Disease Wrap Up and Hurricane Earl Aug. 30, 2010

Wow!  Lots going on.  I'm going to do a quick wrap up on the diseases, then move on to Hurricane Earl, which is bearing down on the East Coast.


Pandemic

Despite the non-event that the H1N1 Pandemic was, a severe pandemic is a threat that the epidemiologists say is not an "if," its a "when."  If an easily communicable disease that has a high mortality rate appears, one of the only effective methods of stopping it is with a large-scale quarantine.  We can prepare for that in much the same way we prepare for any major SHTF scenario.  Food, water, alternative lighting and power, extra supplies, and the ability to pay expenses with emergency savings.  Jack Spirko refers to this as "disaster commonality."  One thing to stock up on that would set pandemic apart from other scenarios is extra disinfectants, bleach, alcohol gel, etc...


Mosquito-Borne Virus

The West Nile and Equine Encephalitis, among others, seem to be spreading this year.  Since these are transferred by mosquitoes that bite infected animals, then humans, the best prevention is to avoid mosquitoes.  Use mosquito repellents such as sprays with DEET and citronella tiki torches.  Wear long sleeves and pants when outside during the early morning or at dusk when mosquitoes are most active.  Build some bat houses on your property and empty any standing water.  You can also consider some of the high-tech electronic repellents, but I don't have any experiences with those.  If these mitigation methods fail, know the symptoms of what is happening in your area and seek medical assistance if you show them.  Check with your local health department to see what, if anything, is active in your area.


Hurricane Earl

He's currently a Category 4 and bearing down on the East Coast.  The indicators are that he will skirt the Coast from the Outer Banks of North Carolina clear up to the Maritime Provinces of Canada.

If you are in that area, look at your preps and see what needs fine tuning this week.  This past weekend, I cleaned my generator's carburetor and made sure it was running at tip-top condition.  I also cleaned up a bunch of yard debris and took it to the dump.  Today I secured all of our patio and yard furniture either by putting it in the shed, or bungee cording it to the fence.

I've got a very busy week at work, but I will make a quick post each night with Earl updates and a daily prep associated with it.  Fiona is running right behind Earl, so we might get a one-two punch.  Or we might get nothing, in which case my yard is cleaner and my generator runs great.  Either way, I'm ahead.

If anything major changes with Earl during the day, I'll stick a quick post on the If It Hits The Fan Facebook page, so "like" us there and get the information as it happens.