A Sad Sunday Morning

I was doing some work this morning with the news on in the background and was stunned to hear that four police officers in a city south of here were killed in an ambush while they were working on their laptops in a coffee shop.
Earlier this month there was what appeared to be a random shooting of a police officer that I blogged about here. At the time it was such a sudden, totally unexpected event that it shocked the entire city. People just don't go around shooting police officers here for no apparent reason. They don't go around shooting police officers randomly even if they have a reason. This type of behavior is simply not tolerated in our area.
So this is yet another terrible tragedy that will reverberate throughout our area. While this type of activity happens commonly in other areas, specifically other countries (see here and here), generally due to political/gang/drug activity, targeted shootings of police officers in our area is practically unheard of.

Here's some random thoughts:

• First of all, my condolences go out to the families of the officers. These are hard working people who have families who got up to go to work this morning and won't be coming home. There are no words that can bring comfort to the families at this time but my condolences go out to them nonetheless.
• The PIO for the Sheriff's office in the area is doing an excellent job as are the other officers working the scene. I can't imaging having four of my family members killed and having to go on working, especially in the public eye, during such a horrific time.
• I hope this doesn't impact the whole gun rights issue. Of course it probably will. People tend to make knee-jerk reactions to crimes which involve guns and it negatively impact responsible gun owners.
• I hope this doesn't impact the racial/religious relations in our area. Unfortunately when the media reports that it is a black man who is a suspect, it seems like ALL black men are looked at differently. If it is found that the suspect is a Muslim (as in the Ft Hood shooting), then ALL Muslims are painted with the same brush. This is unfair. The vast majority of blacks (or any other race for that matter) are wonderful people just like you and me. Likewise, the vast majority of Muslims (and all other religions) are wonderful people just like me and you. There is a small criminal element in all racial/religious/geographic groups which shouldn't cause people to generalize ALL people of those groups.
• I hope when they catch the person/people who did this they save the judicial system and tax payers a whole lot of money...if you know what I mean. I would rather have my tax money go to support law enforcement instead of support someone who will have a lengthy stay in prison.

Sleep Out for Homeless Report...Or Why You Need to Get Prepared NOW

Last week was the annual Sleep Out for Homelessness event which is used to bring awareness of how the homeless are forced to live every day. these events take place across the country annually in late November. Although I didn't participate in the event, a friend across the pond sent this article about one reporter's experience sleeping outside over night with his family. If this doesn't make you reinforce your preparedness position (ie: get out of debt, have an emergency fund, pay off your house), I don't know what will...


CAJUN CORNER
A night without, much harder than I expected
By STEVEN DEDUAL
Central Kitsap Reporter Staff writer
Nov 26 2009, 12:17 PM · UPDATED


I think it is fair to say if I were to say the word “homeless,” many would think of people standing around with various signs attempting to get money or food. Many of us would conjure up visions of alcoholics who choose to live day-to-day looking for just enough to get a buzz. I know I have had these thoughts before. I am ashamed of myself for it, but I am at least willing to admit it.

Those thoughts changed for me when I was able to meet a few homeless people here in Kitsap County recently who found themselves without shelter due to positions lost through the degradation of our national and local economies. These were hard-working folks who found themselves without jobs because their employers had to downsize or even completely shut down.

What happens in times like these is a shift in job classification. Specific jobs within a company can often be added to the workload of another job classification without much drop in the quality of that company’s product.

This is the case for many of the new homeless, victims of foreclosure who once were productive members of society, homeowners and taxpayers. In fact, these people make up the largest portion of the homeless population.

These are the real faces of homelessness. Meeting them made me realize I may not be far away from where they are. As the field of journalism continues to struggle to find profitability in the Internet age, many in the business have seen their friends lose longtime jobs. And it hasn’t stopped. A headline like, “Newspaper circulation may be worse than it looks?,” from the Associated Press, Nov. 23, keeps many concerned. What if I lost my income? How long could I keep my life together?

Doing some math, I was shocked at the answer to my own questions. In the worst-case scenario, I could end up living in my car with my wife and two kids, in less than a year.

Armed with this knowledge and constantly being bombarded with comments from my children like, “I’m so bored” or “There’s nothing to do,” I decided to take part in last Friday’s Sleep Like the Homeless event. I wanted my kids to see what could happen and I wanted a taste of what it might be like if we had to live that way. It was an absolutely terrifying and educational experience neither my kids nor I will soon forget.

The night began at 6 p.m. We drove to a local grocery store and parked beneath one of the lights in the lot. I was trying to get as much light as I could for the children so they could do some homework. At first, they handled it quite well and seemed almost defiant, as if they would just stick it out and prove to me it was no big deal. Then I shut off the car.

“Uhm, the heat doesn’t work without the motor on,” my son said.

“We don’t have enough gas to run the motor son, I’m sorry,” I said.

The children looked at each other and shrugged. A mumbled, “Whatever,” came from the back seat in stereo. They were standing strong, but the night had just begun.

The first complaint came by way of my daughter. She wanted to wait until we got home to do her homework. I explained the purpose of our night out was to do things as though we had no home to go to. She said, “But my back hurts from sitting in this car bending over to write.” I asked her what she thought kids who really lived in their cars did in the same situation. She sighed and went back to her homework, rubbing her neck.

After that, my son, now done with his homework, said he was getting cold. I jumped out and grabbed him the blankets I had stored in the trunk.

“These smell like gas,” he complained.

I apologized to him, explained there was no gas on the blankets and told him his options were to cover up with the gas-smelling blankets or be cold.

“This is stupid,” he replied as he covered up and pinched his nose. “Can we at least listen to the radio?”

“Sorry, son, but that would drain the battery. We can’t do that,” I told him.

Again he sighed, this time accompanied by a little eye-rolling.

“So all we can do is sleep?” he asked, though I don’t think he was really looking for an answer.

My daughter finished her homework and asked about dinner.

“We have two cans of potted meat, a can of kidney beans four granola bars and a pack of two crackers,” I said.

The look they both gave me hurt.

“Are you freakin’ serious?” my son asked.

“Sorry, son,” I replied. “That’s all we have.”

“Someone’s coming over,” my daughter said.

I rolled down the window a bit and a young lady who I assumed was an employee of the store told me we couldn’t stay in the parking lot. I told her we had nowhere to go and I wanted my kids to be safe, so I parked where there would be light.

“I understand,” she said. “I really do. But I still have to ask you to go or else they will call the cops.”

She told me a lady saw the kids under their blankets and told the store manager he should call Child Protective Services on me for endangering my kids.

“Oh well,” my son said smiling. “I guess we will have to go home now.”

But that was not the plan. I started the car and started driving.

“Can we turn on the heater now since we’re driving?” my daughter asked.

I told her running the heater would cause the car to use more gas, so we couldn’t run the heat. She said nothing.

I was trying to find a place to park where we would not be harassed. I decided on another grocery store parking lot, but this time we went to the far back of the lot, near what I perceived to be employee vehicles.

We broke out the food and began dinner. I did not bring a can opener so the beans were useless.

“So all we have now is nasty potted meat and granola bars,” my son said with disappointment. But he was right, and it made my heart hurt.

In that moment, watching my kids eat potted meat from a can with their fingers because we had no utensils, I realized what the hardest part of being homeless would be for me. Not being in a position to provide for my kids would be devastating. I knew they were still going to be hungry after their dinner of meat-from-a-can and a granola bar each. I also knew they were going to be uncomfortable sleeping in a cold car, exposed to the elements and any person who chose to walk by. I didn’t like that feeling.

Now it was 10 p.m. We were fortunate enough not to be asked to move again, probably because we did a good job of being inconspicuous. It was much, much colder now. We were passing the time trying to guess the jobs of people we saw exiting the store. I could tell they were bored and when we were quiet, I could hear someone’s stomach growling, other than my own. Neither asked for more food, but I could see in their eyes they wanted to eat more.

My daughter decided she was tired and asked if we had more blankets because she was still cold. I suggested the kids huddle together and cover up with all of the blankets rather than each covering themselves individually. They complied and laid together, stretching across the back seat.

“Goodnight, guys,” I said, but they didn’t reply. They always told me goodnight. Every night it was a ritual. It was not to be this night.

I sat staring out the window. I couldn’t sleep. I wanted them to be warm so I had very few blankets myself. It was cold. The chattering of my teeth kept me awake the entire night. I just sat there, thinking.

My kids did not sleep well. I watched them all night. They both tossed and turned trying to get comfortable. Their lips and cheeks were almost blue by 5 a.m.

At 6 a.m. I woke them up and told them we were heading home. I have never seen them that excited to go to our boring little house. We pulled into the driveway and they bailed out of the car as if it were on fire. My daughter approached my window.

“Please don’t ever make us do that again, dad,” she said. “I don’t want to be homeless.”

I smiled until she made it inside, then I laid my head on the steering wheel and cried.

“No one does, baby,” I whispered. “No one does.”

Some Thoughts on Survival Food

Now that I have come out of my food coma from yesterday...let's talk about food.

Knowing what to buy as far as survival supplies go is relatively simple. You know that duct tape, para cord, and sheet plastic all have hundreds of uses. You know that it is a good idea to buy a battery operated radio, have flashlights on hand, and that you can never have too much ammo. But when it comes to planning for your emergency food needs, the mind boggles.

Basically I stock up on food that we will eat anyway (canned soup, canned meat, canned vegetables, and grains along with some MREs and freeze dried food on the side that can be used for the occasional backpacking trip). The problem comes when you try to plan for long term food needs, say of about a year or so. That is often as far as most people get before they become overwhelmed with what to buy, how much to buy, how to store it, etc. When you start to calculate calorie needs per person, per day, for 365 days, along with assuring an assortment of food that covers all of your macro nutrient and micro nutrient needs...well you can see how people can end up throwing up their hands.

And then I watched an episode of Surviving Disaster that gave the most succinct explanation of long term food storage that I ever heard of. It was such a simple idea I nearly fell off of my chair. Basically what the guy said is that for three months of food for one person at 1800 calories a day, you need three gallons of oil, 100 6-ounce cans of tuna fish, and a 20 pound bag of rice. This simple stockpile would cover all of the fats, proteins, and carbs an average person would need to survive for three months. Aside from the fact that should you be forced to live on this food, you would never want to see another tuna fish or grain of rice again, the concept simplifies emergency food storage to something that everyone could understand and do. For a year's worth of food, simply multiply these items times four.

If you can't fathom eating these three items for a year (and you are worried that you will miss some significant dietary nutrients), consider how you can substitute items that fall into the three categories.

For fats, consider: butter, mayonnaise, salad dressing, cheese, milk (dried), meat, nuts, eggs.

For protein, consider: meat (dried, canned), fish (canned), milk (dried), eggs, beans and rice, soybeans.

For carbs, consider: rice, whole wheat flour, beans, oatmeal, barley, pasta.

You'll note that some of these foods overlap categories (ie: canned sardines packed in oil cover both the protein and fats categories). Throw in some canned/dried fruits and vegetables and some spices and you will be set. Also, don't forget a good multi vitamin.

The bottom line is that emergency food storage doesn't need to be overwhelmingly complicated.Theoretically someone could go to Costco and buy 100 pounds of rice, 15 gallons of oil and 400 cans of tuna and be set for a year. Most of us like a bit more variety in our diet and would substitute canned sardines, beef jerky, Spam, beans, and other sources of protein for 300 cans of the tuna but when you look at the simple equation that makes up your food needs, everyone should be able to have enough emergency food stores on hand to carry them through both short and long-term disasters where your food supply could be interrupted.

Entertainment vs. Experience

I'm a big fan of Barnes & Noble (and most other bookstores for that matter). My usual route through the store includes a swing by the sports section (depending on my latest endeavour I may glance through books on backpacking the Appalachian Trail, bicycle commuting, wilderness survival, et al), then make a pass through the language section (somehow I feel I will pick up all six forms and sixteen tenses of each of hundreds of Spanish verbs by osmosis, just by being near the dictionaries), next a shuffle by the Moleskine section to determine if I really need ANOTHER notebook, then a quick check to see what's new in the business section, and finally I finish up by reading a bunch of magazines (NG Adventure, and a number of tactical handgun magazines being among my favorites). Overall, a nice afternoon of entertainment.
What all of the books and magazines in the world can't give you, as you peruse their pages, is experience. I may get some good ideas from books and magazines, pick up a couple of tactical tips (like in the latest annual edition of Weapons and Tactics magazine where one article refers to a handful of innocuous items which can be used as weapons yet carried right through airport security such as a solid metal Washington Monument figurine which could do some serious damage if used correctly), and find some interesting ways to improve/expand my business but just reading these things does not provide what is most important: experience.
In order to change your afternoon's entertainment into useful experience, you need to take the next step by taking what you have learned from books and magazines and actually putting it to work. Instead of just reading a book on learning a foreign language, find a group that meets to practice speaking the language. Instead of reading about tactics for clearing a house, practice doing so (preferably when the spouse and kids aren't home so they won't think you have lost your mind). Instead of reading about other's grand travel adventures, dust off your passport and go somewhere.
Reading for entertainment is a great way to wile away an afternoon, but consider taking the next step and actually using the things you learn from the multitude of books and magazines available to improve your life, your health, your safety, and your skills.

10 Holiday Safety Tips

It will be Thanksgiving in a few days. Everyone thinks about holiday fun--food, friends, and the Black Sunday ads--but they often forget about the dangers of the holiday season. Here's some safety tips:

1. Deep fried turkey. Need I say more? Check out the video here.
2. Back over accidents. Kids are short, cars/trucks/SUVs are tall. Bad combination. With lots of people around, you can lose track of a kid and someone can back over them in only seconds. When there are people around, be sure to walk all the way around your car before getting into it and backing out of the driveway.
3. Driving accidents. There are a bunch of ways to get into a driving accident but the most common around the holidays are because of bad weather (snow, ice, rain) and because of DUIs. Having even one drink at a holiday party can leads to irreparable harm on the roads.
4. Be careful on ladders. Better yet, stay off them all together. Tis the season to hang up holiday lights and decorations but ask any hospital/ambulance company what their largest number of injuries are from and falls will most likely be in the top two or three. I didn't believe this until I saw the data but apparently falls out number other causes of injuries in our state by many thousands.
5. Look for dangers around your home. Right now my home is not dangerous. With only the spouse and I, everything is set just the way we like it. During the holidays, however, when family of all ages come from around the country, I need to re evaluate my home for dangers. Things like firearms, medications, poisons, etc. can be fine with just an older couple in the home but can be deadly if found by inquisitive kids.
6. Be extra alert for thefts, burglaries, and robberies. Sometimes people get desperate during the holidays and take advantage of opportunity (a car that is full of high end presents), see something that catches their eye (like a box from a 50" plasma TV next to your house), or plan an even bigger score (like a bank robbery). Stay aware.
7. Be fire safe. This is also the season for fires. Aside from the turkey inferno above, candles, fireplaces that haven't been cleaned in decades, frayed cords on tree lights, overloaded circuits, and dried out Christmas trees can all cause a fire. Be sure your smoke detectors are in working order.
8. Be carbon monoxide safe. Obviously never use a barbecue grill inside, always use (and vent) your generator correctly, and if you are working on your car in the garage, always have the doors open. Along with the winter holidays come winter-related power outages, the use (and misuse) of generators which cause carbon monoxide deaths each year, and working on cars indoors as opposed to outside due to the weather which requires additional safety measures.
9. Malls and other shopping areas require extra attention during the holidays. Whether you run into a thief who wants to relieve you of your packages or lose a kid in the swarm of shoppers, plan ahead for every contingency.
10. Keep an eye on kids and pets. Little kids and pets can get into all kinds of things (decorations and ornaments, poisonous plants like Poinsettias, dangerous toys) or get too close to the fireplace/turkey fryer/space heater, all of which can lead to injuries or death.

Here's to having a safe holiday!

DPT From a Reader

Reader GM sent in the following tip:

"I recently became interested in self-sufficiency and survival as I believe that TEOTWAWKI is a real possibility. When the SHTF I'ld like my family to be prepared to take care of itself. Through studying on-line, I've found that one of the common themes throughout various sites is the stored food rations that people suggest keeping.

One of the foods my family often eats and uses in a variety of meals is dried seaweed, sometimes called by the Japanese name "nori", sometimes by the korean name "gim" or "kim", sometimes by the English name "laver". Dried seaweed is very lightweight, highly nutritious, and not very expensive. Most people would know it as the wrapping around "california roll" style sushi. My family prefers the Korean style as it has been dried with sesame oil for additional flavor.

It can be used as a seasoning on a variety of foods, made into soup, mixed in with other foods, or eaten by itself. Dried seaweed goes well with fish, rice, and adds a bit of variety to the diet.

Dried seaweed has a high iodine content, good amount of protein, Vitamins A, B, C, and D, carotene, good quantities of trace minerals (calcium and iron in particular) and has a lot of water soluble fiber that helps with cholesterol issues. The weight to nutrition ratio is exceedingly good. Probably the only negative issues are that it has a high salt content which could be problematic in a survival situation and it needs to be kept dry prior to use for spoilage prevention.

While the flavor and texture are not necessarily for everyone, if you like it, people should consider adding a batch of it to their survival pantry, bug-out-bags, etc. It can be easily found in asian markets or on-line by searching for "dried seaweed'. It stores easily, keeps well and should retain its nutritional values a long time."

Thanks GM for the tip. Although I have eaten nori wrapped around sushi, I hadn't considered its many benefits as a survival food. I think I will be adding some of this to my stash of survival food!

10 Ways You Can Help Others Survive All Kinds of Situations

Tis the season to think about others. What with Thanksgiving, Christmas, and the generally jovial atmosphere of giving these last couple months of the year, here are a number of ways you can help others survive all kinds of situations:

1. Give something that literally saves a life: blood, plasma, bone marrow, a kidney, and any other vital organs that you don't need (ie: become an organ and tissue donor).
2. Give your time to those who most need it. Investing your time and effort to help others, whether you are helping someone learn to read or watching a passel of kids for a single mother while she looks for a job, often provides the payback of creating a better community. Having a better community to live in is a good thing--it makes for better survival rates for all.
3. Teach others. I am fairly certain that I wouldn't be the person I am today without all of the things I learned from important people in my life (ie: how to survive in the wilderness, how to use logic to solve problems, how to speak a handful of languages, etc). It's a good bet that if you teach someone something, that knowledge will go on to help them later in life.
4. Give good gifts. To me, "good" gifts are practical gifts. A sweater is nice, a box of ammo is nicer. I also like to give car emergency kits, sporting goods that get kids outside and active, experiences that help people improve their skills (everything from an auto repair class for the daughters to cooking class for the sons). Maybe that is why I am not often in charge of gift giving....
5. Pay attention to what is going on with others and help if/when needed. While I am busy enough with my own life and disdain drama of all kinds, if I know someone is going through a difficult situation and I can help by providing something concrete such as a job lead, a referral to services, a positive word, etc, I will do it without hesitation.
6. Invite others to learn from/with you. I am a fan of Dave Ramsey because his basic program is to get a group of people to go through a class (FPU) together which allows them to support each other while they all aim for the same goal of getting out of debt. And it works. Mastermind groups are similar as are study groups at college and sports teams. Basically everyone is working towards the same goal, supporting each other, and teaching each other as they go.
7. Lobby for training opportunities in your community. The more people who have access to CPR, HAM radio, CERT (Community Emergency Response Team), weather watcher, firearms safety, and other disaster prep training opportunities, the better.
8. Prepare leaders. Whether within your family or your office, leadership training is important. You may be the head honcho on a normal day, but when TSHTF, and if, by some chance, you become incapacitated, you will need a leader other than yourself to take over. Who might that be? How might you help others prepare to take on leadership roles if necessary? Everyone needs training, everyone needs to know the chain of command, and everyone needs to know what to do in a disaster in case they are the last one standing and need to take control of a situation.
9. Volunteer. There are plenty of people out there who wouldn't be alive today without the efforts of volunteer EMTs at rural ambulance agencies. Volunteers at the food bank help people survive during hard times, volunteer search and rescue personnel pull people off mountains with surprising regularity, and volunteer coaches help develop skills that will prove useful for immediate needs and vital for the future development of the coach-ees.
10. Practice. You never know when you will get to save a life. Be sure you have training, and have on-going practice, in a wide range of skills including CPR, first aid, lifeguard swimming, shooting. foraging, fire building, sea survival, mountain survival, etc.

Power Outage

Last night, the power went out. This was the first outage of the season and a good reminder to be prepared for a power outage as this is one of the most common types of "disasters" to affect people. Here's how to be prepared for a power outage in order of importance:

1. Have flashlights and extra batteries. There should be a flashlight in each room or your house and a flashlight for each member of your household. When it comes to having NO power and NO light, sharing one flashlight among family members is virtually impossible--each person has certain tasks to do which require light so make sure each person has a flashlight. Since both the spouse and I know where the flashlights are, it was no problem to move around the family room, in the dark, to find the flashlight. Then we used the light from the flashlight to move throughout the house so that each of us could get own own flashlights (we keep our personal flashlights under each of our side of the bed). I don't much care for candles but will use them as a last resort since they are much more likely to cause a fire than a flashlight.
2. Keep your house clean. Fortunately our home is always clean and orderly. In the pitch black (the power went off in the evening after the sun had gone down) you don't want to break your neck from tripping over things as you search for your flashlight.
3. Have a phone. You will need either a charged cell phone or a land line phone which plugs into the phone jack (not the kind that requires power such as cordless phones that have a message recorder attached to it). In the event that you need to call the power company to alert them to the outage or you need to call 911 for help, phones of the cordless variety or the VoIP variety, will not work without power.
4. Heat is nice to have. During a power outage, many people lose their source of heat (ie: electric heaters, forced air systems, etc). Depending on how cold it is outside is how critical having heat in your home will be. If possible, have dry wood for the fireplace or wood stove on hand for these occasions. If you don't have a way to burn wood for heat, pile everyone in the same room with a lot of blankets, and close the door to keep body heat in the room. For longer term outages during very cold weather, break out the portable kerosene heater if you have one. If you have no other source of heat, you may want to seek shelter in a hotel, with friends or family, or at a community shelter set up for this purpose.
5. Got news? For longer term power outages, you will probably want a source of news and information. Since the outage occurred later in the evening last night, we just went to bed a bit earlier than usual. If this had been a day long or multi-day event, we would have wanted more information about the outage. For these instances, consider keeping a battery-powered or wind-up radio on hand. You can also get news if you can connect through the internet through your cell phone, and those new, portable, digital TVs look promising as well.
6. Got entertainment? Ditto the above statement. If the power goes out in the evening, you can always just go to bed early and catch up on your sleep. If it is an all day or multi-day event, you may want to have some non-powered sources of entertainment on hand. It's amazing how much we have come to count on powered things for work/entertainment/information/connecting with others. When the power goes out, so does your TVs, VCRs, DVD players, computers, FaceBook page access, internet, home phone...basically the things that make up 95% of your social life/entertainment options. I like having a nice collection of books on hand for these occasions. We also keep board games and cards on hand to keep everyone entertained during such events. Note that going outside for a walk during the wind storm that knocked your power out is not a good way to entertain yourself. With trees and power lines falling, it is a good way to end up injured or worse!
7. Food may be an issue. Depending on how long the power has been out, eventually food will become an issue. There really is no need to break out the grill/other portable cooking device for a day-long power outage. People survive daily on sandwiches so it shouldn't be a problem to whip up something quick and easy to eat. For multi-day power outages, you will want to devise a plan for your refrigerated and frozen food so it won't go bad. Longer term cooking can be accomplished (outside!!) on a gas grill or barbecue. On a side note, even though your water system will usually work during a power outage (unless you have a deep well with a motor), you always want to have bottled water on hand. This is even more important if you can't access your well water during a power outage.
8. Gas appliances are nice to have. I've lived in all electric houses, and houses with gas appliances and during a power outage, gas rocks. Even if we don't have power, we have hot water and the ability to cook on a gas-powered stove.
9. Do you need a generator? When my son moved to a very rural location, we gave him our generator. He has small kids to take care of and a much higher likelihood of losing power on a regular basis. Where we live, since it is relatively close to the city, we are never without power for more than a few days at the most so we haven't felt the need to replace the generator. Having a generator for power outages depends on each individual situation. If you have someone at home who is on a ventilator, for example, and they would die without electricity, having a generator should be at the top of this list. If you live where power is restored rather quickly when it goes out, you may want to invest your money for survival preps elsewhere. If you do choose to have a generator, be sure it is #1 hooked up correctly so you don't electrocute yourself or someone else, #2 vented correctly so you don't pass out or die from carbon monoxide fumes, and #3 have plenty of fuel on hand to keep the thing going.

Poll Results and a New Poll

Our last poll asked "How's the flu in your area?"
Your answers:

• 7 people (18%) said there was none yet.
• 14 people (36%) said it was about the same as a regular flu season.
• 14 people (36%) said more people than expected have got the flu so far this year.
• 3 people (7%) said it's a pandemic and everyone around here is catching it.

The poll is more than two weeks old (sorry for the late update!) so things may have changed by now. In our area, the flu is making the rounds and it seems like nearly everyone has come down with some type of bug. Unless you are hospitalized, however, you can not get tested to confirm that is actually is the H1N1 flu.

On the one hand, this virus has been a fairly mild event with some deaths but not the overwhelming number of deaths that are often associated with a pandemic. On the other hand, because the death rate has been fairly low for what is a global pandemic, people may take future announcements of a pandemic less seriously than they should.

Be sure to take our new poll....>>>>

Surviving Disaster: Pandemic

Last Tuesday's episode of Surviving Disaster focused on two related disasters, a nerve gas attack and a pandemic outbreak. You can catch this episode on the Surviving Disaster website, and I highly recommend that you actually watch the show instead of just reading my notes as there is so much covered that I'm sure I did not get all of the small details. Here's the high points of the episode:

Chemical Attack

• The US government says that a biological/chemical attack in the US is highly likely within the next four years. Something along the lines of the sarin gas attack on the Tokyo subway in 1995 is what they see as a very likely possibility.
• Schools, football stadiums, amusement parks, and other places where a large number of people gather are likely targets for such an attack.
• Often times these are suicide attacks where a person takes a canister of nerve gas into a crowded area and opens the container. You can't see or smell most nerve gas agents and a droplet of the poison can kill a person in minutes.
• A nerve agent affects any part of your body that relies on muscle control such as the heart and lungs. With your nerves paralyzed, your heart and lungs will stop working.
• In the scenario, the people on the subway noticed a problem when people on the subway car in front of them began keeling over.
• When the subway stops (in this scenario the nerve gas killed the conductor and the subway stopped), pull the emergency release lever to open the doors and escape.
• Walk in the direction that the train was traveling even though the infected car is in front of you. With the gas, there is a good chance that the nerve gas has left a trail of the vaporized agent behind the train so you don't want to be walking through this.
• Hold your breath as you walk along the escape route out of the subway tunnel and pass by the car where the gas was released.
• Take off your outer layer of clothing, this will remove about 90% of the toxins that you have been exposed to. Remember not to pull your shirt over your head or this will get the toxin into your mouth, nose, and eyes. Leave your bags and anything else you were carrying behind as well.
• Look for an exit sign or a blue light so that you can escape from the tunnel. Both the subway stopping and the alarm from opening the exit door will alert the central subway office that there is a problem. They will also be able to monitor the tunnels which have video surveillance equipment.
• Get outside into the air as quickly as possible as this will diffuse much the toxins that are on you.
• Tell someone to call 911 and also tell them to alert responders that there was a nerve gas attack and where specifically the incident occurred. You don't want responders walking into this type of deadly situation without warning.
• While waiting for help, take all of your clothes off and wash down with soap and water. In this scenario, the people went into a nearby laundromat and washed off with soap and water. Repeat this process.
• Wait for medical help to arrive. They will probably put you through a similar decon process. A professional decon process includes stage #1--clothes drop, stage #2--wash down with soap and detergent, stage #3--monitoring for residual symptoms.

Virus Attack (Pandemic flu)

• One person could be infected with a deadly virus and spread it to others, eventually causing hundreds of thousands to die. This person is called Patient 0 in a global pandemic.
• In this scenario, a person on the subway is infected with a pandemic flu virus. He is unaware he has the virus as it takes a few days for symptoms to show up but you can be contagious even before you have symptoms.
• The virus is spread from person to person. The man infects four people on the subway, they each infect four people; you can see how the virus can spread exponentially.
• During a pandemic, the government will tell people to shelter in their homes. Schools, public events, and other places where people gather will be shut down. National Guard and law enforcement will do what is termed "aggressive control of contacts" by patrolling the streets and ensuring that people are not out and about.
• The group in the scenario were now in survival mode. Their first task was to go to the stores and stock up on food and supplies. Everyone else was doing this too so food and supplies quickly ran out. Stores often have enough stock for only a day or two as they rely on just-in-time delivery of goods.
• When you go out to stock up, realize that people will be in a panic, supplies will quickly disappear, and this also puts you in contact with many people which could expose you to the virus.
• Viruses spread by touch transmission (the virus can last for 24 to 48 hours on items such as paper, cloth, etc), droplets from infected people that are discharged when they talk, cough, or sneeze, and by air dried droplets which float in the air.
• In this situation, it is important to wash your hands often and try not to touch too many things (in the scenario they wiped down the grocery cart handle with bleach before using it).
• The average man needs 1800 calories a day. A three month supply of food can be achieved by buying 20 pounds of rice (carbs), three gallons of canola oil (fats), and 100 6-ounce cans of tuna fish (protein). Also at the store you want to grab whatever other food you can (flour-based items and oatmeal are good), flashlights and batteries, duct tape, sheet plastic, garbage bags, and rain ponchos.
• Don't talk to people when you are out as this can expose you to the virus.
• In the hardware section, pick up N95 masks. These masks block 95% of particles and can be used when caring for the sick or going out in public.
• When people are in a panic, they will try to take what you have. The group was confronted in the store parking lot by two men who wanted their food. Each of the four took a side of the asset (their cart of food) to defend, while one pushed the cart. The others used empty carts to keep six feet between them and the looters. It was noted that these probably were not hardened criminals and if you resist and fight back, they will go away and look for easier targets.
• Note that you could be sheltered at your home for three months or until a vaccine for the virus is developed.
• Before you bring anything into the house (food, supplies, etc) leave it outside, in the back yard, in the sunlight for a couple of hours. The sunlight will kill any virus on the items.
• Wash your hands often with soap, including under the nails and between the fingers, for about 30 seconds. Don't touch your eyes, nose, or mouth as this is the easiest way to introduce the virus into your system.
• Once inside, don't go out again or talk to anyone as this could cause you to become infected. In the scenario, one guy was talking to the neighbor outside so he needed to be quarantined in a sick room for up to six days to see if he had any symptoms of being ill. He will not be able to leave this room and infect others in the house until it is determined if he has or does not have the virus; this will take up to six days.
• To make a sick room/negative pressure isolation room, put a fan in the window pointing out. Cover doors and windows with plastic and duct tape. For the door to the room that people must come in and out of, hang plastic in layers which will help contain the virus.
• A couple of days later the guy was coughing, had a fever, and body aches. One person who was least likely to get sick (she did not have any chronic medical conditions and had had a flu shot which offers some immunity) was the only one assigned to care for him.
• She only went into the room to give the ill person water and food and offer ibuprofen to control pain. Each time she went into the room, she needed to wear long pants, a long sleeved shirt, shoes, a shower cap, a plastic poncho, a mask, and gloves to protect herself.
• In six weeks, three million people could die from the pandemic; after ten weeks, there could be 10 million dead.
• Only six companies in the world can make the vaccine and it can take from four to six months to develop, test, and produce a vaccine.
• Soon the guy in the isolation room died. Morgues, ice rinks, and refrigerated storage will be used to store the dead. Since the people did not want to risk infecting themselves by leaving their home, they wrapped the body in plastic and buried him six feet deep in the back yard as far away from the house as possible.
• Eventually the power went out, there was no garbage service, and all other service began to stop as more and more people who perform these services as their regular job became ill. At this point in the video I particularly like the "looters will be shot" and "neighborhood is patrolled" signs spray painted around the neighborhood.
• After three months the group needed more food. Since grocery stores were long ago emptied, they took information from the phone book of locations of restaurants and food distribution warehouses to check for food.
• Before they left to search for food, they made pepper spray from cayenne pepper mixed with rubbing alcohol and put in a small spray bottle.
• One person guarded the house while the rest of the team went in search of food.
• They used a long bar to pry the padlock off a warehouse door. To show you are not looting, it was suggested you leave a note with the items you took and contact information so you can settle up later.
• Leaving the warehouse the group was attacked by a dog. One guy ran (note, don't run from a dog, you won't outrun it) and was attacked by the dog. He wrapped a sweater around his arm to protect himself and sprayed the dog with the pepper spray.
• At this point there will not be any police force to protect you and there will be a lot of looting and violence by hungry, desperate people.
• If you are home, looters will assume you have supplies and may use deadly force to take it from you.
• The group reinforced their position from the outside in.
• Outside, wrap glasses in a shirt and smash them. Use the broken glass to put along all outside window ledges so that if someone tries to break in at night, they will cut themselves and probably make noise.
• In the house, cover the windows with black plastic so people can't see inside. Put heavy bookcases in front of the windows with plates on the case. If people try to break in, you will hear the plates falling (this will be your 'perimeter alarm').
• Reinforce the doors with wood (like a small door) wedged between the door and the stairs. This will make it hard to break down but easy for you to remove if you need to leave.
• Fill bags, pillow cases, and other things with dirt from the yard to improvise bullet-proofing. Stack the filled bags about midway down the staircase to make a bunker. This will be your defensive position if people try to come into your house. Stack the bags about four feet high and as thick as possible.
• The group was cooking dinner and heard some plates break which alerted them that people were trying to get into their house. They all got into their bunker where firearms had been stored. The looters were shooting at them and they listened to how many shots had been fired. After about 15 rounds had been fired, you can assume that the looters will need to stop and reload. This is your opportunity to shoot back. An armed, aggressive response will deter most looters.
• The pandemic flu will go in a wave. At the crest of the wave, the most people will be sick then the number of cases will decline as people recover from the flu and thus develop an immunity to it and as vaccines become available.

Again, as I always say, this is an excellent way to learn some survival skills from the comfort of your own home. Watch the video then plan accordingly for your own survival needs should this kind of situation ever happen to you.

Website Update

Just a quick note... The CNI site (www.codenameinsight.com) was recently updated to improve the link structure. This means that many of the link paths have been changed so if you can't find the link you need (ie: to the Huge Link Directory) simply go to the CNI site and relink to it. Sorry for the confusion. Hopefully this will be the last major change to the site in the foreseeable future.

How to Save a Life

There are lots of ways that professionals save lives. Trauma surgeons can work miracles in the OR. Paramedics have been glorified numerous times on television because they save lives in such dynamic fashion. Police officers often put their lives on the line to save others.
But did you know that there are specific occasions when only a citizen bystander can save a life? There are many times that a person dies right in front of others because there are some circumstances that simply won't wait for paramedics or an emergency room. Here's how you can be the bystander that saves the life of a stranger (or a loved one):

1. Learn CPR
2. Learn the Heimlich Maneuver
3. Learn how to use an AED
4. Learn basic first aid (bleeding control)
5. Learn rescue swimming

• Note that there are only a handful of reasons that people die immediately and need quick assistance from a bystander, these include loss of heart rhythm, loss of blood, and loss of the ability to breathe. Things like choking, heart attack, drowning, and bleeding out from trauma fall into these categories. There are other emergent situations where there is very little you can do such as traumatic brain injuries and massive traumatic injuries.
• A person who loses their heart rhythm because of heart attack or severe electrical shock, needs immediate CPR. If you wait ten minutes for paramedics to come, the person will be dead. With CPR provided immediately by a bystander, the save rate is actually fairly good.
• Massive bleeding from things such as stab wounds, gun shot wounds, and other traumatic wounds is another common way to die. Quickly. Loss of blood can be remedied for the moment to give the victim a chance for medical help to arrive with either direct pressure on the wound or a tourniquet applied between the wound and the heart.
• Loss of breathing can result from choking on something, near drowning, or respiratory arrest. When someone can't breathe, seconds make a difference. If you see a patron choking on something in a restaurant, calling an ambulance is nice, but again, the guy will probably be dead before the ambulance arrives unless someone knows how to do the Heimlich Maneuver. Also note that when someone is drowning, other then in extreme cold water drowning incidents, there is no time to wait for a dive team to rescue someone. Generally dive teams are used for recovery, not rescue.

Take the opportunity to learn the basic, critical life saving skills that can literally make a life and death difference in someones life.

Thank You Veterans

Today is Veteran's Day so I want to take a minute to say thank you to all who have served in the Armed Forces. Serving in the military is not an easy job. Some people say yeah it's not easy but look at all of the benefits you get. The benefits may be fairly good however there is no way to make up for losing a limb in combat, there is no way to make up for missing your kid's birth/first smile/first steps/first day of school/first dance/etc, there is no way to recoup time away from the spouse and family or make up for the stress of being thousands of miles away when a crisis strikes back home.

Our vets have sacrificed a huge amount of them selves, their life, their time, and their psyche to do a job that can be damn hard much of the time. Veterans go off to fight wars so that people in the US can enjoy freedom and democracy (contrarily, being in the military is anything BUT a democracy).

Thank you veterans for your sacrifice and keeping us, and our country, safe!

On a side note, I was amazed at what a festive holiday today was. People seemed to be out and about everywhere and in good spirits. Also, I have never seen so many older retired vets out in uniform as I did today, not just at a parade or military event, but out in town, around the city, and for those brave souls who dared, in line for a free meal at Applebees, Famous Daves, and Golden Corral.

10 Things You Can Do Today to Improve Your Chance of Survival

I am busy today. Actually I am busy most days. I think many people are like this, in a kind of fast-forward style of living that leaves little time for major projects. This is why I like my information short and concise, why I like my conversations the same way, and why I like to do a variety of very small preparedness projects (like watching a 45 minute Surviving Disaster episode while eating lunch at my desk) instead of one or two major preparedness projects. At least, I feel, I will cover the basics while completing a whole bunch of small activities that will, hopefully, cover the basics of the widest range of disasters that are likely to happen. Here's some ideas for small survival-oriented activities that you and your family can complete:

1. Watch an episode of Surviving Disaster online. I rave about this show so much because it is the first time I have seen easily digestible survival information geared towards the average person. Not the person with extensive survival training, not the person who fancies themself the next coming of Rambo, but ordinary people--those who are most likely to encounter the kinds of disasters this show discusses.
2. Go check your smoke detectors. Do they work? How long has it been since you changed the batteries in these devices? The average person is much more likely, odds-wise, to face something as common as a house fire than to face a tsunami, mass shooting, or other highly publicized disaster.
3. Stop by the Dollar Store on your way home today and pick up ten cans of soup. Sounds simple but by making this small investment, you have just put together ten meals for use when the power goes out, when stores aren't accessible because of a snow storm, when you are too sick to get up and cook actual food, etc.
4. Call up your doctor and see if your vaccinations are up to date. During a disaster, you can improvise many things but you can't improvise your way out of lock-jaw because your last tetanus shot was 20 years ago. Some vaccines you may want to update: tetanus, hepatitis A and B, influenza, possibly pneumonia, and others as recommended by your doctor.
5. Can you make a fire? Sadly, this is a long lost skill that during a disaster, you may need to know how to do. If you were to practice for only 15 minutes a day, every day for a year, making a small fire in all kinds of weather conditions and with all kinds of materials, you would be an expert. Unfortunately this skill is lost because we don't need to "go make fire" in the normal course of our day any more, but should you become lost in the wilderness, survive a plane crash in the mountains, or not have the accouterments of modern life available after a disaster, you will be glad you now this skill.
6. Sign up for a CPR class. There is no excuse for anyone in this entire country not to know CPR. This is such an important skill (more so now I would hazard to guess as our population ages) and the classes are so easily available in most every community, that there is no excuse not to know how to save a life with CPR.
7. Take a few minutes to write down important numbers on a piece of paper. If your computer was dead and your cell phone was dead, would you still be able to call the gas company, your brother, your employer, etc? Most people keep all of these numbers on their cell phone, in their Outlook program, or otherwise on their computer which is not good if a disaster should strike. You need to be able to access these phone numbers with or without a cell phone or computer that works.
8. Hold an unannounced fire drill when the family gets home tonight. Do the actual walk through of what people would do if they were awoken by the smoke alarm--crawl on the floor, check the door to see if it is hot, devise two ways to escape from each room, know where to meet up near the house after escaping from your home, etc. Although a complete drill is better than just talking about what you would do, I would caution against actually trying to escape from a second story window due to the danger.
9. Dump out your BOB and repack it. This will take more than a few minutes to do but it is good to do this at the change of each season. Now that it is winter, are the clothes in your BOB appropriate? Do the batteries still work? How old is the food and water?
10. Check to see if your car is prepared for winter. Again,this may take a little longer than a lunch break but since you rely on your car everyday, it is important to make it as safe and thoroughly prepared as possible. How are the tires? Winter is not the time to have bald tires. Do you know where your snow chains are? Are the emergency supplies in the car still in working order (ie: batteries in flashlights, food and water still edible, etc)?

Many of these tasks are common sense, generic survival preps that we often overlook. By taking a few minutes today, you can knock these off of your list and move forward on more intensive survival projects.

Police Shooting Update and Some Preparedness Lessons

A few days back I reported on a recent shooting in our city that targeted police officers. Yesterday, a suspect in the shooting was found by the police which led to another shootout. Here's some take away lessons from these incidents:

• First, the officers were sitting in their patrol car minding their own business when the shooter pulled up next to the car and started firing, wounding one officer and killing the other. Lesson: any time you are sitting in your vehicle paying attention to what you are doing (reading a book while waiting for the spouse, talking on your cell phone, finishing up work before you get to a meeting) you can be a target. People should be able to feel secure in their own vehicles but that isn't always the case. Car-jackers, robbers, rapists, and yes, random shooters, will take advantage of people being distracted to commit a crime which usually involves the victim being in or around their car, often involves a weapon or violence, and can lead to injury or death. Always be hyper alert when in your car, whether you are driving, sitting at a stop light, parked in a parking lot, or in the bank/fast food drive thru.
• When the suspect was cornered, he drew his weapon. Either he had a death wish or he flunked math--one with a firearm against literally dozens with firearms is pretty poor odds. Lesson: people may react irrationally when cornered or in a desperate situation. If someone pulls a gun on you, shoot first and ask questions later. In the split second it will take you to analyze their motives and formulate some possible outcomes, you could be dead. Ditto, if you pull a firearm on someone; you need to have a life or death reason to do so. Most people who are drawn on, even if you just meant to threaten them with your firearm, will take it as a threat to their life and react accordingly.
• Immediately after the suspect was taken into custody, his entire apartment building was evacuated. Lesson learned: have your BOB/Go Bag ready to grab at a moment's notice. If this had happened at your home, where officers knocked on your door and said you must leave now, no time to grab a change of clothes or anything else, and that you will be away from home for an indeterminate amount of time, would you be prepared? Note also that evacuees were sheltered on a city bus; area roads were blocked with so many responders that there was no way for the people to even drive themselves away from the scene.
• While one apartment building was evacuated, the other buildings in the complex were put on lock down. No one was allowed to come or go from their apartments and all were told to remain inside their homes until further notice. Lesson learned: do you have a lock down procedure for your home? While it may not be as complex as the procedure for locking down a huge commercial building, knowing what to do in these situations is something that needs forethought and practice. A communications plan is also in order. What if your kids or spouse were expected home within the hour however no one was being allowed in or out of the complex? At times like these, being able to contact family members, having a secondary plan and a safe place to wait out the crisis, and a way to receive ongoing communications about the situation would be in order.
• The police were able to break this case due to a tip from a citizen. Lesson learned: pay attention to your surroundings. The neighbors noticed that a car which never had a cover on it suddenly had a cover on it. That may be a tip. Others saw the vehicle description on the news and thought it looked an awful lot like the neighbor's car. Part of being prepared for anything is being aware of everything. If something seems off or unusual or strange, find out why. Or at least make a mental note of it for further follow-up if needed.
• Apparently the suspect's apartment contained firearms (not a major concern to me), ammo (ditto), and either IEDs or the makings of IEDs (concerning). Lesson learned: you never know what your neighbors keep in their home and, unfortunately, some of the things they may be keeping could kill you or flatten your neighborhood. I tend to choose where I live rather strategically. For many reasons I choose not to live in an apartment building, one reason being that I have no control what my neighbors do and cooking meth, making bombs, and other unsavory things could have a very detrimental affect on me and my family. If possible, choose where you live with care.

Some Thoughts on the Ft Hood Shooting

I was rather speechless yesterday as I watched the media coverage of the Ft Hood mass shooting yesterday. Here's some thoughts:

• People--from the lowest enlisted guy and civilian spouses/kids who live on base to the highest ranking officer on base--can not legally carry a personal firearm on base. Again I will say, as I always do, that the higher the possibility that anyone can be armed, the higher the possibility that these kinds of incidents can be deterred or avoided. Cases in point: numerous school shootings where the populace was unarmed have resulted in multiple deaths. A mall shooting in our state a few years back where a mall store employee was armed and responded immediately with his firearm, resulted in no deaths.
• It is unfortunate that the shooter was a Muslim. Radical Muslims who commit such crimes, just like radical Christians who kill abortion doctors and the like, give a bad name to all who practice the religion.
• It was unfortunate that the shooter was a medical professional. Of all people to commit such a crime, medical professionals are the people we rely on to care for us, and as they pledge, "to do no harm". Disappointing.
• It was senseless. The people who were killed were unarmed, in what they considered a very safe environment, and were probably at the time quite worried about what they would face when they got to Iraq and Afghanistan, not worried that a comrade in arms would do this to them. Senseless.
• It was unusual. Was joining the military a way to "infiltrate the enemy"? Of course it is all speculation at this point and the speculation is that the shooter was on the side of the Taliban/Al Quaeda/radical Muslims/etc and detested what America was doing against these groups. So he gets his complete medical education free of charge by signing up to fight on...the side of America. Weird.
• I'm glad he lived. A slow, painful death process which gives him plenty of time to think about what he did and what will happen to him (I'm guessing a slam-dunk death sentence) seems more fair than to be shot and killed during the event. Just my opinion...
• Again it sounds like there were some mental health issues involved in this situation as opposed to simply radical Muslim issues. In hindsight, from what has been discussed in the media, it appeared that there were a number of red flags that could point to a range of psychological disorders. Many mass shooting/individual shooting situations point back to severe psychological problems that aren't caught before the fact but that seem obvious after the fact. As much as I am supportive of pro-gun issues, I am equally supportive of the need for better mental health care which is marginal at best in our country.

This was a sad situation all the way around. My prayers go out to the families of the people killed and the people who were injured in this senseless shooting. Taking out aggression on our soldiers who don't make military policy and have no say at all on when and where America fights to protect our country, makes no sense at all.

Surviving Disaster: Avalanche

It took me a while to catch up with this episode of Surviving Disaster (apparently the show is available online for a week after original broadcast then taken down for a month then put up after the month is over). Here's the high points from the Surviving Disaster-Avalanche show which can be found here:

• Scenario: a group of friends head out to the mountains to go skiing and snowboarding in the out-of-bounds area.
• There are 500 winter resorts in North America which are visited by 60 million people annually.
• If you choose to ski in out-of-bounds areas always carry an avalanche beacon, probe, and snow shovel and ALWAYS tell someone where you intend to be skiing.
• In the winter back country there are a number of dangers including: white outs, blizzards, high temperature fluctuations, wildlife, and avalanche.
• If you find yourself in a white-out, stop immediately and gather your group together. Always stay together as a group because you have a better chance of survival this way. Don't try to travel during a white-out as you will become lost immediately.
• During a blizzard or white out, remember that rescue teams will not be able to be out looking for you until the weather improves.
• During the white-out, one of the group was injured because he boarded off the side of a cliff.
• First priority, check the victim's condition. Have the victim move his feet and squeeze your hands to check for spinal injuries. Don't move a person with neck or back injuries unless absolutely necessary.
• The victim had an open leg fracture. Normally don't try to realign an open fracture if there is the possibility of rescue soon. If you won't be rescued for a while you will need to try to realign the fracture to prevent the bone for drying out an infection from setting in. Stop the bleeding with direct pressure on a cloth put above the break--don't touch the exposed bone. Have people hold the victim down while one person slowly pulls the ankle in an effort to realign the bone. If you hit resistance, don't continue as this could sever nerves or an artery. Use ski poles and straps from backpacks to immobilize the leg by tying the leg above and below the break to the ski poles.
• Use a snowboard as a sled to transport the patient. Drag the patient head first on the sled down the hill. One person will lead the group looking for crevasses, two people will drag the patient by the sleeves of his jacket and a third will keep hold of the back of the sled with a rope to control speed
• Try to make it to the tree line as this will provide better shelter from the wind.
• Wind chill, cold temperatures, and wet clothes all increase the chance of hypothermia.
• Before nightfall you will need to find shelter. In this case the group didn't make it to the tree line and needed to build a snow cave. You will be 50 degrees warmer in a snow cave than out in the elements.
• To build a snow cave, look for a major accumulation of snow that is downwind. Dig an entrance hole up into the snow then shovel out the snow from the cave leaving a dome-shaped ceiling to prevent collapse. Use the snow you removed to create a sleep shelf above the entrance hole. Work fast but do not sweat when making the cave or you could become hypothermic. Rotate people working on the cave every two minutes.
• Once the cave is built, get everyone into the cave. Have everyone stay on the sleep shelf where the warm air will stay; cooler air will drop down and out the entrance hole.
• The injured person has the greatest risk of hypothermia as he is not moving. If he is shivering, that's good, if he isn't shivering, that's not good.
• Put the victim on the sleep shelf and elevate his leg on packs. Have him count backwards from 100 to check his mental acuity. Check his clothing, if they are wet remove them. If his clothes are dry, wrap his sleeves together to conserve heat. Try to feed him.
• Make the victim a "hot water bottle" by having someone urinate into a bottle then put the bottle next to his groin, armpit, or under his neck.
• Never give a hypothermic person alcohol as this exacerbates the problem.
• Keep the group attentive over night by giving each a job (one watch the patient, one keep entrance clear, etc) then switch jobs every hour.
• If the weather has improved by morning, the group will need to go for help. The chance of rescue decreases by 1/3 each day.
• Leave the slowest person behind with the patient and the rest of the group should go for help. It will take 10 times longer to find help if you are bringing along the injured person.
• It was noted that in a survival situation, you want to take the emotion out of your decisions in order to make wise choices. It was also noted that in most survival situations, you are responsible for yourself and often you can't wait for people to come and rescue you.
• The chance of avalanche is greater the first 24 to 48 hours after a heavy snowfall.
• Use the urine from the bottle to mark a circle around the cave, this will be a good signal for helicopter rescuers to see.
• When the group got to the treeline, they took off their skis and snowboards. Snowshoes are the best way to travel over deep snow. They made snowshoes by gathering branches and tying them onto their boots with bungee cords and ties; one bungee cord was wrapped around the back of the ankle and tied on to the ties that were holding the branches to their boots to keep the "snow shoe" in place.
• When the group was walking, they came upon an animal carcass. You can eat the brains and bone marrow for protein and use the fat to help start a fire.
• The group next came upon a bear. Grizzly bears have a round face and hump on its back, black bears have no hump and pointy ears. You can play dead if a grizzly bear attacks ansd it will leave you alone but not with a black bear which will "tear you apart out of curiosity". Never run from a bear or it will chase you. Try to act submissive with a grizzly bear, don't look it in the eye, and back away slowly from the bear as a group.
• One person ran from the bear, the bear chased him, he dropped to the ground and played dead, and the rest of the group scarred the bear away by making a lot of noise.
• To cross an open area, take off the snow shoes and put on skis/snowboards. Turn on your avalanche beacon, tighten backpacks, and zip your coat up to the top (if you are caught in an avalanche, you don't want cold snow inside your jacket).
• Note that open areas with steep grades and heavy snow are prime avalanche locations.
• The group should cross the open area one at a time. The person crossing should try to stay near trees and rock outcroppings while the rest of the group should watch him cross (this way they can see where to start searching for him if he is caught in an avalanche).
• You will hear a "whoof" sound when snow is adjusting or settling before an avalanche.
• If you see an avalanche coming, try to ski to the side of it, not in front of it. If you get caught in the avalanche, cup your hands over your nose and mouth to create an air pocket that will give you air to breathe while you are waiting for rescue.
• Once buried, more than 3/4 of avalanche victims die of suffocation. You have a 90% chance of survival if found within 15 minutes of of being buried in an avalanche. Most of the time, you cannot dig yourself out of an avalanche so you should relax and conserve oxygen if you can't free yourself.
• In this scenario, two people were buried by the avalanche. The rest of the group searched for them starting where they were last seen. The group used their avalanche beacon to search for the people who were buried by making a zigzag pattern through the avalanche field since beacons only have a range of 20 yards. Once the beacon caught the signal, follow the signal to the beacon location then use a probe to find the exact location of the buried person.
• Once the person is found, turn off their beacon so it won't interfere with finding the second person. Don't worry about the first person's injuries until the second person is found.
• The second beacon was found three feet down so the group went down the hill three feet and dug in to find the victim (this takes less effort than digging down). Unfortunately, the beacon was found attached to the backpack of the victim which was ripped off during the avalanche.
• Always wear your avalanche beacon on your person, not your gear!
• When you see a rescue helicopter, signal them until they see you.
• Set up a landing zone for the helicopter by clearing an area about 40' by 60'. Make sure the area is flat and has been cleared of large debris.
• Rescue dogs were used to find the other person. Dogs can find people buried in six to 13 feet of snow and are much better at searching large areas than people.
• Once the victims were loaded into the helicopter, directions were given to find the others who had been left behind.

This is good information for people who enjoy winter back country activities. I highly recommend watching the video.

Surviving Disaster: Earthquake

In the most recent episode of Surviving Disaster, earthquake survival was the topic. You can catch the episode here (which I highly recommend as my notes are just the high points, there is more to learn from from watching the entire video). Here's my notes from this episode:

• The scenario is an 8.0 earthquake along the New Madrid fault line in the Midwest. This is one of the most dangerous fault lines in the US. A major earthquake along this fault line would be felt in 20 states and kill thousands. Scientist say there is a 95% chance of a major earthquake along this fault line in the next 30 years.
• Earthquake survival is difficult to prepare for because they strike without warning, unlike a flood or hurricane in which you usually has advanced notice.
• Once you feel an earthquake, drop, cover, and hold. Don't stand in a doorway, along a wall, or run outside. Get under a heavy table or near a large piece of furniture and hang on to the thing you are bracing yourself against. If the table moves, you move with it.
• Being under or next to a heavy piece of furniture will help create a 'void space' if the ceiling or walls collapse, giving you enough space to survive in the void created between the furniture and the collapsed debris.
• When the shaking stops, wait for a minute to get your bearings. You will probably be disoriented, even in your own home. Cover your mouth and nose with a piece of fabric (clothing, towel) because there will be a lot of dust and debris in the air.
• Look for light and carefully move towards it to exit your home/building. Be careful moving debris out of your way as it could be supporting something that could fall on you. Don't try to force your way through anything load bearing. Listen for shifting as you move through the rubble.
• It was mentioned quite a few times throughout the video that during a major disaster like an earthquake, fire and law enforcement personnel will be overwhelmed and rescuing individuals will be very low on their priority list (plus you probably won't be able to call for help anyway as communications will be down). So you will be responsible for your own rescue.
• Aftershocks are a big concern after a major earthquake. Even smaller aftershocks can bring down buildings so you need to get out in an open area as quickly as possible.
• After you exit your home, make sure everyone is accounted for. If someone is missing, you will need to rescue them (see above about rescue help not coming for quite a while).
• Before beginning a rescue operation, shut off the gas at the outside meter (they used bricks to grip the knob as a wrench was not available) and turn off the electricity at the main breaker box.
• Fire is a major threat after an earthquake. The combination of live electrical wires and broken gas lines is a major cause of fire. On a side note, they said that more people died in fires after the San Francisco earthquake than from the quake itself.
• To search a house for any victims that didn't make it out: break into search teams of two people. Find something to write with (pen, mustard, paint, etc). The teams should search the house in opposite directions and meet in the middle. Move carefully and methodically around the house, keeping a clear path between you and the exit. Watch where you are walking so you don't get stuck in the debris.
• Listen for voices or tapping to help locate victims. It is better to tap if you are stuck than yell as it uses less energy.
• In each room that you go into, draw a diagonal line on the door (if you get stuck in the room, this will alert rescuers to your location).
• Search each room looking at all four walls, the floor, and the ceiling. Look into void spaces and under things.
• When you leave the room, make another diagonal line on the door to form an X. In the bottom section of the X place the number of victims found in the room (or "O" if you found no victims). This is reminiscent of the signs you saw on doors where houses were searched after Hurricane Katrina.
• As the teams were searching the house, they noticed a hot spot in a wall where a fire was starting. In a major disaster, the fire department will be overwhelmed so you should try to extinguish the fire if possible so it doesn't burn the house down and kill trapped survivors and so it doesn't grow and consume the entire neighborhood.
• Use something like a broom handle to break through the drywall that is on fire. Start breaking the wall about a foot above where the fire is coming through the wall. Be careful when you open the wall as fire could shoot out. Wrap a natural fabric around your hands (not synthetic fabric as it will melt onto you) and pull out pieces of drywall.
• If water isn't available, get it from the hot water tank. Turn off the valve that allows water into the hot water tank. Turn on a hot water faucet in the house to create pressure, then open the drain valve on the hot water tank and drain the water into buckets. Be careful, the water will be hot. Pour buckets of water on the fire until it is completely out.
• When you find a survivor, gather all search teams together for the rescue.
• Carefully remove debris from on top of the victim. Gather 2x4s from walls (again, not load bearing) and a car jack in order to create a cribbing and shoring system to lift up heavier walls and debris. Make a lever to lift the wall a bit then slide the jack under it (with 2x4s on both the top and bottom of the jack to distribute the weight). As you lift up the wall, place stacks of 2x4s under the wall to catch the weight of the wall should it fall.
• An untrained person should never rescue a trapped person if there are any other alternatives. In this case, there were no other alternatives. One rescue crawled under the fallen wall which was being lifted up with cribbing, shoring, and the jack. Another rescuer pulled the first rescuer by his feet after he got a hold of the victim.
• When the victim had been rescued, everyone left the house. It was noted that you should not re-enter a damaged building until it has been certified as stable by an engineer.
• You will probably need to camp outside for a few days after an earthquake. Pick a spot such as in a park that is away from buildings, trees, and anything else that can fall on you during an aftershock.
• As you are traveling away from your home, watch out for downed power lines, sinkholes, and landslides.
• In the scenario, there was an aftershock and one person from the group fell into a newly opened sinkhole that was about 20 feet deep.
• The group placed plywood from destroyed homes around the perimeter of the sinkhole so that it would distribute their weight and they could get a closer look into the hole. Cars were placed a distance from the sinkhole with their lights on to illuminate the area and a rear view mirror was used to reflect the light from the car into the sinkhole to view the victim.
• The group was warned that the sinkhole can expand rapidly so being right around a sink hole was a dangerous place to be.
• When looking at the victim in the hole, the leader ascertained the victim's condition--airway, breathing, back/neck injuries, other injuries. You should never move someone with serious back or neck injuries, instead go for help. If there does not seem to be back or neck injuries, you will want to rescue the person.
• The group picked up a swing set from the park to create an A-frame over the sinkhole. Garden hoses were used to tie down each leg of the swing and stabilize it by tying the legs to car bumpers. You want to use an A-frame for below ground rescues so you do not disturb the sides of the sinkhole which could cause it to collapse even more.
• Another hose was tied like a harness around the rescuer, the hose was tossed over the top of the A-frame and the rescuer was lowered in the hole. Three people lowered down the rescuer and one person acted as a 'spotter' to watch the situation and give orders to the rescuers.
• When the rescuer got to the bottom of the hole, he stabilized the victim's injured leg and put the victim into the hoist to be lifted out of the hole.
• When the person was out of the hole, her injured leg was stabilized with a couple of rods and belts placed above and below the break. It was noted that the rescuers should not try to realign the leg but should get the victim to medical treatment as soon as possible.
• People should not drive after an earthquake unless it is an emergency because there will be downed power lines, sinkholes, etc. In this case, getting the victim to medical care constituted an emergency so two people took the victim in a car to look for medical care.
• It was stated that locations of emergency triage centers and other services will be announced on local radio.
• When driving, avoid bridges, overpasses, underpasses, and freeway on/off ramps as these may be down or damaged.
• As the group was driving, there was another aftershock and live power lines fell on the car. Don't get out of the car when there are live power lines on or around it or you will be electrocuted. Stay in the car until help arrives. If someone comes by tell them to stay away from the area because if they touch the car, they will be electrocuted. You should, however, ask them to call for help for you.
• If help is not coming, you will need to get out of the car. Open the car door, toss a rubber floor mat about three feet from the vehicle, and jump from the car with both feet together and arms crossed landing on the car mat. If you fall back against the car or in any way touch the car you will be electrocuted.
• Once on the car mat, keep your feet together and shuffle away from the car. About 20' around the car could be electrified from the live lines. You don't want to move your arms or feet away from each other because it could create space for the electricity to arc.
• The person who jumped out of the car got into another car and used it to push the car with the victim and other rescuer away from the power lines and electrified area.

Another informative show that again, everyone should watch just so that they will have basic knowledge about what to do during this type of disaster.

A Recent Shooting

A shooting in our city a couple of days ago was disturbing on a number of levels. The people targeted? Uniformed police officers in a marked patrol car. The method? What looked like a professional style hit on a random couple of officers. What was most disturbing? I have seen these kinds of hits on law enforcement officers in a number foreign countries but seldom, if ever, in the US. Of course US officers have been targeted before but rarely so blatantly or so randomly. Here's some thoughts:

• Was it a gang initiation? Often these cases are solved pretty quickly because your run of the mill gang banger is usually more concerned with telling everyone what they did so they can "bask in the glory" of the event...right before they get caught and end up in prison for life.
• Was it a message from a gang that was recently targeted by the police? Seems more likely. The details of the shooting point to people who have done this before and in a particular style reminiscent of Mexican drug gangs that want to make a point by taking out high profile/high publicity targets such as the police.
• Was it just a random shooting? Not likely. People don't randomly target uniformed police officers out of the blue. Doing so is too stupid for words.

What does this mean for us regular people?

• Again it reinforces the need for average citizens to be armed, trained, and to practice regularly. If police officers can be targeted, anyone can be targeted. Anytime. Anywhere.
• Citizens need to be proactive in their community. It was fairly horrifying to read about the 15 year old girl gang raped by a dozen teens last week while a group of people watched and not a single person called 911. If you want a good community you need to be part of the solution. Staying quiet out of fear, apathy, or just to go along with the crowd is a piss poor reason to do nothing and in these cases you create the community you live in so I hope those thugs enjoy their miserable community.
• I could complain about bad parenting, problematic kids, and society going down the tubes but Socrates already did that in 400 BC and people are still blaming society's ills on these things.
• People need to be aware of their surroundings. In this particular case, the shooting was so swift and out of the blue that the officers did not have time to respond. In most places in the US people feel secure in their homes, their cars, and on the streets so they don't take precautions that you would take in, say, Iraq or other war zones. People's awareness ratchets up quite a bit, however, when they perceive that the area they are in poses a threat some how. Situational awareness. Very important.