This new series on TV, "Jericho," has got me thinking -and I'm probably not alone. Would I be ready if I suddenly had to defend my home from nuclear fallout? Would I be ready if the bird flu started transmitting human to human and began marching across the country? Am I ready for a winter blizzard that knocks out the power and isolates us for a week or more?
In all honesty, I think I kind of am. I have food and water (which I rotate), I have bleach and garbage bags and duct tape and medical supplies, I have copies of our important documents should we have to evacuate... I try not to over-react, but it can't hurt to be prepared. But one thing I have been wondering about is plastic sheeting. In "Jericho" (yes, I know it's just a TV show) they put up plastic over the windows and doors and things to keep out the fallout. I just wonder what kind of sheeting is acceptable for this sort of function. Will saran wrap do, or a shower curtain, or what? And where would I buy such sheeting? Is it the same thing people put over their windows to keep out the cold, or something more? And where would I buy it?
Do I sound paranoid? Maybe a little. I'm not a gun-toting survivalist, but I figure maybe having some plastic sheeting out of the way under the basement stairs wouldn’t really hurt anybody.

Emergency Planning is not paranoid – however preparing for everything can make you that way.

When the government issued the advice to get plastic and duct tape they were only “doing something” to “ease the fears”. Plastic and duct tape isn’t going to help you in most scenarios, in fact while you are busy fussing with the plastic and tape you are most likely being poisoned or killed by whatever you are trying to seal up the house from. The government further failed you in that they placed importance on what to seal on the wrong thing. Windows and Doors are already sealed – in fact if you have weather stripped your doors and have double pane windows no amount of plastic and tape is going to seal them any better.

If you are an energy aware consumer and have already taken steps to mitigate energy losses through sealing up the problem areas of energy lose (windows, doors, electrical outlets, blah) then you already have put up your plastic and duct tape. If you are really paranoid, or really wanting to save energy, then you need to foam in around the conduit (electric cable) into the house, the plumbing into the house. If you have a cellar with an open ceiling (where you can see the plumbing and stuff) look to see the huge gaps between pipes and structure of the house – that hold more potential for letting in nasties than your windows and doors.

Now days this falls under energy awareness, there are positive pressure tests you can have done where a fan is put at your front door, the door way sealed and a person walks around with a smoke pot puffin out smoke and following it to where air leaks are – most often the leaks are around electrical outlets and switches, the stove vent, the bathroom vent and around pipes and fixtures.

Diseases:

Bird flu if it does become a pandemic it will most likely travel the same vectors that other flus take: http://www.cdc.gov/flu/protect/habits.htm is more than enough to protect you from a flu virus. If everybody washed their hands, covered there mouths/noses when coughing/sneezing – stayed at home when they got sick, the transmission of the flu would be far less than it is.

Small Pox: Smallpox transmission is a risk of prolonged social contact, direct contact with infected body fluids or contaminated objects. It, like the cold and flu can be passed on by sneezing/coughing. So once again if we stay away from the infected our chances of contracting it is lower.

In fact most diseases are transmitted similarly and are easily kept from getting by staying away or covering your mouth/nose and/or washing your hand frequently. Malaria, West Nile Virus, Sleeping Sickness, etc are transmitted through insects that bite/suck blood – by preventing insect bites (DEET) you reduce the risk of contracting those. Knowing the vectors of disease and making it a habit to maintain control over those vectors will prevent a lot of ills, and it is sound advise for the common cold and flu which can strike at any time and although won’t kill you (usually) they are something you don’t want to have.

If (Lord forbid) somebody releases Small Pox through aerosol spray – you wouldn’t know about it until the first cases went to doctor/hospital. By that time if you were exposed no amount of plastic and tape would protect you – you would have already been exposed unaware of the exposure until too late.

If you are concerned that your home is a target for chemical/nuclear attack, then do like the Israelis do. They have a closet or small windowless room sealed up – in case of a terrorist strike where chemical/nuclear agents are suspected, they run into that room and shut the door.

David, you are so smart. Can you just come live inside my brain and whisper to me all the things I ever wanted to know?

I don't think any home is prepared for a nuclear attack unless they have a fallout shelter or room. Then when they come out, there's nothing there for future living conditions. I wonder sometimes is it worth trying to survive? Okay, I'm okay, I'm just talking reality. There's more to living than 'breathing'.

I'm prepared for common disasters like blackouts, blizzards etc.

quote:

Originally posted by honilov: I'm prepared for common disasters like blackouts, blizzards etc.

And that's what people should really focus on. It's true, a fallout shelter would be the best protection. I'm mpre concerned about planning for likelier events, but it never hurts to know more.

If we went to a Nuclear war. There is no ammount of time that can get you prepared. Aparently, we would be instantly annhilated and we wouldn't feel a thing.
Sucks that the world has came to this huh.
The sadder part is that it really is only a matter of time. It could be any day now.
It sucks.

quote:

Originally posted by SeattleRon:
The sadder part is that it really is only a matter of time. It could be any day now.
It sucks.

Thanks for cheering us all up Ron!

quote:

Originally posted by honilov:
I don't think any home is prepared for a nuclear attack unless they have a fallout shelter or room. Then when they come out, there's nothing there for future living conditions. I wonder sometimes is it worth trying to survive? Okay, I'm okay, I'm just talking reality. There's more to living than 'breathing'.

I'm prepared for common disasters like blackouts, blizzards etc.

Hm. That is true in a all out exchange like the threat we lived under during the USSR/USA arms race. In that case please let me be at ground zero quick and painless....

Today we live under a single "terrorist" nuke, or worse the dirty bomb, which is a conventional (chemical) bomb that is laced with radioactive material.

Even though we are aware of the potential of a dirty bomb I fear that most agencies (police, fire, blah) are not toting around geiger counters to check.

Living downwind of such a blast would most likely mean you just want to leave - go far far away and never return.

It would be like living down wind from chernobyl...

PS. You actually don't want me living in your head I come with way too much baggage

Oh, believe me, there's plenty of room. Not much going on up in there.

there is no race. A race to what. Who can kill another country first?
It's sad. Sad, sad as hell that it's come to this. Our governements are at a race to try to be the top dogg. All I can say is there is a race as to who can make the most money, and we are all innocent victims amongst this race.
All our governments suck ass. trust me...

I know you are going to think I"m wack, but watch.....

quote:

Originally posted by SeattleRon:
there is no race. A race to what. Who can kill another country first?
It's sad. Sad, sad as hell that it's come to this. Our governements are at a race to try to be the top dogg. All I can say is there is a race as to who can make the most money, and we are all innocent victims amongst this race.
All our governments suck ass. trust me...

I know you are going to think I"m wack, but watch.....

Back in the cold war a new anagram was invented: MAD – Mutually Assured Destruction.

The “theory” was that a nuclear war between USSR and USA could not be fought because if one started both would lose both would be destroyed. Thus the thousands of nukes being built and put on top of missiles were insurance policies that would prevent the other from launching a first strike.

The “race” was to see who could build the most bombs the fastest. The race was to MAD.

Today new countries (Pakistan/India) are starting a similar race – the nuclear race is one to see how fast each side can build up its stock pile to insure peace through dread of MAD.

I understand your dislike of governments, my personal belief is that we need to round up all the politicians and remove them from power – sadly its like cutting off the head of the Hydra, each time one is removed two more take its place.