some units are lazy. My unit trains hard and the soldiers appreciate it. We take every opportunity to learn and grow. Not every unit is like that. If you join a unit that’s sub par, work to change it from the inside. If the culture of that unit is beyond your ability to fix, request transfer to another one.
3. If you’re thinking about joining the Guard now, you just missed some of the best enlistment bonuses in decades. Work closely with your local Guard recruiter (located at most Guard armories) and see if the field that you’re interested in still offers money up front to help kick your prepping into high gear. Not all the bonuses are gone but several of the bigger ones went away a few months ago.
4. Leaving your family during the height of an emergency. I alluded to earlier, but it’s worth repeating given the audience. It is all together possible that when your family needs you the most, you will get called away to help other people. This is a chance that we take along with our brethren first responders. Police, Fire Fighters, EMTs, Doctors, Nurses, and Guardsmen… if we hold to our oath then we’ve got to go where our community needs us in an emergency.
If you’re thinking about joining, grab a friend in the Guard and ask a lot of questions. It’s not a small step because it requires many years of commitment. I think it’s worth it, though. Hopefully this article has answered your questions regarding the Guard as means to serve your community and grow your personal skill set in preparation for a survival situation.
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Responding to a CBRNE Event, by J. Paramedic
CBRNE is an acronym for Chemical-Biological-Radiological-Nuclear-Explosive
events. [It is most commonly spoken "Sea-Burn"] This article gives
a general guideline for responding to such incidents, geared toward the
individual
or small group with basic medical/trauma care abilities and
little to no rescue capability. Some details about each type of event are
also included. Note that I am a paramedic; my training is geared toward that
venue, and this essay reflects that. However, many of the same principles
are relevant to anyone forced by circumstances to respond to such incidents,
not just public safety personnel.
Deliberate Attacks Versus Accidents
Most CBRNE events will be accidents or natural occurrences - chemical spills,
pandemics, etc. Some, however, may be deliberate attacks. The most likely candidates
are explosive devices, which are relatively cheap, do-it-yourself, low-risk
endeavors. Chemical, biological, radiological and especially true nuclear attacks
are
expensive and high-risk. For example, creating a nuclear device requires obtaining
plans, a large team of scientists in multiple specialties, esoteric materials,
and so on. And that is just to build the device - a delivery system is still
needed. Bringing these elements together is expensive, difficult and time-consuming,
and likely to attract unwanted attention. Overall, the cost and risk-to-body-count
ratio is much better with conventional arms and explosives; accordingly, these
are the most likely forms of deliberate attack.
Safety
The first priority must always be making sure that you and yours do not become
victims. If you become injured, you cannot help others; furthermore, you require
assistance, which draws resources away from other victims. Consider the following:
Scene Safety: Look for fires, unstable structures, weapons or dangerous persons.
Look up, down, and all around - remember that not all threats come from ground
level. If you do not have the training or equipment to help safely, then wait
for those who do. Leave the area if necessary. Do not try to provide aid in
an unsafe area - move victims if necessary. In some cases, you may even have
to leave them behind. Remember, you cannot help others if you become
a casualty.
Contamination:
CBRNE events pose a high risk of contamination. Do not expose
yourself to chemical or infectious agents or to radiation. If you do not have
appropriate personal protection equipment (PPE) - do not approach the incident
site. PPE is discussed in more detail later. Keep in mind the "Rule of
Thumb" - get far enough away from the scene that you can completely cover
it with your outstretched thumb. Remember to go uphill and upwind of
the affected area.
Secondary Devices: In the case of a deliberate CBRNE attack, be aware that
there could be additional threats or devices waiting for responders. While
these are generally directed at police, fire, EMS or other official agencies,
if you are trying to help, or have the bad luck to be at the scene, you share
the danger.
Organization
In the case of CBRNE event, public safety agencies – police, fire and
EMS – will have initial responsibility for scene management. Whatever
you believe the long-term consequences will be, initially these agencies will
be functioning. What follows is a description of their organizational model.
If they are on the scene, you will be expected to function within that structure,
if you are permitted to assist at all (for safety and liability reasons, you
may not be). However, even if a CBRNE event occurs where public safety agencies
cannot respond, the principles of this structure are still appropriate for
your own use.
Overall responsibility for managing a given event will, at least initially,
fall to a single person, designated as Incident Command. If the event can be
managed with less than 7 or so responders, this person (and perhaps a Safety
Officer) may be the only command personnel needed. However, a CBRNE event is
likely to require a considerably larger response. It has been found that a
single individual cannot effectively direct more than 3-7 people; 3-5 is an
even better number. This is referred to as an effective span of control.
Accordingly, for an event of large size, additional levels of organization
will be introduced
in order to maintain an appropriate span. Regional or functional divisions
are used as necessary. For example, the Incident Commander may appoint a Rescue
Chief, a Medical Chief, and a Fire Suppression Chief for a large-scale response.
(Note that regional or functional elements and leaders are appointed by Incident
Command. Some are standardized across the nation, while others will vary geographically
depending on local organization, preference and tradition.) Each of these individuals
will in turn direct about 3-5 subordinates. Depending on the number of responders,
each of those subordinates could in turn direct a team of 3-5 responder, et
cetera. The keys are that (1) each responder reports to one and only one supervisor,
chief, or other leadership element; (2) each leader directs no more than 3-5
subordinates directly; and (3) overall responsibility for the scene falls to
a single Incident Command. It is essential that there is no freelancing – a
disorganized response can lead to inefficiency, an unsafe scene, oversights
or mistakes resulting in poor outcomes, additional injuries [, needless contamination]
or even deaths.
Zones
Geographically, a scene will be divided into three zones: a central hot zone,
a surrounding warm zone, and a safe cold zone.
The hot zone is the immediate site of the incident, and may
expand based on wind, spill or rainwater runoff, etc. Only trained responders
with appropriate
equipment should be in the hot zone. Depending on the incident type, this could
mean fire department, HazMat or other type teams.
The warm zone surrounds the hot zone. Operating in the warm zone may also call
for specialized training and equipment, but not always and not as much. Decontamination,
which is discussed below, is usually performed in the warm zone.
Finally, the cold zone is the [ostensibly] safe area surrounding
the warm zone. Basically this is the rest of the world. Additional resources
and
treatment
centers will
normally be located in the cold zone.
Decontamination
Decontamination will be necessary when it is likely that victims or responders
have been exposed to chemicals, biological agents or radiation. The most common
method of mass decon is gross decon. Essentially, victims are instructed to
disrobe (it is estimated that in many cases this can remove up to 90% of contaminants)
and are run through a large “shower” area, then given clean garments.
On a smaller scale, you or your family members can self-decontaminate by disrobing
and showering. It is recommended that garments that must normally be pulled
over the head be cut off, instead. In some cases more detailed decon may need
to
be performed,
for example a wound contaminated with radiological material. In this case,
wash the specific site with soap and water, making sure not to contaminate
others or other areas of the body while doing so (wear appropriate PPE). Note
that victims should in most cases be decontaminated before receiving medical
care or first aid. The exception is an immediate life-threatening condition,
such as a severe hemorrhage, which may receive preliminary treatment prior
to decon.
Personal Protective Equipment (PPE)
This discussion will deal with two forms of PPE: medical PPE and chemical protective
gear. It is essential to wear appropriate PPE in any CBRNE event to avoid becoming
contaminated or spreading contamination to others.
Medical PPE includes gloves, masks, gowns and eye protection. Follow the Universal
Precautions philosophy – assume that everyone is a potential
carrier of dangerous infections, and behave accordingly. Wear gloves whenever providing
treatment, and change them between patients. Also be aware of the following “special” situations:
Splash protection – when “splashes” are anticipated (for
example with childbirth, massive hemorrhage or vomiting) wear eye protection,
a mask and a gown
Contact precautions – some infections, such as certain MRSA varieties,
can be passed skin-to-skin, and call for contact precautions; wear gloves and
a gown
Droplet precautions – infections spread in mucus or respiratory secretions
may be transmitted over short distances by coughs and the like; wear a surgical
mask when in close proximity. (The CDC says within three feet [but coughs can
project droplets 10 feet or more.])
Airborne precautions – infections with airborne spread, such as tuberculosis,
call for an N95 mask; ideally, the patient should be in a negative pressure
room
Chemical Protective Equipment comes in four levels:
Level A calls for a Self-Contained Breathing Apparatus (SCBA) and a sealed
chemical protective suit. Note that no single suit type protects against all
forms of exposure. Generally, Level A protection is used only by trained HazMat
Technicians.
Level B calls for an SCBA and a non-encapsulated (non-sealed) chemical protective
suit, such as a Tyvek suit.
Level C consists of a filter-type respirator and chemical protective clothing,
gloves and boots (same as type B).
Level D includes standard work clothes – uniforms, surgical scrubs, turnout
gear – which give some skin/splash protection, and no respiratory protection.
Triage
Once proper PPE is in place, the response has been organized, and the scene
has been rendered safe, care for victims can begin. After safety, preventing
or minimizing the loss of life is the highest priority. A CBRNE event is likely
to produce a large number of victims, and could easily exceed response capabilities.
When this happens, the goal must be to do the greatest good for the greatest
number.
Haphazardly rendering aid to random victims will result in chaos and poor treatment
priorities, which will in turn lead to unnecessary loss of life or poor outcomes
for victims. It is important to apply triage procedures. “Triage” simply
means “to sort,” and refers to sorting victims into groups based
on severity. The first competent care-giver to arrive at the scene of a mass
casualty event should begin triaging – sorting – victims. The following
categories are pretty much universally recognized:
Red or Immediate – These persons have severe injuries, but are likely
to be able to be saved. The are “salvageable.” Given the seriousness
of their condition, they receive treatment (and transport to the hospital,
if available) first.
Yellow or Delayed – These are the people with serious but not life-threatening
injuries. They are the second group to receive treatment, after the Reds/Immediates.
Green or Minimal – These are folks with only minor injuries. After
all the reds and yellows are taken care of, they can be taken care of.
Black or Expectant – These victims are dead or expected
to die. Any victim who cannot breathe on their own should be triaged into
this category.
If manpower
or resources are limited, they should not be expended on these victims, who
will
probably not survive anyway.
Once triage is completed, treatment can begin.
Treatment
Some comments specific to incident type will be included later. For now, consider
the following general assessment and treatment priorities (note that this is
a mere overview; detailed first aid skills should be sought elsewhere):
Mental Status – Assess whether the patient is awake, unresponsive, confused
or lethargic, etc. An unresponsive patient should be considered Red/Immediate.
A confused patient will probably be Yellow/Delayed, assuming no additional
problems are found. Next check the ABCs:
Airway and Breathing – Check to see whether the victim is breathing.
If not, open their airway by tilting the head or (if injury is suspected) by
lifting the jaw forward. If the patient does not breath on their own at this
point, consider them Black/Expectant. If they do, ask whether they are having
difficulty breathing and listen to their breath. Difficulty breathing, rapid
breathing or strange breathing sounds indicate at least a Yellow/Delayed patient.
Severe or progressive difficulty breathing indicates a Red/Immediate patient.
Circulation – First, if a patient has no pulse, they are dead, and are
Black/Expectant. Second, check for bleeding. If bleeding is found, it should
be controlled. Place direct pressure on the site; this should control the bleeding.
You may have to maintain pressure for several minutes, then place a dressing
and bandage. If the bleeding does not stop, and is from an arm or leg, apply
a tourniquet. In the past tourniquets were viewed with great caution, but it
has been found that they can be safely used for up to several hours without
long-term negative effects. At any rate, one cannot worry too much about an
arm or leg when a victim – possibly a loved one – is bleeding to
death. Finally, keep a bleeding patient warm (cover them with a blanket) and
elevate their feet; this will help combat shock.
Those of you with CPR training will notice that I’ve omitted rescue breaths
and chest compressions from this discussion. That’s because (1) in a
mass casualty situation victims needing these interventions will be Black/Expectant,
and will not be treated; and (2) unless high-level follow-on care – paramedic,
ER and/or ICU – is available, CPR alone is unlikely to save a cardiac
arrest victim. And I simply don’t
have space to include such details here. I do, however, recommend that everyone
seek out first aid and CPR training, at a minimum.
Finally, remember that scene safety comes before treatment. If necessary, move
the victim. In general it is good to leave trauma victims in place, in case
there is some spinal damage. However, when the scene is unsafe, you have to
move.
Specific Incident Types
Explosives Events
Remember that explosive devices can also include some biological, chemical
or radiological (“dirty bomb”) contaminant; and that there could
be secondary devices waiting for responders. (Note that explosives will usually
destroy any included biological or chemical material, making explosive dispersal
of such agents unlikely to succeed.)
Explosives create blast-type injuries, which are classified as follows:
Primary Blast Injuries: pressure-related injuries from the blast wave, these
can affect internal organs such as the intestines, lungs or inner ear without
visible external injuries
Secondary Blast Injuries: these are injuries from objects (shrapnel, debris,
etc.) striking the victim
Tertiary Blast Injuries: if a blast is powerful enough to throw a victim into
the air, they will sustain injuries from striking the ground or other objects
Quaternary Blast Injuries: all other injuries, including burns and the like
Here are some basic treatment ideas:
Bleeding should be controlled by direct pressure and, if necessary, tourniquet.
Broken bones, sprains, etc., can be splinted
Burns should be covered with clean – preferably sterile – sheets
or dressings; do not put any salves or chemicals on any but minor burns, as
they will have to be washed out later – very painful for the victim
Victims with neck or back pain or tenderness, or loss of sensation or movement,
should not be moved unless absolutely necessary, as they may have suffered
spinal injury, which may be worsened by movement. However, this is much less
likely than television and first aid instructors would have you believe.
Chemical Events
Chemical events require proper PPE; otherwise, follow the “Rule of Thumb.” Remember
that wind and water run-off can spread contaminants. Also remember that chemical
events may not be immediately apparent. Multiple victims with quickly-developing
symptoms, as well as dead flora or fauna in the area, are the most likely signs.
A special note should be made for organophosphates. These produce a condition
commonly called SLUDGE (salivation, lacrimation, urination,
diarrhea, gastrointestinal distress, and emesis), which in layman's terms is
the sudden onset of soiling yourself, peeing on yourself, crying and vomiting
everywhere.
They
merit special mention because these are the type of exposures for which Mark
I kits and other atropine/2-PAM kits are indicated, as well as valium for possible
seizures.
Biological Events
Biological events can be difficult to detect, and to protect against, because
often there is no scene. Generally, multiple victims will present with “flu-like
symptoms” or other complaints to multiple health care providers. The
main signs are multiple patients with similar complaints, especially when the
symptoms, the demographics, or the season are unusual. For example, large numbers
of healthy young people complaining of flu symptoms in the middle of summer,
clustered in certain areas, is a sign of an exposure or pandemic. Isolating
the source is a matter of finding “common ground” between the victims – think
of lots of people suffering from nausea, vomiting and diarrhea after eating
at the same restaurant.
Speaking of flu-like symptoms, I thought it might be timely to share with you
the following guidance that I’ve received from my EMS agency regarding
the current “Swine flu” –
1. Suspect swine flu in a person who:
- has a cough, runny nose or sore throat; and
- has a fever more than 101.4F; and
- has been to an “endemic area” in the last 7 days
Endemic areas currently include Mexico and affected areas of the USA.
2. Distance is considered adequate protection; however, if one must approach
a suspected swine flu patient, a surgical mask is recommended.
3. Only if one must be in a confined space with a suspected swine flu patient
is an N95 respirator recommended.
These recommendations come from our medical director based on CDC and other
agencies’ information and advice.
Victims of a biological agent (i.e., an illness) can often be treated, depending
on the agent; preventing further spread within a population can usually only
be accomplished by isolation or – on large scales – by quarantine.
Nuclear or Radiological Event
As noted previously, deliberate nuclear attacks are relatively unlikely, due
to their expense and risk when compared with conventional methods. “Accidents” are
also rare, as modern-day reactors and the like are designed with multiple redundancies
and dead-man’s-switches. We are many years removed from the technologies
of Chernobyl and Three Mile Island, or so experts say. Smaller radiological
events are more likely. Of course the first thought in most minds is the “dirty
bomb,” a conventional explosive with radioactive material.
Radioactive materials are usually divided according to the following types:
Alpha particles cannot penetrate clothing or often even skin; however, they
are very dangerous if somehow introduced into the body
Beta particles can be absorbed by protective clothing
Gamma rays are stopped only by several inches of lead [or
several feet of earth or concrete], and easily penetrate human beings, damaging
organs along their
paths.
The severity of radiation exposure will depend on time, distance and shielding – a
shorter exposure, over a greater distance, with more shielding in between,
will be less severe than the opposite. Radiation effects various bodily systems.
Inhaled radioactive material can damage the lungs. Radiation can also produce
severe burns; these will present as severe itching, but over time will reveal
significant damage.
In evaluating the severity of radiation exposure, the easiest reliable measure
is time to onset of vomiting. If a victim starts vomiting within one hour of
exposure, their exposure is severe. Beyond two hours, exposure is probably
mild to moderate.
You may find it useful to stock geiger counters, personal dosimeters, or potassium
iodide (KI)
for your family. Information on all of these topics is already archived
on SurvivalBlog, so I will not go into them here.
Otherwise, without specialized facilities, the best you can do for a victim
of radiation poisoning is to decontaminate and treat symptoms as they arise.
Remember that with a sufficient dose of radiation the victim can themselves
become a source of radiation, and pose a contamination risk.
Summary
In the case of a CBRNE event, essential include a scrupulous eye to safety,
an organized response, careful use of personal protective equipment (PPE)
and decontamination to prevent spread of contamination, triage of victims,
and
the best treatment
available.
Remember
that you will probably not be able to do as much as you would like. You must
do the greatest good for the greatest number. Finally, remember your priorities:
after safety, preventing the loss of life comes first. Then you can worry about
protecting property and/or the environment, and long-term recovery. These topics,
however, are beyond the scope of this essay. I hope you find the information
contained here useful in your preparations, though I hope you never have to
use it in a true CBRNE event.
« Letter Re: Adapting Family Food Storage for Gluten Intolerance |Main| Jim's Quote of the Day: »
Mexican Flu Update
Cheryl wrote to mention an article that described using Vitamin
D to prevent a cytokine storm The dose is 2,000
units of Vitamin D per kilogram (1 kg = 2.2046 pounds), once per day. Thus,
for an average 150 lb. adult, the dose would be would
be
136,060 units of Vitamin D. This is to be taken for three days. (I.U. Equivalence:
50,000
units = 1.25 mg) My Strong Proviso: The usual fat soluble vitamin (KADE)
warnings apply. Don't over-do a good thing. You should discuss vitamin D testing and replacement with your physician before acting on that doctor's recommendations! Vitamin D supplement limits vary depending on body weight, diet, and exposure to the sun.
Today's flu headlines:
WHO
pandemic threat level raised to 5 out of 6
New Flu Strain is a Genetic Mix
First
US Swine Flu Death, Cases Now in 10 States
France urges Mexican flight ban
Cuba Halts Mexico Travel (First Country to Do So)
Pandemic Risk Grows as New Cases Emerge US cases now at 64, Mexico 152 dead,
over 2,000 infected
US Flu Deaths Seem Likely as Outbreak Spreads
Scary Advertisements From 1976 Flu Outbreak Today they tell us to stay calm
Mexico
City Mayor: One more death, toll stabilizing
« Letter Re: Tapping the National Medications Stockpile |Main| Jim's Quote of the Day: »
Mexican Flu Update
The death toll in Mexico now at
149, and climbing, with more than 2,000 patients are hospitalized there. Containment
appears unlikely. For a flu to spread this rapidly outside
of the normal
"cold
and flu season"
tells us something about its ferocity. I suspect that we will see multiple
waves of infection, with the worst of them probably being next winter
in the
Northern Hemisphere. Mutations are impossible to predict. The only good news
is that at least in the long term, viruses tend to mutate into less
lethal strains. (The most lethal--a la the Marburg type hemorrhagic
viruses--are so lethal
that the
hosts don't live long enough to pass on the viruses to others. Hence the tendency
for many bugs is to become less virulent. The common cold (acute viral rhinopharyngitis),
it is said, probably started out as a killer, many centuries ago.)
SurvivalBlog Editor at Large Michael
Z. Williamson sent us a link to the first really
practical
article on using N95 masks that I've ever seen, by Tara Smith.
Mentioned a useful CDC background
piece: Antiviral
Drugs and Swine Influenza
Reader Matt J. in Kentucky notes: "Wal-Mart in Louisville, Kentucky is already
out of N95 masks, but the hardware stores like Home Depot and Lowe's have 20-packs
readily available (I bought two 20-packs at Lowe's and one 20-pack at Home Depot."
OBTW, Bob at Ready
Made Resources mentioned that sales have been very brisk, and they are
now nearly out N95 masks, despite buying all that their wholesale
suppliers had
on hand. He also mentioned that their inexpensive full
protective suit ensembles are going fast
Here are some of the day's flu headlines:
World closer to swine flu pandemic
Swine
Flu: Five Things You Need
to Know About the Outbreak Thanks to Dave (at Captain
Dave's) for the link
Texas Closes More Schools as Flu Spreads
Obama:
Flu Matter of Concern Not One of Alarm (yet)
Mexico City Now a Zombie City
Call Your Congressman! US Says Not Testing Travelers From Mexico
Swine
Flu Hits Ernst & Young in Times Square, N.J. Department of Health
Confirms Five Probable Cases
Flashback to 1994: CDC to mix avian, human flu viruses in pandemic study
« Flu and Antibacterials, by David in Israel |Main| Mexican Flu Update »
Letter Re: Tapping the National Medications Stockpile
Jim,
Sunday, the US Department of Homeland Security (DHS)
announced that they would open up the National Stockpile of medications to provide
antivirals to areas
that may need them. This comment is a big clue to the real concern that this
is already getting out of control. The National Stockpile is rarely tapped so
this is a big event and a potential trigger for those out there who need to be
aware. Luckily this year’s human flu was resistant to Tamiflu so there
appears to be stock left, but this is also the end of the season so normal supplies
are low. Relenza is another antiviral that is available and the swine flu is
sensitive too, (at this point). Tamiflu [dosing] is weight-based for children
and Relenza is not indicated for patients less than seven years old. I would
suggest that anyone with significant medical conditions obtain an antiviral prescription
from their friendly doctor now, and not later. Obviously large
cities, especially those with international airport hubs, and those on the border,
or with large migrant populations probably aren’t the best places to be
right now. What triggers a bug out is individualized, but there is a definite
advantage of being in a small town. But even Kansas hasn’t been spared
with this one. With schools being shut down, that forces adult parents to stay
home which causes shortages of employees not only at the mall, but the grocery
store, the shipper, the police station, the hospital, the gas station…etc… Plan
accordingly for any last minute items you need. - Mike the MD
« Letter Re: Atheism and Choosing Your Neighborhood |Main| Note from JWR: »
The Mexican Flu and You
In the past
24 hours I've received dozens of e-mails from SurvivalBlog readers about the
emerging Mexican Flu. Some news stories have included cryptic comments from
heath officials, implying that the mechanism of infection makes this particular
virus "very difficult to contain." This leads
me to conclude that those infected have a long latency period during which
they are infectious, yet, they do not display frank symptoms. This does not
bode well for any hopes of containing the spread of the virus.
Then we hear a
CDC official stating: "The swine flu virus contains four different
gene segments representing both North American swine and avian influenza, human
flu and a
Eurasian swine
flu." That strikes we as something very peculiar.
The disease is respiratory, and has one strong similarity to the 1918 Spanish Flu: "The
majority were young adults between 25 and 45 years old," said one official
under
the condition of anonymity. Since, young and healthy people with strong immune
systems are the most likely to succumb, this might indicate that the biggest
killer is a cytokine storm--a collapse caused by the human immune
system's over-reaction to a
pathogen.
I strongly recommend that everyone reading this take the
time to re-read my background article on flu self-quarantine and other precautions: Protecting
Your Family From an Influenza Pandemic. The details that I give there are
quite important. Pay special attention to my discussion of the shortage
of hospital
ventilators.
If anyone in your family is immunosuppressed, consider
yourselves on alert. Make your final preparations to hunker down,
immediately.
In the next few days, there is a good chance of wholesale panic, including
some well-publicized "runs" --probably first for hand sanitizer and face masks,
and soon after for bottled
water and groceries. Plan on it.
UPDATE: The BBC News
web page Mexico
flu: Your experiences has some updates posted from individuals
in Mexico City
To summarize, here are some key quotes from a
recent article:
"This outbreak is particularly worrisome because deaths have happened
in at least four different regions of Mexico, and because the victims have
not been vulnerable infants and elderly.
"The most notorious flu pandemic, thought to have killed at least 40 million
people worldwide in 1918-19, also first struck otherwise healthy young adults."
...
"But it may be too late to contain the outbreak, given how widespread the
known cases are. If the confirmed deaths are the first signs of a pandemic, then
cases are probably incubating around the world by now, said Dr. Michael Osterholm,
a pandemic flu expert at the University of Minnesota.
"No vaccine specifically protects against swine flu, and it is unclear
how much protection current human flu vaccines might offer."
Current statistics show a less than 10% lethality rate, but of course the
first wave of flu victims are getting access to the best medical care available.
If the contagion spreads, sheer numbers will quickly overwhelm hospital
facilities--particularly the number of mechanical ventilators available. So
the lethality rate may rise, even if there is not a viral mutation.
Here
are the latest headlines on the flu, as well as some background pieces. I'll
post
more
links,
as they
become
available.
Swine Flu, Mexico Lung Illness Heighten Pandemic Risk
Swine flu could infect U.S. trade and travel
Mexico Races to Stop Deadly Flu Virus
Spanish Flu Survivors Remember
Some Facts About Past Flu Pandemics
WHO ready with antivirals to combat swine flu
Possible Swine Flu Outbreak at NYC Prep School
California Expects To Find More New Flu Cases
Swine Flu Jitters Sparks Sell-Off In US Hogs
Swine Flu Resources
Most Mexico fatal flu victims aged between 25-45
Swine
Flu May Be Named Event of ‘International Concern’ by WHO
[A UK] County's masterplan to deal with flu pandemic
« Three Letters Re: Some Practical Lessons with Daily Concealed Carry |Main| Note from JWR: »
Old Frontier Forts as Alternative Bug Out Locations?, by R.D. in Wyoming
I wish to present an alternative prep situation that I have not really seen talked
about on your blog and at other other sites. First a small bit of biographical background and anecdotes to explain
my reasons for what I (now recently we) are doing.
Ten years ago, I retired from the military (26+ years, Life Scout (in a younger
form) and an ex-scout leader (both Boy and Girl Scouts), fixed income with a
part time job, never lived at one address longer than three years (requirement
of
military
lifestyle), hobbies oriented to colonial/fur trade eras (see anecdote), recent
earnest prepper (caused by that feeling in the pit of my stomach and head that
things really aren't right and not going to get better). Fiscally responsible
but bought the "earned your retirement" false dream long ago--that
can't be changed now.
While in the military a lifestyle of semi-preparedness was necessary because
of my low income. (I suffered through the
Carter and Clinton administrations). We canned food from our garden wherever
we
were
stationed
to
stretch
the food budget and teach our children how to make their own food; we cut firewood
for heat in some locales; we relied on kerosene lamp back-up lighting and camp
stove cooking because of unreliable base power grids. At one base I was even
visited by the Public Works officer to find out why my quarters had lights during
a power outage. Imagine his surprise to find both lights and heat off the grid,
plus all my neighbors and their children warm and well fed.
At times, while in the service, we qualified for assistance food and
based upon those experiences have reached some unconventional decisions. Assistance
food usually meant a five-pound block of USDA cheese, #10 cans of dehydrated
soups or powdered eggs, surplus breads and very large containers of dried milk.
When
you
open these it becomes a use-it-or-lose-it menu even for a family of four!
My colonial/fur trades hobbies came about with involvement in Scouting, teaching
merit badges, Indian skills and camp crafts. They are both enjoyable and practical
from a barter-trades aspect: hide tanning/leatherworking, moccasin and footwear
making, non-manufactured clothing making (no zippers or buttons) and
using trade cloth/blankets), primitive cooking and camping skills and pioneering--the
art of using logs and rope to construct bridges, platforms and watch towers,
cranes and jack-legs, and other basic heavy lifting rigs. I highly recommend
adding Scouting handbooks and merit badge books (older printings) to family
preparedness libraries. There is a
wealth of information there!
Last year, while looking for our current home, I was really taken with a 1950s
home that still had a primo Civil Defense specification bomb shelter in the
back yard, primarily as a safe place for my reloading and weapons storage.
It was
the
high end style
that
was connected to the basement of the house with a concrete tunnel, doored at
both ends, and three feet underground. It was in mild disrepair: vent system
damaged and entrance sealed off at the house, but repairable. We passed on
that house because it was in the end too small for our needs and in a shall-we-say
"unstable" neighborhood.
Six months after purchasing our current home my wife, out of the blue, says
that
maybe we should have bought the other house! This from a woman that has made
disparaging remarks when I have added to our LBE kits and checked the status
of our "homeland defense" items.
She seems to have had an epiphany after our taxes were prepared when she wanted
to know why we had not taken the $3,000 credit from our small investment nest
egg
before and I explained that we had never lost over half of it to the economy!
When the "boss" changed
her attitude and became interested in my "below the radar" preps,
I started to include her in the decision and prioritizing of what to buy and
the impacts on our limited budget.
"Below the radar" preps means passing off a purchase as some other
need (diplomatic when not everyone is on board with the idea): a small generator
was
for our tent camper, food items were for this summer when our grandson visits
or to replace things lost in a move, water jugs were because of the places
where we camp, extra gas cans were for the lawn mower (a stretch but it worked),
the
FRS radios
were an aid when we are out hiking, though there was no need to disguise the
increase
in reloading components when the election results were in.
All this brings me to our different style of prepping.
While I would like to be able to stock up as is generally noted and advocated,
our finances and storage space do not permit the expenditure of the amounts
necessary to buy in bulk. Also from my experiences in the military I don't
like to place all my eggs in one basket. I will admit that while
it is more expensive per unit cost, it is also more "do-able" in
an on-going practical sense on a fixed income and has an unforeseen future
benefit.
We make our storage food purchases with only the two of us in immediate mind,
to aid in use and rotation, by buying individual serving packages for most
of the items that we get: boxes of rice sealed in boil-in-bag pouches, powdered
milk in boxes that have quart size servings inside, individual packages of
Ramen
style noodles, small cans of fruits and vegetables (the type with the pull-off
lids), non-refrigerated microwave meals that serve one (these are very practical
as they go in our lunches on a daily basis), individual packet boxes of instant
oatmeal, and normal sizes of canned meat, chicken and fish. Some items naturally
are bought in what would be normal sizes but for only the two of us they seem
to last forever: Five pound bags of flour, sugar, cornmeal, coffee and pancake
mixes. The primary factor in these purchases is getting the longest expiration
dates
that we can find. All this gets put into 22 gallon Totes that have latches
for the lids but only one container of each item per Tote: a box of rice, a
box
of milk,
salt, coffee, etc., 4 each of the fruits and vegetables (36 total), 4 rolls
of toilet paper and towels, strike anywhere matches, sets of durable plastic
knife, fork and spoon, zip-lock bag of 28 individual size soap, 4 empty plastic
bullet boxes that hold
4 Bic style [disposable butane] lighters, 2 packets each type garden seeds.
This list is not complete, but you get the idea. The content of each Tote equate
to one
month's
food and paper needs and is movable by even our 13 year old grandson. We currently
have six totes filled, after only four months of serious additions. We are
trying to add
one Tote a month in addition to the other things that we are getting. My part-time
job provides the funds for this so what we can get depends on what else is
on a priority that month. We do have an additional Tote that holds 36 MREs
and is
marked for priority loading. Our water is stored in the newer G.I. five-gallon
plastic water cans, available at flea markets. These are stored in a dark storage
room.
Our
small
camper
is
always stocked and ready to go no matter what season of the year.
Now for the reasoning behind this method. If TSHTF or TEOTWAWKI occurs
it may be gradual or a traumatic event requiring different tactics. If gradual
and
we can hunker down while finishing up necessaries, only one Tote at a time
needs
to be opened to augment what we have. If traumatic, anyone can carry/load the
Totes into one of several available G.O.O.D. vehicles or the trailer while
another watches their "six". The urgency of a bug-out may dictate how much
can be loaded
in the time available. The more Totes that can be grabbed, the longer we can
make do but the MRE Tote and water is always loaded first. This is in addition
to B.O.B.s and
homeland defense items.
Now for the unforeseen future benefits that I mentioned. As you have noted
several times and places, I too could not turn away others that are in need
if I can
help. But giving someone a #10 can of beans or soup will not really help them.
A grocery bag of individual servings that they are familiar with and provide
variety and full meals for one or two days plus a means to heat it will help
while not depleting our stores. Secondly, if a bad guy finds a single Tote
with a few of everything in it, they may assume that's all there is
and not attempt to engage in a protracted search for more.
One last item that may not meet with approval but is out-of-the-box thinking
in the selection of several fallback retreat sites that most others probably
will not think of. If we cannot stay in the city, as small as it is,
I have found a couple of locales that would prove ideal. One is a semi-restored
1870s military post. Yes, I know that I don't own it in the
traditional sense though I have paid for it through my taxes, but if there
is no more
authority in force, it could prove useful. The fort is already set up to function
without power as we are used to, just coal
or wood heat and cooking (there is no electricity on site), bulletproof buildings
and pre-determined fields of fire, close to a year round water source, small
homes
for families
and barracks for singles and designed by some of the best military minds of
their times. Even has a powder magazine and jail! It also has a very low visitor
count.
If it is occupied or contested, no problems, as there are others at regular
distances closer or farther. If not, then it allows for a rally point and the
expansion of a
Group as others arrive that are aware of my thinking. And they are not unique
to our Area of Operations (AO).
I have been to some really complete ones back east, in the south, and
on the west coast. Let your mind do the walking.
I didn't realize how long this became. If you find it suitable for
others to see to help them achieve their goals with limited or minimal means,
please feel free to chop it as necessary.
Very Respectfully of your efforts to aid others, - R.D. in Wyoming
JWR Replies: That is an interesting concept, but implementing
as you describe would require a quite unique set of circumstances. Namely,
it could only happen if there were
a sudden an near total collapse of society, and if all law
enforcement evaporated overnight. It is far more likely that we will witness
a "slow slide"
from recession
to
depression, (and then, much less likely) to collapse. For most that continuum, your actions would be seen
as criminal, and you'd quickly attract the attention of government. So then
you might end up behind some other very
stout walls. And BTW, any of these forts that are on National Forest or National
Park land are considered Federal property, so any occupation deemed "trespassing"
would be a Federal offense and likely carry a much more severe penalty than
trespass on state or county parklands. So it is best to make this a "very
low likelihood"
contingency plan.
In my estimation the only pragmatic way to occupy an old
fort in the midst of a slow slide situation would be to include representatives
of county, state or perhaps even Federal government as part of your planned
cadre, and characterize
it all
as a "continuity
of government" (COG)
endeavor. Bureaucrats often enjoy thinking (or pretending) that they come up
with original ideas. Given the promise of safety for "selected"
people, this should not be too difficult to orchestrate, especially as the
economy worsens and the crime rate escalates. Creating a nexus with a governmental
organization could be as complex as getting qualified as an EMT, or as simple
as joining a
Sheriff's Posse,
joining a County
SAR team,
or becoming a RACES-affiliated
ham radio operator.
« Letter Re: Selecting Retreat Properties--Pros and Cons of Buying Remote and Off Grid |Main| Notes from JWR: »
My Tale of the Hurricane Rita Evacuation. August, 2005, by Dan G.
I was working in a pawnshop in Aransass Pass Texas, about 20 miles North of
Corpus Christi, Texas. Two days earlier my wife and I watched the destruction
of New
Orleans on National Television, the news coverage was continuing around the clock
as the drama unfolded.
Gasoline had shot up from $1.56 to $2.99 a gallon overnight and of course
I had to fill up that morning to get to my menial low paying job. Late that
afternoon
a rich looking couple driving a huge brand new pickup truck, came into the pawnshop.
They spoke very loudly about how their family members in New Orleans did not
have electricity and were relying on them for help. How they communicated [with
those in New Orleans], I did not know. The pawn shop owner had two used generators
and this couple was
desperate to buy them, even hundreds of miles away from Louisiana, generators
had become scarce. The couple bought both of them, at an extra high price, and
the owner asked how they were going to get them to New Orleans for their family
members to use. “Well” said the man, “we can’t drive
up there because the roads are closed, so we are going to take these to the UPS
office and have them shipped to New Orleans, no matter what it costs.” No
one revealed to this man the flaw in his thinking. My Wife and I had a good laugh
about that when I got home that day.
September 20, 2005.
We were very concerned about Rita’s progress that night, after Katrina
everyone was in near panic.
September 21, 2005
They called the evacuation that morning, we had no money and our car was hardly
running, there was no way it would make it inland several hundred miles, even
if we had money for gas. The storm looked like it was going to make a direct
hit where we lived in Rockport, Texas 30 miles North of Corpus, and right on
the coast. Our financial situation was dire, my Wife had lost her job, and after
an altercation with my manager at the pawnshop, I had quit mine. We were awaiting
an inheritance to come through, but it had not happened yet. The job prospects
in the small tourist town, in the off season, were grim. I thought about just
sitting tight, but the lives of my Wife and kids prompted me into action. With
reluctance and a feeling of failure as a man, I called my Father for help.
Jobs, money and status were the code that my father lived by, even though he
had never held a low wage job in his life. He agreed to help, and reservations
at a hotel in Wimberly Texas were made, before the golden horde set out from
Houston. We would leave in the morning in my father’s truck, heading roughly
two hundred miles inland. Wimberly is located between Austin and San Antonio
Texas. I spent the afternoon of that day boarding up my Father’s house
in the nearly 115 degree heat and humidity. After that was accomplished my Wife
and I needed to pick up a few things in town including a prescription. It was
completely surreal in Rockport late that afternoon. The streets were all but
abandoned, trash fluttered in the wind on the empty sidewalks, most business
were already closed. The schools had closed at noon that day, and the children
sent home. Even the sky had a peculiar orange brown cloud cover that was unnerving.
A hand painted cardboard sign adorned the windows at Super Wal-Mart stating that
the store would be closing at 6pm, less than an hour away. The parking lot contained
a handful of RVs and pick-ups with travel trailers, all of them were loading
up canned goods, bottled water, propane, charcoal, flashlights, batteries and
ammunition. We had about $6 at the local bank, but we also had a $300 overdraft
privilege, the decision was made to exercise it. The ATM machines had been limited
to dispensing only $80 at a time for only 3 transactions, to keep the machines
from running out of cash. The ATM’s were also adorned with crudely made
cardboard signs. We took our $80 out 3 times, with a $25 overdraft charge each
time, that we would owe the bank at a later date. Inside Wal-mart it looked as
if the hurricane had already struck, the store was a mess, and the employees
had a haggard appearance. We picked up the prescription, there were no more batteries
to be had, but I needed a box of .45 ACPs.
People had paid attention to the mayhem that followed hurricane Katrina, this
was evident at the ammunition counter. They were out of shotgun shells, all common
rifle rounds were gone, the same held true for common pistol rounds. All they
had were oddball cartridges, .357 SIG, .45 G.A.P. .17 Remington, .300 Weatherby
Magnum, et cetera. Even the .22 LR were gone. There would be no .45 ACPs for
me, so we headed home. We passed several gas stations, again with crude signs,
stating they had only premium fuel. We got home to get ourselves and our kids
ready to
evacuate in the morning. The television news reported that the hurricane was
gaining
strength, they still had no idea where it would make landfall, and residents
of Houston were “urged” to evacuate now in a few hours it would be “mandatory”.
I felt it was imperative for the members of my family to be equipped with proper
footwear, in case there was trouble and we wound up walking. My 11 year old fashion
aware daughter proved to be a problem, all she had was girly shoes that were
otherwise useless. We scrambled to find her some walking shoes, deep in the closet
we found a pair. Also in the closet we located a forgotten partial box of .45ACPs,
at least my magazines would all be loaded. I vowed to never be caught
without
essentials like walking shoes and ammo again.
We packed light, I backed up my family photos and writings onto a CD-ROM and
packed it, we included socks and a change of clothes for everyone, all of our
important paperwork and identification and full canteens. Into my backpack went
half of our cash, one 1911 Colt .45 Automatic with five magazines on a gun belt,
one large Ontario Razor sharp hunting knife, one Swiss Champ, my medications
including a good supply of aspirin, salt tablets and Dramamine. One compass,
a military poncho, foot powder, boonie hats and a copy of “Conan the Adventurer” By
Robert E. Howard. Everyone also had high energy snacks and a poncho. As we went
to bed that night the TV reported more bad news.
September, 22 2005
This would be the day that I would learn how truly fragile our complex modern
society is, I would also learn that by avoiding groupthink and with a little
forward planning most hazards could be easily bypassed.
After disconnecting the water, electricity and gas to our house my Dad arrived
and we loaded up by 9 a.m. . As I got into the truck my Father handed me a
Texas Roads map book and said, “I have picked out our own evacuation
route.” he
had traveled the roads of Texas his entire life and knew every back road there
was. The penciled in evacuation route would prove to be our saving grace. Many
lives were lost that day because people and bureaucrats could not or would
not read a simple road map; instead they relied on digital gimmickry and an
unswerving belief that the interstate highway system was the only roadway available
to them.
Urgency bordering on panic was wafting on the air, you could feel the tension,
and see the worry on other motorists faces. We headed out on the first of many
Farm to Market (FM) roads crisscrossing the state. Traffic on these back roads
was still heavier than I had ever seen it. Towns we went through appeared deserted
until you reached gas stations that were near riot conditions many were out
of gas. Luckily my father had filled up the previous night, if he hadn’t
we may have very well been stranded in the choking gasping heat that day. We
switched back and forth onto differing FM roads to avoid more and more traffic,
every town was congested, we had long waits at every stop light and four way
crossing. A three hour trip had turned to six hours and counting, we stopped
at small hamburger joint for lunch, it was jam packed, as we ordered we overheard
other folks talking. Rumors were flying about accidents, fires, turmoil and
gridlock on Interstate 10, they still had no idea where Rita was headed. We
got our order and headed back out eating in the truck, the little town was
swamped with cars and people, one person was driving on the sidewalk, there
were no police in sight.
Between towns on the FM roads it was easy going, but as you neared any community
there was chaos, as the afternoon progressed, many a crude sign could be seen
proclaiming “No more gas”, No more food”, this was repeated
again and again. We were coming up on Seguin Texas when traffic came to a halt,
we were about to cross over I-10 the main evacuation route out of Houston.
Out of the truck window along the horizon I could make out several columns
of black smoke. It took over an hour to travel the two miles to the overpass
and then I saw I-10. All the lanes had been re-routed to head west only, It
was like a scene from a movie, as far as I could see there were lines of cars,
both to the east and the west pointed in a single direction. There was no end,
none of them was moving, more columns of smoke could be seen in the distance
what caused them I did not know.
Heat rippled off the metal and in automobile exhaust, the evacuees could not
turn off their engines, if they did there would be no air conditioning and
heat prostration would quickly find them, especially the old and the very young.
Along the roads sides people could be seen walking, I guess they had abandoned
their vehicles in search of a respite from the heat. A fuel truck was also
traveling on the road side, it was not stopping for anyone, and a few police
cruisers traveled the road sides as well, the only vehicles in motion along
that nightmarish interstate.
Late in the afternoon we arrived in Wimberly and checked into the Motel, which
was completely booked and we were the last people with a reservation to arrive.
My father was staying with a friend in Wimberly and he left us his truck. We
headed to the grocery store to lay in our supplies it was crowded but not overrun
yet. We bought three days of food for a family of four and headed back to the
hotel. The storms heading was still uncertain, but at last we enjoyed some
peace and laughter. Later that night we decided to run back into town and get
some ice cream, there was chaos in Wimberly this time. The grocery store we
had been at just hours earlier was stripped bare. They had cleaning supplies
and some make-up but that was about it, there was no more food of any kind
to be had, no drinks, no water and no toilet paper. The streets were packed
stalled cars littered the roadways and every gas station was out of fuel. We
went back to the hotel, grateful that we had bought supplies earlier. We watched
the TV and heard horror stories of what was going on, events that we had witnessed
throughout the day. The night passed without incident.
September, 23 2005
We spent the day relaxing at the hotel late in the afternoon Hurricane Rita
made her turn to the North making the previous two days an exercise in futility.
She struck in the early morning hours on September, 24 between the Texas/Louisiana
border, while we were safely asleep at the hotel. We went home as the storm
moved inland.
Lessons Learned:
I believe that after Katrina officials overreacted to Rita in ordering the
evacuation of Houston, Many died needlessly. This is a danger we still face
today, not just the storms but the hysteria surrounding them.
After our experience we gave up on the coast and moved to Oklahoma, we live
a hundred miles from any major city and we keep stores of food, ammo, water
and medical supplies on hand in case we need them in a hurry. Never
again will we be caught unprepared!
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Letter Re: Deep Apprehension About Dangers in the Near Future
Mr. Rawles:
I, as well as possibly tens of thousands of my fellow Americans,
are extremely fearful that the United States Government is slowly becoming
like the former Soviet Union and that the day will come when the citizenry
is in serious trouble. I continue to prepare as best I can for my family in
the
event
it
all comes
crashing down but I cannot see where I will prevail long against American soldiers,
police, and gangs that might try to harm me and my family. I am further
afraid because I do not know Jesus Christ as my Savior and it seems that I
cannot
find a way in which to communicate with Him. Just know that
there are those of us who look up to you for advice and comfort and please
keep up the fine work that you do on our behalf. Respectfully, - John B. in
Colorado
JWR Replies: The wonderful thing about Christ's love is that
there is no intermediary required. He knows all of his elect by name. Salvation
is yours, if you merely ask
for it. Just open you heart in prayer. Ask first
for His forgiveness, recognize Christ's sacrificial death and resurrection.
That is salvation in a nutshell. Once saved, ask for guidance, providence,
and protection.
Please don't look to me as an authority for any advice on truly big survival
issues. I just know a few little nuts and bolts on preparedness. The
big, substantive issues are all matters for
prayer. Trust in God to put you in the right place, at the right time,
with the right people.
To start, I can offer a couple of pieces of encouragement, found in scripture:
In the New Testament, see Philippians
4:13, and in the Old Testament, see: Psalm
91.
My recommended initial reading for anyone not familiar with the Bible is the
book of John. All things are possible, through Christ, who gives us strength!
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Three Letters Re: The Community Retreat
James:
When it comes to real-world advice that applies to real people, Kathy
Harrison's article ranks right near the top of the list. There is a sizable portion
of the survival
community (including my family) that believes that the community retreat
model outlined in this article is, for most scenarios, the single best strategy
for survival. While there are certainly some scenarios in which a remote
retreat would be advantageous, those (in my opinion) are relatively few and
unlikely. The community retreat strategy is one that can be used by just
about anyone regardless of family or occupational requirements. It takes
full advantage of the very reason that people have always congregated together.
It's followers are well positioned for recovery efforts that leave out the
isolated retreater, and it incorporates one of your key points - live at
your retreat.
I look forward to more articles of this type by Kathy Harrison and others.
- Stephen in Florida
Dear Mr. Rawles,
The recent post “The Community Retreat, by Kathy Harrison” prompted
me to write with some comments about municipal retreats. Her comments are about
a community retreat that is privately operated. I recently had an opportunity
to see how a municipal shelter/retreat functioned. It was illuminating.
Recently we had a pretty severe ice storm here in the American Northeast. Many
folks feel that it was the worst since 1987, when a storm knocked out power for
two weeks. I wrote about my experiences with that storm here.
One thing about this storm that was new to me was that it was the first time
my municipality had activated its Emergency Preparedness Plan (EPP).
I live next to a municipality of 1,600 people. The Village covers a little under
two square miles and has 386 households.
Like most municipalities these days that receive Federal grants, the Village
must meet certain eligibility conditions. One of those conditions is that there
must be a municipal Emergency Preparedness Plan. This plan describes the village
chain of command, who is responsible for what (fire, police, DPW, etc.), how
to contact those departments/individuals and what resources they have. It also
lists resources available in adjoining municipalities and what resources (fuel,
water, etc.) are available within the village.
Another aspect of the EPP is that the village has to have a facility to shelter
residents during an emergency. That is what I wanted to address here.
This was the first time the village had activated their shelter plan and I thought
it might be useful to describe how it was supposed to go and how it actually
went.
When the village wrote the EPP, the plan was that the American Legion [Hall]
would
be
used to shelter residents. The Legion had large open spaces, a large commercial
kitchen, was located on high ground and had ample parking. There were large bathrooms
with many toilets and sufficient storage for reserve food and cooking items.
To this end a trailer mounted military generator was permanently acquired from
the Federal government and the buildings wiring slightly modified so that all
one
had
to
do was plug the generator into the building, throw a transfer switch and you
were
good to go. Sleeping cots were stored in the building as well as assorted small
items that would allow for sheltering a large number of people. The American
Red Cross would set everything up.
Like most municipalities, the village worked very hard on the EPP, sent copies
to all the right people/departments, filed it with the Feds and States and then
put it on a shelf and never paid attention to it until this ice storm hit. They –never-
updated it. The plan was 2.5 years old.
The Legion hall is privately owned. About 8-10 months ago a decision was made
by its owners to put it up for sale. When the time came to implement the EPP,
the building was no longer available and a replacement had to be immediately
found.
The –only- other building available was the Village Hall. It had emergency
power and water and as a village owned property was immediately available. The
downside was that it was considerably smaller; only about 25% of the capacity
of the Legion [Hall]. The Village Hall contained both the police and fire departments
so it was being used as a command & control facility. The Red Cross switched
gears from Legion to Village Hall. A space was found for about 20 cots but fire
and police personnel had to go through this area to meet with their commands.
The radio room was right next to the sleeping area and the sandwiches and coffee
for the firefighters and cops and everyone else was also in the same room. I
don’t see how anyone could have slept.
While there was no disorder or major crime, the police maintained a presence
in the shelter that did seem a bit ominous. People were allowed to come and go
freely, but it would not have been a stretch of the imagination to foresee a
time when people, once entering the shelter would not be allowed to leave. Commander
Zero [, the editor of the excellent Notes
From the Bunker
blog] commented on the New Orleans,
Louisiana authorities
doing
this
at
the
Super
Dome: They
said
that
the citizens had [effectively] signed an unwritten contract with the authorities
by
entering
the Dome and that they were being prohibited from leaving ‘for their own
safety’. Commander Zero called this the "Guantanodome."
The food supplied to those people seeking shelter in the Village Hall was limited
to grilled cheese sandwiches and coffee and water. There were no diapers, no
provisions for pets, no toys or distractions for younger children. The bathrooms
were small,
each containing only two toilets. There was a single television but it’s
volume was kept low so as not to interfere with radio communications.
Finally, there was no guidance or protocol from higher authorities on how long
to keep the shelter open. After five days or so, staffing the shelter (all the
staff were volunteers) became more difficult and a decision was made to close
it
down.
By this
time only about 10 people remained and they were directed to shelters in another
town. I don’t know what became of those people when those shelters closed.
I like to think that power was restored to their homes by then and they went
home.
It would be very easy to say that this shows that an individual really should
not rely on government in an emergency. In a large way, that’s correct.
While I advocate that the goal of being prepared is to prevent having to go to
this type of shelter, I do not think one should ignore the need for a municipal
shelter. While I will still prepare and strive to not need to leave my home,
I will work with the Village hierarchy to update and improve the plan that they
have. If I know the village residents have a place to go and resources to draw
upon then there will be that many fewer people out scavenging for what I have
put aside for me and mine. - RMV.
Hi Jim...
It never ceases to amaze me how the majority of US survivalist wannabes adamantly
contend they must live in the major cities. Fully 80% of all survivalist wannabes
want to hunker down in their urban or suburban homes according to our polls.
Yet, they subscribe to and post 'survivalist' articles to survival forums like
my Surviving
The Day After list at Yahoo Groups], Rourke's
Survival Retreat and Secure Home [list at Yahoo Groups], or Brad's
HunkerDown06 [list at Yahoo Groups]. Their topics are often centered around
a socialist/communist theme of a secure,
remote survival retreat paid for by pooling money and resources
of would be members and living a communal existence after TSHTF.
None of that is a viable plan, especially with the coming economic collapse
of the USA, worldwide depression, and World War III. But, they won't even consider
getting out of the cities now! It's frustrating to survivalists like me.
BTW, I am in West Texas and we are developing a problem here in such a sparsely
populated area. Pecos, Texas is about 5,000 people around mile marker 40 on
Interstate Highway 20. They have a 3,000 bed county-run prison that houses 3,000 Federal
prisoners. Last Saturday night the prisoners rioted and burned out the R2 unit.
About 45 days ago they had rioted and burned out R1 unit. My brother is a prison
guard
there
and called
during this riot to warn me the inmates were expecting help from MS13 [gang]
contact/associates from Mexico.
The night before, a Hispanic youth gang called Brown Pride Gang torched six
homes in and around Pecos. Two of those homes had Hispanic families asleep
inside.
Those responsible have been apprehended and are facing attempted homicide by
arson charges. These gang "youths" were organized and incited to commit this
attack by MS13 members in Pecos.
Glenn Beck was saying on Fox News that the border violence is intensifying
and yet neither the Democrats or the Republicans are willing to close and regulate
the border with
Mexico. And to top that off, Beck was warning that Texans will soon get fed
up and take matters into their own hands, arming themselves and protecting
their families and property from invasion.
This all has an effect on my personal survival plans long term of course. The
lack of population, the distances involved here in the desert of West Texas,
and the proximity of our paid-for mountain retreat to our paid for farm in
the valley puts us in a much better prepared position than 95% of the populace.
It has taken years of preparation and planning, though. And, none of it came cheap.
I am still a voice in the wilderness crying: Get out of the cities, now!
Regards, Lawrence R.
List Owner, SurvivingTheDayAfter at Yahoo Groups
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Letter Re: Way Points for G.O.O.D. Routes?
Jim:
The gentleman that wrote
to say that he wants to rent his property out for bugout situations should
read the [first hand] observations posted on [the aftermath
of Hurricane]
Katrina. [This was written by someone that sheltered dozens of people]: Thoughts
On Disaster Survival. Regards, - Bill N.
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Two Letters Re: The Thin Blue Line
Jim:
On the topic of SHTF scenarios
like [the Post-Rodney King Verdict riots in] Los Angeles and Hurricane Katrina,
YouTube has many videos detailing this that
your readers might
find
are worth
revisiting.
It's
one thing
to talk about it, another to actually see it all again:
Los Angeles
Riots, Looting, and a Gunfight in Koreatown
LA Riots - Korean Store Owners Prepare for Showdown
Hurricane
Katrina New Orleans, 08/28/2005 Massive Evacuation
Hurricane
Katrina Looters, A Few of Them Were Police Officers
After Hurricane Katrina, Desperation at the Convention Center
Regards, - The Survivalist
James,
I remain very skeptical regarding the police, as representatives of the state,
in "SHTF" situations. New Orleans is the most obvious example.
But consider: the state disarms you, and then confiscates a portion of your
wages
to create a bureaucracy to protect you. When that's not enough the state "creates" crimes
- whether it's the "war on drugs" or something as simple as banning
cell phones in cars - in order to sustain it's bureaucracy. Like any other
agency of the state, this becomes a self-perpetuating dynamic.
Secondly, agents of the state, in a true crisis situation, will have limited
information. Otherwise law abiding citizens are easily painted as potential
threats through the chain of command. History provides plentiful examples of
what happens when those agents of the state -otherwise good people- meet up
with the civilian populace during times of crisis. Clearly history is not on
the side of law enforcement making sound, independent decisions in these cases.
Further, as New Orleans demonstrates, law enforcement personnel can easily
be deployed from their own back yard to other areas of the country where they
do not have roots, family or ties to the community. There are also cultural
differences (in the example of New Orleans: How Chicago police may feel about
citizen-owned firearms) that amplify and exacerbate the problem.
Volumes have been written about this subject. But I would encourage anyone
looking to the state for protection of their individual rights during a crisis
situation to study history - and I am not speaking about ancient history or
extreme examples such as Stalin or Mao. Simply study American history. - Steven
« Four Letters Re: The Thin Blue Line |Main| Notes from JWR: »
Hurricane Lessons Learned and Some Advice on Getting Prepared, by Ken on the Gulf Coast
Sometimes it is not an option to relocate so you have to get prepared wherever
you are located. I am located on the Gulf Coast 60 short miles from New Orleans,
Louisiana. We were ground zero for Hurricane Katrina, so I have a first hand
experience of what can happen I will describe some things that I did right
and some things that I did wrong.
We were unable to relocate to a place like Idaho as we had elderly parents
who could not and probably would not relocate to a more appropriate survival
area.
My mother was born in 1930 the daughter of a sharecropper in the Louisiana
delta. They lived a survivor lifestyle as a matter of everyday life. She instilled
in me a fear of having absolutely nothing. Until her
death in 2007 she refused to run a dishwasher or air conditioner. She could
not bring herself to waste electricity, water, or anything for that matter.
She would not waste anything.
Although not as dedicated to thrift as my mother, I did inherit her fear of
hunger, and vulnerability to the unexpected. She died in fear of depression
era conditions returning. When she died I lost a valuable
source of survival information.
Because of my mother's influence, the day after Hurricane Katrina, we were
one out of 75,000 or so who had lights and running water 36 hours after the
storm. The following is what most people did wrong:
A lot of people had generators, the problem was that they only had a couple
of cans of gas. So they were all without power in less than 24 hrs. All of
the gas stations were disabled. No gas means no
power!
Nobody had enough food, they recommend three days, it took almost three days
just to get the roads clear.
No guns! I had friends who did not "believe in guns" that ended
up borrowing some weapons.
No dogs! Without dogs, you have no warning of intruders. Alarm
systems don't work after the batteries are dead.
The following is what I did right:
I had a natural gas generator installed. I was up and running less than 36
hours of the storm. It was also a mistake to select natural gas as a fuel source.
Upturned trees broke gas lines all over the region, it was only blind luck
that left me with gas pressure. A propane system would have been better.
I had drilled a water well. I was able to provide water pressure to my house,
city water was out for weeks. I tied the system back to the house by a simple
water hose going from a faucet on my pump to one on the house.
I had lights and water. Here is what I did wrong:
I evacuated the elderly mothers and dogs to an area 100+ miles north. Electricity
was out over the entire state, my motor home generator powered my sisters house
where I left our parents and dogs. I left the dogs at my bug out location before
I returned to the disaster area.
Mistake #1:
I sent my dogs elsewhere.
The other thing I was unprepared for were refugees. I call them refugees because
they would have gone hungry without the food in my pantry and freezers. I was
totally unprepared for the 16 families looking to me for
food and direction.
Some other things I did wrong:
I did not have enough food. I fed a lot of people. In a real end of life as
we know it scenario, I would have been forced to choose who I would have to
turn away. It's one thing to take care of people when you know help is on the
way, quite another when there is no help in sight.
Weapons: I loaned my old shotguns to all the people who did not believe in
the private ownership of guns. When gangs of illegal aliens and welfare recipients'
were roaming the streets, the folks who didn't believe in guns didn't hesitate
to request assistance.
I did not have a fuel source independent of the grid.
The following are changes that I have made:
I now have a Bluebird Bus motor home. It has a huge fuel tank that I can use
to run the house if the natural gas generator quits. It’s diesel generator
can put out 12 kw for a long time.
I have a much larger store of food.
I have a photovoltaically-powered water supply.
I have a bug out vehicle that has a 1,200 to 1,500 mile range. It has a propane
refrigerator. It has a water
system that can provide water pressure to my house.
I have dogs. In the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, thieves were cranking up
lawn mowers and pushing them up next to running generators after the storm.
They would then shut down the running generators and leave the running lawn
mowers while they absconded with the generators. You cannot stay awake
24 hours a day. Dogs do not miss much if anything. I can’t recommend
a breed of dog, but the following work for me: Miniature Schnauzers, Australian
shepherds, Catahoula Curs. If you live in the south and have some land you
cannot beat a Catahoula Cur. An Australian Sheppard is a close second for all
climates.
I have ten acres and good soil, I am putting in a very large garden. However,
I do not feel that I can overcome the huge welfare population we have here,
If things get out of hand, I plan to bug out. I now have an RV that has a tremendous range. It has a propane refrigerator, and full facilities.
I can literally live on the side of the road for weeks or months. It is equipped
to pull a full-size 4WD with
trailer. I have several bug out locations within four hours where I can evacuate
to. When I leave I will have dogs, food, tools,
and arms. I also have shortwave radios.
You have to develop a survival mentality,
you have to add to your preparation everyday. Each trip to Wal-Mart is an
opportunity to add to your supplies. The one thing I learned is that when the
storm hits,
its too late to think about being prepared. You have to think: if
a disaster strikes, how long can you feed and protect your family? I add
to my provisions
every day.
Start to prepare now. Think: food, food, and more food,
ammo, bandages, and unless you can
go without sleep 24 hours a day don't forget the dogs!
« Odds 'n Sods: |Main| Hurricane Lessons Learned and Some Advice on Getting Prepared, by Ken on the Gulf Coast »
Four Letters Re: The Thin Blue Line
JWR,
[In his article "The
Thin Blue Line",] Deputy W. makes a very good observation
about the tipping point when law enforcement retreats to protect their own
families.
This situation
has
occurred
twice
in recent history here in the U.S., during the Rodney King riots in Los Angeles
in 1992 and most recently in New Orleans
at the time of Hurricane Katrina. I lived through the riots in L.A., as well
as two earthquakes and would like to share some of what I learned from this
experience.
The fact I want to impress on SurvivalBlog readers is that they will most likely
experience a situation like this wherever they live at some point in their
life, it is
almost unavoidable. Mention this experience to most people and they will think "this
will never happen to me". However, human behavior really hasn't changed
very much for thousands of years. If you starve people or remove the threat
of arrest and incarceration, some of them will turn into animals who will stop
at no evil, causing a breakdown of civil society. The saying "at any time,
you are three days from anarchy" is no doubt true.
As the riots began, most people assumed the situation would remain under control
in the South Central part of Los Angeles, a poor and rundown area. The story
ran on the evening news and everyone went to sleep thinking it would blow over.
Law enforcement (the Los Angeles Police Department - LAPD)
made a number of errors in handling the situation and it rapidly spiraled out
of control. By
the next
morning,
the
air was smoky
and the news was filled with scenes of mobs attacking defenseless people like
truck driver Reginald Denny, who was nearly beaten to death because he had
the misfortune to drive his truck through the wrong neighborhood. Keep in mind,
at that time LAPD was considered to be one of the best run police forces in
the U.S. If the LAPD couldn't keep control, then could your local law enforcement
keep control in this kind of situation?
What did it feel like to be there for "the end of the world"? Power
and water still worked, and I had about a weeks worth of food on hand, so it
was a comfortable, though scary "end of the world" for me -- I didn't
own a gun at the time and the flimsy gate and sliding glass door at the entrance
to my apartment didn't offer any protection if someone wanted to get in. Because
LA is a media center, the local helicopter news coverage was quite good and
people stayed glued to their televisions, just to make sure the mobs weren't
heading our way. So good in fact that looters would burn down the business
they finished
robbing and go home to watch the fire on television. Once it became clear to
the public at large that no police would be there to stop anything, it became
a
free-for-all.
Television crews on Sunset Boulevard filmed people breaking large storefront
windows, the alarm bells blaring and dozens of looters entering to help themselves
to
the "30
Minute 100% Off Sale". I remember quite clearly an interview with a looter
who had just exited a shoe store holding up a pair of shoes for the camera
and saying excitedly, "Granny, they didn't have the shoes you wanted,
but I got you these in your size".
Another scene burned a memory I will never forget. Many of the businesses in
these poor areas were owned by hard working Korean families. These merchants
banded together and got on the roofs of their businesses with shotguns. Four
days later when the smoke cleared, they were the only businesses left in town
and I don't believe many of them even had to fire a shot.
I ventured out to the local grocery store after the first day -- you could
hear gunshots from neighboring Venice. The parking lot at the shopping center
was full of panicked people, desperately buying anything. They patiently waited
in lines over ten people long -- at least people were still reasonable in this
neighborhood. We traded stories with people who had just come down from Sunset
Blvd., where the looting was really taking off, it was completely out of control.
The shelves in this store, however were stripped clean -- it looked like a
store you would see behind the Iron Curtain, people had money, but there was
nothing to buy.
After this experience, I swore that I would never be unprepared -- you can't
always count on someone else to look out for your interests and protect your
family.
- CK
Mr. Rawles,
I have been a law enforcement officer (LEO) in a small city - western New York
and was raised in New York City. I believe that Deputy W. stated his facts
on the
nicer side. The mental state of
anyone
in
survival
mode is not a pretty thing, ff they are not prepped as most here [where I live]
are. I would venture to say better than 50% of the LEOs in the nation would
not
go to a
callout under TEOTWAWKI scenario. And how many would respond to a SHTF moment?
They have to take their families as primary importance and you would not
expect otherwise. The only way to avoid this is to make certain that the
families were
well provided for and protected, that is not done anywhere that
I am aware of. So do not take the law into your own hands just to be righteous,
but protect
yourselves
and be prepared to defend family and property, food, et cetera, if you see
the legal system break down.
I was once told by a fellow LEO:
"I
don't need to store food, I have guns and I will feed my
family" .And,
yes this man was basically [otherwise] ethical and honest as are majority of
LEOs in this country. I am not Christian or Jewish nor any variation of that.
So my faith in your savior is not what I lean on, but my faith and my belief
in my right to survive will allow me to do what I must to survive. I pray
for all whom 'he' would protect and allow all to live -- if they do not threaten
me and
mine.
Get
a firearm and practice with it, and if they will listen,
train your family as you might not be there to use it. If possible, have
a plan and
a backup plan, and
have a gun with you at all times. That plan should include a bug out bag
(BOB) and it should be portable,many sites to find what should and should not be
in there. Shalom, - S.S.B.
Jim,
I would like to add that during the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina that the New
Orleans Police Department was doing just as much looting as the Citizens and
the National Guard was there to
disarm the survivors. So I'm not even going to trust a LEO during the bad times
ahead, they have family to feed too. What makes the matter worse is the average
citizen has been conditioned
to obey law enforcement.
What do you do when a LEO comes to your door and wants [to 'requisition'] your
supplies? Signed, - Dan
Dear Mr. Rawles,
Regarding the recent article concerning the Thin Blue Line being the "only" thing
separating honest citizens from criminal chaos: I think one of the basic suppositions
is incorrect.
For the past year I have been living in two places. Approximately 3-4 days
a week I live in a large Pacific Northwest City and the other 3-4 days I live
on the edge of a very small town (pop. 2,000, which is my Bug Out Location)
somewhere in the Inland Northwest. The police force in the large city is doing
the best
they
can, but
I am am constantly at Condition Yellow. Crime is serious and getting
worse. In contrast, the small town doesn't have a single police
person. There is virtually no crime. While I think a societal breakdown is
more than likely
in the city, given almost any excuse, I also think that almost any kind of
problem in the small town will most likely bring the town to an even higher
level of cooperation and care for the common welfare of the citizens.
I plan on making the small town my permanent residence as soon as possible.
The ramifications for quality of life issues are vast, even if the Schumer
doesn't hit the fan!
I in no way mean to take anything away from the police. They are doing the
best they can, but these days they should be getting combat pay! As Dirty Harry
said: "We've got our finger in the dike, and the whole dang thing is crumbling
around us!" The future is not in any city. Thank you (again)
for your guidance and fellowship. God bless, - E.T.
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The Thin Blue Line, by Deputy W.
The “Thin Blue Line”. It describes something much greater than
the title of a second rate movie. It describes the thin blue line of civilian
law enforcement officers that is the only thing that separates America from
utter
chaos. It
is not too difficult to imagine what would happen if that thin blue line were
to disappear or become overwhelmed. A scary thought indeed, but one that you
are already thinking about since you are reading SurvivalBlog.
Yet, we are alarmingly close to just such a scenario. As most readers of SurvivalBlog
know, our modern Western society is extremely complex, interwoven, and most
of all, vulnerable. We are facing the most serious economic situation since
the Great Depression, but discussion of the current economic crisis and the
innumerable other threats to our society is beyond the scope of this essay.
Rather, I hope to explain to you, from a rural law enforcement officer’s
perspective, what we could be in for in the event of a cataclysmic societal
event.
I have been in a law enforcement career for 10 years. I have worked in a jail,
I have worked road patrol, and I have been an investigator. Through my career,
I have become a student of human nature. I have seen the evil that man is capable
of perpetrating against his fellow man. There is one general rule to remember
about all of humanity: it is at the core of our sinful nature to do that which
is best for ourselves, regardless of what effect that may have on other people.
We are a murderous and self seeking race, and it is my hope that you have a
personal relationship with Jesus Christ to set you free from this sin.
.
But facts are facts. The Bible tells us that there will be many more souls
that will be lost than there will be souls that will be saved in the end times.
So we must prepare ourselves spiritually and physically, with the assumption
that we will soon be facing unimaginable evil, and it will be in the form of
a human face. As disturbing as it may be to you, you must be prepared to do
whatever it takes to defend yourself and your family. You must be willing and
able to deliver a lethal recourse if it becomes absolutely necessary. I will
extrapolate on those thoughts.
The average petty criminal has a simple mind set. He operates from much lower
moral standard than most other people. He is concerned about only one thing:
himself. He is typically lazy and self serving. He doesn’t see a reason
to go to work every day. Working people are chumps to him, but he likes having
them around because they earn plenty of things for him to steal. It is no coincidence
that burglaries are primarily daytime affairs. He knows that most people will
not be home when he chooses to burglarize. He doesn’t want to hurt anybody,
but he carries a knife or a gun in case somebody tries to interfere with his
plans The only thing that keeps him from being more brazen is the threat of
enforcement action against him. He doesn’t really want to go to jail,
because it really is an unpleasant place to be. After all, if jail were so
great, why do so many criminals flee capture?
Then consider the more malicious type of criminal. He has absolutely no morals,
with the exception of honor among criminals. Even that is very questionable
if it comes to a point where he can save his own skin. He has been raised on
violence, and it is all he knows. He has no empathy for you, your family, or
for anyone else. He doesn’t care if he causes you pain, and he probably
even enjoys it. He will give no more thought to killing you than you would
give to killing a housefly. He sees people like you as an annoyance to be dealt
with. He sees you as an inanimate object, put on this earth only to provide
him with gratification. He sees you, your family, and your possessions as a
means to an end to self gratification. He will do whatever he wants to do in
order to be gratified, unless and until you are willing to do whatever it takes
to defend yourself. Otherwise, it is very likely that you and your family will
perish horribly.
You see both types of these criminals all over America. You see them in the
big cities and in the small towns. The only reason they are kept in check is
because we have an established system to adjudicate and punish criminals. Even
that is not usually enough to keep them from committing dastardly acts. All
that we can hope for as a law enforcement officer is to catch the criminal
after the act punish him. Then we hope that this acts as a deterrent to future
criminal acts. Honestly, I’m not sure that it does. Some men are just
plain wicked and that’s the way it is.
Criminals are the minority under normal circumstances. Most citizens are decent
and hard working people. But it would not take much to destabilize our society.
There are a lot of threats to our way of life. Proceed with me through the
following scenario. A major economic collapse occurs in America. Millions are
unemployed and have no way to earn honest money. The rest of the citizenry
is crippled by inflation. Through various economic events, the entire economy
grinds to a halt. Trucks and trains stop moving, which means that coal is not
delivered to power plants, and food is not delivered to stores.
.
Things quickly grow desperate. The average family realizes all too late that
they have only a few days worth of food in their cupboard, with no available
means to acquire more. Hundreds of millions converge on supermarkets within
a matter of a week or two, and riots and looting erupts. Martial Law is declared
and the National Guard is called up, but is completely inadequate to maintain
order. Not only do the aforementioned criminals become free from constraint
and begin to run amok, but millions of regular people realize that the only
way their kids will be fed is if they go and take supplies from someone else.
Hungry people with weapons will have no reservation about doing unspeakable
evil on others if it means their own family will survive a little longer. Do
not doubt that the sinful nature will turn normally docile people into voracious
killers. It has been written into our DNA since the Fall of man.
Now to the big point I’m making. Here’s where it gets really scary,
and the vulnerability of the thin blue line becomes apparent. I am employed
in a county with a population of 40,000 people. We have a city of 25,000 as
a county seat. At most, the agencies in my area could muster about 50 officers.
This means that there would be an 800 to 1 ratio of citizens to police officers
in our area. It would be impossible to maintain order with this ratio. We would
be lucky to be able to hold a few buildings, let alone provide law enforcement
service to 1,000 square miles of rural area.
Now imagine this happening in every city in town in America, all at the same
time. The number of law enforcement officers, National Guard, and [Reserve
Component and active duty] soldiers would be wholly inadequate to even make
a small dent in widespread civil disorder.
There are many Friday and Saturday nights when our local law enforcement agencies
have to stack service calls for two hours due to high call volume, and this
is during normal times. If law enforcement agencies can’t answer calls
in a timely manner during normal times, how could a reasonable person expect
law enforcement to be there during a societal collapse?I also urge you to consider
this. There is no way that I, even as a police officer, can abandon my God-given
responsibility to care for and protect my own family. There are times when
retreat is the better part of valor, and if that terrible time comes,
the vast majority of officers will not be able to justify in their own minds
fighting a lost cause. They will retreat and take care of their family, which
is what the brotherhood of the thin blue line is all about. Don’t misunderstand.
The huge majority of law enforcement officers perform a very dangerous profession
honorably and to the very best of their ability. But drastic times will call
for drastic measures from everyone, and the preparedness minded person can’t
assume that the thin blue line will always remain intact.
Thus, it quickly becomes apparent that each citizen will be responsible for
his own family’s safety and security during these perilous times. To
assume that there will always be police there to protect you will most likely
be fatal. Please don’t make that mistake. Do what you must do. If you
own a gun, learn how to use it proficiently. Take firearms training courses,
and know the laws in your area. Most importantly, be ready for the unexpected,
and don’t rely upon the government to take care of you. That’s
your responsibility. - Deputy W. in Missouri
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Letter Re: My Hurricane Ike Experience
Dear Mr. Rawles,
First of all, my heart goes out to all those who truly suffered with loss of
life or property as a result of Hurricane Ike. I only had the minor inconvenience
of being without electricity in Houston for five days. (There are still over
one million in Houston and the surrounding area without power.) So I had a
taste of what it is like to be off-grid and learned a few things to share with
your readers. It seems a lot of people here had generators which burn lots
of precious gasoline. But after a few days the gasoline runs out. We toughed
it out. I did have small camping-type battery powered fans and several flashlights
but can't imagine what we'd do in a situation without power for the long term.
You can have only so many batteries and then what? We had water drawn in bath
tub to use for flushing toilet, as water plants use electricity to pump water.
Also had many frozen plastic milk jugs in freezer and big igloo to keep some
things cold for a couple of days. Ice was very hard to come by. Grocery stores
were closed for a couple of days and there were lines just to get into the
stores when they did open. They let in a few people at a time for crowd control.
I was lucky to have my nonperishable food stockpile. Remember to have extras
for relatives. Gas stations were slow to reopen and had hours to wait when
they did open. (Many buying gas for their generators). We had full tanks in
advance of the storm. One important item we used was the car charger for the
cell phone. Be sure to have one that fits your current phone model. Also, many
don't realize that cordless land line phones use electricity so you need to
have a standard corded phone (which I had) if you want to even find out if
your land-line works. To heat water for coffee we used sterno called Canned
Heat and it worked very well. I know this is merely a temporary solution to
heating. I told my husband recently that I wanted to buy a camp stove and now
he may agree with me. And of course no television or computer which is really
tough. I used my television band radio a lot to get information.
I am now more afraid than ever of what it is going to be like if the power
goes off frequently or stays off in a worse-case scenario. Luckily I didn't
see civil unrest, but what if power stayed off longer? If there was any way,
I would move out of the city. Since I can't leave, I will continue to prepare
the best I can. Please continue to remember the trapped-in-the-city dwellers
when you post ideas for survival. I think we need the most help. Thanks for
all you do, - Nancy B.
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Three Letters Re: Tropical Storm Ike's Devastation Works its Way North to Ohio
Hello Jim,
This note is in reference to the letter from Melanie and Rick in
Columbus about the woman who never thought of using the grill to cook. I had
a similar experience with my mother-in-law. While we had power and water, she
had lost hers. I offered to bring buckets of water to her house so she could
manually refill the toilet tank to flush with(she has septic).
Not only did she not think of that, she couldn't understand the concept. She
ended up going to a hotel for a couple of days. People like this will not last
long in a prolonged crisis. Just goes to show the most critical piece of gear
is your brain and knowledge. Take care, - Jeff in Ohio
Hi Jim,
I just finished reading Melanie and Rick's letter and what they faced during
their 'hurricane' event in Columbus. The conditions they experienced sound
very similar to what I related to you was occurring in Cincinnati a few days
ago. I just wanted to make a few comments regarding the need for self-defense
and owning a gun to do so. Rick was concerned about someone who was driving
by coming back to 'liberate' his generator. That would concern me too, so here
are a couple of my thoughts on the situation. First, it is a good idea to conceal
the fact that you have power when the rest of your neighbors don't and it's
pretty obvious at night. So close the blinds, black out the windows and do
what you can to conceal the fact that you have power. Second, do what you can
to muffle the sound of your generator with sound baffles or a soundproof enclosure.
Third, "nail it down" and secure it as Rick did with chains and locks.
Now to the more important issue, protecting the generator using deadly force.
A couple of years ago when concealed carry was first permitted in Ohio, I completed
the required course to get my permit. While not a lawyer, I do remember the
most important lesson taught regarding the law in Ohio is this; you can use
a firearm to protect human life, but you may not use a firearm to protect private
property. So to Rick's point, if he did have a gun and used it to protect his
generator from a would be thief and actually injured or killed them during
the event, he could be prosecuted should he cause injury or death to the intruder.
It does go without saying however, if Rick was threatened and feared for his
life or the life of someone in his family while and intruder was trying to
steal the generator, he could defend his or their life with deadly force. Personally,
I always feel my life is in immediate danger anytime someone invades my home,
regardless of their intentions, but simply threatening someone with bodily
harm using a firearm is also currently illegal and depending upon the circumstances
and the court and lawyers involved, one could potentially face some time in
state provided accommodations. There have been a few cases reported where people
defended their property by shooting a fleeing intruder in the back while trying
to escape and were found guilty of assault with a deadly weapon. For someone
to be attacking you they must be facing you. However, one could certainly detain
the intruder for the police if the police could be successfully contacted (communications/availability
might be an issue) and would actually show up to make an arrest.
With this said, I believe everyone should own and trained to safely use a firearm(s).
When the defecation impacts the rotating oscillator the laws may not change,
but the circumstances will definitely change for the worst...so when you have
only seconds to make that life-or-death decision you will be more likely to
successfully do so while waiting for the cops are just minutes, hours or even
days away!
It is essential to be prepared for the worst, but hope - and more importantly,
pray for the best. - Larry in Cincinnati
Sir:
I am an ex-cop, who served in St. Tammany Parish, just above New Orleans.
(On the other side of Lake Pontchartrain). I was there during [Hurricane] Katrina.
Believe me when I say I have many stories to tell, and I am sure I will,
eventually.
However, I have been lurking on your web site for a while, and I had to comment
in a recent post.
The people in Ohio who almost had their generator stolen made me remember a
looter we had in Post-Katrina St. Tammany Parish. He would bring a lawn mower
in the middle of the night, turned on and throttled down, to your house. He
would put it near the generator, and over the course of 10 or so minutes, throttle
it up. Then he would simply turn off the generator and trundle away with it,
leaving a similar noise behind. The cold air from air conditioning would last
long enough for his get-away. If I remember correctly, he stole about 36 generators
before being caught.
We even had a gennie stolen from the Sheriff's LEC (Law Enforcement Complex),
three nights after Katrina. And one of the jail's large generators was given
to the hospital when theirs died. Essentially, hide them, do not use them at
night if you can avoid it, and think about putting a muffler on it to hide
the sound. And buy a gun.
Any questions? Thanks, - Joshua
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Observations on a Life on the Gulf Coast During the Hurricane Season
Jim,
With [hurricanes] Gustav and Ike paying us a visit, I thought I would send
you a note regarding the importance of self reliance versus shelter life.
Living
in the
Gulf South, hurricanes are something you have to prepare for. Government support
and shelter will not be there for you in the way you might think. Your lack
of supplies or resources when you most need them, depending on the emergency,
could mean a thoroughly miserable experience for you and your family at best;
or [something far] worse if the emergency is wider and deeper in scope. Start
making your preparations now, when they’re not needed immediately and
are readily available. When the time to act arrives, don’t hesitate,
and you will find yourself in safer territory long before the rest of the
unprepared
and
sometimes frantic
crowd.
Hurricanes are simply a part of life in the Gulf South. Out West there are
earthquakes, wildfires and even volcanic activity. Elsewhere in the US we have
to prepare for tornados, blizzards, nor’easters, floods, et cetera. And
these are just what nature can throw at us and often does. Barely a day goes
by where
we are not reading about some unfortunate people caught short in an unexpected
event, and unprepared for [the] emergency. In addition, in today’s world
there are legitimate man-made concerns, such as terrorist activity, industrial
accidents
and the
threat of economic collapse as highlighted in your most entertaining and informative
novel; "Patriots".
In short, I don’t think anybody; anywhere
is 100% immune from some sort of emergency or cataclysmic event. The time to
start
preparing
was yesterday. The time to stop, is never. Always look to improve
and renew your preparations.
Before Hurricane Katrina, I thought that I had my act together. My wife laughed
at how prepared I always was. I took great pride in her labeling me as her
little
Boy Scout.
But I soon found that I wasn’t. After the storm passed I discovered that
the recoil [starter] spring on the generator was broken. (I hadn’t checked
it for the last couple of years). And although I found a way around that, I
only
had
enough gas to run it for a few days. I figured it would all be over quickly
as had been the case with so many other storms that merely brushed by and brought
little more than an inconvenience. My easily prepared food was also limited
to a few days, maybe a week at best. Water I had enough of for a week or two.
I soon realized that I was little better prepared, if at all, than anyone else
on my street. Sure, I was the first one with boards on my windows, and I had
a generator; but that was about it.
Taking it a step further, I had these preparations for myself. My wife and
family had evacuated. In the event there was an emergency where they wouldn’t
be able to evacuate, with generator power for a few days, food and water maybe
the same, we would have found ourselves in dire straights all too quickly with
little or no choice other than to rely on charity. If we were creative, we
might have been able to stretch it out for almost two week, at best.
Cleaning up after a storm and trying to put your life back together requires
a lot of extra calories and is certainly not the time to scrimp together a
minimal diet.
We were lucky, however, in that we had saved money for a grand family vacation
the following year, so there were funds available to take care of everyone
for three weeks while they were evacuated. Fortunately for me, I am a police
officer, so decent hot food and support was available to me. Not to mention
being able to take home a few gallons of gas each day for my generator. Had
I of been Mr. John Q. Public given the same set of circumstances, I would have
been in line for Red Cross meals twice a day before long, and totally without
power unless I went from 8-to-12 hours per day to 2 or 3.
Again, taking it a step further, if my family needed shelter, given either
a lack of funds or the opportunity to evacuate, and unable to stay in my house
due to storm damage, we would have wound up in line for food and spending the
night in the corridors of a local school which is used for [a public] shelter.
I have worked as security at those shelters. Believe me, they are not places
you want
to spend time in, filled with the homeless, near homeless, mentally ill, infirm
and a rough assortment of folks with near nothing to their name.
During [Hurricane] Gustav our city had several shelters, and by design, they
are not comfortable. One shelter where you could bring your pet (in a crate & with food & supplies
only!) had a huge generator. All of the pets enjoyed air conditioning. The
people, housed in a separate area, did not. The other shelters where pets were
strictly not allowed also had no air conditioning. When asking the Red Cross
officials about this, they stated that their rules demanded air conditioning
and 20 square feet of space per pet. For people, no air conditioning was required
and only 15 square feet of space was deemed necessary. They said they didn’t
want the people to be too comfortable where they wouldn’t want to leave.
They achieved this goal ‘handsomely’. The walls of the school corridors
were soon sweating profusely from condensation and pools of water covered the
floor. Anything like sleeping bags, or bags of clothing left on the floor soon
began to absorb water. Even after 24 hours, the smell began to set in. No one
hung around any longer than they absolutely had to. Mission accomplished. Given
different circumstances and recourses, I’m sure they would have been
more accommodating, but I never want to find out first hand.
The local school board was also what I would describe as less than considerate.
At the shelter I worked at, the folks from the Red Cross were told by the principal
that they were limited to the hallways, cafeteria and gym; that the people
requiring shelter could only be from that area – no evacuees from further
afield; and that 12 hours after the storm passed, everyone had to be out. In
short, evacuees found themselves in miserable conditions, and felt unwanted
all round. The Lord should smile on the Red Cross volunteers who actually manned
the shelter as they worked themselves silly to do all they could for the inhabitants,
but try as they might, they simply could not do much to alleviate the miserable
conditions. I never want to find myself there, and refuse to let my family
go through anything remotely like that.
Today I am far more prepared in every respect, and continuing to improve on
my preparations all around. When I first started getting truly prepared, my
family thought I was a little ‘nutty’. Now, in many ways they see
the need, but still see a somewhat eccentric side to me. They were all born
in a time of plenty. A time where we are accustomed to having what we want
and when we want it. Increasingly, the finer things in life are taken for granted
and many segments of society even demand not only their necessities, but the
luxuries of life to be handed to them, gratis. In time of need, the
more sudden, the deeper and prolonged the emergency, the more severe their
reaction to take
what they don’t have and we do have, by any means
necessary.
Hurricanes are relatively small emergencies. Given the scope of [hurricanes
such as] Ike, Gustav, Katrina, or Andrew, for example, some may say they were
anything but
small.
To many, they lost everything. But on the whole, hurricanes produce short lived,
localized emergency conditions which the rest of the country responds to. Given
a far wider reaching event, such as a [large scale] EMP attack,
economic collapse, pandemic etc, the effects could be very widespread over
a far longer period. It wouldn’t
take long for people to realize that no one would be coming to help.
The 911 telephone system wouldn’t
work, or would work less effectively. Shelters, if available, would be hell,
but for
those of us unprepared, we would have little else to fall back on. This, in
large part, is why I prepare. It is why we all should. - DZ in Louisiana
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Hurricane Iniki - Some Lessons Learned, by B.
Hurricane Iniki, which struck the island of Kauai on September 11, 1992, was
the third-most damaging hurricane in U.S. history and provides some valuable
insights into how people react when an entire self-contained community loses
most of their creature comforts. By way of background, Kauai is the fourth
largest island in the Hawaiian Archipelago. It, along with a small, privately-owned
island off its western coast make up the County of Kauai. The population
in 1992 was about 50,000.
On September 11, 1992, Hurricane Iniki made a direct hit on the island with
winds upward of 150 miles per hour. Approximately 70 percent of the buildings
on Kauai were destroyed or damaged. Telecommunications and electricity were
lost and not entirely restored to all areas for six months. Due to early warning
and good Civil Defense planning, there were only a handful of deaths attributed
to the hurricane. The hurricane missed the rest of the state except for brushing
the leeward coast of Oahu.
National Guard troops from other islands were on Kauai eight hours after the
hurricane had passed. Within three days, there were approximately 1,000 National
Guard personnel on the island. The command and control element reported directly
to the mayor of Kauai County and to the Governor. These lessons learned are
from the personal recollections of a member of the command and control element.
Most striking was the number of relief agencies that arrived on-island within
a week to two weeks after the storm. At one point there were 5,000 relief workers
representing 80 different governmental agencies and private organizations supporting
a population of 50,000. The 1:10 ratio of relief workers to residents was one
reason that there was almost no looting or lawlessness in the aftermath of
the storm. This ratio of 1:10 would be difficult, if not impossible, to achieve
in more densely populated areas or disasters that affect larger geographical
regions (as we saw following Hurricane Katrina) . In New Orleans, the military
response was initially focused on rescue or recovery and not on law enforcement.
Military planning is built around “operating systems” i.e. maneuver,
communications, etc. To facilitate planning, the operating systems inherent
in all civilian communities were identified, assessed and tracked to determine
their current status to coordinate support and to help estimate how long before
each system would be brought back on-line.
These systems were:
- Water
- Food
- Communications and electricity
- Sewage treatment and waste disposal
- Traffic control and public safety
- Medical Services
Each of these operating systems presented unique challenges and insights as
they relate to disaster planning.
Water - There are few private wells on the island. The County owns the water
system, which consists of reservoirs in the mountains and some wells that
service the drier parts of the island. The first priority for Civil Defense
was to
install generators at all pumping stations. In most areas water was back
on-line within 3-to-4 days.
Food - MREs, supplied by the Federal government, were available within a
few days after the storm. They became the main source of calories for most
people.
However, the novelty of eating MREs quickly wore off and distributing food
became a high priority. Feeding stations serving a hot lunch were set up
at various locations around the island using military cooks and idle chefs
from
the various resort hotels. However, headcounts changed daily and it was difficult
to ensure that sufficient food was available at each location.
Communications and electricity - In 1992, there were few cellular phones.
Nearly everyone relied on land lines for their telephone service. The hurricane
downed
perhaps a third of telephone/electrical poles on the island. Crews were flown
in from as far away as the east coast and worked months to repair the damage.
Replacement poles were obtained from the mainland and shipped to Kauai. Reportedly,
the base yards in several western states were emptied of poles to support
the recovery operation for a community of 50,000. It should be noted that
Hurricane
Andrew had hit Florida three week before Iniki and the two areas were competing
for some high priority items like telephone poles and the, much prized, blue
plastic tarps used as temporary patches for leaking roofs. There were microwave
relay sites on the island to transmit communications signals from Kauai to
the other islands and, then, worldwide. Some of these sites had only minor
damage and were quickly repaired. Others were destroyed and replacement equipment
was flown in from Oahu or the mainland. Within a week. telephone service
was available to the public via mobile phone trailers that were set up around
the
island. However, telephone service to individual homes, like electricity,
was delayed for up to six months as crews replaced downed poles.
Sewage treatment and waste disposal - Kauai is a mix of public sewer systems
and [private] septic systems. FEMA provided generator support to the Kauai
County sewage treatment facilities and sewage never became a major health issue.
Waste
disposal was more challenging. The hurricane created a lot of destruction
and debris.
County sanitation workers had been furloughed to take care of their families.
The County landfills were initially closed. People began to dump trash along
side the roads. About three weeks after the storm over 1,500 active duty
soldiers were brought to the island with their equipment and went door-to-door
cleaning
up yards and hauling away debris. A new landfill with an expected life of
ten years that had been opened shortly before the storm was completely filled
within
a couple of months.
Traffic control and public safety - It became apparent within the first few
days that the Kauai Police Department was overwhelmed. A decision was made
to free-up police officers whenever feasible to take care of their own families.
Restoration of electricity to key intersection was given high priority so
that traffic signals would be operational. Interestingly, there was little
civilian
traffic for the first week since few businesses were operating and most of
the roads were blocked by downed poles. A military police unit was flown
in to provide traffic control as needed. However, as conditions improved,
people
adapted to driving without traffic lights and were generally courteous to
other drivers when arriving simultaneously at intersections. Few accidents
were reported.
Looting was minimal due to the large presence of the military. The Honolulu
SWAT deployed to Kauai and operated at night in high priority areas such
as near jewelry stores, banks, etc. Two looters were arrested within the
first
week following the storm. In what amounted to lighting justice, they were
charged, tried and convicted, and incarcerated within a week. The case was
widely publicized
and served as a great deterrent. The fact that access to the island was tightly
controlled for the first month also stopped any outsiders from taking advantage
of the situation. The lesson learned is that highly visible military and
police presence coupled with quick convictions served to keep criminal activity
at
a manageable level. However, the local police department, as we saw in the
aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, is probably incapable of maintaining law
and order.
Medical - All medical personal who live on Kauai were affected by the hurricane
and, with the exception of emergency rooms, normal medical support ceased.
State and County Civil Defense had air evacuated most expectant mothers and
dialysis patients to Oahu a few hours before the hurricane struck. Interviews
with doctors from the various relief organizations uncovered a pattern of
medical emergencies. The first few days saw broken bones from falling off
roofs, nail
punctures and similar wounds. After about a week, diabetics and people on
mood altering prescription drugs started to show up at the clinics looking
for medication.
These were followed by people who had ran out of medicine for chronic maladies
like high blood pressure and epilepsy.
Drug addicts presented a special problem in that their regular supply was
disrupted. No illegal drugs were getting on the island because the airfields
and seaports
were controlled by the military. Initially, addicts turned to known drug
dealers and, if necessary, broke into the dealers’ homes looking for
drugs. As a last resort, they started to appear at medical aid stations.
Typically this
occurred 7-10 days after the storm.
Medical challenges provide some of the most relevant lessons learned for
people interested in preparing for a breakdown in local, regional or national
government.
As any infantryman will tell you, the welfare and location of the unit medic
is always on your mind. If you don’t believe you have any skills to
offer a group, you should develop your first aid and medical skills. There
will always
be a need for a “doc” to take care of group members. Research
and build your own medical kit. Talk to emergency room workers and find out
how
they triage incoming patients. Research and memorize the checklists that
first responders use as they assess patient needs and prioritize casualties.
Research
the process doctors use to diagnose patient complaints and symptoms. Medical
equipment and a confident air could be your passport to safety. One of the
most prized items turned out to be generators. Without the immediate influx
of generators from FEMA and the military, life of Kauai after the hurricane
would have been much tougher. Generators pumped water, cleaned sewage, provided
electricity to medical facilities, and refrigerated perishable food that
had been barged and flown to the island. In many instances, relatives of
Kauai resident living on the other islands or the mainland bought generators
and
have
them
shipped to the Kauai. Military and civilian generators arriving at the port
on Kauai were occasionally stolen by enterprising homeowners who simply backed
their trucks up and drove off with a generator that had been off-loaded and
staged for pickup by the legal owner. Apparently some local residents felt
that it was worth the risk to provide refrigeration and lights to their families.
The willingness to risk jail to obtain a generator can likely be traced to
the desire to eat fresh food. MREs quickly lost their savor, especially for
children.
Kauai residents would tell you that the most stressful time came immediately
after the hurricane when all communication was lost and people were restricted
to their immediate neighborhoods by the downed poles and trees. They simply
did not know if they were going to get any help because they did not know
whether the other islands had been hit by the storm. A communication plan
that is well
thought-out ahead of time would be a great psychological boost following
a catastrophe. In addition to a good electronics, something as simple as
a bulletin
board that is updated every few hours would help the cohesiveness and bonding
of the group.
Finally, I need to say something about the way people reacted and adjusted
following the storm. In 1992, people in their 70s and 80s had lived through
the Great Depression and World War II. They proved to be tougher than one
would expect . They usually had a better attitude and often adapted better
to living
without television, electrical light and refrigeration than did many younger
people. Military people found the duty easier than most field training exercises.
Military veterans had often endured tougher times and also quickly adapted.
In general, the more outdoor oriented people were, the easier their transition
and recovery.
Some folks could not cope with the dramatic changes in their routine and
committed suicide. Others left the island; never to return.
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A Reader's Observations on Preparedness for Hurricane Dolly
Mr. Rawles,
As you may remember from our profile we recently moved to new residence in
luxury community in South Texas because of a job loss in the Pacific Northwest.
Last week my wife and I learned of the tropical wave that ultimately created
this
storm, immediately we stocked up on gas and purchased some cheap extra batteries.
(The pantry is still full). We also threw some clothes together and pre-positioned
those in the car. We withdrew some extra money and got ready to board up (Our
G.O.O.D. bags
were already prepped and a once over was sufficient to add to and update
them).
I mention this because all the Government officials, locals and people who
have lived here for quite a while were doing nothing until the 21st. (Per
the evening news reporting of this.)
This storm developed rather quickly enough to catch all the local government
off guard and they quickly put together some meetings, et cetera.
Afterwards they were basically notifying the public that the storm had developed
too quickly for a mandatory evacuation of the scope required and you're on
your own (YOYO--something
I’m sure all your readers already know). In
their defense it looks like at the time of this writing that the storm will
hit much
lower than this area maybe even Mexico. That said, I had a flashback to video
from Hurricane Katrina and those school busses sitting there empty. We also
watched the evening newscast at 10 PM Monday night that was live at
the big grocery chain and there were people interviewed that 'thought it was
a good idea to stop and get some extra food and batteries'. On another newscast
one vacationer to the coastal area of South Texas from San Antonio (also considered
South Texas) exclaimed 'this is exciting”.
There are no absolutes when
it comes to the path prediction of hurricanes and this couple of examples are
pretty much the norm around my community. This has convinced me that we were
wrong in coming here and I am resolute that we will get back to the Pacific
Northwest at all costs to get back to a culture of preparedness and self sufficiency.
IMHO, if and when TEOTWAWKI hits
only the prepared few here in South Texas will survive and those that do will
most probably be swallowed up by those
that stopped by the grocer for some extra batteries or the Golden
Horde from
Mexico (the Alamo comes to mind) and I pray for the sake of my neighbors and
friends that I’m wrong.
Keep up the work. And again our prayers are with Memsahib, - Mr. Foxtrot
P.S. I've decided that I sure get my money's worth on your site which is up
until today I hadn't supported (except for purchasing your books and making
purchases from your advertisers),
but I'm sending snail mail cash for the 10
Cent Challenge
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Letter Re: More About Recent Flooding in the US Midwest
Jim,
I'm sending a follow-up to your link on the
historic flooding in Cedar Rapids, Iowa.
Typical issues: Roads closed or collapsed, bridges flooded or swept away, traffic
jams for miles, power and gas outages, water shortages, businesses closed,
forced evacuation of 20,000 people included the local jails and a hospital.
Cleanup will take months, and there will be shortages of construction material.
Heck, we had shortages of lumber and sheetrock in Iowa during the Florida and
Louisiana hurricanes.
And what has become typical - jurisdictional disputes. Local law enforcement
has its own issues, but FEMA doesn't play well with others.
Armed police and National Guardsmen stood ready to prevent you from re-entering
your neighborhood and your property. First, they and the fire department will
break into your home to determine if it is safe for you to enter. Then they "allow" you
one trip, only to your home, and only to retrieve what you can carry on your
back.
Watch
the YouTube clip at the 1:58 mark. Sometimes those who "protect
and serve" are
not very friendly. And "contraband" items were not overlooked. It
would be a kick in the teeth to return home to an arrest warrant.
What made the flood more destructive was the fact that the crest predictions
were off by 10 feet and overwhelmed the levees. People who felt safe by moving
their possessions to the second floor found that the unanticipated extra 10
feet of dirty river water invaded that, too. One might want to rent a storage
garage (on a high hill!) when the flood warning is posted.
BTW, I received my .45 ACP Springfield XD [pistol] Saturday along with the
rest of the
Front
Sight "Get a Gun" training and gear package. I've attended Orange
Gunsite for rifle and pistol, but it's been some time. This [pair of courses
at Front Sight] should be fun. Thanks for giving
me the push I needed.
- Redmist
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Two Letters Re: Some Observations on Recent Flooding in the US Midwest
James,
I got this from a friend in Indiana:
All is well at our house but the town is suffering. Here are a few comments
for your edification.
- Small rivers come up fast with 10 inches of rainfall. Unknown to me, but
if I had delayed another 30 minutes in going home, I would not have been with
my family where I was needed.
- This was the first time other than snow events when I could not leave town.
All roads underwater, including interstates and state highways.
- My Chevy 4WD pickup will go through deeper water than most cars. Don't purchase
any used cars from Indiana for awhile.
- The portable generator worked great. With smart load management I could essentially
run the entire house including frig, freezer, microwave, geothermal air conditioning,
and lights. Total power off time was 12 hours with less that 6 hours of generator
run time. Now I want to have more fuel on hand. A quieter generator would have
been a plus.
- When the power went off and it was expected to be off for the duration of
this emergency, we all immediately took showers to use the available hot water.
Sometime later the city water pressure went way down but not completely off.
Toilets remained operational.
- The hospital was flooded and will be closed for an indeterminate length of
time. All patients were evacuated. Plan your medical emergencies accordingly.
- I'm in the market for a battery powered AM/FM radio with headphone jack so
I can listen to local news without disturbing others during the night. Local
radio seems to be the best source of information. Cable went off line. The
weather band radio was useful as they routinely give river level conditions.
- The middle school and later the high school were opened for those seeking
shelter. I'd rather sleep in the woods.
- My brother lives 30 miles away but works here. He was stranded and spent
the night with us. He appreciated the hot shower, clean bed, dinner, etc. He's
now thinking that a bug out kit would be a good thing. He would have slept
in his truck rather than go to the shelter. Drinking water would have been
his first issue.
- Cell phone communications stayed up but were overloaded. Too many folks use
them for non-essential communications. Same for 911 calls. I don't have a good
work around but will give this some thought.
- There was no car or pedestrian traffic in our subdivision during the night.
I anticipate this would change if the situation had stretched for several days.
With no street lights or city ambient lighting, night vision [equipment] would
have been helpful.
- The headlamp on a headband really makes the odd jobs in the dark much easier
to manage. LED flashlights
are a good thing. Surefire [flashlight]s were kept in reserve.
The town is in clean up mode now. Thanks and Best Wishes, - Bill N.
Mr. Rawles
Hello from a long time reader. Thanks for all the info. I thought I could
give everyone a heads up on what is happening in the new Wisconsin
wetlands. First off it is amazing how foolish people act when a disaster strikes.
There a literally hundreds of people walking around in backed up sewer
water which
is waist deep. Without even shoes? People think that if they drive
their
sports car fast enough through the water they can make it. People who
live within sight of a river are on television saying how shocked they are.
Didn't it ever occur to anyone that if you live within 20 feet of a body
of
water
it
might rise someday?
My house is fine, on a hill in the higher part of town. Our Bug Out Location
(B.O.L.) is fine too, just called and got the"okay" word. It is nice to know
which ways
to take
out of town
in
the event of a flood for next time. Make a note of this it might come
in handy. People are helping each other sand bag their homes and businesses.
I wonder
how long people will work together if food were to not be trucked in.
It
was funny to watch my neighbors load groceries into their house in
the pouring
rain. Preps come in handy on a rainy day, literally.
There has been lots of damage around all of Wisconsin, I had to take an alternate
route to work as they shutdown a few of the lower roads. Seeing the damage
first
hand
is sad
and at the same time I think is good for people because it makes them
realize how
quickly everything can be lost. Coming home from my in-laws' house, I
had a man hole cover blow off two feet from my truck, due to the water pressure.
The next
day there was an article in the local paper on how one woman's SUV was
totaled because
she wasn't so lucky.
Now I'm just waiting wondering if I will have a job, if the d**n on Phantom
Lake goes, so does the building that I work at. - Bill C. in Wisconsin
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How To Prepare for Radiation Emergencies, by KLK
Scenario 1
You are sitting at your retreat, enjoying the scenery, when you hear on the
radio that there has just been a nuclear weapon that has detonated in a contiguous
State . You decide to run into your shelter. After a few days in there,
you start to wonder when it might be safe to come out. You also wonder if you
would have been better off evacuating and getting as far away from the radiation
source as possible.
A radiation disaster is a scenario for which we must be prepared. It may be
from a radiological source, such as a nuclear reactor accident, or from nuclear
devices, such as a nuclear weapon.
Much of what we know about radiation exposure comes from accidents such as
Chernobyl [nuclear power plant disaster] and [the bombing of] Hiroshima [and
Nagasaki]. With the nuclear reactor accident in Chernobyl (1986), 70% of the
contamination fell
on 26%
of Belarus.
400,000 people were evacuated
and 50,000 km squared was restricted and removed from use. The isotopes included
Cs137, Cs134, Sr90, I131, and Pu239, with an estimated 114 Million Curies entering
the environment. Untoward effects from this accident included 31 initial deaths,
300 injuries and hospitalizations, 150,000 abortions, $ 3 billion spent in
emergency response, $500 million spent to compensate Italian farmers, 10,000
reindeer slaughtered, and an increase in cancer (mostly thyroid cancer, many
years after the incident).
It is estimated that if a large US city (population 1 million) was hit by a
10-Kiloton (KT) nuclear device, that it would produce the following casualties:
>13,000 prompt fatalities
Approximately 114,000 expectant fatalities (>830 cSv)
Approximately 90,000 requiring ICU support (530-830 cSv)
Approximately 141,000 requiring either ICU or minimum care ward (300-530 cSv)
Approximately 150,000 requiring a minimum care ward (150-300 cSv)
Approximately 159,000 requiring outpatient therapy (70-150cSv)
Approximately 128,000 requiring health monitoring (25-70cSv)
Approximately 212,000 worried [but] well (<25 cSv)
The healthcare system is not ready or able to cope with this
magnitude of casualties.
That brings us to: What should you do?
The mechanism of injury from a nuclear device is 3 fold: blast, heat and radiation.
Assuming a 10-KT burst, people within a 0.55 km radius of the explosion fall
within a “blast injury circle” and have a high immediate fatality
rate. People within a 0.9 km radius of the explosion fall within a “prompt
radiation circle”, and people within a 2.1 km radius fall within the “thermal
circle” and suffer 2nd degree burns. If you are outside of these 3 circles,
you may suffer from radiation fallout. The amount of fallout you are exposed
to is determined by 3 factors: length of time exposed, distance from the original
explosion, and how much shielding there is between you and the radioactive source.
To minimize radiation exposure, you will want to reduce your time exposed, increase
your distance from the source and have as much shielding as possible. This can
lead to a dilemma if faced with this scenario: should you evacuate your retreat
(increase your distance from the source), or should you stay and go into your
shelter (increase your shielding)? The answer to this question will depend on
whether or not you have a shelter, how far away from the initial source you are,
the strength of the nuclear device,
and the weather conditions. Even if you have a shelter, you may be forced to
evacuate due to your proximity to the radiation source (Remember Chernobyl where
50,000 square kilometers were deemed unusable). It can take many months and sometimes
years to clean up after a Radiation Event. Most people don’t have shelters
that will sustain them for that long. Unfortunately, if faced with this scenario,
you will have limited time to make your decision, for if you decide to evacuate
you will want to do it immediately to reduce your exposure time, and before the
roads get jammed with people. Thus, it would be useful to know a few basic equations
to help you make your decision.
Radiation exposure follows the inverse square law- exposure reduction is proportional
to the inverse square of the distance. Radiation is measured in Gray. If the
source produces 10 Gy/hour at 1 meter, the exposure will be 2.5 Gy/hour at 2
meters (10 divided by 2 squared). The worst case scenario could produce up to
50-100 Gy/hour at the site of the explosion. With this information, you can calculate
your exposure based on how far away you are from the radiation source. You must
also keep in mind the weather conditions. If your calculation reveals a total
body dose of <0.7 Gy, the radiation effect will be minimal, and you should
be safe to stay at your retreat.
Scenario 2
You decided to stay at your retreat with some type of shelter, but after 12 hours
a family member starts vomiting. Should you take them to the hospital which you
know will be full of victims or should you stay isolated?
The key to treating radiation victims is knowing what dose of radiation they
received. All medical decisions are based on the dose estimate.
There are many ways to determine dose of exposure, most of which require a hospital
visit and laboratory tests. Without access to prompt healthcare, the easiest
way to determine dose is to record the time from radiation exposure until the
time the victim starts vomiting. Then use the information below to estimate the
dose the victim received (measured in Gray):
Time To Onset of Vomiting Post Accident/Terrorist Act
| Hours to Vomiting |
Estimated Dose (Gray) |
| 20 |
0.1 |
| 7 |
0.5 |
| 5 |
1 |
| 2 |
5 |
| 1 |
10 |
| 0.8 |
20 |
| 0.5 |
50 |
| 0.3 |
100 |
Use that number for the following interventions:
If they received a dose of < 0.7 Gy, they will not be significantly
affected by the radiation and they do not need to be hospitalized.
If they received a dose of 0.7-5 Gy, their lymphocytes (cells in the blood
that fight infection) will dramatically decrease. This happens within the first
1-2 days and puts them at a very high risk of infection. Their hemoglobin and
red blood cells will also decrease at 30 days after exposure and they will
become very anemic. With good supportive care, the blood counts will recover
by 60 days post exposure. Treatment includes IV fluids, antibiotics and colony
stimulating factors. These are the people who benefit the most from being admitted
to the hospital because they need the colony stimulating factors (which are
not able to be stored at a retreat). My advice would be to take them into the
hospital. If this is not feasible, they must be quarantined for at least 60
days. If they do not get an infection, there is a good chance they will live.
If they were exposed to a dose of 6-15 Gy, the predominant effect will be on
their gastrointestinal system- this means profuse, bloody diarrhea and dehydration,
starting at 5-7 days post exposure. It is also often associated with severe
nausea/vomiting and fever. Treatment includes specific antibiotics, GI nutrition,
IV fluids and early cytokine therapy for 5 or more weeks. These people will
also benefit from hospitalization if feasible. Survival is possible, but unlikely.
If they were exposed to > 15 Gy, the effect will be on their cardiovascular
system and central nervous system. This leads to brain swelling and death within
2-3 days. It is associated with a 100% mortality rate and the best care would
be to provide them with pastoral care and to keep them comfortable. There is
nothing medically that can be done to save their life.
Scenario 3
You decide to make a trip into town to pick up some supplies. It’s around
10 a.m. and you are walking down the street. All of a sudden you hear a loud
explosion and see pieces of shrapnel flying. There are casualties all around
you from the scrap metal. You are thankful that none of it hit you. Then you
hear someone yell “It was a Dirty Bomb!” You think to yourself, “A
Dirty Bomb! What should I do?”
A “Dirty Bomb” is a radiological dispersion device which combines
a conventional explosive with a radioactive material. It is not a nuclear weapon,
nor a weapon of mass destruction; however, it is a weapon of mass disruption.
The impact depends on the type of explosive, amount and type of radioactive
material and the weather conditions.
Immediate deaths or serious injuries would likely result from the explosion
itself. It is unlikely that the radioactive material would kill anyone. The
radioactive material would be dispersed into the air and reduced to relatively
low concentrations. Low level exposure to radioactive contamination could slightly
increase your long term risk of cancer (mostly thyroid cancer). There would
be significant impact by causing fear, panic and disruption. Clean up would
be costly and could take many months.
Consider this example: In Goiania, Brazil, 1987, 1375 Ci of Cs-137 spread throughout
a neighborhood. It was an accident (not a terrorist event), and yet it caused
mass panic and fear. Ultimately, 112,000 people were screened, out of which
249 had detectable contamination. Four victims died within four weeks and 20
were hospitalized. Site remediation took months to complete (Oct 1987-March
1988). Can you imagine the impact if it had been a planned event?
Dirty bombs can expose one to radiation both externally and internally. Internal
contamination can occur through inhalation (nose, mouth) or absorption (wound
in the skin). The radiation is typically deposited in the thyroid, liver, lung
and bone. It is not acutely life threatening.
When dealing with a victim of radiation contamination, act as if they were
contaminated with raw sewage. Protect yourself with clothes, mask, and gloves
and use standard medical emergency procedures (Airway/Breathing/Circulation).
Decontaminate after the victim is stabilized. Removing their clothing and washing
with soap and water is 95%+ effective at decontaminating. Treat with fluids,
anti-emetics (anti-nausea), anti-diarrheals and pain medication.
There are also blocking and diluting agents, but these are isotope specific:
For Radioactive Iodine (I-131), use Potassium Iodide (KI) - must be given within
4 hours after the exposure, see the dosing chart below
For Strontium-85 and Strontium-90, use calcium, aluminum, barium
For Tritium, use ordinary water (force fluids for 3 days)
For the Transuramics (Plutonium, Americium, Curium, Californium), use DTPA
1 gram intravenously (must be given within 24 hours after the exposure)
For Cesium, use Prussian Blue 1 gram orally three times a day for three weeks
There are two problems with the blocking agents: First, you often don’t
know what the isotope identity is until after it is too late to administer
the blocking agent. There is no easy way to determine which isotopes were included
in the bomb and you will need to rely on medical personnel to provide you with
this information. Secondly, most of the blocking agents are not readily available.
The only exception is KI, which is easily purchased through many of the SurvivalBlog
advertisers. You are fortunate if you have DTPA
or Prussian
Blue stored away, but most people don’t.
In the absence of knowing what isotopes were in the dirty bomb, my advice would
be to have as much fluid as possible (to dilute tritium). I would also take
KI if you have some. If I-131 was in the bomb, the KI will protect your thyroid
gland (and possible cancer later in life). It must be taken within 4 hours
after the exposure. If I-131 was not in the explosive, the KI is safe with
minimal side effects. If you decide to take some, use the following dosing
chart:
Adults 18 and older: 130 mg of KI
Pregnant/Lactating females: 130 mg KI
Children age 3-18 years: 65 mg KI
1 month-3 years: 32 mg KI
Birth-1 month: 16 mg KI
In summary, the radiological/nuclear threat is real! Mass casualties in your
area are possible, but radiation injury is treatable.
JWR Adds: Some readers might not be familiar with the
term Gray--the standard unit of measurement for radiation exposure, that
replaced
REM (Roentgen Equivalent, Man), and RAD (Radiation Absorbed Dose). For us
Bomb Shelter Era dinosaurs, conversion from Grays are as follows.
1 Gy equals 100 rad
1 mGy equals 100 mrad
1 Sv equals 100 rem
1 mSv equals 100 mrem
Stocking up on KI tablets is inexpensive, so every family should keep a
supply on hand. In 1985, I
was stationed in West Germany and
was briefly down-wind of Chernobyl. At the
time I wished that I had some KI available! Anyone that lives in an urban area should
have a Nuk-Alert "key fob" radiation detector. That way you won't have to
wait for word from someone else to determine whether or not a nearby bomb explosion
was a
dirty
bomb. Nuk-Alerts are
available from several SurvivalBlog advertisers.
« Letter Re: Advanced Medical Training and Facilities for Retreat Groups |Main| Letter Re: As It Was in the Days of Noah »
Louisiana Sales Tax Holiday for Hurricane Preparedness--May 24 & 25
Residents of the US state of Louisiana can purchase needed items
free of sales tax as they prepare for the 2008 hurricane season.
The inaugural 2008 Hurricane Preparedness Sales Tax Holiday takes place on
Saturday, May 24 and Sunday, May 25. The holiday is an annual, statewide event
created by the Louisiana Legislature to assist families with the important
job of protecting their lives and property in the event of a serious storm.
During the two-day holiday, tax-free purchases are allowed for the first $1,500
of the sales price on each of the following items:
•
Self-powered light sources, such as flashlights and candles;
•
Portable self-powered radios, two-way radios, and weather-band radios;
•
Tarpaulins or other flexible waterproof sheeting;
•
Ground anchor systems or tie-down kits;
•
Gas or diesel fuel tanks;
•
Batteries – AAA, AA, C, D, 6-volt, or 9-volt (automobile batteries and
boat batteries are not eligible);
•
Cellular phone batteries and chargers;
•
Non-electric food storage coolers;
•
Portable generators;
•
Storm shutter devices – Materials and products manufactured, rated, and
marketed specifically for the purposes of preventing window damage from storms
(La. R.S. 47:305.58).
The 2008 Hurricane Preparedness Sales Tax holiday begins at 12:01 a.m. on Saturday,
May 24, and ends at 11:59 p.m. on Sunday, May 25.
The sales tax holiday does not extend to hurricane-preparedness items or supplies
purchased at any airport, public lodging establishment or hotel, convenience
store, or entertainment complex.
For more information, visit the State
of Louisiana web site.
« Letter Re: Advice on a Starlight Scope Platform |Main| Peering Over the Precipice: The Future of America's Credit-Driven Bubble Economy »
Letter Re: The Recent Blizzard on I-90 in Wisconsin
JWR,
I read the link that was submitted by Craig in Odds 'n Sods. The
Channel 3000 story couldn't be farther from the truth. As a local first
responder, I can attest that we are getting the short end of the stick. The
State Patrol didn't even acknowledge
there was any problem on the interstate until hours after our crews
were already on scene. They didn't even know that Dane County had set up
an incident
command headquarters at the Highway 51 interchange. The first semi trucks
started losing traction as early as 10 a.m.that day. Near blizzard conditions
had been
present
all the previous night. I am on Stoughton, Wisconsin EMS team,
and my cousin is with the Stoughton Fire Department. My cousin and his friend,
also a firefighter,
responded to
the
command
center with personally owned snowmobiles.
Shortly after these two individuals start checking
the welfare of motorists, a State Patrol officer stopped them and read
them the riot act for daring to drive snowmobiles on what he called "my interstate." He
threatened to give both emergency responders (acting under fire command orders)
citations for operating the snowmobiles on the interstate. They had
been tasked by the incident commander with recon of the southbound lanes,
they made it to the Rock River (where the Rock County incident command was
set up), and
were met by more than 30 members of the local snowmobile club. These private
citizens came ready equipped with food, water and first aid. The two local
firefighters
were tasked by Rock Co. incident command to split up the club members into
two teams and check lanes in both directions.
At no time did the local
responders ever see National Guard members on snowmobiles. Nor did they ever
see any on the interstate. The National Guard were handing out water
and food from one truck at the Dane Co. incident command headquarters to emergency
workers. The
stranded
motorists soon started to become covered by snow drifts. Many said that was
the most scary aspect, as well as the total lack of information. Local cell
towers became overloaded. Communications were accomplished by "CB relay chains".
Several diabetic motorists were assisted by snowmobilers, and one patient
who was en route to the University of Wisconsin Hospital in his privately
owned car was loaned a portable generator since the internal battery on the
patient's medical
device
ran out.
The National Guard chopper
was seen overhead on several occasions, but never landed as far as I
know. Much later in the day, after some traffic flow began, the snowmobilers
had to go back out to the interstate to wake up some of the semi truck drivers,
who had been
sleeping in their cabs, and whose rigs were now blocking traffic flow.
All told, the
firefighter/snowmobilers logged over 400 miles traversing a 25 mile stretch
of I-90. - BadgerDad, EMT-IV
« Letter Re: Hunkering Down in an Urban Apartment in a Worst Case Societal Collapse |Main| Notes from JWR: »
During a Disaster Event Should You Stay at Home or Leave?, by Grandpappy
Different types of disasters may require a different response if a family
wishes to maximize their chances for long-term survival. Therefore each family
should
have several different disaster plans that they could successfully implement
depending on the circumstances. These plans should include:
1. Staying at your home and being able to survive for a reasonable period of
time without any outside assistance, and
2. Quickly and efficiently evacuating your home and traveling to a predetermined
destination.
Staying at home is probably the best overall strategy for most families in
a variety of different disaster type situations. However, there are a few scenarios
where your continued long-term survival may necessitate the evacuation of your
home. For example, consider each of the following situations:
Fire in a city, suburb, or in the country: The only option is to leave and
to leave quickly. Even if the fire doesn’t reach your home, the smoke
could make it impossible to breathe. If your home
does
survive
then the smoke from the fire will probably saturate many of your possessions
and they will have to be replaced.
Flooding From Heavy Rains or Hurricanes: During severe flash flooding many
homes, trees, and cars are completely swept away. If you stay, you die. In
other areas only the first floor of a home may be under water. You might be
safe
on the second floor, or in the attic, or on your roof. In most flooding situations
the water does eventually recede and you can go downstairs. However, the building
foundation is now weakened, the floors are warped, the walls are cracked and
peeling, and the appliances are ruined. It these cases it frequently costs
less to rebuild from scratch than to repair all the damaged areas. And living
in the home during the repairs is not an option because the mold and mildew
that is now growing in your floors and walls will produce air-borne spores
that will make you sick and gradually kill you. If this situation your only
option will be to leave. (Note: If you become unexpectedly stranded in your
home during a flood and you can’t evacuate, then you should quickly transfer
your most important possessions to the second floor or attic to reduce the
possibility of their becoming water damaged.)
Drought: The lakes dry up. The city water supply is exhausted. The city must
be evacuated. You may stay if you wish but why would you want to? What type
of people do you think will become your new neighbors? How will you survive
when your current supply of food and water is eventually gone and the drought
continues? Without rain there will be no way to replenish your water supply
and no way to grow more food. Without water how will the city survive if someone’s
very small cooking fire accidentally gets out of control and quickly spreads
throughout a very, very dry building? In a very short period of time the entire
city will be in flames. And if the city has already been evacuated then you
will not receive any warning until you see the flames or smell the smoke, assuming
it doesn’t happen while you are asleep.
Epidemic: Is the disease spreading by water, air, human contact, or some combination
of methods? What percent of the population is dying? Staying inside your home
in this situation would probably be the best solution unless the flu is being
spread through the air. If that is the case and you are living in a heavily
populated area then how long will it take the virus to eventually make its
way into your air supply? If you had a gas mask or face filters then you might
be able to escape to a remote region of a national forest where the virus will
have a smaller chance of reaching and infecting you.
Martial Law: Why was it implemented? What are the restrictions? And do you
really want to live in a heavily-populated area that is being policed by the
military and where you could be executed by anyone in the military for any
reason at any time without any type of trial?
Political or Religious Persecution: What if all registered Republicans are
suddenly declared to be enemies of the state? Or all Democrats? Or all Protestants
or Catholics or Muslins? Some of you may be laughing right now and saying this
is impossible and it could never happen in this country. I truly hope you are
right. But what if you are wrong? What if you suddenly heard on the news that
you are now a member of a group of people that has been identified as being
enemies of the state? What would be your plan for survival? If you remain where
you currently live it would only result in your immediate arrest, trial, and
either imprisonment or execution. During World War II in Germany there were
millions of Jews, Christians, and several other groups of individuals who learned
this lesson the hard way. And Germany is not an isolated example. This has
happened many, many times in many different places in modern history.
None of these things are pleasant to think about but the above threats are
real. If any one of them should occur where you now live then you may need
to evacuate your home or apartment very quickly in order to have any chance
for long-term survival.
How to quickly evacuate your home or apartment is not something most people
take the time to think about. However, over the past few years the increasing
number of families that have had to quickly evacuate their homes is extraordinary.
Entire families and communities have been uprooted and moved to another area
and in many cases they will never be able to return to their homes or to the
life they once knew. Hurricanes, flooding, and forest fires have resulted in
the loss of billions of dollars worth of possessions and have claimed an unknown
number of lives. Devastating winter weather has crippled many areas and left
hundreds of thousands of homes without electricity or heat in the middle of
winter and forced people to seek refuge and basic survival in community shelters,
schools and churches.
Flash floods and forest fires happen so quickly that people do not have the
time to carefully consider what they should take with them. Later when they
return and find their home and possessions reduced to cinders, or ruined from
water damage, they wished they’d had more time to think about their choices
before they were forced to evacuate.
Therefore, before a disaster strikes, prudent individuals will make a simple
list of the most important things to salvage in the event of a disaster. Later,
if a disaster should force them to evacuate their home then they can consult
their list and quickly execute their plan and collect and save their most important
possessions. They could salvage the things they would need to survive under
difficult circumstances, and things that would make their transition to a different
life style not only possible but also a little easier for their entire family.
If you survive a disaster then you can start over. If you have a plan, starting
over will not be as difficult as someone who evacuates without a plan. Unfortunately
some of the people who survive without a plan will eventually resort to robbing
and/or killing. Predators do not discriminate and they will prey on one another
as well as on the helpless. Human predators are usually a self-correcting problem
during a disaster, if the disaster lasts long enough.
If you must evacuate your home you should have carefully considered ahead of
time where you will go. Your destination should not be a last minute decision
because your choice of a destination is as important as carefully selecting
which items to take with you.
Bug-Out Destination Options
Let’s examine several different destination options. In each of the following
situations you should attempt to pay your expenses using whatever credit cards
you have available and save whatever cash you might have for a future emergency.
If your family has more than one car then you should quickly load each vehicle
to the maximum, without overloading them, and then drive out of the disaster
area. Before you start you should have consulted a map and selected a minimum
of two alternate routes that lead to your final destination. Then listen to
your car radio as you are driving to see if there are traffic or other problems
along any of your planned departure routes. The quicker that you can be underway
the better your chances will be that you can get your family to safety.
Your safe destination could be any one of the following:
Family: If you have family members who live outside the impacted disaster area
then they may be willing to provide you with shelter for a short period of
time until the disaster has passed and you can return to your home. However
most families live on a very tight budget and they will not be able to feed
and clothe you for an extended period of time. It would be nice if you paid
for some of the groceries while you are there, and also made a contribution
to their utility bills. If it later becomes impossible for you to return to
your original home then you will need to find new employment and a place to
live as quickly as you can to relieve the pressure on family relationships.
If your new job does not pay enough so you afford to rent a place of your own,
then you should give at least half of each of your paychecks to the family
you are staying with to help pay their bills. You should also remember that
you are still a guest in their house, and that every member of your family
needs to abide by their rules.
Friend's Home: The above comments about family also apply to very close friends.
However the relationship is much weaker and friends should only be imposed
upon for the absolute minimum amount of time. Even if you have discussed this
situation with your friends in advance, it would still be a good idea to minimize
the amount of time you stay with them.
Motel: A motel located outside the disaster area is a good option if you can
afford it, and if the disaster is forecasted to be relatively short in duration.
Once the disaster passes you may be able to return to your normal way of life.
An Extended Stay Motel might be a better option because you can pay by the
week or month and each room also has a few kitchen appliances, such as a refrigerator
and a microwave. Before paying the rent always politely ask if you can see
the actual room you will be renting.
Boarding House: Depending on the size of your family you may be able to rent
a simple room in a boarding house on a weekly or monthly basis. You can read
the “For Rent” section of the local newspaper to locate one these
places and then you can call to see what their rules are. You should phone
several places to find the best deal based on what your family requires.
Forest Campground or recreational vehicle (RV) Park: If the weather permits,
then a campground or RV Park may be an option if you have an RV, or if you
have
a
good tent and
some camping gear. Many RV Parks have a separate campground area for tents.
They also have a community shower area, one for men and one for women, and
they have drinking water available near the campsite. A good tent is not an
expensive investment and every family should have a tent to avoid being forced
into a Government Shelter for survival. Even if you have no money you can still
camp for free in most National Forests as long as you don’t stay at one
of the official forest campgrounds. However, you will need to move your campsite
at least once per week to a different area to comply with forest regulations.
(Note: If you own an RV then it might be wise to find an RV storage site close
to your planned evacuation destination. The monthly rental to store and park
an RV is about the same everywhere but the advantage of parking it near your
planned destination is that your RV would already there. If you have family
members who live on acreage way out in the country then they may be willing
to let you park your RV at their place for free.)
Government or Community Shelter: As a last resort, you may temporarily reside
in a shelter. A church operated temporary disaster shelter is usually less
restrictive than other types of shelters. However, before you go to the shelter
it would probably be a good idea to rent a temporary storage facility and store
all your equipment, supplies, and personal belongings in the storage unit.
Many of these monthly storage rental units are large enough to drive a car
into so you could park your extra car inside and still have room to store all
your equipment and supplies. You are also allowed to put your own personal
padlock on the door to your rental unit. (Note: Some storage units will not
allow you to park a car inside the actual rental unit but they will rent you
space inside the fenced area to park your car on a monthly basis. In this situation
completely empty your car into the rental until before you park it.) If you
have cash, or if you can get cash from an ATM, then you should pay the rent
in cash to avoid leaving an electronic trail to the location where you are
storing your remaining possessions. If possible pay the rent for a minimum
of three months in advance and get a receipt. Your entire family could then
get into the remaining vehicle and drive to the shelter location. Just remember
that some shelters are easy to get into but almost impossible to get out of
until the authorities are ready to release you. If you become a voluntary prisoner
at one of these shelters you may discover that life in the shelter is unbearable
and that you are not allowed to leave simply because you now realize you should
have never entered the shelter. When you first enter the shelter, there is
a strong likelihood that government shelter personnel will carefully search
you and confiscate any weapons, knives,
drugs including prescription medicines, tools, children toys, money, makeup,
wallets, purses, keys, and any extra food you may be carrying with you. It
is unlikely you will get all of these items back when it is time for you to
leave. In some cases you will only be allowed to enter the shelter with the
clothes you are wearing and a new identification card [or wrist band] issued
to you at the shelter. This makes escape from the shelter less feasible because
you
will
have surrendered all your possessions including your driver’s license,
credit cards, money, and keys. This forces you to follow any rules the shelter
may impose because you are now defenseless and you know you now have no other
choice in the matter. Savage brute force will dominate inside these shelters
and your family members will be subject to beatings, rape, and having their
daily food rations forcibly confiscated by the strongest residents in the shelter.
In a worst case, these evil individuals will continue to grow stronger as your
family members continue to grow weaker and eventually die of disease or starvation.
These
are some of the reasons why a church or community volunteer shelter would be
preferred to an official government shelter.
The preceding discussion has focused on: (1) the need to evacuate, and (2)
several different possible destinations. It has not reviewed the most important
things
to take with you when you evacuate your home. Here
is a link to a list of practical and
useful items.
« Odds 'n Sods: |Main| Letter Re: Survivalist Matchmaking Services »
Letter Re: Preparedness for Less Than a Worst Case, From an Eastern Urbanite's Perspective
Jim,
I found the following in a letter posted on your blog: "Barring TEOTWAWKI,
it seems to me that we are infinitely more likely to face moderately scary
scenarios,
like Hurricane Katrina and necessary urban
evacuation,
some urban 1970s-style civil disturbance but nothing like Mogadishu, high-intensity
individual criminal acts, a low-order terrorist event nearby and the accompanying
panic, or some other situation shy of the worst case scenario."
Do people realize that New Orleans wasn't far from becoming Mogadishu-like
after Hurricane Katrina? Certainly if the water hadn't flooded the streets
it very well could have been much worse. The flood waters actually helping
the situation by
restricting
movement to a degree. And let's not forget we heard the approved media version
of it. Who knows how many people really were killed, wounded or raped.
Certainly we want to hope and pray for the best, but it's
totally unrealistic given recent examples in the United States to think that
the low-lifes in society will not take advantage of any and possibly every
situation.
There's some good writings out regarding some of what happened in breakdowns
and economic
problems in other countries- i.e, Argentina, Rhodesia, etc. Here's
some things to consider regarding that:
I would argue that people in third world countries are accustomed to:
currency devaluation, military controls, rioting in the streets, high crime rates,
food
shortages, breakdown of infrastructure [such as extended power failures],
et cetera.
So for the average Third World resident these things are not TEOTWAWKI. Now
consider the suburbanite in the US of A:, "John Smith": John is definitely not
used
to
seeing
the
value of his money vanish before his own eyes. John Smith is not used
to getting
mugged every day on his way home.
John Smith is not used to seeing the military on his street.
John Smith
is not used to rioting in his city. John Smith is not used
to two or
three days of brown-outs
or black-outs.
John Smith gets angry and extremely frustrated when someone cuts him off in
traffic. John's wife Sally is irate when she loses satellite reception during
Oprah and
she misses the required reading section. John and Sally's kids are even worse.
And that's suburban folks, what most of us would call "middle class." We
won't even bother to talk about some of the other's actions, just find the archives
of Hurricane Katrina and the New Orleans Superdome and you'll figure that out.
[JWR
Adds: Lest anyone consider this a quasi-racist statement from R.H.,
bear
in
mind
that some
of
the looters caught on film in New Orleans were white and
hispanic.
The
tendency
toward
looting
and
other
acts of lawlessness during disasters is
tied
to economics and whether or not children have a law-abiding, morally-grounded
upbringing, not race.]
As survivalists, we need to be careful in our thinking. If we are not mentally
prepared for the "worst case" and always assume that the guvmint will
bail us out before our "three day kit" nonsense runs out, we are going
to be in for a world of hurt. It took about three days for it to get really ugly
in New Orleans and one could argue that had a lot to do with weather factors
or it potentially would have happened sooner.
A lot of folks have "itching ears" and want to hear that they will
be okay in the suburbs, that two weeks of food is enough, that they will only
have
to 'brandish' a firearm and won't have to actually use it, et cetera. I'd like
to personally thank you and the many others on the net that don't water
down the message so as to pander to "itching ears." Thank
you for your
commitment to reality - R.H.
« Odds 'n Sods: |Main| Choosing a BOV, by Brian B. in Iraq »
Letter Re: Updated Nuclear Targets in the United States
Jim,
This letter is in response to your posting today regarding potential nuclear
targets. Overall, a very good question by DFer, and your wise and reasonable
response is much appreciated. As one of the few people on the Internet who
actually discuss potential US nuclear targets, based on historical government
documentation, I'm glad to see you and a few others (Shane Connor, Joel Skousen,
etc.) not letting this important point of history be forgotten. It's another
visit to an
old post of yours in June of 2006.
Lawrence's response in that post was "old 1960s era targeting maps will
still give the survivalist a good idea of where not to be when TSHTF".
That still applies. Discussion on your site and many others about other places
not to be (mass gatherings such as sports events, malls, national monuments
and the like) is also worthy of consideration, in our current trend of monthly
terror threats, such as today's announcement of Osama Bin Laden's latest video
threatening Europe. (And yes, .mil is very concerned on both sides of the pond).
I have had a few "unofficial" e-mails from government contacts in
the last couple of years (since 2005...most [of them] working on government
contracted publications for internal use) who have asked for some of my non-public
collected
data information on targeting, and the short online Q&A with them has led
me to believe that the pot of hot water we frogs have been living in has had
the heat turned up, meaning this...new and updated lists of potential worry
are prepared, and probably still being tuned and polished up, as the daily
world threat thermometer rises and falls.
I seriously doubt the general public will see these lists, maps, locations,
and target types for many years to come, since the external threat to US soil
is still at such a ragged and ever concerned pace. It took only two years to
get the National
Attack Planning Base 1990 released from FEMA by the FOIA, thanks to a
friend of mine who found my document wish list a few years ago. While just
over 20
years old, it's still the measuring
stick for any reports that follow.
FEMA 196 is still the only consumer document available directly from FEMA that
ever gave fairly detailed info (to a generalized county level) of potential
US targets, and since US threats have risen greatly since 9/11, it may well
be the only document that FEMA, or succeeding agencies, ever produce on that
subject. What we can learn from the currently available info, is why the original
targets were targets, and what might make new locations future targets. It
takes a bit of work on our part, but it's not any more difficult than basic
I've expanded the
target list on SurvivalRing a bit with more discussion of
what makes a target, and have added a comments section to the web page to answer
specific questions that readers and visitors may have about the old targets,
and potential new targets. SurvivalBlog readers might like to discuss our current
target list, or have more info they'd like to bring to the table.
Since I'm still attending college full time, I have a lot of my site projects
on the back burner, but one near the top of the list is a mashup of my blogging
software, with Google Maps, extended interactive areas, and a lot deeper discussion,
research, and updating on targeting, safe areas, and all the details you mention
in your response (weather patterns, population demographics, etc). I'm finishing
up an atmospheric science class this semester that really opened my mind to
global weather patterns more than ever, and the work that Shane Connor did
with Transpacific Fallout is going to be seeing an update from me in the spring.
Keep up the great work, and thanks for all you do. You're one of the most rational
minds I've found on the web when it comes to the simple work of helping others
understand why we need to think about dealing with whatever the future brings.
- Rich Fleetwood, Founder of SurvivalRing.org
« Letter Re: Show Caution When Dispensing Charity |Main| Notes from JWR: »
New Zealand's South Island Readies for "the Big One", by SurvivalistSam
The whole South Island has been told to prepare for a massive earthquake in
the near future.
This is due to the Alpine Fault Line which is where the Australasian and Pacific
plates meet on the West Coast of the South Island.
The boundary between these two plates is locked and the pressure building up
needs to be released.
A release of such pressure would result in an earthquake about the size of
a number 8 on the Mercalli Intensity scale.
Such a earthquake would last for minutes, not seconds.
Canterbury University Associate Professor Tim Davies was quoted at a recent
meeting as saying that, "The longer it goes before the next earthquake,
the bigger the bang will be when the spring goes."
The shaking from the predicted earthquake would be felt all throughout New
Zealand and may even be felt as far away as Sydney.
Mr. Davies also emphasized that people should have food and supplies on hand
to last for up to three weeks after a quake.
Shaking damage and land instability from a quake like this would disrupt surface
transport for months, tourists will be trapped, and distribution of vital supplies
( e.g. food, fuel) will be limited. Hydro stations will shut down immediately
and may be slow to restart, power reticulation will be damaged. Only satellite
phones will remain in use.
Landslides into lakes and fiords may cause tsunami, as may the collapse of
river deltas in lakes or the sea. Queenstown, Milford and Wanaka are likely
sites of tsunami damage
Tour bus operators are also urged to stock up on food and supplies for their
customers who could likely be trapped for days in isolated locations.
« Letter Re: Mylar "Wine in a Box" Inserts for Liquids Storage |Main| Note from JWR: »
Letter Re: Lack of Government Preparedness and Infrastructure Upkeep Necessitates G.O.O.D. Planning
Jim,
Popular Mechanics magazine outlines five scary Katrina-esque scenarios in
various parts of our country might face in the coming years. I find it interesting
that
two
of
the five involve California and three of the five involve large bodies of water.
People in the affected areas need to seriously consider moving out or having
a Get Out of Dodge (G.O.O.D.)
plan. Also, just because you don't think you are near any bodies of water,
it does
not make your home immune to floods. When checking a local university's
Emergency Preparedness Plan, I found out that my neighborhood is part of a
flood plain for a dam 16 miles away. Fortunately, high ground is within a five
minute walk and any flooding from catastrophic failure will take [considerable
time] to reach my home.
I pray that nothing horrible will happen to my loved ones, but since reading
and acting on the advice of SurvivalBlog, I am more confident in my ability
to protect my family. As concerned citizens, we all need to get after
our local
and Federal government to maintain and improve our infrastructure so
we can avoid these disasters. But, like you've admonished us before, we
must
be
prepared in case our government fails us. Because they have, and they
will. - Mark D., Utah
« Odds 'n Sods: |Main| Letter Re: Mylar "Wine in a Box" Inserts for Liquids Storage »
Letter Re: The Southeastern US Drought
JWR:
I was talking to a friend in North Carolina this afternoon and he was telling
me about the drought conditions in the Charlotte area and he relayed to me
some interesting drought news.
- The several acre sized lake on his property has dried up.
- Duke Power has issued a statement, in the local area, to expect power disruptions
in the coming months due to low water levels in the reservoirs that Duke operates
that is used for hydro power, cooling towers, and such.
Here is a
link from the DOE about a drought's drain on power. The article
is from 2002, but the conditions are worse now.
Best Regards, and I am taking advantage of your "6-Pack" sale for
autographed copies of "Patriots". - Desert T
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Letter Re: Recent Floods in the UK and the Impact on Our Preparations
Further to my
recent post about the recent flooding In the UK, things in the immediate
area are pretty well back to normal now, aside from some continuing disruption
to the road network due to land-slips, undermining and in some cases, bridges
across water courses being washed away.
Here, we got off very lightly, compared to some. No loss of life, no injuries,
very little property damage. There are many families, however, who will be
counting the cost of this incident for a long time, both in terms of loss
of loved ones and of property and livelihood. One’s heart goes out
to them.As to how our preparations ameliorated the effects of the flooding,
I must first of all say we were very lucky to have escaped. The waters found
their way into areas never before affected, with properties and farmland
many feet above the normal floodplain levels being covered. In one case,
a farm tractor in just such a place was up to its cab-roof in floodwater.
However, we moved to this area for work purposes in 1999. Prior to the move
we rented a property in the area to give us a base from which to explore
and familiarise
ourselves with it.
The next task was to obtain 1:50,000 Ordnance Survey maps of the entire region
and work out the pros and cons of each likely area for settlement.
To the east of this region lies the flat, productive lands of the Vale of
Evesham which, as beautiful and fertile as they may be, are crisscrossed
with so many waterways that the map of the area appears to have varicose
veins. To the west the topography changes as it moves into the mountains
of Wales, an area of stunning countryside, so well beloved of tourists in
the summers, but one so bleak in winter that it is used by Special Forces
as a training ground. [JWR Adds: This is the "Brecon
Beacons" area that many SurvivalBlog have read about in books about
the SAS.]
In-between the two the land becomes one of foothills, with small peaks up
to a thousand feet or so.
The area has several cities, many towns and villages, with all the concomitant
amenities and services along with a good transport infrastructure. It ticked
many of the boxes we had earmarked as necessities.
It also has one of the most unstable rivers in Europe running through it;
the River Severn. With its source in the hills of mid-Wales, the Severn is
one of many local rivers that feed from the mountains of Wales and find their
way to the sea further south in England after joining with the Severn.
Coming in from the east is the River Avon, of Shakespeare and Stratford-upon-Avon
fame. Another picturesque watercourse when in good humour, but truly frightening
when in flood. This too joins the Severn as it moves west towards the sea.
Given all this water, the thought of joining the many flood-plain dwellers
(does this name not give them a clue?) along these rivers did not have much
appeal. Also not wanting to live in an urban environment, we ruled out the
cities and larger towns. This led us to ‘head for the hills’ but
given the additional need to be reasonably close to transport links due to
work commitments, a compromise had to be reached.
We finally settled on (in?) the outskirts of a village in the foothills which
had the requisite communication links and was high enough to avoid all but
truly Armageddon-like flooding from the river system.
Being doomers by inclination and country folk by nature, we set about making
the place as self-contained as possible given the constraints of time, money
and the desire not to look out of place.
Water was a primary objective. Having invested so much time and effort trying
to avoid it, we now installed a series of linked barrels to collect around
500 gallons of rainfall run-off from the various roofs. (The long term plan
was to install underground storage but an impending move has forestalled
this). This to be used in the summer for assisting with garden irrigation
and for hygiene use should the need arise.
There is a mains supply of potable water, supplemented by bought bottled
and spring water from the adjacent hills captured and stored in ex-military
containers. (Again an underground cistern was planned).
When the recent floods hit, we found unprecedented amounts of rain had fallen
(up to 131mm locally) in just over 24 hours and the subsequent run-off completely
overwhelmed the drainage systems. It is not uncommon in these parts for the
hill roads to turn into rivers after a storm, but the amount coming off the
peaks was phenomenal. Due to our location on a hillside, we were in little
danger of standing –floods, but fortunately had sandbagged the ventilation
bricks and doorways to deal with the expected run off. Even so, the bags
were in danger of being overtopped by the sheer volume of water. This caught
us somewhat by surprise, never before had we needed to cover these points.
The mains water supply is electrically pumped throughout the area, so it
is not unknown for it to fail when the power goes down. We had sufficient
water available to deal with what was thankfully a short-term event. However,
the provision of more capacity could only be a good thing especially in the
event of a long term incident.Our electricity supply is mains provided, but
due to local conditions is fairly unreliable, going off on average once a
month. We have back-up for heating, cooking and lighting, with a variety
of methods for providing for each. As well as propane heaters and cooking
rings, we have wood stored and several camping style cooking sets using differing
fuels. Lighting from candles, hurricane and Coleman lamps as well as the
ubiquitous MagLites complete the list. Wind up radios are used to keep connected
to news services.
This system works well for us in a bug-in situation, with some of the kit
doubling for the bug-out bags, in which it is normally kept. It again worked
this time and we are currently replenishing supplies ready for the autumn
and winter weather.
We thought that given the predicted rainfall, bugging-in would be the best
solution and this proved to be so. We also planned to be on site during the
event as the lower surrounding area a re prone to flooding and we have been
cut-off in the past. Had we been caught out of position, one or more of us
would have been stranded. Cars were washed away by previously unheard of
levels of rainfall and all exit routes were simply inundated. We have multiple
exit routes planned and driven, but all were closed in a very short time.
Several staff members at one of our employers, who also live nearby, had
to remain in the building for several days, unable to get out . Even if they
could have escaped the building, they would have been unable to return to
their homes due to the floodwaters.
Being aware of the potential for the area to become cut off by bad weather,
we keep an above average level of consumables in. This includes foodstuffs,
medications, hygiene materials etc. We keep little in freezers, having lost
the contents once too often when power remained off too long. Most foods
are either canned or dried and when the power does fail, we emulate the NCIS
agents Jethro Gibbs and Kate Todd and eat the ice-cream before it melts!
When we could get from the property into the nearby town, we found the shelves
of the shops were depleted of nearly everything. Some panic buying had apparently
occurred, but this was also down to the inability to re-supply them as the
entire area was cut off from road and rail links. The disturbing
part about this was that this took no more than a couple of days for the
shelves to
empty. It seems that the ‘just-in-time’ approach also now applies
to your local food store and those behind-the-shop front warehouses are no
longer filled with more than a day or two’s goods.
What this would mean in a long term situation became all too obvious further
down the Severn’s route as large scale efforts had to be mobilised
to bring in bottled water and emergency food supplies to stranded people.
In summary, our initial site location work and subsequent ‘prepping’ served
us well during this event, but if any of us had been caught out of position,
or had we decided at the last minute to ‘bug-out’ as flood levels
rose, we might well have found ourselves in a different situation.
No matter what precautions one takes, it is surely down to the Grace of God
as to what happens and how well you fare. We are currently planning our next
adventure, a move out of the UK to a small patch of land somewhere in the Mediterranean.
The planning and preparation for this has been ongoing for several years. More
on that in a future article. Keep safe. - Michael in England
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Letter Re: Observations on the Flooding in Central England
Sir:
You might have seen the news reports about the flooding in Central England
last week. We’re in amongst it, but fortunately (and thanks to forward
planning) high enough to have remained dry.
The primary cause of the floods was a prolonged period of exceptionally
heavy rain, up to 131mm (c.5-1/2 inches) in one day. This followed hot
on the heels
of a very wet summer which left the ground sodden an unable to absorb the
downpour, which caused flash-flooding as it ran off.
Areas not normally flood-prone have been inundated. Rivers broke their
banks and filled their flood-plains.
Now this part of the country is used to flooding, although not in the summer
months, as it has two of the UK’s most unstable rivers, the Severn
and the Avon, passing through it. This episode, however, has been notable
for the
sheer amounts and force of the of water and depths of flooding. See this
link and this
link for some of the BBC's coverage…
The mayhem and disruption caused has been bad enough, but it has been compounded
by the behaviour of some which can only be described as moronic. Conversely,
the bravery of many, both in the response services and the public, has been
humbling to see.
The floods caused chaos with the transport links, with railway lines and
roads under several feet of water, even the M5 and M50 motorways (our equivalent
to freeways) were closed after they disappeared under anything up to a foot
of floodwater. This caused huge tailbacks with several thousand people stranded
for up to twenty hours in their vehicles. One woman went into labour whilst
in
the jam on the M5 and the emergency services were unable to reach her either
by ambulance or helicopter because of the conditions. Fortunately a truck-driver
stuck near to her car realised the situation and used his vehicle to force
a way through the water and the traffic to tow the woman’s car to the
ambulance. He then apparently had to tow the ambulance as it too had become
overwhelmed
by the water. They managed to get the woman to hospital in time for the child
to be born in the dry.
Towns and villages have been cut off for several days with residents needing
rescue by boat or helicopter as the waters rose so quickly. As is always
the case, some residents opt to stay with their property and many of these
had to
be rescued later as levels continued to rise.
The situation has been made worse by the failure of mains services; electricity
and water plant were flooded, even though they were sited above normal flood
levels. A water treatment plant was overwhelmed and engineers are having
to wait till flood levels drop sufficiently for them to get in and assess
the damage.
It is estimated that mains water will be off for at least two weeks. This
has resulted in the water company having to import bottled water into the
area for
drinking purposes and, when the floodwaters dropped sufficiently, the placing
of water bowsers to enable people to obtain clean water for sanitation. Sadly,
although not surprisingly, there have been cases of people vandalising the
bowsers, by breaking open the taps and even by polluting the contents. There
is one confirmed
case of someone urinating into a life saving tank. Looting has become a problem
in areas that have been evacuated, forcing police to be diverted from rescue
to deal with the crimes. There was an attempt to steal a length of temporary
flood barrier, supposedly for its high scrap value. It is perhaps a pity
that the thieves were thwarted in their attempt as on the other side of the
barrier
was several feet of floodwater.
Shops outside the affected zone have seen their entire supplies of water,
milk and bread bought out by ‘enterprising’ individuals who later
tried to sell them at highly inflated prices to the stranded people. Fortunately
the police dealt with this unsavoury bunch and the practice has all but ceased.It
is now just a week since the worst downpour, although the unseasonal rains
continue
to add to the misery. It took considerably less than a week, however,
for the infrastructure to break down. With no water or electricity,
empty shops and no means of re-supply, many people were in dire straits within
a couple of
days.
The elderly, infirm and those with young families were, and in many cases
still are, in deep trouble.
For families who could remain in their homes, or who have since returned,
to areas which are still without power and mains water, basic sanitation
is an
increasing problem. Toilet flushing has to be rationed, clothes washing is
virtually impossible
and personal hygiene requires a level of thought and discipline that few
are used to. One woman in her forties was seen on the television stating
that she
thought it appalling that the authorities had not been round to each home
to ‘tell
us what to do’. Personal responsibility and the thought that maybe the ‘authorities’ had
other things on their mind at the time did not seem to enter her thinking.As
the swollen rivers send the excess waters downstream the floods, power outages
and disruption travel along with them.
There has been some respite from the rains which has allowed the levels upstream
to drop, and flooding to recede, but at the time of writing (Friday 27th
July) more heavy rains are forecast for Saturday night and key personnel
have been placed on stand-by within the response services. Further flooding
is predicted as the ground is still sodden and unable to absorb any more
water. Whilst writing this first report, the post has got through and I’ve
received my copy of "Patriots" from
the lovely people at Amazon. The opening quotation from Gene Roddenberry
makes a far better ending than
any I could come up with: ‘Nuclear war is not necessary to cause a
breakdown of our society……their
water supply comes from hundreds of miles away and any interruption of that,
or food, or power for any period of time you’re going to have riots in
the streets. Our society is so fragile, so dependent on (the) interworking
of things…"
Postscript:
This has been the largest real-time test of our prepping to date. We live in
a fairly isolated spot and power outages are common, but this time we have
been cut-off by the floodwaters and have been thrown, albeit for a short time,
upon our own resources.
Our decision was to bug-in as we believed we would fare best here; the location
was chosen carefully although with some compromise due to the need to be near
places of employment.
That said, it seems everyone, us included, were surprised by the sheer amounts
of rain – the most in living memory in the region – and just how
quickly transport and communications failed. Had we bugged out in the midst
of it, we would very likely been refugees ourselves. When the recovery phase
is fully underway, we will re-appraise our planning and handling of the event.
Remember, no plan survives first contact..Keep safe. - Michael in England
JWR Adds: I find it amazing that in the midst of this crisis,
so many people are letting the copious rainwater from their roof downspouts
go to waste.
They
just
don't
have
the survival
mindset. At the very least, they could be using rainwater for clothes
washing, bathing, and toilet flushing. With a water filter, they could also
use rainwater for
drinking and cooking.
Take a minute to read his piece, by way of SHTF Daily:
Living
life without any tap water Take special note of the final quote in the
article: "We also have to use bottled water to flush down the toilet,
which is a waste, but we don't have any choice." Common sense, it seems,
is all too uncommon.
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Letter Re: Some Results From the CDC's Asian Avian Flu Preparedness/Education Budget
Hi Jim,
I'm a regular reader and 10
Cent Challenge contributor. I just wanted to pass
on a little info that struck me as very unusual. I live in Louisiana, too
close
to New Orleans unfortunately. In my mailbox on Saturday, I received a 32 page
publication from the Louisiana Dept of Health & Hospitals. It is titled "How
You Can Be Prepared for a Flu Pandemic" Individual & Family Handbook.
What do they know that we don't? The state spent $663,594.40 publishing 1,658,986
copies of this Handbook under a grant support from the Centers for Disease
Control (CDC).
This is about the number of households in the state as of the 2000 Census,
so I assume each household will be mailed one. I intend to wait about a week
and take a poll of my fellow workers to see if anyone received and/or read
the publication. My gut tells me most will simply pitch it with the junk mail
and not
even read it. The book is very basic, but it does make an attempt to raise
awareness and encourage preparedness and educate on a subject of which most
people are ignorant. The KISS principle,
I'm sure. If nothing else it could be a good
tool to help persuade the "blind" to consider the value
of preparation-especially skeptical spouses and close family members. Maybe
you have seen this handbook or something similar. Here
is a link to the publisher. (Item
# ps92230)
Keep up the good work. We appreciate all that you and the family do to keep
the information flowing. Thanks and God Bless, - GMac
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Letter Re: Lessons Learned from Hurricane Katrina and Indiscriminate Weapons Confiscation
Dear Jim and Family,
Some months ago, our president signed into law a bipartisan bill that protects
Americans from gun seizure during a disaster. In theory, every emergency worker
(including police and National Guard) knows they cannot take guns from
citizens, period. In theory. In practice its far more likely
that we can all expect: the worst case scenario. This is uncomfortable as
you have no idea if the cop down
the street
is honest or a bully who's taking guns because he can, or because he's been
ordered by by his boss, or a buddy on the force with plans. I have encountered
crooked cops. They really do exist, not just in movies. They do a real disservice
to honest cops and endanger lives but investigations are hampered by the code
of silence and Internal Affairs can only do so much without getting murdered
undercover.[JWR Adds: Thankfully, the vast majority of police
are honest and trustworthy.]
I'm wondering if your encounter with the police is about to make you a victim
or not leaves you with the unpleasant choice of either losing your ability
to
defend yourself during the most critical time or deciding
to be proactive and run the risk of dying for it, or even killing an honest
cop by mistake. Following Hurricane
Katrina, the Federal government and National Guard behaved in a shameful manner,
disarming people trying to protect themselves. The result is this law, which
probably won't be followed. How would you enforce it? Take them to court? If
you survive, great. But if you really needed the gun, why did you survive,
weakening your own case. If you really did need it you're too dead to sue.
When the cop says give me your gun what will you do? Do you have a backup?
Do you have an argument that will keep him from taking it? Does the cop know
or care that taking your gun during this disaster is a Federal crime? And will
he harm or imprison you for pointing it out? These are ugly questions, but
you had better think long and hard what your options are and what is the appropriate
response.
Best, - InyoKern
JWR Replies: You are correct that H.R.5441
has been signed into law, (becoming Public Law No: 109-295). So
it would be considered an
extrajurisdictional act for any officer to "temporarily or permanently
seize, or authorize seizure of, any firearm the possession of which is not
prohibited under Federal,
State,
or local law, other than for forfeiture in compliance with Federal law or as
evidence in a criminal investigation" during "a declared disaster." By
now, all sworn officers at all levels should have been briefed on this law,
and
its existence has surely been
added to the curricula of police academies. In most states, by exceeding
jurisdictional authority, officers shed their "Sovereign Immunity" from
prosecution and/or civil suit as individuals. (Up to a
$100,000 per Title 42, USC.) In many
states, sworn officers sued in this manner for damages
in their personal or individual
capacities are classed as "persons" (rather that state officials).
See: Hafer v. Melo, S.Ct., 112 S.Ct. 358, (19, 116 L.Ed.2d 301 91). And
in many states, by doing so they even put themselves in the same category as
a common criminal.
To wit, extrajurisdictional seizure of property constitutes
common theft. (Technically, you would be able to place an
officer under citizen's arrest. But I wonder what circumstances would allow
you to safely do so.)
The wise course of action during a disaster is to studiously avoid confrontations with
anyone in law enforcement that is exceeding their authority. And, if you are
unfortunate and do get your guns seized, then have a backup set
of guns cached nearby. They can't take what they can't find. BTW, this is
just another example of the value of redundant logistics. Don't be
belligerent or
come to blows over this issue. Worry about recourse in the courts later.
In the short
term,
your
key responsibility is to protect your family members and see them safely through
the crisis. And you can't do that if you are behind bars.
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Letter Re: Lessons Learned from Hurricane Katrina and Indiscriminate Weapons Confiscation
Dear Mr. Rawles,
First off, I would like to thank you for writing the novel "Patriots" and
starting SurvivalBlog. My dad sent me your book in the mail and told me to
read it. Being a fan of Tom
Brown-ish survival literature, I decided to give
it a try. I read it in one night, starting at about 8 pm and finishing at 3
in the morning. Truly, my world view has changed. I have immediately started
making preparations---getting my Bug Out Bag together, my Bug Out Routes planned
and starting to practice some of the skills sets I've let fall by the wayside
recently.
I am a full time college student and collegiate cross country and track runner
at a school in the great state of Tennessee, but have had the benefit of being
raised in a preparedness oriented family in a
southwestern region of rural Montana. I was at school when [Hurricane] Katrina
hit and remember the close-to-home impact it had on many of my friends who
lived in the New Orleans area. Our school sent relief teams to New Orleans
immediately afterwards, with shipments of food and water. At the time, my perception
of the Katrina disaster was largely shaped by the major media
outlets. A humanitarian crisis it surely was, but I never realized the uglier
side of the story until recently.
It seems that disasters and emergencies bring out the best and the worst in
people. Having read extensively many of the SurvivalBlog entries and perused
the Internet for stories and first-hand accounts of surviving the Katrina disaster,
I discovered that the population of New Orleans could be broken down into four "classes" of
people during the evacuation/hurricane/post-disaster crisis.
The first class of people was composed of a small group of individuals and
families who had plenty of food, water and protection stored away to either
weather the storm, or to travel to a safer location without sacrificing their
safety.
The second class of people was composed of a larger section of the populace
who decided to leave New Orleans or evacuate their area and had no food, water
or self-protection supplies built up before-hand. These became the highway
refugees, or the refugees huddled in the Superdome. Some were successful in
escaping safely, many were not.
The third class of people was composed of people who decided to stay in New
Orleans, without the necessary preparations, and planned on either the government
helping them or on obtaining supplies from their vacant neighbor's homes and
Wal-Mart. These were looters, thieves and murderers.
The fourth class of people was composed of law enforcement and National Guardsmen
who stayed in New Orleans to try and maintain order. They were usually not
successful.
In my analysis, everyone in the first class of people were prepared to handle
whatever came their way. They were good, hearty men and women, with respect
for God and a practical view of the world. In order to survive, they just needed
to minimize contact with all three of the
other classes of people, namely the refugees, the looters and the police.
The refugees were desperate people, some willing to kill for gasoline so that
they could rescue family members. While not necessarily bad people, they were
victims of the circumstances. Avoidance of these people was relatively easy,
as long as one stayed off of main highways and out of refugee concentration
areas. One reader posted a letter on this blog about his experience
with his dog and pickup filled with gas-cans on his way back to secure his
gun store. The looters were also desperate, but not necessarily refugees. They
weren't fleeing, but were actively preying on people and businesses to
sustain themselves. These people were a lot like the "Mutant Zombie Bikers"
[often mentioned by SurvivalBlog readers]. Mostly active in New Orleans, these
looters were to be feared and avoided mostly by the prepared and self-sufficient
people.
The police were able to direct traffic and enforce the law in the early stages
of the disaster, but by the time traffic spilled out into the opposing lanes
and looters really started opening up on their rampage,
they were relatively helpless. One thing that much of the public is not aware
of is the indiscriminate"martial law" tactics undertaken by
many police/SWAT and National Guardsmen during and after the evacuation. While
their actions in arresting and confiscating weapons may have been justified
in trying to control the looting problem, many honest, prepared men and women
who were "holding the fort" had their homes invaded, searched and
any and all weapons confiscated. In one of the parishes near New Orleans, the
police used boats to pull over riverine traffic and search and confiscate any
weapons found, often without providing receipts for the weapons confiscated.
Obviously, for a prepared survivalist who was protecting their property, Bugging
Out, or trying to provide humanitarian/rescue assistance, this was a major problem.
After watching this
short documentary on 2nd Amendment violations in [the aftermath of Hurricane]
Katrina,
which every law-abiding American owes it to themselves to watch, I have realized
that in a TEOTWAWKI or near-TEOTWAWKI type disaster, even law enforcement can
be more of hindrance than a help. The indiscriminate firearm confiscations
that occurred in the wake of Katrina are very worrisome indeed.
In planning my Bug-Out-Plan (with multiple, redundant routes...one by foot
if need be: yes, all 2,000 miles of it back home to Montana), I fully intend
to
avoid law enforcement like the plague. As [the] Doug Carlton [character] said
in Patriots, "Roads
are for people who like to get ambushed." Similarly, getting searched by the
police in a TEOTWAWKI type situation is something you definitely want to avoid.
There may be cops out there with their heads screwed on straight who can discern
an honest citizen from a looter, but the risk of running into a hotshot and
losing the means of protecting myself is too great.
I hope all other preparedness men and women take this into account when planning.
Oh, and never
become a refugee and confine yourself to a refugee camp. - R.D. from southern
Tennessee
JWR Replies: The troublemakers in New Orleans came from many
races, and surprisingly from both lower class and the lower middle class. It
is difficult to stereotype the "looters" when based on the archived
news footage it is clear that they represented a fairly wide cross-section
of the New Orleans
populace. Safe distance from major population centers is the key to survival
during a widespread disaster. Fewer people means fewer problems. Most of the
armed confrontations will take place in the big cities. Yes, lives will be
lost far and wide WTSHTF, but the vast majority of the violence will
be in the cities.
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Letter Re: Convincing the Unconvinced that TEOTWAWKI is Possible
James Rawles;
I enjoy your blog and wish I had more time to review [all of the content].
I plan on getting the best of the blog when my funds permit.
I saw the "Convincing the Unconvinced" post and thought I would reply.
I like what another reader recommended on bringing people around to preparing
and hope you have a section dedicated to this subject somewhere on your blog.
Pushing a lot of information too fast will be counterproductive. They need
to learn and decide for themselves to be prepared, and how prepared [they want]
to be.
MJS could try getting Government-issued preparedness brochures. They are available
from the
American Red Cross and
The Department of
Homeland Security. This literature shows the need to be prepared for various
situations. The information coming from a source that the doubtful will consider
"mainstream" may be
what
they need to convince them to be prepared. You can work from there to discuss
with them all the types of potential disasters (man made and natural) that
can occur in your area and what can be done to be prepared.
Preparedness gifts are also a way to get the doubtful thinking about preparedness.
I have given first aid kits, power inverters, Flashlights, Baygen radios, vehicle
72 hour kits, Preparedness books--some published by the Red Cross and Homeland
Security--as Christmas gifts to plant the seeds of preparedness thinking. With
the bird flu threat looming, I am considering a long term food supply for a
month or less and publications on what you should know about bird flu for this
Christmas. I am looking at water purification equipment for the following Christmas.
At least this gives family members a chance to survive a short term event.
I know I cannot prepare for them and they have not
considered what to do if the
big
cities that they live in melt down. But I can give them the information to
make them think and to help them if they ask for it. - Ron from Ohio
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Letter Re: Some Interesting Australian Web Sites
James:
I found the three following Australian web sites while surfing the web. The AusSurvivalist
site led to the second two: Australian
Government information concerning the London bombing and how Australia needs
to prepare, and the Australian
Government
Emergency Management web site. Regards, Bill N.
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Hurricane Preparedness, by MFA
I'd like to share a couple of things I've learned through the recent hurricane
seasons in Florida, being hit directly by one, indirectly by three or four
more (I've
lost count).
The following assumes you’re staying put, not bugging out. Typically
my wife will take the kids and bug out, while I stay home for security and
damage
control if needed. This can also apply to some of the severe storms that
other parts of the country experience throughout the year.
1. Water - In Florida, I travel with a case of water in the back of my car.
You never know. In the off season, we use up the stored bottled water from
the
last year, and right about now [--May--], do a replenish. Our typical storage
water "in
season" is about the size of a pallet, four feet high. Off season we may
get down to three or four cases. We also have a “Big Berkey” to
filter the water from the lake behind our house if things are down for more
than a week or so.
2. Food - Freeze dried long term storage food (Mountain House or equivalent)
is absolutely required. The stores will be cleaned out in the two or three
days before the storm arrives, and the grocers stop shipping food in at the
last minute to cut their losses in case the buildings are knocked down. Immediately
after the storm passes you're a fool to go out on the roads with the trees
and downed power lines and by the time they are cleared, the stores open on
a cash basis because the power is out, and it's dry goods only. All frozen
and refrigerated food is discarded so they won't get sued for selling spoiled
food. In your house, at the start of the hurricane season it’s prudent
to work down your refrigerated foods and fill the space in the freezers with
gallon milk jugs full of water. This will keep the remaining food from spoiling
if the power is only out for a few days.
3. Cooking – We have several stoves that work when nothing else does.
The best one for indoors is a butane stove that I picked up at a gun show for
about twenty bucks. Butane cans are available, and they store indefinitely.
I’d not use any combustion appliance indoors without ventilation, but
after the storm the windows can be opened, and there is plenty of breeze coming
in around the corrugated storm shutters, which still provide some measure of
security. We also have a couple of Coleman stoves that run on either propane
or coleman fuel, but those are strictly outdoor units.
4. Cash - Have a few hundred bucks cash on hand in the beginning of the season,
and increase it to a thousand or more if you can once things are in full swing.
There is usually a run on the ATMs when the storm is bearing down on
the area, and when the power is out, it's done.
5. Fuel - If there is even a hint of a storm, top off all vehicles and keep
them full until the threat has passed. It can take two weeks to get gasoline
into the area and replenish the empty stations after the run on gas that happens
when the storm is bearing down. Also, keep up on maintenance of your vehicles.
It would truly suck to blow a radiator hose in traffic while trying to evacuate.
(I’ve seen that happen – I think it was [Hurricane] Wilma, a guy
from Miami was evacuating through the Fort Myers area and had [his engine] overheated
with
his small child in the car. I stopped with my work truck and we filled up his
radiator
with
my drinking water supply, and I left him with a half case of bottled water,
which was what I had left. His terror at being at the mercy of both the weather
and his unwillingness to prepare was obvious).
6. Shelter - You need to buy the stuff to watertight your house before the
storm, not after. Buy enough tarps to completely cover your roof - do the math
and figure it out. In the off season the tarps are on clearance, pick up a
few spares. They don't go bad [if kept out of sunlight] - stick them on a shelf
in your garage.
7. Storm shutters - either cut and number plywood to cover the glass or install
the mounting tracks and have the corrugated metal panels ready to go. Do this
on the off season, not the day before, as you want to do the initial exercise
once and be done with it We put our shutters up about a day before the storm
is supposed to hit - sometimes at the last minute. Our family can do the job
in about 40 minutes in the pouring rain.
8. Tools and batteries - Charge everything at the first indication that your
area is targeted, then keep them on trickle charge to maintain full capacity.
I've got a battery powered Sawzall, but with two discharged batteries I might
as well use a hand saw. The same goes for battery powered drills – a
dead battery renders them useless.
9. Lighting – As for wind up lights, check them pre-season. I bought
a wind up light a year ago and while it still lights up, the battery is shot
- only lights when I crank it. I only paid ten or twelve bucks for it, but
it’s junk. April is the month where the battery powered lights are checked
to make sure they work, and a fresh supply of batteries are stocked.
10. Security - If you think you might need force to defend yourself, get your
concealed carry license (CCL), get your practice in and buy your rifles, handguns
and ammunition well before season. The state has been known to declare a state
of emergency
and
suspend the sales of guns and ammo when a storm is coming. Also, the gun
dealers will cut a deal in the off season, but "sticker [price] is sticker
[price]" when a storm is coming. Not gouging, just no breaks. Gun shows are
your friend, as
you can
really shop and compare.
This will get you through the storm and the immediate aftermath.
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Letter Re: Mercenaries a Post-TEOTWAWKI Threat
Dear Jim,
Looking at the concept of mercenaries post TEOTWAWKI [mentioned
in Ron's
recently posted letter], I'm not convinced there is a valid threat there.
There are a lot of myths floating around about Blackwater specifically. I have
several friends on contract to them in various capacities from maintenance
to pilot to executive protection.
The relevant facts are that they are highly trained, highly paid (up to $1000
a day, depending on assignment and location), held to high standards of qualification
(must be honorably discharged veterans, no criminal background and with relevant
skill sets) and do specifically fall under the UCMJ when contracted to the
military or in association with the military (including executive protection
details on State Dept missions in Iraq). I keep hearing these stories of beer-bellied
yahoos who don't answer to anyone, but I've yet to see anything to substantiate
that apart from vague allegations in the press.
Obviously, if a government collapses, it will not be hiring troops in that
price range unless it's paying gold or foreign cash. Even if it could, convincing
politicians that 20 out of country mercs are better than 100 local recruits
is a long shot.
As to low-paid, second rate mercs, history is full of them. They tend to be
more hassle to the paymaster than any enemy.
I can't see what they'd be hired to do other than guard government installations
or private facilities with the desire and the money. "We're hiring you
to go rough up the civilians" doesn't seem either cost effective, worthwhile,
or doable, as in small groups they'd be readily defeated by numbers. And if
things are that bad, I won't be going anywhere near a government facility.
The
condottieri of the Middle Ages were specifically small bands with training
and weapons equal to the small local forces they faced--enough to defeat a
village or small town. Without lots of supplies, any modern equivalent would
just be another gang of armed men. In this case, armed professionals who'd
prefer to dig in and take control of an area, rather than be roving bands.
It's quite likely a few of them read survivalblog, and they're hardly the enemy.
If such groups existed, it would be worth allying with them to build a community.
Nor would they be likely to pillage an area, as it means less resources in
future.
It is possible, in case of a total collapse, that such would become feudal
lords. However, that would last only as long as they maintained the good will
of the locals and had ammunition. Modern systems of government are far more
effective and efficient. - Michael
Z. Williamson
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Poll Results: Why are You Preparing to Survive?
Here is the second round of responses to this question: Those who are well
educated enough to see a societal collapse of some sort or another in the making
fall into two groups, the merrymakers and the preparers. The merrymakers don't
see life worth living post-SHTF, so
they live it up now. We on SurvivalBlog are the preparers and have chosen to
survive, but why? Our children? To rebuild civilization? Because the collapse
will only be temporary? Because we can and we're stubborn with a stronger than
normal will to survive? The following is the second batch of
responses. A few of the following poll responses exceeded
the one paragraph limit, but they had substance so I decided to post them,
regardless:
Jim,
The survival seed was planted at when as a young boy I entered our Ohio basement "fruit
cellar" and noticed the stock of canned goods, candles and other necessities.
My mother explained that we might need the items if the "weather turned
bad". We never did need those items in the 1950s but the idea stuck.
For my family [living] in Alaska, it just makes sense to provide yourself with
comfort items should the SHTF. We have a self sufficient setup which is accented
by
a complete, mobile camping outfit and further enhanced with ultralight backpacking
gear. We are experienced in the use of this gear.
Silly as it may sound, if hard times come we do not want to be inconvenienced.
That is the simple answer. And that includes begging others for help and standing
in line to ask that the government do something.
Most important, we have incorporated preparedness into a normal enjoyable lifestyle.
And it just plain feels right.
--
Life is tough. Challenges abound. Success is a drug that there is no anti-dote,
only garbage that clouds the “vision” to succeed.
Why prepare? When reading the responses to this poll, I noticed a common
reference
to a “near term” disaster such as “Katrina”. This truly
is a short term disaster. There is no reason that most of us can’t survive
any short term disaster. Let’s look back to the late 1920s
and early
1930s, or better yet, back to the original settler’s challenges,
those were Longer term, affecting several generations. Why do we make reference
to
the near term problems rather than the historic obstacles? I think it is a protective
mechanism that allows us to relate to “recent history” rather than “necessary
history”. Imagining a multi-generational collapse I admit is not in my
thinking, (to protect my fragile mind). But the labors of my grandparents and
their grandparents are not to trivial to be memorialized. History repeats
itself.
In the late twenties, a vast percentage of the population was “semi-self
sufficient” and lived in the rural area’s trading with neighbors
for the items needed that they did not produce themselves. Fast forward 80 years
and a scary few minorities produce the knowledge to be productive and have the
land to do so. Our forefathers could plan and survive even though difficult at
times, they did it. How will we as city dwellers with no productive skills for
the basics survive a similar economic tragedy? History repeats itself.
If more of us do not prepare, the likelihood of reverting back to the wagon train
era is inevitable. If we can do more now, it is prudent to the survival of this
great nation. This Nation is deserving of all of our love, and the things that
we don’t agree with can be politely demonstrated against, or we can use
the power we wield by voting for change. History repeats itself.
This country feeds the world, yet we squander it away in the pursuit of riches
by greed. What a disappointment to our forefathers to have what others want,
move it at all costs to further one’s pocket book, and not hold enough
back to help our family and friends. If everyone in this nation had a year’s
supply of food, then the vulnerability of this nation would greatly lessen, (see
the history of the noose that was placed around Russia and the tens of millions
that perished because of such starvation) After a “collapse”, our
productivity would be multi-generational leaps rather than microscopic advance,
if in fact we had the basics squared away. To get this great country back on
her feet, we need to first, take care of our needs so if the tragedy of life
happens, our focus can be productive, focused, and our return to glory inevitable. History
repeats itself.
Am I am optimist? Am I a pessimist? Am I aware of how things really are so delicate?
Do I love the country I live in enough to help bring her to her feet?
Be part of the solution, not part of the problem,…. An old saying is: “…problems
always work themselves out…” I don’t
want to be “worked out”, I want to help re-build, and not stress
in the basic needs of my family and friends, I want what I have now, the ability
to do much, and hopefully be surrounded by like minded friends no matter what
the economic situation of this country is. I love this country, I love my family,
I love the teachings of history even though history repeats itself. I love what
I have learned, and pray for what I have not. God Bless the USA.
--
Jim,
It occurs to me as I read the responses to this question that while I share
most of the reasons I am reading, including it is kind of fun, I also fear
that
I have within myself the capacity to do great evil if the need to provide
for my family in times of trouble comes and I am not prepared. In fact
this is
one of the questions I ask people whom I approach when they tell me something
vague about being okay. I ask them if they will really be able to sit by
and watch as their children starve? I get interesting looks and statements.
--
I first became interested in the whole survivalist concept as an ER doctor,
early in my career in the late 80's. What I saw is that the government cannot
help people prevent problems, it only "cleans up" and tallies data.
The police are the best examples of this (call the police when a burglar
enters your home and they will gladly come and take a picture of your dead
body). Although I had hunted since childhood, I only became interested in
concealed carry, etc., after seeing case after case in the ER where people
died or were maimed, while hoping/waiting for the cops to come. The cops
did come, but always after the bad guys had done their deed. So much for
that.
Over the past decade, my lack of faith in government "Helping" has
grown more pervasive (in part due to working as a DOD doctor
during Desert Storm I) and now focuses on Peak
Oil (about which the government
will never
inform
you in any truthful way until its too late) and the US Dollar (which the government
and its goons (e.g. Kudlow et al on CNBC) say is just fine, along with the
economy as a whole). There will be no functional oil by 2030, and by 2015 (that's
just 8 years away), we'll see $10 per gallon at the tank, if we're
luck and if China/India do not grow any faster than they already
are.
All h*ll will have broken lose by then, as nearly everything we use comes from
oil or is related to it (think antibiotics, clothing, food,
not to mention our incessant "happy motoring" to go to work and take
kids to/from school and other activities). We will not be able to depend upon
transport
of veggies from 1000's of miles away and may have trouble even getting water,
depending upon where you get yours, just for starters. The sheeple, as another
writer on this forum pointed out, will become wolves. The goal is to be a better
prepared wolf, with stores of food, medicines, farming and mechanical equipment,
guns and ammo.
Oh yes, the US Dollar (USD); it has dropped about 30% in the past three years.
Yes 30%! China has announced that it will diversify out of the USD, as has
most of OPEC, Russia, et al. Only Saudi and Japan continue to support the $USD
for oil scheme, and that won't last much longer. When the USD drops below
80 on the USD index, that's it; we'll see 30 or 40 within a year or so, and
that will be a 50%+ devaluation from present levels. If you
look at every country in the world that has had its currency devalued (always,
BTW a sure result
of over use of the printing press), social degeneration has followed. Ordinarily,
governments become totalitarian when that happens, but I suspect that the Peak
Oil situation will prevent our government from doing anything but jawboning.
Cops won't be able to enforce anything at $10/gallon gas.
Peak Oil + USD devaluation = total social/economic breakdown. And, BTW, I
agree with other writers who have pointed out that its "pie in the sky" to
think we'll "simply return to 1890 and live happily ever after." 1890
technology could not support a highly urbanized, work challenged and bloated
population like ours. 10,000 BC is more likely, only with pockets of technology,
and ammo,
and a much smaller population. The only question left is when, not if, and
when is likely within a decade.
--
Because no one with any sense of self respect likes being a loser.
--
Hi Jim,
My family prepares for bad times because it is inexcusable not to prepare.
Bad things happen all the time - job loss, illness, accidents, etc., - as
well as all of the possible natural and man-made
disasters that could occur. Preparation is insurance that your family will
get through a rough time. Not preparing is a deficiency of character and neglectful
to your spouse and kids. Being able to
survive more easily through bad times will greatly improve your physical and
mental situation if it happens. In addition, you will be in better shape to
help others should you need to. If nothing ever
happens in my lifetime I will be thankful and will enjoy having a bit less
stress in my life because I did everything I could to keep my family safe and
protected.
--
Beside the fact that I've read the last chapter in The Book (Revelation),
there's peak oil & the coming die-off as petrochemical resources become
scarce, population stresses, a government that seems hell-bent on totalitarianism
of one flavor or the other (I keep praying that cooler heads will prevail,
but the past couple decades' experience doesn't build much hope.), external
political & economic turmoil, pollution, terrorism, a resurgent Russia,
Chinese war drums, froggy dictators with nukes, a weakening dollar, the list
goes on and on. The worst part is each one of these either feeds off or feeds
into the others. I'm betting that my children & grandchildren will live
in a much different world than the one I grew up in. My prayers are that it
will be a better one -- but I also realize (and in some cases, I'm very thankful
for the fact) that sometimes God says "No!" So, I prepare -- and
I attempt to prepare my sons to live in a world that looks more like their
Grandparents' world during the Great Depression than the one I grew up in.
Keep a stiff upper lip & watch your Six!
--
First off, I love your novel "Patriots".
Regarding the survey: We prepare because of the core morality we have: that
we aren't victims
and
we
don't want to depend upon the government for our welfare since that would
make us slaves. I believe every other political view we hold comes out of
this core belief, be it regarding the 1st and 2nd Amendments, welfare reform,
public education,
taxes, business regulation, Federal Reserve policy, etc.
--
As to your query about why planning and striving to survive. At first I paused
and asked myself that same question...Why Survive? For what purpose? What will
I do when/if I do,
and when will I know that I have "Survived". I guess that initially
it came down to personal and immediate family survival. Our extended family
is fairly large and we are, what I consider to be, relatively "close" as
a family unit.
Although my immediate family considers me "alarmist" and "extreme" I
have still been planning and stockpiling as best that I can (afford) for all
of us when the SHTF.
(Whether the next "emergency" is natural or man-made.)
My personal survival is only to ensure the safety and well-being of my daughter
and to stand as a resister/witness against the "Anti-Christ".
National survival (the sovereignty of our Constitutionally-based government)
is doomed by the fact that the globalist cabal have already (over the last
couple of centuries) put into place people, politico-financial-industrial networks
and the military might to enforce their will, that resistance will be short
lived and futile. Our best effort will be to resist honestly and honorably
being witnesses against the evil that is closing its trap upon the unsuspecting
mass of sheeple. Although, conceptually, I can understand their reasoning,
I cannot in good conscience support their end result.
Survival, not just being a biological instinct, but in humans - a choice, we
are presented with not only mere physical requirements and consequences, but
also moral and ethical repercussions as a result of our choices. The faculty
of conscience, whether intact or corrupted, is a characteristic of God imbued
into mankind to act as a "moral compass" to influence and guide one's
actions. Our mind's/personality/character's (the soul's) decisions and consequent
actions are the basis upon which we shall be judged. So survival is not just
a matter of how we achieved it, but also how well we
achieved it.
Survival isn't just to get by, but to be able to provide the basis by which
our "way" of living (hopefully by the freedoms outlined in our Constitution)
continues into (at least) the next generation. We must do as much as we can
and as long as we are able. My personal "religious"/"reality" views
are that we all will "survive"; (continue on as beings) and that
our further existence will be far greater than that which we experience
now.
--
I prepare because I am responsible for my family. I also realize that even
if our government is able to respond, they will not be able to do so immediately.
Just look at the response times for police and fire departments. Three to ten
minutes is not unusual and that is when the phone system is working and there
is no snow storm or other disaster such as [Hurricane] Katrina.
--
I will survive because I'm too mean to die. Survival is a choice. Many people
choose to die rather than suffer the hardships that survival often requires.
In the next 10-to-15 years, the world population will almost certainly decrease
by 3-5 billion people for various reasons (mainly famine related to Peak Oil).
I plan to be one of the people who live. I don't have much interest in religion,
and I have no interest in leadership. People want to be sheep: let them follow
someone else to their doom. I will do what is necessary to survive and hopefully
enjoy the process as much as possible while I quietly duck away from trouble
others feel compelled to fight head on (and die in place). If you die for a
cause, you have failed at survival. Always remember that.
--
Because when I first heard the story of "The Three Little Pigs" I
got it. Make you house strong so the wolf can't blow it down. Do it right from
the beginning and the wolves wont get you. I have had a Survivalist mentality
since as early as I can remember. I think people have to be blind and deaf
to all around them not to catch on to the obvious, our lifestyle in
America is not stable. And no culture/society has ever been
stable. All the great ancient cities failed, USA is no different. 1 year or
1,000, USA will end. I am 30 years old and have seen many Third World countries.
I do not want to end up like that! I wish I could get everyone
to see what the real world is like and what we stand to lose. Incidentally,
my wife is
from one of those Third World countries. So in the end, a hand dug well, no
toilet paper and a dead 42 inch plasma TV suits us just fine because we know
we can
take care of ourselves. Being a Survivalist is the closest thing to being stable,
a Survivalist community is the closest thing to a stable society.
--
I was in the Coast Guard during Hurricane Hugo and I saw how few people were
prepared, it made a huge impact on me. People were driving one hour for ice!
I also know that is my God given responsibility. Reading your book only reinforced
these thoughts. Thanks for all you do to wake up the sheeple.
--
In response to why I am planning to survive. Is there any other rational choice?
I am preparing from a personal sense of mortality. Selfish as it is it is my
survival and hat of my immediate downline that I am concerned about.
Being the victim of a massive Stroke several years ago that left me partially
paralyzed on my left side, and disabled from my corporate America job. My earning
capacity went from $100K per year to less than $36K, in a stroke,
yes pun intended. With more time on my hands I see many many ways to do things
differently.
Our nation is an anchor to world events and I see that we are on a downward
spiral. We feel that we as Americans have in our scant 250 years of existence
gained the knowledge and expertise to control the whole world, by debt. I see
the collapse coming, and am in survival mode right now as to go from $100K
per year to less than $36K per year requires retooling. I think that much more
retooling will be required in several years
when we mostly all go from Dollars to Skills and actual work. The
one who owns a shovel can get some one to operate it for him, If you don’t
own the shovel, then you will be the one shoveling for me! Shovel long enough
and I will let you shovel it a while for yourself.. That is the way it is supposed
to work.Real work for real value. This is the legacy I am
intending to leave
for my kids.
--
Because the prophets have said to. Because [LDS] President Gordon B. Hinkley
and the 12 have said to. Because I know it is the right thing to do. Because
the
Spirit tells me it is the right thing to do. To protect my family and loved
ones from the storms that will rage and be poured out without measure. And
because I want myself, my family, and others to hopefully make it through all
the tribulations in order to see the Second Coming of our Lord and Savior!
--
Like one of the previous writers – I grew up in the 1950s when
Nuclear Was and bomb shelters were the norm. My dad made sure we prepared ourselves
for survival back then and I took over that responsibility after he died in
1967, as the sole surviving son in our family. It was ingrained in me and taught
as a responsibility – and it’s one that I take seriously. I am
now an ordained minister and believe that God has called us to prepare ourselves
spiritually, mentally, and physically for whatever comes our way in the future.
As I prepare my family for TEOTWAWKI or
whatever else may come, I am also preparing to share with others in need. As
I buy, make, grow or otherwise acquire I put
aside extra for charity and barter. I hope each and every survivalist, preparer,
and/or provider will do the same. Preparing to survive is not just so we can
live while others suffer or die; it is a duty and responsibility we have been
called to by our Creator. And, besides, it’s so much fun!
--
I choose to prepare so my children will have a chance to live a full life.
By "full life" I do not mean a materialistic, consumption driven
competition to amass "more". I do not wish to ever have to look at
them and say there is no more food, I do not wish their lives cut short because
I chose not to prepare for what I know is coming. Many may think I am "strange",
but ever since I was a child I have always been drawn to acquiring knowledge
of natural food sources, survival skills, etc, and I have always known a time
would come when you can't just go to the grocery store when you need something.
I believe things will get very bad, I don't know for how long, I also believe
that "we" shall emerge at the end of that time, (after what I'm sure
will be an enormous "die-off"), and begin to put together a new society.
I prepare so that my children will have the chance to make it through the worst
times, become self sufficient, strong, and capable of building a new future
for themselves.
--
There are a myriad of reasons why my family prepares, and most of them have
been mentioned (Religious leaders instruction, Boy Scout motto, seeing the
writing on the wall, American self-reliance) and all of them have a great deal
of merit. Although I don't think any of us can totally prepare for TEOTWAWKI
there is a great deal we can do to prepare for the end of electricity/oil/food/water
as we know it.
I have few axioms that I live by that have served me well.
* If you are not prepared to care for yourself, be prepared to rely on the generosity
of others.
* I would rather have it and not need it. Than need it and not have it.
* You can never have too many knives or flashlights.
* Preparation is cheap insurance.
I love your site and have derived a great deal of information from it that I
pass on to others. Thank you for all of your hard work that you share with others.
--
I guess many reasons, most likely though it was triggered when I was going
through a hard time in 1998 and Y2K was
coming. It just got me to thinking more about the future then the present.
Then I happened to come upon "Patriots" and
it started to motivate me to do more, then 9/11 hit and Like everyone else
I got a bit excited and started doing all sorts of things for prepping. There
are many other reasons too but those were my first ones. Namely now I do all
I can to get my mom and myself ready, mainly for a Bugout as we cannot survive
in the urban place were at. I also have taken up a bit of time with posting
flyers with a small 3 day kits explained and priced, by just going down to
the local Dollar store. Lastly, I want to die from old age not starvation or
an injury or by [be killed by] a nut, post-SHTF.
--
Back when I first heard of survivalism, my first reaction was not "They
must be crazy!" like most of my fellow liberals, but "That's a good
idea." I realized that prepared people are our nation's life insurance:
if America falls apart, the survivors will revive it. I still had faith in
the government, but I admired independent people. After the Oklahoma City bombing,
I realized that if the government can't even protect its own workers from a
single man, it'll never be able to save us in a true disaster; I had to prepare
for disaster myself. When I learned that McVeigh was a survivalist, I saw that
thinking "the survivalists, whoever they are, will rebuild after I die
in the collapse " was as naive as thinking "the government, wherever
it is, won't let anything bad happen." Our nation is only as good as the
people in it. If some evil people will survive a collapse, then I have to make
sure that the good people who survive will outnumber them. I prepare because
I want to be one of the good survivors. It's my God-given duty to be a part
of this great nation, and if America breaks down it will be my duty to rebuild
it as an even better nation.
--
Our founding fathers created this great Republic to be a beacon of hope for
humanity. Every day that we exist we prove their point that when government
is small people are big – then miracles happen.
--
When you see the rain coming, you take an umbrella. When it rains, you open
it. How can I not prepare to survive with so many storm clouds clearly visible:
economic maladjustment, hedonistic society, government growth into incompetency,
and imminent crop failure, both in the US and abroad? Sticking my head in the
sand is a death warrant. Period. Maybe not all of the storms will hit but all
have the potential to be nasty...very nasty. I have a chance with a plan and
some extra supplies. Without a plan, I would wander aimlessly or panic, becoming
easy pickings for the predators that will certainly arise. With a plan I have
fortitude of spirit and the knowledge that most of those I interact with in
troubling times will not have a plan, leaving me with an advantage. Maybe a
slim advantage, but that may be all I need to come out alive. I pity the countless
souls that will come to a sad end because they didn't or wouldn't pay attention
to the gathering storm clouds.
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Poll Results: Why are You Preparing to Survive?
Here is the first round of responses to this question: Those who are well
educated enough to see a societal collapse of some sort or another in the making
fall into two groups, the merrymakers
and the preparers. The merrymakers don't see life worth living post-SHTF, so
they live it up now. We on SurvivalBlog are the preparers and have
chosen to survive, but why? Our children? To rebuild civilization?
Because the collapse will only be temporary? Because we can and we're
stubborn with a stronger than normal will to survive? The following
is just the first batch of responses. I plan to post at least one
more batch. Please send your responses (one paragraph or less) via e-mail,
and I will post them anonymously.
The survivalist is an optimist -- not
merely because he/she thinks he'll make it through the crisis, but because
of the
(possibly
subconscious)
hope
that
something good will emerge in the aftermath. It's the logic of any kind of
apocalyptic thought... Theological systems that have a conception of a climactic
struggle or an "end times" imagine that, after Armageddon, we'll
see the dawning of a new age. Not surprisingly, a lot of Hollywood movies follow
this script, too: After the aliens are defeated, for example, in "Independence
Day", mankind stands united, having put aside their differences; After
catastrophic weather changes in "The Day After Tomorrow," the planet
begins to heal itself, etc. Heck, this theme can be seen, too, in your fine
book, "Patriots". In the same way, I plan to live not only because
I'm stubborn and have a finely-tuned sense of justice -- and thus hate the
idea of turning over the planet to looters, thugs, and others who would prey
on the innocent -- but also because I'm both curious and hopeful about what
will emerge as society reconstitutes itself.
--
My modest preparation springs from the knowledge that I and the Lord are
the protectors of my family (there are five of us). Our ultimate trust is in
Him,
but it is on me to do what I reasonably can do to protect my family from in
the event of hardship and/or disaster. (After watching [Hurricane] Katrina,
it seems apparent that the government cannot do that.) Anyone reading your
web
site
thinks that
there is at least a fathomable chance that our nation's run of blessing/luck
will end (or be suspended) at some point in the future. Nothing lasts forever.
If and when that time comes, I would never forgive myself if my family suffered
unnecessarily because I did not take reasonable steps to prepare for such a
time. In addition to that, it's just plain fun to learn about this stuff. (Anyone
who says otherwise is lying!)
--
Because the alternative is inconceivable to me!
--
I’m currently going through some things in my life that are agonizing
(but subject to change) and make things feel almost hopeless for me at times,
yet every day I wake up again and thank God that he breathed the breath of
life into me. I won’t waste that breath. I’m motivated to prepare
to survive and overcome by many factors. Here are some examples:
I’m a 7th generation descendant of a settler in my current state and I’m
motivated to survive by the risks my settler ancestors took, the struggles they
went through, the multiple battles they fought in, the children they lost prematurely
and the price they paid to be here. I recently visited some of their graves for
the first time. I see it as my responsibility, honor and duty to live freely
and survive. The stock I am from is cut out for it.
I prepare to survive because I’m ultra conservative, at times feeling like
an endangered species or “minority” and I’m tenaciously defiant
to those who would like to see my “kind” exterminated. I am equipped
with a few trusted friends that are peers in regard my views (though mostly surrounded
by sheeple) and have inspired some to begin to prepare. I discern a negative
spiritual force is taking action to see my country’s sovereignty given
away. I am motivated to be a hindrance to that spirit. My country is worth saving.
I prepare to survive because as a young man I swore an oath to uphold and defend
the Constitution of the United States, despite the fact that there have been
some truly sorry individuals working to undermine that Constitution since before
I was born. I intend to see my oath fulfilled.
I prepare to survive because I read "Patriots", awoke to how fragile our economy
really is and saw how foolishly I’d been behaving in the past (assuming
life would always be normal) and am in the process of repenting of any residual
foolish, sheeple-like attitudes and habits I have.
I prepare to survive because I’ve been in a city where gasoline was temporarily
not available and walked through the local grocery store at 3:00 AM (less crowded)
and have seen the store shelves stripped of food for a short period of time.
It’s
pretty convincing you need to prepare when the fuel in the tank of your vehicle
and few 5 gallon cans (at the time) may be all you’ll have for a while.
I prepare to survive because if things ever Schumerize I have multiple skill
sets that can help a number of people in a number of survival situations. I believe
I was created to help people, when possible. I gather info, educate, discuss
and leave food for thought for those who are unprepared, but willing to listen
and consider my views on the subject.
--
Why an I preparing? For the simple reason that I live in the middle of the
midwest. Bad winters, heavy snow, and ice storms. The rest of the year heavy
rain , floods, tornados, et cetera. You can't depend on the government to
come through
when needed, so if you don't have what you need than you are SOL!
You have to
be able to get by on what you have or fabricate something to do the job needed.
I haven't depended on the government to help and I really don't think they
have the capacity any more if ever. It will be your self and friends and
neighbors
pulling
together that will make the difference. I prepare for me and mine so that we
may be able to help others if need be. I've traveled extensively in South America,
off the beaten path, and if you don't have what you need or can fabricate
it than you should not be there. The same goes for having all your ducks
lined
up at home.
--
I'm a Jesuit educated 38 year old Bachelor, Eagle Scout, USMC Gulf War Vet,
working for a major aerospace company in Seattle. The reason I'm preparing
is I inherited
~$500K from my grandfather, who sold the family farm in California to housing
developers. He worked hard for all of us and I don't want that blessing of
wealth to be squandered. I'm preparing because being prepared is what's been
beat
into my
head since I was a kid. You can't play the "victim" card on the Four
Horsemen.
--
Why do I prepare? Probably because I read too much science fiction as a
child! Probably because surviving is so much more interesting than succumbing.
Born
in the late 1950s, I remember bomb shelter salesmen and diving under my desk
during A-bomb drills. I always assumed something, a war, or a pandemic, could
change life as I knew it. It never occurred to me not to want to survive. Both
my parents were alive during the depression, and that contributed to not taking
food/housing for granted. Perhaps my uncle, who survived Bataan, or my aunt,
who was a prisoner of war in the Philippines, might also have had something
to do with my mindset?
--
Because I believe that life is worth living, and I have no intention of
simply "biting
the dust" unless I give it the old college try. I believe that trying
and ultimately failing is far better than not trying at all.
--
Bottom line: I owe it to my family to be prepared. I could not bear to look
into their eyes as they look to me for help and have to say "Sorry."
--|
I am a preparer. Not because I'm smarter than anyone else, but because from
what I see, there just is no other choice. I do it for my family; my beloved
husband who humors me but thinks I'm slightly nuts, my grown children who love
me but roll their eyes whenever I speak about what is happening around us.
look, I don't have any college degree or any fancy smarts, no one would call
me well educated. But I can see what I can see. I read, study, research and
from my angle, we are gonna be toast and I bet my surly one eyed cat that it
will be ugly. so I plod along doing the best I can when can. I don't have
a retreat, I don't have a bunker or fallout shelter, I don't have 10 acres
or two years worth of food. But I've got God. I keep plodding on doing the
best
with what I have and I know He takes care of the rest.Will we survive the whatever
that comes? Heck if I know. But I'm a fool if
I do not give it my best shot.
--
As a man of firm Christian beliefs, I believe all our days are numbered
and have value. In those number of days we are to protect and provide for our
our
own selves, our families and so on. Examples in scripture are numerous how
people were commanded to defend their homes, their cities, their neighbors,
and their land. Unless we (like some were) are destined to go into Babylonian
captivity I see no other proper choice.
--
I am taking what steps I feel necessary to survive in a societal collapse of
infrastructure because I realize that the more intricate a system of living
becomes, the more possible facets of failure are therefore created. As the
machine known as Society grows in scale and complexity, so do the required
aspects of its function; increasing the number of things
that can go wrong, thus eventually causing a critical failure of the system.
With the statistical (and historical) inevitability staring one in the face,
how can someone not do everything within
your power to be prepared?
--
I feel its my duty to four fathers, kids, grand kids, friends, although they
are getting harder to find these days, an it just feels like the right thing
to
do,also its interesting,fun, a great learning expense,i spend hours on your
site an i want to really thank you for it. I'm sure you make money off of it
an you should, but I'll bet you are the type of person that really believe
in what you do. I love my guns an have about 25 [of them], I try to go to
the
range at least three times a week, its the most relaxing time in my life ,by
myself or with someone, I'm sure a lot of people don't understand, I love
the military
weapons a lot, I have .303s, Mausers, and others. I'm proud of my beliefs,
thanks.
--
I consider preparing my Christian duty. I'm also stocking up lots of extra
food, clothing, and so forth for charity, which is also my Christian duty.
--
Myself, I am what would be called a "millennialist" based on my
beliefs from the Bible. The majority of mankind is stupid and sinful. Thousands
of years and we are still doing the same mistakes over and over. I do not believe
in any Gene Roddenberry vision where mankind, by its own efforts, rises from
the ashes and evolves into a benevolent
a Star Trek society. Nothing sort of divine intervention will save us in the
long run from permanent self-destruction----Now aren't I a cheerful one to
invite to a social gathering?;)
Just for the record, I'm not one of those nuts that believe in trying to hasten
or encourage the Second coming The world is dong a fine job all by itself.
--
While I had read about survivalism and planning for a couple of years, the
importance of having some sort of plan didn't hit me hard until I was living
in the South, had a new baby, and [Hurricane] Katrina hit. All of a sudden
the importance of having an evacuation plan, supplies, and a known destination
to retreat
to were very important. I am not as prepared as many of the readers, but I
know
where to go and what I'll do when I get there. Also, thanks to some great books
on small farming and some great advice on here I know how to avoid some real
pitfalls.
--
I’m preparing to survive for my wife and my children, because I can
and because it gives me a feeling of confidence. I say “because I can” since
most of my acquaintances don’t have a clue of the probable upcoming changes
in society, but of those that do have a clue they can’t prepare for survival.
They can’t prepare for survival because they’re financially tapped
out by having been brainwashed into living on credit today figuring somebody
else will take care of them tomorrow, but it won’t be me.
And it drives me nuts. A 45 year old single female friend of my wife owns a
boat, owns a camper, had two vehicles, bought a scooter and recently bought
a house within the last two years. When I first started preparing for survival,
my wife made a comment to her about it and her friend said when the SHTF “we’ll
all be as snug as a bug in a rug.” I said“What do you
mean we? I think you need to make your own preparations.”
I used to try and educate our acquaintances but have started taking more of
an inquiring approach with regards to what they think are the possible upcoming
changes in society. A couple we know refinanced their house to buy a travel
trailer but they only camp within 45 minutes of their house because they can’t
afford the gas and their tow vehicle is not reliable. I asked the husband what
he thought was coming in the future, he said he figured things were going to
get pretty bad. But then they just put down a deposit on a trip to Hawaii so
I’ve got to figure you just can’t help people like this.
And it’s not that I wouldn’t help anybody, I saw value in a comment
on your web site with regards to helping neighbors and I will. (Is it okay
if I only help the ones I like?). We live in a conventional neighborhood and
I
wish we didn’t but at this point it would take too much of our resources
to move to a property with more land. So our best defense is to bond with the
good neighbors but I don’t want all our irresponsible acquaintances coming
to live with us.
We have a good life and are lucky to be able to make preparations for what
may come. And I am thankful for every additional day I have to get better prepared.
--
I am preparing to survive because I believe the threats to our way of life
are manifold. We are in a global war. China strength's grows, our borders are
not protected. Our government is shredding the constitution. Natural disasters,
environmental concerns, the basic depravity and selfishness of man--its reason
enough. I was a volunteer during [Hurricane] Katrina. Not one person who
had preps, was sorry. Many other equivalent societies in this century have
fallen,
why is
America better ? It is inevitable, one disaster will prove the wisdom of preparing.
--
1. Life is worth living.
2. I want to be around if there is any defending of this nation to be done.
3. Who said one can’t prepare and merrymake? (I guess it depends on one’s
interpretation of ‘merrymake’).
--
It's something that was raised in me. Whether it was the Boy Scout's motto
of always being prepared, or just the human instinct of survival, if I see
something
on
the horizon, I won't back down. Not to mention I get to justify spending a
lot of money on camping gear and guns, my two favorite hobbies.
--
We are trying to prepare because it is the right and responsible thing to do
for our family, friends, neighbors, and country. If we all became part of the
solution, then there would be no problem.
--
Jim, I grew up in the bomb shelter/Cold War era. A neighbor two houses down
actually dug out their front yard to install a bomb shelter. My folks had a
rudimentary bug-out bag and we always kept a month's worth of food on hand.
Hey, for the 1950s, that was progressive thinking so I guess I come by being
into preparedness naturally.
I hold advanced degrees but my education does not get in the way of exercising
common sense. It is obvious that our complex society is too interdependent
to survive major interruptions and we have numerous examples to look at (the
L.A. riots, Hurricane Katrina, and such). To believe that a major interruption
of services could not occur is delusional. The empirical evidence is right
in front of us. The family which is prepared has far fewer worries.
Do I believe we are headed for TEOTWAWKI?
Not particularly. Do I believe that we will see significant disruptions that
will affect us for 10 days or so?
Yes, definitely. Disruptions lasting to 30 days or beyond? Less likely, but
I maintain a "year's supply" nonetheless. Also, my Church has preached
being prepared for years. Our leaders have constantly cajoled us to have a
year's supply of food and other necessities and my guess is they know something
we haven't heard yet.
--
Most pundits state that human beings are constantly evolving. The point they
have ignored or can't see is that the evolvement of the human race in the last
50 years has been a deterioration, not an advancement. We survivalists are,
quite frankly, throwbacks to the pure genotype that got us to this point in
time.
--
I prepare because the end is nigh (at least TEOTWAWKI), and there will be
a lot of merry-makers who suddenly changed their minds, post-collapse. If you're
prepared and you decide the going is too rough, you can always quit,but if
you're not prepared, your options are zero. You're done. Besides, my family
is Finnish, and we're stubborn SOBs. You can always tell a Finn, just not
much...
--
I prepare to survive because I see it as part of the natural cycle of human
civilization. Something in us wants to forget the lessons of what makes us
a great society and start living on borrowed riches and capabilities. Eventually,
that living beyond our means catches up with us via a natural disaster, economic
collapse or societal conflict.
If we were not to prepare to survive then we are doomed to fail and live miserably
under the dictates of someone else. If we prepare we are not guaranteed to
have prepared for the right situation, or enough, but at least we have a much
better than average chance. In the end, I am an optimist. No matter how bad
things get they will eventually get better. We can speed up our own recovery
and that of our community’s by preparing now. If we do not, then we may
end up wallowing in misery and struggling for the barest necessities. Is that
the kind of life God wants for us? I think not. I believe God wants us to live
wisely and prepare to prosper under all conditions. That takes discipline and
short-term sacrifice.
--
Jim, your blog rocks. I only hope that I can learn and earn fast enough to
take advantage of the incredible information that your forum provides before
TEOTWAWKI.
I have a beautiful 6 month old son who is totally innocent to the ways in which
TPTB (the powers that be) are systematically destroying nature, American Democratic
principles and threatening the survival of humanity. He deserves a chance in
this life, regardless of whether or not he'll ever get to visit Sam's Club,
get a college scholarship, drive a V-8 or own an iPod.
When things start to get dicey, and as the world as we know it begins to fall
apart - most likely permanently- he will be just coming up in age and entering
what should be the most wondrous years of a child's life.
For him, and for my future children, I will fill their youthful imaginations
with nature, tools, projects, outdoor adventure and practical knowledge. Before
I let the idiot-box and America's media-driven junk-culture destroy their understanding
of their place in God's kingdom (and the animal kingdom), they will know
what to eat and how to hunt it, how to garden, how to fix stuff and how
to avoid trouble in a society that in the future will eventually fail entirely
by trying to eliminate all risk of failure here in the present.
They will be encouraged to learn practical trades: veterinary sciences, engineering,
construction, medicine and alternative medicine, martial arts, food production
and off-the-grid technology solutions.
No bankers, real-estate agents, financial analysts, politicians or computer
graphic designers in this family, Jim. No sireeee bubba.
I have always believed that those people who want to throw God's gift of life
away through risk, recklessness, attempted suicide or plain old bad lifestyle
habits are doomed to live longer.
I have also questioned since1987 when the U.S.S. Stark got hit by our"allies" escorting
black gold in the Persian Gulf how long our cheeseburger-driven, cheap-oil,
fiat-money, fake-friends and fear of loss-driven society can keep going.
Therefore I will survive this impending paradigm-shift in human existence in
order to see my children prevail into adulthood, and for my morbid curiosity
to see how all this B.S. I have put up with my entire life winds-up in the
end
of my days.
It won't be easy however. Here in Texas, not
1 in 1000 people has a clue what might be coming in the next few years. Even
after [Hurricane] Katrina pushed a not-so-golden horde of 150,000 low income
welfare dependents onto the greater Houston area. I guess that bad stuff
only happens
to others,
right?
I'll be heading for the hills soon enough I hope, and taking my brood to
a more austere, self-sufficient and remote lifestyle before Sugar Land Texas
becomes a looter's paradise.
--
At first I prepared because it was an American act of self-reliance. Now,
after all the weird looks and puzzled expressions, I get to have the biggest
'I told you so' in my lifetime.
--
Great question. Do I have an answer? Yeah a couple. Peace of mind in these
troubled times is the main one. We buy insurance for everything except peace
of mind.
Our power goes off we start our transition to alternatives without a worry.
Lights, power,shelter, water, communication ability goes on. Food is here
to be eaten fuel to use without need to purchase, cash on hand no worries.
Another reason we do what we do is because "I" feel it's my responsibility
to my family. Part of my responsibility as a husband and a father is prepare
to take care of them no matter what happens next I can't sleep knowing I
could have, but I didn't. It's a philosophy of maintaining the status quo
to then have the time and resources to help others. It's about being "ahead
of the game." It's about
life and meeting it's changes head on, never stopping head down and moving
constantly
on forward to whatever it is that is next in life.
--
My reason is: why give up? I have fought to hard in this life to just roll
over
and die.
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Living in Times of Partial Law and Order, by FerFAL
Many people tend to think about survival as if it where an on/off switch,
black or white reality. You have a relatively nice, normal life, such
as the world most first world citizens live in these days, and suddenly
you have a SHTF event
and you go into Post-SHTF mode all of a sudden, meaning people start
carrying their load bearing vests full of mags, with their SHTF rifle
of choice, scavenging around the ruins of the city, shooting trespassers
and burying them in the back yard.
This is all very cool to talk about, its fascinating in a Hollywood
kind of way, and I love to discuss possible scenarios until 4 AM but
it bothers me to think that people are actually losing perspective
of what may occur, others scenarios that are much more
likely than what people fantasize about.
I’m a moderator over at the survival forums at WarRifles.com,
and I can tell you, If only I had a dime for every time I’ve
read people writing stuff like “Now you can’t get away
with it, but post-SHTF, I’ll put up “Trespassers will be
Shot! “ signs and I’ll shoot trespassers as soon as I see
them setting foot on my property.”
I simply have to ask: What on Earth makes you believe that you can
get away with that?
The usual reply is that there will be no law or government to bring
you to justice and judge you, every man for himself.
Now, I don’t want to urinate on anyone’s barbeque, but
didn’t
anyone consider that the government and police won't disappear
as if by magic after TSHTF?
Instead of just disappearing as so many people hope, what if they just
go corrupt and/or inefficient? Meaning, they wont be there to protect
you, but they will be there to take you away if you shoot someone 100
yards away without a clear threat to your life, or even take away your
guns, as seen after Hurricane Katrina.
My personal situation doesn’t apply to all possible scenarios,
but it’s a text book economical collapse, pretty much typical
and it applies to many type of medium-to-long term crises. From
the great Depression to Russia after the fall of communism, there are
many parallels.
I kept contact through a survival forum with a guy that moved to USA
from Africa, and the parallelisms and similarities between my own country
in South America and South Africa where more than I would have thought,
specially concerning street smarts and crime. You can go into some
of the worst parts of the country, where most people don’t have
potable water or sewers and hook illegally to the main power line,
and there are just a few business that are
pretty much standard in most poor neighborhoods.
There’s the evangelist church or sometimes catholic church depending
on where you are, some kind of school/community kitchen where most
kids get they one and only meal, where maybe a small primitive emergency
room operates nearby. There’s entertainment, meaning a Bingo
or small casino and a brothel, an then you have the local commercial
road or street, where a gray/black market operates in a warehouse or
empty lot nearby, a Third World version of the upper neighborhood’s
mall and shopping centers that can be found in the same country.
None of this goes on on the wealthier neighborhoods, but its pretty
standard along the poorest parts of the country.
One thing that never ceases to amaze me, is that no matter how poor
the neighborhood is, there’s always a “Lawyer” sign,
hanging in a house near the market or commercial part of town, sometimes
simply written by hand with paint.
No matter how Third Worldly the country gets, there’s always
place for judges, cops, and lawyers. Those guys are like cockroaches
after
a nuke, they still survive.
Just think for a second, and consider the huge justice and government
apparatus. Think about the millions of people that work there.
I’m not trying to preach to the choir here, just help people
understand that in the huge spectrum of SHTF possibilities, from an
isolated incident where to you just have to spend a day or two without
water or power, to a full scale nuclear war, Armageddon-like earthquake
or invasion from China, their favorite scenario where society goes
down but governmental institutions, police force and justice system
simply vanish in thin air, allowing you to step up and take charge
of things in you area as you see fit.
Hope I provided a bit of food for thought. Take care, everyone.
« Odds 'n Sods: |Main| Letter Re: Advice on Storing E85 Ethanol Fuel »
Letter Re: Just Three Days to Relief, Post-Disaster?
Jim:
I read a
good posting on the blog [by Bryan A.] that unfortunately made me chuckle.
Those of us who are first responders (cops, firefighters, etc.) will
confirm that the usual mantra of “three days” of
preps is excessively optimistic. In fact, FEMA is
quietly (or not so, depending on who you ask) telling folks a minimum
of ten days. In a briefing
last year by a major Puget Sound USAR director,
he stated that in his opinion, 10 days is minimum. This is an actual
Region 10 director,
contrary to what the government says (who did respond to Hurricane
Katrina). Three days for supplies to get to someplace is wholly dependant
on
the ability to get to the region. Far more days elapsed in Katrina
affected regions due to the impassibility of so many roadways, especially
into rural areas. In a briefing by a New Orleans, Louisiana police
department SWAT officer,
even their supplies were drowned by the toxic flooding, causing
them
to
go well
outside the area to acquire foodstuffs, fuel, etc. (and yes, causing
some station houses to loot stores under the disgusting idea that it
was for the greater good).
In the windstorm we experienced in the Seattle Metroplex area last
winter, there were whole neighborhoods stranded and without out even
power for anywhere from 3 to 14 days. Vehicles couldn’t even
access some areas until power lines and trees could be cleaned up.
One neighborhood
in the city that I patrol in had power out for six days, and they were
across the street from the city hall! They were the unlucky folks to
be at
the extreme end of a power grid.
When asked by folks, I warn them to plan for 15 days as a minimum.
I get many shocked looks. A recent evaluation of the region showed
that over 90% of folks didn’t even have the basic minimums (three
days), as easily evidenced by the panic buys of the usual candles,
matches, batteries, flashlights, fuel, etc. No wonder people seem shocked.
Best Regards, - MP in Seattle
« Odds 'n Sods: |Main| Re-Write of the Austere and Survival Medicine Book »
Letter Re: Fire Fighting Tools and Skills for Retreats
Dear Mr. Rawles,
Recently a fellow posted asking about firefighting options. If he wants
advice about firefighting and resources to do so, he might want to
look into joining his local Volunteer Fire Department (VFD).
Fire departments are the first ones (along with law enforcement) to
be summoned to any natural or man-made disaster. For this reason, almost
all fire
departments (including the VFDs) prepare, trains themselves
for disaster! 75% of the fire departments in the United States
are manned by volunteers. All [of them] are always looking
to add men to their rosters.
While one might think that all the local VFDs do is fight fires,
they actually perform many services and have great training that would
be quite useful for the average Joe.
One great advantage to being in the VFD is that you not only know what
resources your municipality may have for dealing with a disaster, you
know how they are going to use those resources and can make your preparations
accordingly. Simply put, you know how the municipality is going to
respond, so you can tailor your preparations to address at the personal
level
the areas where the municipalities preparations are lacking.
As far as training, pretty much everything is available: Basic First
Aid, Advance First Aid, Certified First Responder, EMT-A, EMT-B, etc.
All at no charge to the individual. Aside from first aid, there’s
training on handling Weapons of Mass Destruction scenarios, Hazardous
Materials, Mass Casualty Scenarios, Decontamination, etc. That’s
in addition to firefighting training.
Many departments actually have retirement benefits even though it’s
a volunteer gig; my department pays a $400 a month pension when I’m
62 if I stay active in the company for 20 years. May not sound like
much, but that will pay my property and school taxes for the year!
Also, after five years in the company I get a 10% break on my property
taxes.
Since the departments are volunteer, a fellow can pick different jobs
within the department. Not everyone is cut out physically to run into
burning building or cut drunks out of car wrecks. Some folks are just
drivers, some are Fire Police, others are scene support. There are
different positions for different degrees of physical ability.
Another big plus is now that the Department of Homeland Security has
implemented a standardized National Response Plan (NRP) and National
Incident Management System (NIMS), there has been an impetus to standardize
protocols between departments on things
such
as identification. In my company we receive county/state issued ID
cards that have our name, photo, physical description and identify
(in my case) the bearer as a Firefighter in the (name of town) Fire
Department. On the back are the state seal and county seal. In the
event of Bad Times, this ID can be a big help in getting around.
Also helpful in getting around can be the special license plates and
authorized emergency vehicle lights. In a disaster when civilian traffic
may be barred from the roads, such markings can be useful.
Since I’ve been in my company, I’ve learned the following
things that can help my family and I in an emergency:
I know what the local municipalities disaster plans are. I know what
resources are available and I know how long they will last. In short,
I know how long before the refugees become a hungry mob.
At no cost to me I got credentialed as a Certified First Responder.
I learned all the 'ins and outs' of the county’s
communication systems. I know where all the repeaters are, how much
fuel they have and what frequencies all the local agencies use.
In the event of a smallpox or Avian Flu pandemic, I will be one of
the first people vaccinated and will be assisting in the distribution
of vaccine to others (meaning that I will make sure my family gets
theirs in a timely manner!).
I persuaded my company to avail itself of Federal programs that allow
for first responder agencies to purchase (for a nominal fee) surplus
military equipment. Our company has pallets of MREs (ostensibly
to feed the crews during wildfires), we have trailer mounted military
generators (for when power to the municipality goes out and we need
to power the local emergency shelter) and are currently looking at
several
other useful ‘dual-purpose’ items.
Probably the best thing is that I have learned how preparation pays
off. It is one thing to prepare for social collapse; there are
no rehearsals or try-outs. Society collapses or it doesn’t
and you are prepared or you are not. In firefighting, I have
learned first hand how being prepared before hand can affect things;
I understand
now
that every night, without fail, my hat and keys go in the exact
same place, that my boots, pants and shirt go in the
exact same place, so
that when
I have
30
seconds to clear the building at zero dark thirty,
I’m not frantically searching for my keys. My turnout gear is
always painstakingly stowed in a very precise and careful manner so
that when the call comes the 10 minutes I took to carefully stow it
allows me to go from flammable to fire-proof in 60 seconds. My privately
owned vehicle (POV)
is parked with the radio off, electronics pre-set, etc. so that when
I jump in to respond to a call and start the ignition,
the
tape
player
doesn’t come on blaring music that drowns out my fire pager leaving
my in the dark about where I am headed. All little things to be
sure, but tricks learned from repetitive experience.
How does this translate to preparing with my family? I have a much better understanding of how carefully thought out and meticulous planning
can pay off in an emergency. - Regards, R.V.
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Nuclear, Chemical or Biological Disaster Preparedness, by Brian A.
One of the recent phrases the media has used almost to exhaustion is,
"dirty" bomb. A dirty bomb, or radiological dispersion
device (RDD) is basically an explosive device with some element of
radioactivity attached, or
some other means of distributing radioactive particulate matter. When
detonated, it releases radiation in the form of dust or debris, which
is harmful mostly when inhaled, or introduced into the body by other
means, (eyes, open cuts, etc.). The main terror use of such a weapon
would be to contaminate emergency services workers responding to the
initial blast. In the 1990s, Chechen rebels reportedly placed such
a device in a park in Moscow, They used no explosive or other means
to announce
it's presence; they just let it sit there and expose passers by to
radiation until it suited their needs to tell the Russians it was there.
They could just as well have spread the material on the ground and
let people track contamination wherever they went.
What if you live near a nuclear reactor/facility? First off, the Nuclear
Regulatory Commission controls all nuclear facilities in the United
States. The NRC strictly controls and governs safety and security of
all nuclear facilities. They mandate a "layered" approach
to security systems, with redundant perimeter controls, and a dedicated,
heavily armed reactive force of trained professionals. The chances
of a successful attack on a facility by terrorists is slim and none,
and "slim" just left town. In addition, the safety systems
are layered to provide backups to backups, especially the critical
cooling systems. In the event of a release of radiation, the public
would be notified, and given instructions to follow, such as whether
to evacuate, or to stay in their homes.
Contrary to popular belief, a detonation/release of either type would
not be a "death ray, heat wave" type situation. In both situations,
the radiation would come in the form of particulate matter, and affect
the population according to proximity and winds at the time. For example,
in both situations, depending on the direction of the wind, you could
be five feet away from the release and not be affected, or be a half-mile
away and receive a dose. This is why winds are important, and are taken
into account by emergency officials when evaluating nuclear events.
This is why having both a "bug out" (which we will call,
dramatically, an 'egress' plan), and a plan to stay at home are equally
important. For example, have several routes planned for several different
areas in at least two opposite directions. This takes into account
wind direction, as well as other naturally occurring situations, (flood,
fire, riots, etc.)
I'm sure some of us remember the "duck and cover" days (no,
not me, I'm not that old), of the evil Soviet empire,
launching missiles at our cities, envisioning Hiroshima-like mushroom
clouds.
There is an important lesson in the philosophy of those times, be
prepared.
Have a plan to deal with emergencies at home, while keeping yourself
and your family safe, and one to leave your home, and go to a safe
area.
Here, we'll discuss two strategies, the egress plan, and the stay at
home plan.
Egress or "Bug Out" Plan.
In the event of a radiological release due to an incident at a nuclear
facility or a terror detonation of a RDD type device. (This plan will
also apply to natural disasters, rioting or other scenarios). Your
best option may be to evacuate, leaving your home or workplace for
a safer area as prompted by authorities. You'll notice I mentioned
home and workplace. What would you do if you and your
spouse are at work and the kids are at school? Do you have the means
to contact them
or retrieve them? What kind of emergency procedures do the schools
have in place? Find out. You need to have contact numbers and be sure
that everyone knows the plan. Another thing to keep in mind is that
if you are leaving, everyone around you also has the same idea. This
is why evacuation is to only be carried out if danger is imminent,
and planning of at least two different routes to your safe area is
critical. Picture rush hour with a "chicken little the sky is
falling" mentality, that's what roads exiting a disaster area
could resemble. A good idea is to have at least one of your routes
on secondary roads, staying away from highways, as they could be generally
congested. Your vehicle is critical. Keep it maintained. Think of
your car as you would your duty weapon if you were a police officer.
Take
care of it, and it will take care of you. This means a spare tire,
keeping gas in your tank and changing the oil, as well as regular maintenance.
Keep road maps in your vehicle as well as a spare quart of oil, and
spare antifreeze/coolant. A small emergency/bug out kit should be kept
in all of your vehicles, and contain the following:
Non-perishable food items, MREs/canned meats.
At least 2 quarts of clean drinking water.
Matches or a fire source
Multi-tool or "Swiss army" type knife.
40' of rope capable of supporting 200 Lbs.
Duct tape, string, nails, etc.
Survival or thermal blanket.
Small first aid kit (bandages, antiseptics, bug repellent, pain medications)
This is a small compact kit, which can be assembled with around $25.00.
You probably already have most of the items you will need in your garage.
There are many different sources for MREs and survival foods on the
Internet and in various publications, or you can pick up "SPAM" type
canned meats at your local grocery store for around $1.00 a can. They
have a shelf life of several years, and provide critical fats and calories
when you need them most. The rope can be obtained at a local shopping
center or sporting goods store. I picked up mine at a boating supply
store. All of these items can be placed in a small backpack or duffel
bag, or a great idea is a USGI surplus ammo can, also available on
the Internet or a local army surplus store for around $5 each,
They're airtight, waterproof, and strong. I use the ". 50 cal" can
in my cars, and all of the items listed fit with room to spare. The
idea here is to keep it compact, as it's going to stay in the vehicle.
Also keep in mind that temperatures in a car trunk can soar into the
triple digits in the summer and well below freezing in the winter.
Checking the contents at least once a month is a good idea, and if
you are using conventional tap water in containers, change the water
at least once a year, cleaning out the containers before putting the
fresh water in. I also carry a pair of good quality GMRS/FRS radios
for communication with extra batteries if needed for communication.
A large "bug out bag" should be prepared for each family
member and be stored in your home, or in cases of extreme heightened
awareness, kept in your vehicle, some items to be considered for that:
Non perishable food for three days
Portable water for three days
Matches or other fire source.
Flashlight, spare batteries and spare bulbs.
Portable AM/FM radio with spare batteries
Survival type or thermal blanket.
Multi-tool or "Swiss army" type knife.
Portable pocket saw.
Small first aid kit, including insect repellent, and needed prescription
medications
Small backpacking type, "pup tent" for shelter.
3 strong plastic garbage bags.
"Isolation" or particle/dust protective masks.
These items should be packed into a portable waterproof backpack, and
need to be checked and maintained at least once every few months. (Author
uses a frame type hiking pack) The Isolation masks can be purchased
at a medical supply store and will provide inhalation protection against
particulate matter; "Dust Masks" will also work for this
application, and can be purchased at a hardware store. While these
do not provide the level of protection as "Gas Masks", and
Self Contained Breathing Apparatus, they will work for particulate
matter. And, besides, personnel that wear this equipment are trained
and individually fit tested for the equipment. Improper use of such
masks can be more harmful than helpful. The author also recommends
the use of chemical light sticks. Available from surplus, camping supply,
and sporting goods stores for around $1.00 each. They are portable,
bright, safe, and last for up to 12 hours. They can provide a good
source of light for an area or can be used as a marker. Keep in mind
that these should not be used to replace a flashlight and spare batteries.
Stay at home plan.
In some scenarios, leaving home may not be the best thing for you or
your family. In those situations, you need to be prepared to stay in
your home and be self sufficient for up to a week. A good idea is to
have precut plastic sheeting cut and labeled for the windows and doors
of your home. These can be affixed with duct tape and will prevent
particulate matter that may contain harmful radiation from entering
your home. Precutting the sheets and labeling them with marker will
speed up the application process. It may be necessary to isolate your
water supply from the outside, to prevent the introduction of harmful
elements, know where your shut off valves are. Also keep in mind that
you probably already have a 40-gallon fresh water supply in your house,
your hot water tank. Most hot water tanks are equipped with a drain
valve in the bottom and an intake shut off valve. Know where these
are. In the event of a possible contamination of the water supply,
you may need to turn off the flow of incoming water, and be able to
use the water in the tank. A good idea if you are going to do this,
however, is to purge you tank regularly. Sediments will build up in
the bottom of the tank, and can be drained by the valve in the bottom.
Just keep draining the water until it comes out clear. I have a couple
of "camping style" 10 gallon blue [plastic] containers that
are made for water that I keep filled in the event they are needed.
These
have
handles for ease of transport and do not affect the taste of the water
during prolonged storage. The Federal
Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) recommends at least
one gallon of water, per person, per day, for at
least three days. I feel that this is a good guideline, as studies
have shown that three days is the average time it takes for outside
aid to reach disaster areas and begin distribution to the public.
Food is also crucial. Again, you will need enough food for each family
member for at least three days. It's a good idea to keep a supply of
non-perishable food items for all family members in portable plastic
storage bins; these can also be purchased at a local department store
for a few dollars. This will provide ease of transportation in the
event relocation is required. You will need to check and rotate food
stocks to keep them fresh and current.
One of the most important tools you can have during an emergency situation
is communication. Local authorities already have contingency plans
in place, and will pass the info on to you. However, you need a means
of getting that information. A battery-powered radio is one of the
most important ways of getting this information. Power supplies may
be interrupted by disaster situations, accidents, or terrorist activity
which makes self powered devices important.
All communities around nuclear power facilities as well as most major
population centers have an emergency broadcast system, which may consist
of sirens, public address (PA) speakers, television and radio broadcasts,
and activation of local authorities. It's up to you to know what the
audible
sirens
represent, and when to take action. Remember the words of George
Santayana "Those
who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it."
Words to live by.
JWR Adds: In my opinion, having just a three day supply of
food is overly optimistic. FEMA is not likely to come cahrging to the rescue in every neighborhood in just three days. So a three month supply of food with a three week supply
of water (and the means to filter additional water that is gathered later)
is more realistic. Also, it is important to consider charity for your neighbors. A
five year supply of storage food for one family can also be a three month supply
for
20
families, or a three day supply for 200 families.
Brian mentions sheet plastic and duct tape. Completely
sealing a room (which of course he is not suggesting) would be suicidal.
Commercially-made shelter air pumps and HEPA filter
systems are sold by a number of Internet vendors including Ready
Made Resources and Survival
Logistics. (Please mention SurvivalBlog when you order.) Instructions on
how to build improvised air pumps
and
filters
can be found in the book Nuclear
War Survival Skills, which is available for free download,
courtesy of the Oregon Institute
of Science and Medicine. Keep in mind that your air filter box must be
isolated and/or shielded from the occupied portion of your shelter, since it will
accumulate radioactive particulates.
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Letter Re: CERT (Community Emergency Response Team) Training
Jim-
I'm just finishing up the nine-lesson [Citizen
Corps] CERT (Community Emergency Response Team) training. I highly recommend it. Besides
the very
good information
on dealing with a variety of
scenarios, I really like the heavy emphasis on taking care of yourself
and your family first. This gets constant reinforcement. So though
the training is intended to help you be useful as a first responder,
it is even more useful in helping you harden up your home, yourself
and your family members.
Of course it's also a very good way to invite your neighbors into a
local cohort group: instead of fending them off, you have a natural
reason for engaging them in getting into CERT, and therefore themselves
becoming more self-reliant as well. - Bob B.
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The Apex, North Carolina Fire--My Story
Hi Jim,
Love your web site! I live just on the outskirts of Apex, NC which is basically
a suburb of Raleigh.One week ago, as you know, a hazmat processing
facility there had a huge chlorine gas leak that led to a massive industrial
fire with multiple explosions and leaks of all kinds of nasty-kill-you-dead-chemicals
leaking into the air. 17,000 people were evacuated from Apex that evening. You
can read the complete story here.
What I want to share with my fellow SurvivalBlog readers is how that thing
that "will never happen here" happens and the very real need for
a ready bag and a plan for when to use it. Here's how it went down in Apex
from my view. I was in a parking lot at a football game 5 miles away from Apex
11:30pm or so Friday night when I remarked to my friends about the lightning
and thunder off in the distance. A few minutes later when all of my friend's
cell phones began to ring, we knew something was up- and it wasn't a thunderstorm.
All the wives talked about an evacuation of the town and chemical vapor plumes.
At first, we thought someone was joking... but then, some had gotten a reverse-911
call telling them to evacuate the town, other's heard public address (PA) loudspeakers
from fire trucks. Some were just outside the evac zone and wondered what to
do. Some panicked, packed the kids in the car and drove 60 miles away. All
of my friends live in Apex, I'm just outside of town. We were in the post-game
gridlock with 60,000 other fans and going nowhere fast. What I quickly became
aware of was the various reactions of my friends. One was clearly in denial
and kept making jokes; another just rationalized the impending rainy weather
and assured us all it would wash away the plume and that everyone was safe.
Another one just spoke quietly to his wife on the cell phone. It was a startling
thing to observe. I casually asked them if any of them had a gas mask in the
house their wives could use if they need ed to drive out in a hurry. They just
looked at me with raised eyebrows...I'm sure they ever considered that thought.
One said, "I'll die with my family before I wear one of those!" I
thought to myself, you know, you could likely drive them out of harms way with
a mask on or, heaven forbid, have one for each of them! After we got out of
the gridlock we drove to my place which was well outside the evac zone and
better-yet, upwind. As we entered the garage I went over to the workbench and
produced 2 chlorine gas rated respirators and said, here, take these, my full
face mask is upstairs. You should have seen the stunned looks! They could not
believe that I just walked into the garage and produced personal protective
gear for them in under 10 seconds. I chose not to share with them the extent
of my ability to deal with a variety of other situations. As it turned out,
my friends stayed over and the wives sheltered in place as they were just 2/10
mile outside the evac zone. Not the heroic thing we wanted to do but the police
had stopped all of the traffic and closed many roads into Apex. We were not
going anywhere. As we drove back in today, each and every road into town had
orange cones and a patrol car blocking any access. If you think there is no
way the authorities could ever blockade your entire town, you are sadly mistaken.
There were police from all over called in to help, fire crews from 50 miles
away called in, and hazmat crews from other states on standby. It was the real
deal yet it stemmed from a relatively small facility with only a few dozen
employees. I'd hate to be unprepared and live downwind of a refinery or major
chemical plant! It made me wonder about how we would fair if the nearby Nuke
Plant had an evac order for all of Raleigh-Durham which approaches 1 million
people in 4 counties. Or what would happen if a pandemic erupted in our town.
The most important take-aways I can share are these thoughts: We've had lot's
of brutal hurricanes here over that last 20 years, most of us here know the
drill. But that is not the hazard to prepare for- it's for the ones you don't
think of all the time that you need to consider, the ones that happen to "other
people", the ones that will "never happen here", that's what
you should consider. Because, everything else, you can probably deal with already-
you know, something goes bump in the night, duh, Annie get your gun! Really
consider the "big ones" (for us, the Nuke Plant), pandemics, serious
bio-terrorism, those are what you should give rational, considered thought
to. Because, if you don't, you will be subject to the whims of authorities
and the masses. And no one will be happy with that. - Sig
« Odds 'n Sods: |Main| Survival Retreats, by Michael Z. Williamson »
What Happens After: Observations on Hurricane Katrina
Jim;
Just a few notes about my experiences with Hurricane Katrina a year later.
On the evening that Katrina passed our retreat, my partner and I began to
make
our
way back
to
our homes
(less
than 30 miles) and businesses to secure them – (both firearms related).
We chose to take different routes, him on foot, and me in my truck with my
dogs & supplies. The routes required pushing and/or cutting trees, poles,
fences and all manner of lines and debris from the road ways. The few roads
that could be made passable with chain saws and simple tools tended to concentrate
people and vehicles. While resting between swinging a chain saw (several
folks were taking turns) one of my dogs (the cur) became highly agitated.
Knowing her reputation for correctly gauging people I got a good grip on
my [Model] 1911. As my truck window was already down (heat and humidity
were horrible) I watched a character approach – he was intently looking
into each vehicle he passed. Once he reached my truck he approached the driver’s
side and wanted to buy gas that I was carrying (having it in the open was
a mistake). I explained that it was not for sale – I would need it
when I got home. Then he became very belligerent and indicated that he was
going to take it to get to New Orleans. It became clear that the situation
was critical, some with well practiced motion I introduced him to the 1911,
at which point he wisely elected to be somewhere else. I realized that safety
was off and I had taken up slack on on the trigger – I had committed
to use deadly force in a split second, right or wrong. The event did diffuse
the situation immediately and efficiently. It took 12 + hours to traverse
less than 30 miles in the truck. My partner made the trip by hiking and catching
a ride in less than 4 hours.
Over the period of the next few days the world took on a totally different
aspect. We were under martial law – no firearms, ammunition,or alcohol
and a sunset to sunrise curfew. As both our businesses were firearms related
there was the need for a degree of security around the clock. The local law
enforcement was stretched so thin as to be of no response value. As we are
just north of the Mississippi/Louisiana border, the community grew from 12,000
to around 51,000 in a few days. Having prepared (largely in part to your novel "Patriots")
we were able to meet those whom chose not to observe the curfew, and probe
the “edges”, in a decisive manner. Generators helped light one
of the businesses, but they are very noisy, so we had to depend on the dogs.
In the other we chose to be completely dark, and depend on the dogs for early
warning.
We learned that a schedule for sleep, chores, eating, and duty helped offset
the elevated “wired” condition. In the planning I chose a home
with a “artesian” free flowing well (~ 3-5 psi) , however without
power for wells many folks uncapped free flowing wells in the area stopping
the flow due to the relieved pressure points. Some municipal water was available
on a limited basis. Water quality was a concern. With temperatures in the mid
to high nineties and humidity there as well water for animals and electrolytes
for people were hugely importantly (those containing sugar were not as effective,
and seemed to be harmful).
We came through fine, and the lessons learned have been incorporated. Electricity
took 17 days to [be restored to] my home and phone service [restoration] 10
weeks. No local government help was in evidence for five days. Almost all of
the supplies and relief in the first few days came through the local churches
(they were and still are the most effective distribution system). During events
like these dealing with otherwise good people has severely changed our approach
to people and denial. Some where near 80% of the people in the area are still
not making any preparations against significant events. The mental toll it
has taken on the community is still visible today.
Lessons Learned:
1. Carry what you need but keep as much out of sight as possible
2. Expect to have to dissuade those whom feel entitled to your supplies
3. The aspect of deadly force is an effective deterrent – be prepared
to use it or abandon your provisions
4. Know and pay attention to your early warning systems – animal or electronic
5. Big dogs, and alert dogs are a great help
6. Practice, shoot, practice, plan, practice
The bottom line is, that in any event, there are unforeseen consequences. The
time that you set down with your group and define what, when, and where will
be of paramount value. Understand that some of the group may not make it (some
of ours was trapped far away) the rest can and will have the resources available,
and take up the slack, until such a time that all can join up. I do laugh easier,
shoot more and plan more effectively now. Remember: technology may help but
your brain will save your life! - DGS
« Letter Re: Recommendations on Flashlights and Battery Powered Lamps? |Main| Note from JWR: »
Letter Re: East Coast WTSHTF: You Can't Get There From Here
Sir:
In my role as “the good citizen” and amateur radio operator, I
have just competed a state sponsored FEMA “Incident Command System” class
(IC-700). My worst concerns regarding bugging out from my coastal home in Connecticut
were
confirmed at that class. Here in Connecticut we have no mass evacuation routes
available or realistic plans in place to deal with a catastrophic scenario
resulting in the exiting of the people who live in this area.
You see we already have quite an impressive rush hour traffic pattern which
as gotten geometrically worse over the past 30 years. Back in 1976, the morning
traffic heading to New York City (NYC) would be backed up starting about a
half mile East of the
City of Stamford on I-95 (I-95 runs East-West in CT). Today, we (in CT) see
traffic crawling through Bridgeport and stop and go from Westport down to Greenwich.
This means that what would normally take 30 minutes to travel 25 miles now
takes 90 minutes. And that is on a good day! All it takes is just one tractor-trailer
accident to shut the highway down (or cripple it).
Now imagine a SHTF situation
causing people fleeing NYC, Metro NYC and Coastal Connecticut...
The gridlock would be spectacular. As they say in the coun
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Letter Re: Unintended Consequences of a Failure of Basic Services in a Disaster
Jim:
When I was a river [rafting] guide we used toilets made of [military surplus
wooden] rocket boxes.
The premise is to take a large Army rocket box (a toilet lid fits inside
) and use double lined plastic bags and plenty of powdered lime. Regular
old lime for the disinfectant.
We would use on of these on extended wilderness rafting trips for 30 or 40
people.
Here’s how it works. Set up the rocket box and remove the large roll
of heavy black plastic trash bags. Take TWO bags and double bag them and line
the inside of the box.
Set the lid on top and ONLY put toilet paper and feces in the box. All urine
goes on the ground. After doing your business take a small scoop of lime
and sprinkle enough of the powder to cover the waste. After finishing, remove
the seat and place the lid back on but don’t seal it. The next person
comes along, takes the lid off (which keeps the flies out ) and puts the
toilet seat
on and does
the same.
When a bag is full, remove it from the box, and tie off and then put it inside
another bag in case of leaks.
This gets put in the trash bags for later disposal. ONE rocket box can handle
about 30 people for a weekend easily going through 2 to 4 bags every 2 or
3 days. We always brought two, one for women and one for men. Once ready
to break camp, we removed the bag of dump, put the bucket of lime, the roll
of
trash
bags
and the lid inside the box and sealed the lid.
This was VERY effective and met the U.S. Forest Service "pack it in, pack it
out" rule.
Lime is a VERY good thing to stockpile. In addition to keeping the oders
down on feces, it can also keep the odor down on rotting bodies, as will
20 Mule
Team Borax. I use that for raw tanning hides and have some that have NEVER
been chemical tanned and ONLY had Borax and are now going on 10 years with
no hair slippage or odor. These are deer hides that I have made into rugs.
-
Mel
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Letter Re: Suburban Emergency Management Project Website
Mr. Rawles,
Please let me commend to your attention the website of the Suburban Emergency
Management Project: http://www.semp.us/
This is an excellent website
with material written by professionals but useful to laymen. There's more info
on this site than I can assimilate in a week. Their "Biots" are short
papers
on a whole panoply of emergency preparedness topics. There are 340 of them, as
of today. Some of my favorites are:
#334: "Please Remain in Your Seat": The Federal Government's
Role in Quarantine (26 February, 2006)
#332: What Is "Earthquake Baroque" Architecture? (21 February 2006)
#259: Revisiting Looting Behavior during Disasters (6 September 2005)
#216: Lessons Learned from a Hospital Evacuation During Tropical Storm Allison
(21 May 2005)
#179: A Palimpsest of Pandemic Influenza Preparedness Plans (25 February 2005)
#23 Who Was in Charge of the Massive Evacuation of Lower Manhattan? (26
September 2002)
Keep up the great work! -
TFA303
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Letter Re: First Hand Observations on the Post-Hurricane Katrina New Orleans Bus Evacuation
James:
I was a bus driver for the evacuation of the New Orleans Convention
Center and figure that I should put my two cents in worth.We drove
straight through from Ohio to a staging point (LaPlace) in New Orleans
and were
escorted to the Convention Center. This was on Saturday morning around
9 a.m. New Orleans time about a week after the dikes let go. We were
lucky not to be in the first wave that came into the Super Dome earlier
in
the week as we heard they were still ordering parts to repair the busses
that got busted up when they got mobbed. [By the time that our busses
arrived] they had the evacuees fenced off a block from out busses and
they only let through enough to load one bus at a
time.
They
were
literal
bag
people
and brought what they had in bags and we loaded them up and took off to wait
for a escort. We went to a staging site to get the escorts for our first leg
of the trip and for all the busses to form up. There were ten in our convoy.
We did not know where were going. We were told in Ohio we were going to Texas,
but when we got to the staging area we were told we were going to Arkansas.
Fort Smith to be exact a old WWII training base with some of the barracks restored.
The evacuees needed off the bus to use the restroom and we were told not to
let anyone off, but the call of nature reigns, so we let everyone off
to pee and smoke before heading for Arkansas. The back story for not
letting
people off the bus (which we learned couple days later) was that they did this
at another location and the people would not return to the bus in a timely
manner and looted the site they had stopped at. The number one item
looted was alcoholic beverages...so no stops anymore was the order of the day...
We had little food on board, just what folks in Ohio gave us to give to people,
Vienna sausages, sardines, and water. Some of the other buses were luck in
that they had pallets of MREs and
water at the Convention Center and those at the end of the line were loaded
up with
them for the trip...
We started for Fort Smith with the escorts switching when jurisdictions changed.
We were not briefed on the trip and it turned out they were not going to stop
for anything. About five hours into the trip the last five busses in the convoy
(we were the second bus, but everyone kept passing us) got off the highway
and went to a travel center that was turned into a rest
stop for evacuees. Boy talk about a needed break. We needed to get out of the
drivers seat for a while. Most of the busses had two drivers and a few had
only one. We had two and learned latter that is what FEMA required
for the trips, but some companies only sent one driver per bus. We drove straight
through from Ohio to Fort Smith switching off every five hours or when we got
sleepy. All DOT regulations were
suspended for the emergency, no log books, no hours of service everything was
suspended. We were running on agricultural fuel as they were so short of over
the road fuel. The agricultural fuel is tax free and dyed red, so that the
DOT can catch illegal use of non-taxed fuel. Anyway the stop was a evacuees
dream
come
true,
A tent with mostly new clothes and other items free for the taking and heater
meals and water to drink and flush toilets. Speaking of toilets we did have
a toilet on the bus and had to open it up. We were told by the company to keep
it locked up, but on a non stop trip that was not going to happen. More on
this subject, later. :O(((
We got our break and we told everyone on the bus when they heard us honk the
air horn to get back to the bus or they were going to be left behind.
Everyone got back on the bus, but many got on another bus as they did
not remember which bus they had been on. So off for Fort Smith again...the
next two stops were for fuel as some of the busses had small tanks and did
not get topped off at the staging point..We had a 210 gal tank and had topped
off just before getting into the affected area as we did not know what the
fuel situation was..We saw several mile-long lines at gas stations after we
refueled and were happy we refueled when we did.
We got into Fort Smith at 5:30 am and were told no one off the busses....well
that did not happen, our toilet was full and the evacuees had been on the bus
some 20 hours and needed to stretch their legs and get something to eat. They
had busses lined up what seemed like a mile on base. We could not figure out
what was going on. We let the evacuees off as there
was a mess hall serving food, but they could not remove any items from the
bus. Well it was 7 PM before they off loaded from our bus and the local
authorities were stripping everything off the busses and going through everything
and I
mean everything. They took all our water and food off, so we did not
have anything for any other evacuee we might be hauling, and they went through
everything the evacuees had. They were looking for weapons and alcohol in particular
and anything that might be considered looted items.
So expect to get searched. If it is a biological or chemical issue then expect
everything you got to be trashed and then you will be issued clean items to
wear and sleep in.
Anyway, we went to a hotel and spent the next day cleaning the bus up. The
smell was unimaginable from the sardines and people who had not showered for
a week or more and the toilet, which we dumped the next day...but we were lucky..on
some of the buses people just went where they were and there were wet seats
and other stuff laying around. It looked like a party was going on with
all the whiskey and wine bottles we found...
We heard that they relocated everyone from Fort Smith to smaller sites like
Bible camps in the middle of nowhere and the evacuees were told they were not
allowed to leave the site, but then again some of these sites were several
miles from anywhere, so they had nowhere to go... The evacuees had no idea
of where they were going when evacuated, some were flown to other places, some
were bussed. Families were split up and they had no idea of where the rest
of the family was. One story going around was that a lady wanted to know where
her father was going and the guard she was talking too did not understand and
she explained they put him on the plane that had just taken off, separating
the family. They did not keep track of anyone and where they were going. They
dealt with this issue once they got evacuees to a shelter/final destination.
We did not carry any more evacuees even though we were there for three weeks,
sometimes sleeping on the busses due to lack of housing. It was very chaotic,
more than what I am used to, out on disasters. I did enjoy my three weeks as
my past disaster experiences prepared me for this one. The only regret was
not being able to stock up on all the MREs that they had lying around. Pallets
of them...I just got one or two at a time for meals...
I have been out on disasters for over ten years now and they are all chaotic
at best especially the big events. They are too big to get a handle on in short
order. They can take from days to weeks to get out of the chaos stage and into
some kind of organization. The politics can be horrible to say the least...
If you have not been through one first hand and want to see what it is like
before you are affected by such an event find a humanitarian aid organization
and volunteer to go out on a or several disasters. It is a eye opening experience
and very good to understand what you might be going through if an event happens
in your area.
My take on the Asian Avian flu is that we will be sheltered in place
which is isolation of the people infected with bird flu from the rest of us.
We will have to fend for our selves in our homes or business pending on when
the quarantine is issued. Hopefully you will be at home when the quarantine
is issued. Figure essential personal will have to live at heir work locations
to keep the power, water, sewer, phone, etc.. going. Have heard that care packages
may have to be made up and delivered to residences if the quarantine is long
term. Basically take a Tupperware container fill it with stuff--food water,
etc.. and tell everyone to stay in their homes until it is dropped off on the
porch and then after the people
delivering it leave then they can get it. Dealing with the sick and dead will
be an issue, just hope you do not get sick. Mass evacuations are a last resort
in a bird flu situation as it raises the risk of spreading the illness not
controlling its spread. You end up in a mass shelter you will have a higher
risk of getting the flu. Keeping people in their homes and restricting contact
with others is the best defense. If you have any questions, I can try and answer
them. Thanks, - Ron
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David in Israel on "Relocation" Camps -- Guest or Inmate?
If you are relocated: Depending on the circumstances of a relocation
it may be salvation from danger (large disaster) or because you are
considered a threat (a la the Japanese Americans during WWII)
In any case, a government camp can be one of the most undesirable places
to be once you are out of danger. Once you are their "guest",
the organization who has sheltered you may feel they must continue
for political or security reasons to see to your well being. Ease of
providing security, lack of ID, or fear of rioting may be excuses for
denying or making difficult the conclusion of your stay. Separation
of men and women may be mandated, especially after the rape problems
at the Hurricane Katrina stadium relocation "camps".
The U.S. Forest Service fire camp is essentially the same model used
for most FEMA operations
(look up "FEMA ICS"-- Incident Command System), there is a whole industry
which starts in spring through late fall following the fire season.
Federal and state prisons employ trustee
fire crews right alongside regular crews on large fires. Prison infrastructure
and security is present at most large fire camps.
In the event of a large national emergency in your area, be prepared
for forced evacuations. Have a plan in case you are caught in a relocation
and are unable to make your way (or are prevented) on your own. An
assessment must be made whether you are a prisoner or a guest but even
guests of an operation like this are treated like to some extent as
prisoners to reduce manpower requirements.
Cyclone (chan link) fences are made to keep you in, out, or prevent
your crossing. In any of these circumstances a proper heavy duty wire
cutter
is needed
to make your escape. Cutting through private or farm fences is a bad
thing to do (use good judgment) but if you are trapped (detention camp)
then this tool may be a life saver. Be sure that the jaws are of proper
temper
so they do not blunt or fall apart.[JWR Adds: A heavy
duty "compound" design wire cutter is probably your best
bet.] A smaller cutter may be a good item to hide in addition to the
big
cutter.
Concertina or razor-type wire may be employed to prevent foot crossing
or even just block a road. Stacked concertina wire [typically deployed
stacked, with two "tubes", parallel, with a third tube resting on top
of the base pair, forming an
obstacle that looks triangular when seen in cross-section] is almost
impossible to
cross bare-handed. However, scrap carpet, sleeping bags,
canvas
tents,
tarps,
et cetera can be used to reduce injury on large group crossings.
When I lived in the U.S., most sniffer dogs were for drugs and this
is likely still the case. Expect to be sniffed at some point. Expect
to
be questioned, if you are dealing with prison guards they are more
looking for nervousness or hesitation at answering than what you are
really up to also do not fail the attitude test and get aggressive
unless you want to be
considered a risk. Be a "Gray man." Don't complain or ask for favors
be the easy one to forget then you won't be missed. Expect only a cursory
search if large numbers are being taken in, having your own gear makes
it easier to keep escape tools likely the back or kidney padding will
not be searched on a backpack.
The U.S. government has huge stockpiles of large tents, sleeping bags,
ground pads, heaters, and other supplies ready to be shipped in and
form these camps.
Private contract companies for fire and security and site services
are ready and trained to make these FEMA camps go up quickly in response
to an emergency. Command, Finance, Logistics, Operations, and Planning
personnel are pre-trained and certified to come together without ever
having met
and set up a huge working camp and tackle an assignment. It would be
interesting to hear from a SurvivalBlog reader that has worked as
(or for) a security contractor or warden about fire/recovery type operations
using inmate labor, and how security is handled. [As a firefighter,
my role in forming these camps was
always on the "ops" end attacking fires so the other roles were only
observed or in command simulations
It is important to remember as always most workers in a camp like
this (if not all) think they are doing the best for both you and
the public at large. Even if you hold by the "UN is evil" theory
(I do) understand that the troops in the field are specially trained
and motivated
(brainwashed) by upper command. I have seen it in Israeli police and IDF soldiers
during the ejection of Jews from Gush Katif. Use subtle resistance tactics,
not violence.
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Letter Re: Katrina's Aftermath: Lessons Learned
Mr. Rawles:
Well, it seems that Katrina and friends have
amply proven what you and many, many other survival writers have
been saying
for
a
long
time.
1. You cannot depend on any governmental agency to look out for
you and yours. Not federal, not state, not county and certainly
not local.
You have to be fully responsible for looking out for yourself and
for your loved ones.
It also proved what I have always felt about FEMA's
vaunted 72-Hour home survival/preparedness kit.
2. A 72-Hour (three day) Kit simply does NOT cut it, at all
Anyone who plans on anything less than a minimum of seven days
(one week) is just kidding themselves and asking for trouble.
More realistically it really should be for fourteen days (two
weeks).
And if you can handle it thirty days (one month) would not
be at all unreasonable or out of line.
When you consider the great amount of death and destruction that
was visited on the people of New Orleans and the rest of the
Gulf Coast it is certainly
not hard to feel a great deal of compassion and sympathy for
those folks who lost their homes, businesses, loved ones or all
three.
Yet at the same time, considering the past history of hurricanes
on the
Gulf Coast and all the warning that was provided, how poorly
many of those people were prepared for Katrina and her aftermath
(in
a great
number of cases, not at all) I really cant and don't feel too
sympathetic. Mostly, I feel some anger and a lot of disgust that
so many people
paid so little attention to their own welfare and that of their
children and old folks and totally ignored the well-known hazards
of living
on the Gulf Coast.
Lets take just a couple of points. First, WATER. There were hundreds
(maybe thousands) of cases of severe dehydration, even death
due to the lack of water. How stupid! How lazy!! Here in central
Los
Angeles
County, California, I can buy a case of six one gal. bottles
of Arrowhead drinking water for less than $5. Four cases for
under
$20.
That's enough water to take care of one person for more than
three weeks. I'm sure that there are similar deals in the New
Orleans
area. Maybe even
better ones. No one should have had a dehydration problem with
just a bit of thought and pre-planning.
Another point It doesn't really seem that many folks gave much
prior thought about getting out of their second floors or attics
onto
their roofs. I mean really, using a shotgun to blow a hole in
the roof!
Dangerous and what a waste of shotgun shells. How about having
a hatchet or small
ax along with a tree-trimming saw. Chop a small hole with the
ax and then make a larger opening with the saw. And what's with
this
making
the holes in the middle of the roof at the highest point of the
roof. Cut the hole down near the eves and one or two rafters
in from the
end of the roof where its easy to get out and where any incoming
rain wont be soaking the area where you would be trying to live.
One could go on and on about items like this but enough said.
Think it through people and get prepared before TSHTF again!
- J.S.
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Letter Re: S.F.'s Letter Re: Medical Kits
Hello,
Please, please, please, do not use peroxide in wounds. I know, I know, "everyone"
says to do it. However, it destroys already injured tissue, just like it does
hair and skin. Just use the Betadine type products, and rinse well. - M.M.,
DVM
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Letter Re: S.F.'s Letter Re: Medical Kits
Jim,
In regards to S.F.'s letter regarding medical kits, suture/wound
closure, and use of Ipecac... 1. I would not recommend
the use of Syrup of Ipecac
to
anyone without proper
training in airway management, i.e.: intubation/suction equipment on hand
.The airway problems far outweigh the gains, you have to know what
can
come back up without
problem also, leave this to the trained and save your money for other supplies. 2. Wound
closure, "to be or not to be closed," again if you do
not have the supplies or the know how ALL wounds can close from secondary
intention, that is clean and let heal over time, yes the scar is worse but
the associated problems of infection/drainage are overcome. 3. Cleaning
wounds is a long subject, [but in brief]: pressure and copious amounts of
normal saline 0.9%
will clean most wounds others have to be debrided, large pieces of contamination
can be removed with hemostats or tweezers that are sterile/clean for the
rest of the debris use a large syringe (sterile) with a needle attached (18
ga sterile) to increase the pressure and normal saline in copious amounts
until [completely] clean to the eye.Use of Betadine and hydrogen peroxide
mixed 50/50 initially is an accepted process it makes for a foamy mess but
kills
most all
bacteria in the wound. Then again flush with normal saline until clean. With
can discuss wound care of wounds healing for secondary intention at a later
date if anyone is interested. 4. Most supplies can be obtained
from veterinary supplies in bulk much cheaper than anywhere else: needles,
syringes, dressings, tape
suture(fresh not surplus), normal saline solution, betadine, et cetera. Do
a search for veterinary supplies get a few different catalogs and compare
prices prior
to
ordering. I get a lot of meds from the vet but I have a ranch. Antibiotics/ointment
et cetera are sometimes on the shelf--you just have to know what you want/need
and the name and most vets will sell it off the shelf. Buy stainless steel
bowls
that can be sterilized for use in wound cleaning or use glass. These two
items have been used for ages and can be cleaned sterilized in the oven or
pressure
cooker and reused over and over again. - John
