Lehi -- Friday's flu clinic was not as somber as most clinic waiting rooms are prone to be, and another contrast was that the wait was nonexistent.
Instead, friends and neighbors chatted and joked together while moving through the tables for their immunization shots on Friday at the Lehi Legacy Center.
Christine Barker of Lehi was getting a flu shot for the first time because she works in a food store with a lot of customers and wanted to prevent catching the virus, she said.
"I've been going every time since they started this," her mother, Elsie Ozancin, of Lehi, said.
The Utah County Health Department is providing shots at its building, 151 S. University Ave. in Provo, and has a flu clinic locator for those who want to get their flu shot at www.immunize-utah.org. For more information go to www.UtahCoutyHealth.com or call (801) 851-7025.
In the north Utah County area, flu shots will be available at the Pleasant Grove Senior Citizen Center on Oct. 7 from 2 to 3 p.m.; at the Orem Senior Citizen Center on Oct. 10 from 9 a.m. to noon; and at the Lehi Senior Citizen Center on Oct. 17 from 10:30 a.m. to 1 p.m.
Influenza vaccinations cost $23 if paid at the time of service. The UCHD accepts Altius, DMBA, Medicare, Medicaid, PHEP, Select Health and United Health Care plans.
The swine flu inoculation serum is not available yet and won't be until mid-October or early November.
"This is the best thing they can do at this time even thought this isn't the H1N1," said immunization coordinator Diane Chipman. "The (Center for Disease Control) CDC recommends they get their seasonal shot early."
Even without H1N1, there will still be other flu she said. Which is why Rhonda Russon of Lehi came to the annual Lehi clinic.
"So I don't get the flu," Russon said. "I don't want to get sick. I get it every year."
• Cathy Allred can be reached at heraldextra@digis.net.
Showing posts with label Pandemics. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Pandemics. Show all posts
Friday, September 11
Tuesday, August 25
H1N1 Preparedness
Here is what EPAC folks are considering in order to prepare to do battle with this virus, the probability of coming in contact with those who have not prepared themselves, and in caring for ill family members at home.....
H1N1 Preparedness
H1N1 Preparedness
Sunday, May 17
The Flu
Just when I thought we were ready to move away from the topic of "swine flu aka H1N1", I found out today that parents of the students at the local High School (Lehi High) recieved a call on Friday notifying them that there is one confirmed case of the flu who is a student. No other information was passed along to me but if anyone has heard more about this, please click on comment at the bottom of this post and tell us what you know. Thanks!
Wednesday, May 13
9 Things We Have Learned From Past Pandemics
What have we learned from past pandemics so we can be prepared in case this virus resurfaces in a few months?
1: The second wave is more deadly than the first.
2: The incubation period for a pandemic flu virus is 1-4 days. This means that once a family member, classmate or fellow worker shows signs, you have been exposed.
3: Quarantines work.
4: Those living in rural areas survived the best.
5: All public gatherings should be avoided completely - church, school, work, everything. If you have to go into a public setting, you should maintain a six foot separation between yourself and others and follow all the cautionary instructions regarding the wearing of N95 face masks, etc. (in a pandemic scenario).
6: Infrastructure will fail. First responders will become ill. Once this occurs we may find ourselves dependent on our own resources.
7: Multiple emergencies can happen at once.
8: Schools and workplaces are not prepared.
9: The majority of deaths during a pandemic are caused by dehydration and the complications that follow, such as pneumonia.
If you would like to read more about each of these points, INCLUDING a list of things you can do to prepared today - check out today's Meridian Magazine article.
1: The second wave is more deadly than the first.
2: The incubation period for a pandemic flu virus is 1-4 days. This means that once a family member, classmate or fellow worker shows signs, you have been exposed.
3: Quarantines work.
4: Those living in rural areas survived the best.
5: All public gatherings should be avoided completely - church, school, work, everything. If you have to go into a public setting, you should maintain a six foot separation between yourself and others and follow all the cautionary instructions regarding the wearing of N95 face masks, etc. (in a pandemic scenario).
6: Infrastructure will fail. First responders will become ill. Once this occurs we may find ourselves dependent on our own resources.
7: Multiple emergencies can happen at once.
8: Schools and workplaces are not prepared.
9: The majority of deaths during a pandemic are caused by dehydration and the complications that follow, such as pneumonia.
If you would like to read more about each of these points, INCLUDING a list of things you can do to prepared today - check out today's Meridian Magazine article.
Monday, May 4
H1N1 Flu – Some Good News, and a Warning
Here's Meridian's latest update on the Swine Flu situation. This is not the first time that I've heard someone "who is in the know" say that it will quiet down during the summer months but come back with a vengeance in the fall. What a lucky break to be given a warning and then some time to get ourselves prepared. Not talking about getting stressed or panicked - just talking about "if ye are prepared ye shall not fear!" Hopefully, this will also be our last discussion about this flu......at least for a long while. There are so many other things to be thinking about right now like getting gardens put in and growing food for our families.
Friday, May 1
Who knows?
Who knows what's going on with this whole Swine Flu (or whatever it's called now)? Is it just me or does it look to you that everyone seems to be stepping on each other's toes about what and where and why and how many, etc etc?
With all that is being said and done - I'm so grateful that this situation is helping people to start thinking about what ifs! Maybe we'll be a little more prepared when something very big does hit our neighborhood. Just last Sunday we were visiting with one of our neighbors who was totally unprepared and had a somewhat cavalier attitude about the whole thing. Of course, I stated my case of which I have such a firm conviction. Last night my husband came home and announced - Oh by the way, "so and so" told me to pass along the information that after talking to you he went out and bought some face masks for their family. YAY!!!!! You see.... the problem is that when reality hits the main stream of the people, everyone runs out and buys up whatever there is. It's been amazing to see how many people have been at Costco this past week buying cases and cases of food - more than I typically see there. But in a panic, there might not be enough on the shelves to go around. How frustrating will that be? I remember when we were first married - early 70's - and there was a rationing on gas. The truckers slowed down their deliveries and I remember walking ino a grocery store in Logan and 99% of the shelves were EMPTY! It really made a lasting impression!
A little here, a little there! That's how we get prepared.
Here's a follow-up on yesterday's Pandemic article.
“Caring For Family During a Pandemic – Part 1”
With all that is being said and done - I'm so grateful that this situation is helping people to start thinking about what ifs! Maybe we'll be a little more prepared when something very big does hit our neighborhood. Just last Sunday we were visiting with one of our neighbors who was totally unprepared and had a somewhat cavalier attitude about the whole thing. Of course, I stated my case of which I have such a firm conviction. Last night my husband came home and announced - Oh by the way, "so and so" told me to pass along the information that after talking to you he went out and bought some face masks for their family. YAY!!!!! You see.... the problem is that when reality hits the main stream of the people, everyone runs out and buys up whatever there is. It's been amazing to see how many people have been at Costco this past week buying cases and cases of food - more than I typically see there. But in a panic, there might not be enough on the shelves to go around. How frustrating will that be? I remember when we were first married - early 70's - and there was a rationing on gas. The truckers slowed down their deliveries and I remember walking ino a grocery store in Logan and 99% of the shelves were EMPTY! It really made a lasting impression!
A little here, a little there! That's how we get prepared.
Here's a follow-up on yesterday's Pandemic article.
“Caring For Family During a Pandemic – Part 1”
Thursday, April 30
Pandemics
I have 3 copies of the DVD called "Preparing for a Possible Pandemic". I really want to loan them out to anyone who would be interested in viewing them. Just give Rita a call!
In the meantime here's an article for you to read: Meridian Magazine
In the meantime here's an article for you to read: Meridian Magazine
Tuesday, April 28
Any Elephants at your house?
What do you do with the elephant in the room?
Sit it in the corner and cover it with a doily!
Actually...that's the WRONG thing to do so let's take a minute to address the current elephant in our room - Swine Flu. It's hard to keep up with the latest update since things are moving so quickly. We keep hearing all kinds of scary things every time we turn on the TV or log onto the internet. Sunday, the women learned in our class at church that we can't always control what's going on around us but we have complete control over how we react to what's going on around us. Panic doesn't help anyone!
So this is the conclusion that I've come to....there's NOTHING that I can do to contribute to the Flu resolution on the international front, HOWEVER, I can make preparations for taking care of my own family and that's one family less that the state has to worry about.
Here is a link to Red Cross updates - let's track what is going on in our own area!
Here I quote from a Time Magazine online story:
"The truth is that every outbreak is unpredictable, and there's a lot we don't know yet about the new swine flu. There hasn't been a flu pandemic for more than a generation, and there hasn't been a truly virulent pandemic since long before the arrival of mass air transit. We're in terra incognito here. Panic would be counterproductive - especially if it results in knee-jerk reactions like closing international borders, which would only complicate the public-health response. But neither should we downplay our very real vulnerabilities. As (Janet) Napolitano put it: "This will be a marathon, not a sprint." Be prepared."
So let's start with terminology:
What is a Pandemic?
A pandemic may be defined as an epidemic which affects an entire continent, region or the entire globe.
What is an epidemic?
An Epidemic is defined as an infectios disease which spreads more broadly and rapidly through a given population than is the norm. When the number of those affected grows unusually high it is considered an epidemic.
So what can we do to prepare?
I have moved the box with Pandemic information to the top of the right hand sidebar of this page. There's lots of studying that can be done there. After reviewing my links again I've found that some are more worthwhile than others when it comes to this current situation. I've re-ordered them according to what I feel is the most useful info with the least amount of intense study. In addition - here are a few things that we can do today....
1. Have food on hand (3 months worth would be nice!) If a quarentine is called in our area, people will not be able to go to work and so stores will close which means we will feed our family with what you have on hand! Can we do it?
2. Teach our family about good personal hygene. This would make a great lesson/discussion for a family meeting! Carry tissues AND USE THEM, wash our hands lots and lots with soap and water, move away from people who are coughing and sneezing without a tissue - better yet, offer them one of ours!
3. Have a few basic medical supplies on hand. Typical meds that help you get through the flu symptoms, face masks - this may turn out to be something that saves our lives!, latex gloves - can be bought at the pharmacy,
4. Be prepared to be Quarentined! Have our sign ready (from your House ID kit) and teach our children that if they see the red sign hanging on a door - DON'T GO TO THAT HOUSE! What? Did I hear someone say what House Kit? The local Mormon ward paid for every house on our 3 streets to have one of these kits. If you haven't seen yours yet....Call your Block Captain - they have them! Maybe you weren't home or something when they came around so get yours RIGHT AWAY! You might be needing it soon!
So take some time to click on those links under Pandemics It's stuff we all need to be familiar with.
Sit it in the corner and cover it with a doily!
Actually...that's the WRONG thing to do so let's take a minute to address the current elephant in our room - Swine Flu. It's hard to keep up with the latest update since things are moving so quickly. We keep hearing all kinds of scary things every time we turn on the TV or log onto the internet. Sunday, the women learned in our class at church that we can't always control what's going on around us but we have complete control over how we react to what's going on around us. Panic doesn't help anyone!
So this is the conclusion that I've come to....there's NOTHING that I can do to contribute to the Flu resolution on the international front, HOWEVER, I can make preparations for taking care of my own family and that's one family less that the state has to worry about.
Here is a link to Red Cross updates - let's track what is going on in our own area!
Here I quote from a Time Magazine online story:
"The truth is that every outbreak is unpredictable, and there's a lot we don't know yet about the new swine flu. There hasn't been a flu pandemic for more than a generation, and there hasn't been a truly virulent pandemic since long before the arrival of mass air transit. We're in terra incognito here. Panic would be counterproductive - especially if it results in knee-jerk reactions like closing international borders, which would only complicate the public-health response. But neither should we downplay our very real vulnerabilities. As (Janet) Napolitano put it: "This will be a marathon, not a sprint." Be prepared."
So let's start with terminology:
What is a Pandemic?
A pandemic may be defined as an epidemic which affects an entire continent, region or the entire globe.
What is an epidemic?
An Epidemic is defined as an infectios disease which spreads more broadly and rapidly through a given population than is the norm. When the number of those affected grows unusually high it is considered an epidemic.
So what can we do to prepare?
I have moved the box with Pandemic information to the top of the right hand sidebar of this page. There's lots of studying that can be done there. After reviewing my links again I've found that some are more worthwhile than others when it comes to this current situation. I've re-ordered them according to what I feel is the most useful info with the least amount of intense study. In addition - here are a few things that we can do today....
1. Have food on hand (3 months worth would be nice!) If a quarentine is called in our area, people will not be able to go to work and so stores will close which means we will feed our family with what you have on hand! Can we do it?
2. Teach our family about good personal hygene. This would make a great lesson/discussion for a family meeting! Carry tissues AND USE THEM, wash our hands lots and lots with soap and water, move away from people who are coughing and sneezing without a tissue - better yet, offer them one of ours!
3. Have a few basic medical supplies on hand. Typical meds that help you get through the flu symptoms, face masks - this may turn out to be something that saves our lives!, latex gloves - can be bought at the pharmacy,
4. Be prepared to be Quarentined! Have our sign ready (from your House ID kit) and teach our children that if they see the red sign hanging on a door - DON'T GO TO THAT HOUSE! What? Did I hear someone say what House Kit? The local Mormon ward paid for every house on our 3 streets to have one of these kits. If you haven't seen yours yet....Call your Block Captain - they have them! Maybe you weren't home or something when they came around so get yours RIGHT AWAY! You might be needing it soon!
So take some time to click on those links under Pandemics It's stuff we all need to be familiar with.
Thursday, February 12
Pandemic Class Update
I've had a few people ask about the information from the pandemic class in Highland this month. Pandemic preparation is a HUGE subject - especially when most people don't even know what a pandemic is. So let's start there.
Pandemic: An epidemic which affects an entire continent, region, or the entire globe.
When a disease is new, it simply means our immune systems have not experienced the organism before and are unprepared to deal with it. The disease will then cause serious illness or death. It will spread too quickly to be contained and will continue to spread because there is no effective treatment.
That sounds scary - doesn't it? Especially when we are used to running to a Dr who gives us a pill or a shot and then we get better. But that won't happen during a Pandemic. We will be confined to our homes for the estimated time of 3 months. That means
NO work at the office,
NO school for the kids,
NO church meetings,
NO going to the store!
NO SOCIAL INTERACTION OUTSIDE OF THE HOME!
In the case of the expected Bird flu pandemic, it would be transmitted by touching common things with an infected person (shopping carts, doorknobs etc) but not necessarily transmitted via the air that we breathe so we would be able to go outside into our yards as long as we don't have contact with other people.
I don't know about you but that thought scares me worse than the idea of a nuclear attack! HA! I do find comfort, however, in hoping that the internet will still be up and running with emails, news, IMs and online tutorials and games! We don't even know if Radios and TVs will work because who will be running them? It all depends on the immediate situation.
Did you notice that I put the word region in red? I don't really know if there will be a global pandemic and even the chances for a continental pandemic are iffy (to me) - but a region like our state, valley or city - is VERY PROBABLE. We need to be prepared for it!
Planning for this possibility is being tackled by the Fed Gov, State Gov. and Church Headquarters. You can see for yourselves just how well each of these are doing by looking in the sidebar of this page where it says Pandemics. I've listed the links to these different organizations where we can follow their progress. At the class, they told us to check the dates of the information we read and only be concerned about what is posted after the year 2002 because real progress is being made in preparing for a flu pandemic.
The Fed Gov has been following 28 "Operating Objectives" for each state. They published a report that was true to form in being totally confusing! So my type A personality took that report information on Utah and combined it into a more understandable table. It's color coded (their effort not mine) and basically this is what it says:
In 10 of the areas Utah is 85% ready or better with no major gaps which includes integrating Emergency systems and 911 into pandemic preparedness. That's good!
In 5 of the areas Utah is 1-49% prepared which is Inadequate. One of these is in managing mass facilities to protect the citizens! That's NOT GOOD!
If you would like to see a copy of this word document that I pulled together, please email me at ritarawlins@yahoo.com and I'll send it to you. Unfortunately I don't know how to publish something like this into the blog.
The bottom line is this: we can expect our community to do only so much for us in the case of a Pandemic. If we want our families to be comfortable or maybe even survive....then we need to prepare as individual families.
Sunday, November 2
Pandemics?????
To Whom it May Concern (and it may concern everyone on this planet!):
I am sending this email in the hopes that it will go all over the internet to alert as many people as possible to the threat of a world-wide pandemic that is currently being discussed by world and religious leaders, and those in the health fields. In talking to people I often ask if they are aware of the pandemic scenario and, more often than not, they don't know what I'm talking about. I am sending this out hoping that more people will become aware of it, and get prepared before it happens.
First let's define our terms:
A pandemic is a disease outbreak that starts in certain area, but is so contagious and hard to contain that it very quickly spreads to other places, eventually making it around the world. Millions and millions of people will get it, and many will die because there aren't medications, or not enough, that can stop it. This is the kind of thing that is being discussed right now, and that you need to know about if you are going to make it through it. This article will give you some suggestions of what you can do now to protect your family in case this should happen.
Just so you don't think I'm just another email spammer trying to pull your leg, let me give you some of the official information to document what I'm talking about. In the interest of brevity, I will name the organization and give a link to their page that discusses pandemics. Please go to those links to verify the information I'll be sharing with you.
Centers for Disease Control (CDC) : http://www.cdc. gov/ncidod/ eid/vol5no5/ meltzer.html
Homeland Security : http://www.ready. gov/america/ beinformed/ influenza. html
U.S. Dept. of Education: http://www.ed. gov/admins/ lead/safety/ emergencyplan/ pandemic/ index.html
U.S. Dept. of Health and Human Services: www.pandemicflu. gov.
World Health Organization: http://www.wpro. who.int/health_ topics/pandemic_ preparedness/
Pandemic Scenario
Here are a couple of links you can go to for a possible scenario of what a pandemic might look like:
http://www.buzzle. com/editorials/ 1-19-2006- 86755.asp
http://www.idph. state.ia. us/pandemic/ common/pdf/ discipline_ flu_response_ template. pdf
Basically we are talking about a lot of people getting sick very quickly, with the potential for the spread of disease to make it around the world within a couple of weeks from when it starts. They talk a lot about the Bird Flu, but there are also terrorist organizations which have the capability of starting a pandemic, and if that happens, the medical community won't have had time to develop any remedies for it before lots of people are affected. Society could come to a standstill as many people choose to stay home and try to protect themselves and their families, rather than go to work.
The purpose of this article is to give you some ways to prepare for it, if it should happen. The following is a list of items that you ought to have on hand to be able to take care of yourself. The only sure way to protect yourself and your family from a pandemic will be gather everyone as quickly as you can after you hear about the outbreak, and stay home until it passes through your community. Estimates are that it could take several months. Part of that time could be without utilities if they can't keep enough people working to keep things running. You need to think about how you will live if that should happen. What would you do for lighting, cooking, or heating if the electricity weren't working? If you plan for an extended camping trip in your home, that might put you in the right frame of mind to start preparing for this. The following is a list of items that might be considered. Maybe think about what other situations are likely in your area and try to prepare for those, too.
Pandemic Supplies
Okay here is a shopping list remembering that money may be tight: (these are not in any special order, except the first two are top priority)
*Water. As much as you can store. Begin with 14 gallons per person (1 gallon per person for 2 weeks) as an absolute minimum, and build up from there. When things happen, you'll always wish you had more water.
* Easy-to-prepare foods (especially canned foods) that can be eaten without heating, if needed. Try to get a 3-month supply.
* 1 gallon of liquid bleach per person of the household (yes that is gallons) - to sanitize everything
* 4 boxes of latex gloves (different sizes for every member of the household)
* 2 boxes of 20 of N95 masks for every member of the household
* antibacterial soap for meticulous hand washing
* styrofoam "Take Out" containers -- to give to people that come to your door looking for food
* 100' roll of clear 4 mil plastic - for setting up an isolation room
* 10 rolls duct tape - for setting up an isolation room
* several boxes of Borax - for provisional toilets
* 25 lbs. of lime per person - for provisional toilets
*50 "yard waste" black garbage bags per person - for provisional toilets and garbage
*100 "kitchen" bags per person - for provisional toilets and garbage
*25 lbs. of kitty litter per person - for sick people's body fluids clean up
*100 rolls of toilet paper per person - for personal sanitation
* 20 rolls of paper towels per person
* clothesline - for washing clothes by hand
* laundry soap - for washing clothes by hand
* good dish soap like "Dawn" or other aggressive anti-grease formula
* water filtration and purification devices
* water collection, storage and carrying containers
* water, water, and more water
* anything else you'll need to keep you going for up to 3 months: shampoo, toothpaste, soap, feminine hygiene supplies, hairspray(!) , etc.
It would take up too much space for me to try to explain all of the items above. You can search on the internet for more explanations. There's a good list for pandemic preparedness.
Pandemics are, of course, not the only things we ought to be concerned about. Assess your situation and try to think of what situations you could find yourself in—earthquakes, floods, tornado, etc., etc. Decide what you would need to see yourself through these things and get prepared for those, too.
This website, http://www.planforf lu.com/home has a great list of preparedness items, as well as lots of information on the pandemic. Doing a Google search for "emergency preparedness" will bring up lots of lists.
There. I've done all I can do to help you. The government won't be able to help you in the case of a pandemic. In the case of other disasters, it could be a week or longer before they can get to you. Lots of places sell 72-hour kits. We need to think bigger than that. The emergency agencies even admit that in many cases it could be much longer than 72-hours before help arrives. Your church won't be able to do much for you, because everyone will be trying to stay home. Church meetings would be banned in this scenario to keep people from meeting in groups. Please do something to prepare for the times ahead. If nothing ever happens, track me down in the next life and I'll apologize for sending this around. If it does, though, you'll be so glad you did something, and you don't even have to thank me for it. Please just do something!
Lastly, please send this to everyone you know. Not because something will happen to you if you do or don't, but because you might be able to save a few lives by doing so.
I am sending this email in the hopes that it will go all over the internet to alert as many people as possible to the threat of a world-wide pandemic that is currently being discussed by world and religious leaders, and those in the health fields. In talking to people I often ask if they are aware of the pandemic scenario and, more often than not, they don't know what I'm talking about. I am sending this out hoping that more people will become aware of it, and get prepared before it happens.
First let's define our terms:
A pandemic is a disease outbreak that starts in certain area, but is so contagious and hard to contain that it very quickly spreads to other places, eventually making it around the world. Millions and millions of people will get it, and many will die because there aren't medications, or not enough, that can stop it. This is the kind of thing that is being discussed right now, and that you need to know about if you are going to make it through it. This article will give you some suggestions of what you can do now to protect your family in case this should happen.
Just so you don't think I'm just another email spammer trying to pull your leg, let me give you some of the official information to document what I'm talking about. In the interest of brevity, I will name the organization and give a link to their page that discusses pandemics. Please go to those links to verify the information I'll be sharing with you.
Centers for Disease Control (CDC) : http://www.cdc. gov/ncidod/ eid/vol5no5/ meltzer.html
Homeland Security : http://www.ready. gov/america/ beinformed/ influenza. html
U.S. Dept. of Education: http://www.ed. gov/admins/ lead/safety/ emergencyplan/ pandemic/ index.html
U.S. Dept. of Health and Human Services: www.pandemicflu. gov.
World Health Organization: http://www.wpro. who.int/health_ topics/pandemic_ preparedness/
Pandemic Scenario
Here are a couple of links you can go to for a possible scenario of what a pandemic might look like:
http://www.buzzle. com/editorials/ 1-19-2006- 86755.asp
http://www.idph. state.ia. us/pandemic/ common/pdf/ discipline_ flu_response_ template. pdf
Basically we are talking about a lot of people getting sick very quickly, with the potential for the spread of disease to make it around the world within a couple of weeks from when it starts. They talk a lot about the Bird Flu, but there are also terrorist organizations which have the capability of starting a pandemic, and if that happens, the medical community won't have had time to develop any remedies for it before lots of people are affected. Society could come to a standstill as many people choose to stay home and try to protect themselves and their families, rather than go to work.
The purpose of this article is to give you some ways to prepare for it, if it should happen. The following is a list of items that you ought to have on hand to be able to take care of yourself. The only sure way to protect yourself and your family from a pandemic will be gather everyone as quickly as you can after you hear about the outbreak, and stay home until it passes through your community. Estimates are that it could take several months. Part of that time could be without utilities if they can't keep enough people working to keep things running. You need to think about how you will live if that should happen. What would you do for lighting, cooking, or heating if the electricity weren't working? If you plan for an extended camping trip in your home, that might put you in the right frame of mind to start preparing for this. The following is a list of items that might be considered. Maybe think about what other situations are likely in your area and try to prepare for those, too.
Pandemic Supplies
Okay here is a shopping list remembering that money may be tight: (these are not in any special order, except the first two are top priority)
*Water. As much as you can store. Begin with 14 gallons per person (1 gallon per person for 2 weeks) as an absolute minimum, and build up from there. When things happen, you'll always wish you had more water.
* Easy-to-prepare foods (especially canned foods) that can be eaten without heating, if needed. Try to get a 3-month supply.
* 1 gallon of liquid bleach per person of the household (yes that is gallons) - to sanitize everything
* 4 boxes of latex gloves (different sizes for every member of the household)
* 2 boxes of 20 of N95 masks for every member of the household
* antibacterial soap for meticulous hand washing
* styrofoam "Take Out" containers -- to give to people that come to your door looking for food
* 100' roll of clear 4 mil plastic - for setting up an isolation room
* 10 rolls duct tape - for setting up an isolation room
* several boxes of Borax - for provisional toilets
* 25 lbs. of lime per person - for provisional toilets
*50 "yard waste" black garbage bags per person - for provisional toilets and garbage
*100 "kitchen" bags per person - for provisional toilets and garbage
*25 lbs. of kitty litter per person - for sick people's body fluids clean up
*100 rolls of toilet paper per person - for personal sanitation
* 20 rolls of paper towels per person
* clothesline - for washing clothes by hand
* laundry soap - for washing clothes by hand
* good dish soap like "Dawn" or other aggressive anti-grease formula
* water filtration and purification devices
* water collection, storage and carrying containers
* water, water, and more water
* anything else you'll need to keep you going for up to 3 months: shampoo, toothpaste, soap, feminine hygiene supplies, hairspray(!) , etc.
It would take up too much space for me to try to explain all of the items above. You can search on the internet for more explanations. There's a good list for pandemic preparedness.
Pandemics are, of course, not the only things we ought to be concerned about. Assess your situation and try to think of what situations you could find yourself in—earthquakes, floods, tornado, etc., etc. Decide what you would need to see yourself through these things and get prepared for those, too.
This website, http://www.planforf lu.com/home has a great list of preparedness items, as well as lots of information on the pandemic. Doing a Google search for "emergency preparedness" will bring up lots of lists.
There. I've done all I can do to help you. The government won't be able to help you in the case of a pandemic. In the case of other disasters, it could be a week or longer before they can get to you. Lots of places sell 72-hour kits. We need to think bigger than that. The emergency agencies even admit that in many cases it could be much longer than 72-hours before help arrives. Your church won't be able to do much for you, because everyone will be trying to stay home. Church meetings would be banned in this scenario to keep people from meeting in groups. Please do something to prepare for the times ahead. If nothing ever happens, track me down in the next life and I'll apologize for sending this around. If it does, though, you'll be so glad you did something, and you don't even have to thank me for it. Please just do something!
Lastly, please send this to everyone you know. Not because something will happen to you if you do or don't, but because you might be able to save a few lives by doing so.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)