In prepping, we generally define our prepping levels by the scales of the potential crisis. For example, Jack Spirko at The Survival Podcast created a Disaster Probability Matrix, that begins with the assumption that the larger scale and the deeper the severity of a crisis, the less likely it is to happen. Simply put, you are more likely to become unemployed than to be forced to deal with after effects of a nuclear war. Spirko urges those who listen to his podcast to prepare for the "normal" stuff first, then gradually scale preparations up to be ready for a large scale man-made or natural disaster.
Toward that end, many preppers feel that one of the worst case scenarios we face is either a natural or man-made electromagnetic pulse (EMP) that would disable the electrical grid of the United States and render many cars, airplanes and other everyday products dependent upon electricity and computer control useless. The Blaze has published a short primer video on the danger of an EMP event and its effects on the United States. It focuses on the use of a nuclear weapon to create the EMP, but EMPs can also be generated by the sun. Take a look and understand what "worst case scenario" really means.
Showing posts with label Emergency Planning. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Emergency Planning. Show all posts
Monday, February 8, 2016
Friday, January 15, 2016
Prices Soaring in Canada; U.S. Next?
There is a good story on SHTF Plan regarding the collapse of Canada's currency being reflected in a rise in the prices of basic household goods like laundry detergent, pepper, and fresh vegetables. The collapse of the oil market has crippled Canada's economy and sent their currency into a dive in value.
Because of this, prices of goods, especially imported goods (80 percent of the country's fresh vegetables are imported) have skyrocketed in a short time. This is what a currency collapse looks like.
For Americans, this is a cautionary tale. Our money supply has been expanded by the Federal Reserve to help spur the economic growth we do have. Right now the world is in the process of dumping our dollar as the reserve currency for trade. When that happens, the demand for our dollars drops, and the value of our money will drop as well, increasing prices the way things have gone in Canada.
Stock up now on essential goods to try to hedge against the inflation that is looming in our economy like a shark circling a bleeding swimmer.
Tracking Your Battery Inventory
Most of us rely on batteries every day to power our mobile devices, our remote controls, and other convenience items in our homes. I purchased a home last year that contained battery powered window shades in two rooms and worked via remote control. This required eight AA batteries on the shade itself, and then AAA batteries for the remote controls. Likewise, one of the ceiling fans in our house is remotely operated and requires a small "camera-style" battery for power.
First world problems, right?
The good news is that I have already standardized most of my battery-powered products (flashlights, radios, etc.) to AA or AAA. The only D cell items I use are a pair of Magpul LED flashlights I keep in our two primary vehicles and a Coleman battery-powered lantern. By standardizing around a couple of common sizes I am able to optimize my budget without having to keep track of a bunch of different types of batteries. It's all about simplicity. If I need an Excel spreadsheet to keep track of my battery inventory, I am doing something wrong.
I have been purchasing batteries in bulk from places like Sam's Club. I prefer Duracell, as they have longer lifespans than Energizers in my experience. Lately, however, I am now buying them online, and buying Duracell Procells. While some people contend that the regular Duracells and the Procells are essentially the same performance-wise, I have found the Procells tend last 10-15 percent longer than the regular Duracells. I like the packaging as well - cardboard boxes instead of hard plastic.
Take a look at how you use batteries, and whether you can optimize them around one or two sizes. If you can't you need to work toward that goal. Select flashlights and other devices that can use those sizes. There are even cell phone chargers that can be powered by AA batteries. I have a couple that work well. It also frees you from using a laptop or wall outlet to recharge the backup charger.
You can build your battery stockpile up slowly, staggering the expiration dates and rotating your stock as you use batteries in your home for various devices. The biggest battery hog in any home with a video game system like the XBox series is the game controller. These are powered by AA batteries and tend to go through them quickly. If you have a teen in your house with such a gaming system, make sure you keep a watch on how quickly he or she is burning through your battery supply. Rechargeable battery packs for XBox game controllers are available and would be a good investment to preserve your stockpile.
With a good reserve of batteries, you will be ready to light up the night.
Wednesday, December 16, 2015
Link: Nifty Article On Map Reading
It is amazing to me how many people cannot read a map - even a basic highway map. We have become so dependent on Google Maps, GPS, and our smart phones that most people never bother learning how to read a map.
I grew up in the pre-GPS/smart phone era, and I learned to read maps. My grandfather had an excellent sense of direction, and usually only had to read a map once to remember a route. It was uncanny. I travel through seven or eight counties in my home state regularly for my employer, and after a decade on the job I know at least two or three ways to get to my destination by memory. I still keep a highway map and a topographic map with a compass in my car, just in case.
There is a blog web site, Atlas and Boots, with a great basic post on how to read a map and compass. It's a good primer for those wishing to learn the skill. Most of the time you will have GPS and phone service, but there are certain terrain types - an urban setting filled with high rise buildings, forests, or hilly, mountainous terrain - where cell phone and GPS signals can be blocked by line of sight hindrances. Kills trump gear. Grab a cheap compass and map of your local area and learn how to navigate.
I grew up in the pre-GPS/smart phone era, and I learned to read maps. My grandfather had an excellent sense of direction, and usually only had to read a map once to remember a route. It was uncanny. I travel through seven or eight counties in my home state regularly for my employer, and after a decade on the job I know at least two or three ways to get to my destination by memory. I still keep a highway map and a topographic map with a compass in my car, just in case.
There is a blog web site, Atlas and Boots, with a great basic post on how to read a map and compass. It's a good primer for those wishing to learn the skill. Most of the time you will have GPS and phone service, but there are certain terrain types - an urban setting filled with high rise buildings, forests, or hilly, mountainous terrain - where cell phone and GPS signals can be blocked by line of sight hindrances. Kills trump gear. Grab a cheap compass and map of your local area and learn how to navigate.
Monday, November 30, 2015
Chinese Yuan Expected To Be Added By IMF
From the Guardian:
This is BAD news for the United States. The Chinese have been working for years, playing the long game, to replace the U.S. dollar as the reserve currency of the world. Basically after World War II, we became the world's global bank. Everyone buys goods with U.S. dollars. If the country of Georgia wants Russian oil, they would convert their money to dollars, buy the oil from Russia, and Russia would either hold onto the the dollars in an account or convert it to the Russian ruble.
Because our Federal Reserve has engaged in bad monetary policy to prop up our economy -- printing money, monetizing our debt by buying our treasury bonds with U.S. dollars, which is essentially like paying off one credit card with another -- and because we have ballooned our debt in the last 12 years (and yes, the GOP is to blame as well, the rest of the world is looking to dump the U.S. dollar.
We have flooded the world with U.S. dollars, and now the world is looking to ditch them. What happens when you have a very large supply of a commodity that suddenly no one wants? The value of that commodity plummets. This is called inflation. The price of goods is not going up; the value of the money used to purchase the goods is going down.
Inflation is already creeping into the price structure at the retail level -- look at the cost of meat, bread, eggs, and milk compared to 12 years ago.
If the U.S. dollar is dropped as the world reserve currency, we can expect hyperinflation and an economic crash that is going to make the last recession and the Great Depression look like minor market corrections.
Many countries already have agreements to trade in the yuan instead of the dollar, like Australia and Russia. Essentially, I think the world has come to the conclusion that the United States cannot get its fiscal house in order, and that until we do, they are not going to be tied to a currency that is rapidly depreciating into worthlessness due to our high deficit spending trend and the inability to live within our means. It's what banks do. If they have a customer they consider to be a bad risk, they do not approve the mortgage, credit card, etc.
Most people in the U.S. think the federal government will never run out of money. The truth is we ran out of money $19 trillion ago, and now the consequences of our actions are having systemic, economy threatening repercussions.
The sad fact is that China has its own economic issues and was forced to devalue its currency in August as its stock market crashed. The yuan is far from a sure bet, but at this point a lot of the world may be playing the odds and judging that the dollar is more vulnerable in the long term.
China’s efforts to make the yuan an international currency on a par with the US dollar are to receive a fillip with the International Monetary Fund widely expected to add it to a special basket of global currencies.
Analysts say the shareholders in the Washington-based IMF will vote on Monday to include the yuan, also known as the renminbi, as the fifth member of its special drawing rights currency basket alongside the dollar, the Japanese yen, sterling and the euro.
China has been lobbying for the IMF to add the yuan to its basket of reserve currencies, which it uses to lend to sovereign borrowers. A vote to include the currency in the SDR basket would mark a significant milestone for Beijing, according to experts.
“The direct impact won’t be felt in the near term, not least because implementation of the new basket won’t be until Q3 2016. However the symbolic importance cannot be overlooked,” said Andrew Malcolm, Asia head of capital markets at law firm Linklaters.
“By effectively endorsing the renminbi as a freely useable currency, it sends a strong signal about China’s importance in the global financial markets.”
This is BAD news for the United States. The Chinese have been working for years, playing the long game, to replace the U.S. dollar as the reserve currency of the world. Basically after World War II, we became the world's global bank. Everyone buys goods with U.S. dollars. If the country of Georgia wants Russian oil, they would convert their money to dollars, buy the oil from Russia, and Russia would either hold onto the the dollars in an account or convert it to the Russian ruble.
Because our Federal Reserve has engaged in bad monetary policy to prop up our economy -- printing money, monetizing our debt by buying our treasury bonds with U.S. dollars, which is essentially like paying off one credit card with another -- and because we have ballooned our debt in the last 12 years (and yes, the GOP is to blame as well, the rest of the world is looking to dump the U.S. dollar.
We have flooded the world with U.S. dollars, and now the world is looking to ditch them. What happens when you have a very large supply of a commodity that suddenly no one wants? The value of that commodity plummets. This is called inflation. The price of goods is not going up; the value of the money used to purchase the goods is going down.
Inflation is already creeping into the price structure at the retail level -- look at the cost of meat, bread, eggs, and milk compared to 12 years ago.
If the U.S. dollar is dropped as the world reserve currency, we can expect hyperinflation and an economic crash that is going to make the last recession and the Great Depression look like minor market corrections.
Many countries already have agreements to trade in the yuan instead of the dollar, like Australia and Russia. Essentially, I think the world has come to the conclusion that the United States cannot get its fiscal house in order, and that until we do, they are not going to be tied to a currency that is rapidly depreciating into worthlessness due to our high deficit spending trend and the inability to live within our means. It's what banks do. If they have a customer they consider to be a bad risk, they do not approve the mortgage, credit card, etc.
Most people in the U.S. think the federal government will never run out of money. The truth is we ran out of money $19 trillion ago, and now the consequences of our actions are having systemic, economy threatening repercussions.
The sad fact is that China has its own economic issues and was forced to devalue its currency in August as its stock market crashed. The yuan is far from a sure bet, but at this point a lot of the world may be playing the odds and judging that the dollar is more vulnerable in the long term.
Wednesday, October 14, 2015
Toilet Paper: You don't know what you got 'til it's gone
We have paper bowels and plastic cutlery for eating in a grid down situation when washing dishes might not be possible, and we have tons of paper towels and trash bags in our house, but when I started looking at toilet paper, we were pretty low. Assuming we were bugging in and the toilets still worked, we had enough for perhaps seven days. I made a note to get some more, and indeed I may be taking Amazon up on this deal. That's a lot of wiping right there, and it sure beats a magazine page.
If you have females in the house, how about feminine hygiene products? Do you have enough to last or is it usually a regular on the shopping list? Many times there are discount coupons for those items in local newspapers or online. If you are the man of the house and you are the primary prepper, do some research and figure out what products the women in the house use, discreetly, then stock up. You will be their hero.
What about everyday items like shampoo, soap, and razors? Going to the other end of the house, how is your supply of laundry detergent looking? Sure there are people who make their own, but if you aren't into that, why not stock up? We're not prepping just for the end of the world. What if there is an economic crisis that disrupts the supply chain and the products you want simply are not available?
What other items are sometimes left off your prepping supply list?
Sunday, September 6, 2015
Some More Thoughts on Fear the Walking Dead Episode 102
Spoiler Alert !!!
Fear the Walking Dead is on hiatus in the United States for the Labor Day weekend, so I thought I would go back through into the last episode and touch base on a couple of more preparedness thoughts.
Bug out bags would be very useful in this situation. When Madison calls Alicia from the truck at the beginning and tells her to pack some groceries, the daughter says she can't because she is not home (more on this in my original review). It would have been a lot easier to get out of the city if they had some food and supplies already packed to toss in the truck. Food and water are basics; non-perishable items, bottled water, and a way to purify water are a start. Other items could include:
These supplies don't need to be packed in bags; a couple of storage tubs, easily loaded, could work. The important thing is to developed a good checklist of what you want to prepare and make sure everything is packed.
This is not a small detail. If you are a fan of The Walking Dead you can remember the scene where Rick Grimes rides his horse into Atlanta to find his family. He rides down the wrong side of the road because the outbound lanes are jammed with traffic that was trying to get out of town when the zombies overtook the city. Los Angeles is a major metropolitan area with serious traffic congestion on the best of days. The longer this family waits to get out of the area the longer it is going to take due to the rapid increase in outflow traffic. That traffic will probably contain people low on resources, who didn't plan, and who will look at their supplies with envy. Using nondescript storage totes can provide a degree of camouflage against looters and thieves, but the quicker you can get out ahead of the crowd, the safer you will be.
Extra gas cans filled with stabilized fuel and stored in the garage could've helped as well. The service stations in town are going to go dry quickly in a true public panic, especially if the resupply chain breaks down and tanker trucks cannot get through. If they had stored a couple of five-gallon cans per vehicle, they could put them in the bed of the truck, get out of town on the fuel in their car tanks, and refill outside of the immediate danger area. They would then be able to find a gas station outside the hot zone and refill the cars and spare cans.
Bug out bag resources:
The Preparedness Podcast
Sample Hurricane Evacuation Kit
Ready.gov Sample Kit
Gasoline storage resources:
Off the Grid News
Prepper Journal
Fear the Walking Dead is on hiatus in the United States for the Labor Day weekend, so I thought I would go back through into the last episode and touch base on a couple of more preparedness thoughts.
Bug out bags would be very useful in this situation. When Madison calls Alicia from the truck at the beginning and tells her to pack some groceries, the daughter says she can't because she is not home (more on this in my original review). It would have been a lot easier to get out of the city if they had some food and supplies already packed to toss in the truck. Food and water are basics; non-perishable items, bottled water, and a way to purify water are a start. Other items could include:
- Toiletry and sanitation items like hand wipes, hand sanitizer, soap, female hygiene products, toothpaste, toothbrushes, etc.
- Sleeping bags and cots or a tent in case they need to camp out off the side of the road.
- Flashlights and a good first aid kit, along with extra batteries.
- Cooking equipment such as portable stoves, etc.
 |
| If you wait too long, you'll get stuck in place. |
This is not a small detail. If you are a fan of The Walking Dead you can remember the scene where Rick Grimes rides his horse into Atlanta to find his family. He rides down the wrong side of the road because the outbound lanes are jammed with traffic that was trying to get out of town when the zombies overtook the city. Los Angeles is a major metropolitan area with serious traffic congestion on the best of days. The longer this family waits to get out of the area the longer it is going to take due to the rapid increase in outflow traffic. That traffic will probably contain people low on resources, who didn't plan, and who will look at their supplies with envy. Using nondescript storage totes can provide a degree of camouflage against looters and thieves, but the quicker you can get out ahead of the crowd, the safer you will be.
Extra gas cans filled with stabilized fuel and stored in the garage could've helped as well. The service stations in town are going to go dry quickly in a true public panic, especially if the resupply chain breaks down and tanker trucks cannot get through. If they had stored a couple of five-gallon cans per vehicle, they could put them in the bed of the truck, get out of town on the fuel in their car tanks, and refill outside of the immediate danger area. They would then be able to find a gas station outside the hot zone and refill the cars and spare cans.
Bug out bag resources:
The Preparedness Podcast
Sample Hurricane Evacuation Kit
Ready.gov Sample Kit
Gasoline storage resources:
Off the Grid News
Prepper Journal
Friday, September 4, 2015
ITRH's 7 Pieces of Prepper Advice
In The Rabbit Hole is a fun and informative podcast based on the concept of urban survival. There are usually at least two hosts talking about prepping and current events from a libertarian perspective.
This summer they posted a short episode regarding the seven pieces of advice they wished someone had first told them when they first started their journey of preparedness. It is short, but packed with good ideas.
You can find the podcast here: link. A sample of the information provided:
This summer they posted a short episode regarding the seven pieces of advice they wished someone had first told them when they first started their journey of preparedness. It is short, but packed with good ideas.
You can find the podcast here: link. A sample of the information provided:
- Start all your preps from the most likely to happen personal stuff.
- Buy and or store food and water first before you do anything else.
For the rest of the list, check out the podcast, and look around their excellent site. Be advised, there is some mild language used in some of the podcasts.
Thursday, September 3, 2015
Army Launches Program to Choose New Handgun
The U.S. Army is looking for an updated pistol to replace the Beretta M-9s that have been in use since the early 1980s. According to a story on military.com, this effort first started in 2013.
I have never shot the Beretta, so I cannot testify to its quality or performance. There is a possibility that the bullet caliber may change as well. The really interesting part of the story is that the successful bidder must also be able to provide the ammunition as well:
Just from that, I think the Army is going with a new caliber and will have to dispose of its nine millimeter stocks and replace them with another caliber round.
What does this mean for preppers? Potentially there might be a lot of ball nine millimeter ammunition coming into the civilian market for possibly a very reasonable price, and the new round should still be commercially available because the supplier will ramp up its capabilities to meet the military's needs. It will be interesting to see what priorities make it into the first post-9/11 handgun developed for our military's mass consumption.
The companies involved are Sig Sauer, Glock, FN, Kriss, Detonics/STI International and General Dynamics/Smith and Wesson.
I have never shot the Beretta, so I cannot testify to its quality or performance. There is a possibility that the bullet caliber may change as well. The really interesting part of the story is that the successful bidder must also be able to provide the ammunition as well:
The winner will have to be able to deliver 6,300 full-size pistols per month within a year and 3,000 compact pistols per month with in a year, according to the RFP.Now the pistol amounts I can understand, especially if the Army wants to field the new weapon as rapidly as possible, but 4.4 million rounds per month seems to be a lot of ammo for a downsizing force.
The winning contractor will have to be able to ramp up to delivering 2.8 million rounds of ball ammunition per month within three years and 1.6 million rounds of special-purpose ammunition per month within three years, according the RFP.
Just from that, I think the Army is going with a new caliber and will have to dispose of its nine millimeter stocks and replace them with another caliber round.
What does this mean for preppers? Potentially there might be a lot of ball nine millimeter ammunition coming into the civilian market for possibly a very reasonable price, and the new round should still be commercially available because the supplier will ramp up its capabilities to meet the military's needs. It will be interesting to see what priorities make it into the first post-9/11 handgun developed for our military's mass consumption.
The companies involved are Sig Sauer, Glock, FN, Kriss, Detonics/STI International and General Dynamics/Smith and Wesson.
Saturday, November 9, 2013
Fiction Becomes Reality: Why NatGeo's "American Blackout" May Predict Future
Last month the National Geographic Channel aired a two-hour special called American Blackout that dramatized what might happen should the United States come under a cyber attack that disabled the North American power grid. The program depicted society's gradual descent into chaos as the eastern, Texas, and western grids collapsed when computer hackers managed to crack the systems and insert malicious code into the computers running the grids. In other words, someone gave the electrical companies' computers a virus that crashed them. A link to the program web site is here.
While there was as all the usual melodrama one might expect of such a production, and of course, keeping with NatGeo's "preppers are nutjobs" attitude the one prepper featured makes several key mistakes that jeopardizes his family's survival, there remains one key question: could this actually happen?
The answer is yes. Cyber attacks on government organizations and institutions are more commonplace than we realize. Officials in Mexico, Canada, and the United States are preparing to conduct a simulation called GridEx2 that presupposes a massive grid failure on the North American continent. According to beforeitsnews.com, some officials are worried the exercise might "go hot" and cause real power failures.
The scariest part is that for the purposes of the exercise the participants are no longer working under the assumption that the grid can be brought back on line quickly. According to experts involved, that's simply not true. Americans could be without power for weeks - a lot of Americans.
According to as story regarding the GridEx2 on politcialblindspot.com:
The expert panel that worked with National Geographic for the special estimated that over 300,000 fatalities and financial losses totaling 1.2 trillion dollars would occur in a 10-day nationwide blackout.
How bad can it get? Take this test. Flip the main breaker in your home's electrical panel. Pretend there is no power for a weekend. Just a Friday night and Saturday night. Cut the power back on at 5 p.m. on Sunday and try to live without power.
For a bigger challenge, cut off the water supply to the house at the meter. While much of the water supply to individual homes is gravity fed from large storage tanks, electrical pumps and machinery at the treatment plant still have to fill those tanks. While most facilities have some backup power and resiliency, after a few days generators are going to start running out of fuel. If you are on a municipal or county sewer service that relies on pumps to move the sewage along, count on that to go out as well. If your water is supplied by an on site well, the pump that moves the water needs electricity, too.
How would you fare?
While there was as all the usual melodrama one might expect of such a production, and of course, keeping with NatGeo's "preppers are nutjobs" attitude the one prepper featured makes several key mistakes that jeopardizes his family's survival, there remains one key question: could this actually happen?
The answer is yes. Cyber attacks on government organizations and institutions are more commonplace than we realize. Officials in Mexico, Canada, and the United States are preparing to conduct a simulation called GridEx2 that presupposes a massive grid failure on the North American continent. According to beforeitsnews.com, some officials are worried the exercise might "go hot" and cause real power failures.
The scariest part is that for the purposes of the exercise the participants are no longer working under the assumption that the grid can be brought back on line quickly. According to experts involved, that's simply not true. Americans could be without power for weeks - a lot of Americans.
According to as story regarding the GridEx2 on politcialblindspot.com:
The National Academy of Sciences has warned for decades that that terrorists could destroy the U.S. power grid using EMP attacks. The fact that this has neither happened, nor do we have any public knowledge of such an attack being thwarted is more a testimony to the lack of will amongst enemies of the State, than it is lack of ability.
But former CIA Director R. James Woolsey explained that there are such attempts, but they are not being reported on when they are foiled: “The grid is under attack already, and regularly fending off hacking attempts.”So, the U.S. electric grid is under threat already, and this could happen. The U.S. government is already spending $4.5 billion wargaming a response plan with GridEx2.
The expert panel that worked with National Geographic for the special estimated that over 300,000 fatalities and financial losses totaling 1.2 trillion dollars would occur in a 10-day nationwide blackout.
How bad can it get? Take this test. Flip the main breaker in your home's electrical panel. Pretend there is no power for a weekend. Just a Friday night and Saturday night. Cut the power back on at 5 p.m. on Sunday and try to live without power.
For a bigger challenge, cut off the water supply to the house at the meter. While much of the water supply to individual homes is gravity fed from large storage tanks, electrical pumps and machinery at the treatment plant still have to fill those tanks. While most facilities have some backup power and resiliency, after a few days generators are going to start running out of fuel. If you are on a municipal or county sewer service that relies on pumps to move the sewage along, count on that to go out as well. If your water is supplied by an on site well, the pump that moves the water needs electricity, too.
How would you fare?
Monday, November 4, 2013
Preparedness Review of The Walking Dead Episode 403: Isolation
Spoiler Alert !!!!
Hershel: You take a breath, you're risking your life.
Synopsis: The outbreak at the prison officially spirals out of control, with multiple people becoming symptomatic, including Sasha, Doc S, and Glen. Tyreese becomes aggressive and angry over Karen's murder, and Rick beats him down after being punched while trying to calm him. Hershel brews up an herbal remedy to help the sick while Daryl, Michonne, Tyreese and Bob go on a run to a veterinary college for medicines that will work with humans. Maggie and Beth deal with the fact that their dad is in harm's way and may not survive. Carol admits she killed Karen and David in an attempt to stop the illness from spreading.
Isolation is a story about control. It's about losing control of the infection, trying to maintain control of the prison, and maintaining personal control and calm in the face of horrific suffering. Twelve people have died of the illness and subsequent walker attack; two more have been murdered. Rick surmises that they were killed to stop the spread of the disease.
Tyreese, meanwhile, is inconsolable and filled with rage. He wants blood, and demands Rick immediately find the killer. This leads to a confrontation with Daryl, who keeps calm and tries to soothe Tyreese by explaining that they have all lost someone. When Rick attempts to further calm Tyreese, the bigger man whirls and punches him in the face. Rick's facade of control evaporates, and he beats the admittedly bigger man silly. Tyreese is mad, but he is not naturally aggressive. Rick is used to handling out of control people as a deputy and touches that inner bit of savagery that helped him lead the group last year. Daryl has to pull him off a barely conscious Tyreese.
Most of the survivors in Cell Block D, and some of their rescuers, are now confined to Cell Block A battling the illness that killed Patrick. The rest of the group (Carl, Beth, Hershel, and the smaller kids) quarantined in the administrative block to protect them from the disease. Glen and Daryl are burying the bodies, and the Council is trying to decide what to do next.
Glen and Sasha come down sick, and Hershel says without needed medical supplies, including antibiotics, most of the ill will not survive. There is a veterinary college 50 miles away that might have what they need, and Daryl, Tyreese, Michonne, and Bob (oh great) head out on a run to get the supplies. On the way, they hear a garbled radio transmission and run smack into a massive pack of walkers. There are walkers as far as the eye can see on the highway, and the car gets stuck on a pile of them as Daryl tries to reverse the car to go back the way they came. The crew is forced to make a run for it, and Tyreese, after stewing for a moment, gets out gets starts swinging his hammer for all he is worth. His control is gone, as is his humanity for the moment. This is all about blind rage. Eventually he and the rest of the group link up and they head to the college.
Meanwhile, Carl and Hershel go into the woods to find elderberries to brew elderberry tea, a natural flu remedy. Hershel disperses the tea inside Cell Block A and gets exposed to the illness. He is now stuck inside. Maggie and Beth have a conversation about needing to do their jobs, and both are teetering on the edge of despair knowing their father and Maggie's husband are among those at risk. Beth shows that she is not as hardened as previously thought, but both agree to "do their jobs."
Carol and Rick work outside to get water to the sick, eventually having to go outside the wire to unclog the pump line. Carol went outside by herself, taking what looks like a foolish risk. This leads to a confrontation with more walkers and a narrow escape. We've seen all through the episode that Carol has had moments of breakdown when people are not around. She seems completely in control on the outside, but is obviously conflicted about something. The becomes more apparent after Lizzy, one of the girls she agreed to raise, comes down sick.
Finally, at the episode's end, Rick confronts Carol about the murders. She readily confesses in a matter-of-fact manner. The relative peace the survivors has known is shattered, perhaps for good.
Preparedness Discussion
Sanitation, proper hygiene, and the threat of illness is always a consideration in a survival situation. The illness that swept the prison is suspected to be a form of the influenza virus by the survivors, but truthfully no one knows. There are no labs or ways to test the theory, so Hershel and Doc S are really just taking a guess. These types of bugs can sweep through a facility like this under the best of circumstances -- as a father, I know what happens when an illness hits a modern school -- so there was really no way an outbreak could have been prevented. The surprise is that it took almost a year to happen.
Some basic biology: illnesses like this are caused by either viruses or bacteria. Viruses are smaller than a single cell, and are untreatable by antibiotics. Bacteria are treatable with antibiotics, but only certain drugs are effective against certain microorganisms. Further, some bacteria have developed a resistance to all but the most potent medicines. These drugs come with side effects as well. The Sanford Guide to Antimicrobial Therapy is a good resource for more information regarding these drugs and their effects. Just get a magnifying glass out, as it is printed in a tiny type size.
Let me preface my next statement with the following qualifier: I am not a medical professional. I am not a pharmacist. I have a layman's knowledge of biology, anatomy, and pharmacology. I urge you to do your own research in this matter. Always consult with a medical professional when considering taking a drug of any sort.
Hershel is correct in that many of the drugs used for animals are the same drugs used in humans. Please see this post at truthistreason.net that covers this topic fairly well (again, do your own research). The topic of survival antibiotics has been covered extensively on James Wesley Rawles' Survival Blog here, here, and here as well.
Antibiotics don't automatically turn to poison when a magical date passes, but some drugs, such as the -cycline family, might become toxic (see this post about the hazards of antibiotics). Hershel should know what he is looking at, so hopefully the group can get something to help the situation.
The scavenging group should be looking for saline bags and IV equipment as well. Rick and Carol's constant battle during the episode to obtain fresh water is not just busy work. Patients with fever, vomiting, and heavy perspiration are at risk of dehydration. They should also be searching for fever reducing medications like ibuprofen and acetaminophen, which can help control fevers. Hershel's use of an old herbal remedy deserves mention here as well. Elderberry extract is a traditional flu remedy that has some scientific backing, and in a long term collapse scenario, everything must be considered.
For more information regarding survival medicine, another good resource is the Dr. Bones and Nurse Amy web site, http://www.doomandbloom.net/.
The interpersonal dynamics of the people who are still healthy take front and center throughout the episode. Rick is trending back into a leadership mode, but the brutality that made him so effective earlier last season still lurks just below the surface. Tyreese is out for blood, and refuses to help do anything but find Karen's killer, but when Sasha becomes sick, he realizes that he cannot help his dead girlfriend, but he can help Sasha. Hershel wants to help the sick, and puts himself at risk to do so. At least one third of the the population is dead, with many more sick or dying, and everyone is being tested. People have to do what they can over events they can influence.
Finally, there is the shocker that Carol killed the two in the cells. She admits it as a matter of fact, then moves on. The episode ends on that note, but I am sure it will be explored in the next one. What would you do in her situation if you thought you could save lives by killing two of your group?
This review is already long, but here are a few more observations:
Next week: Rick and Carol go on another supply run. Alone. Last time someone went out alone with Rick he put a knife in Shane's chest.
Hershel: You take a breath, you're risking your life.
Synopsis: The outbreak at the prison officially spirals out of control, with multiple people becoming symptomatic, including Sasha, Doc S, and Glen. Tyreese becomes aggressive and angry over Karen's murder, and Rick beats him down after being punched while trying to calm him. Hershel brews up an herbal remedy to help the sick while Daryl, Michonne, Tyreese and Bob go on a run to a veterinary college for medicines that will work with humans. Maggie and Beth deal with the fact that their dad is in harm's way and may not survive. Carol admits she killed Karen and David in an attempt to stop the illness from spreading.
Isolation is a story about control. It's about losing control of the infection, trying to maintain control of the prison, and maintaining personal control and calm in the face of horrific suffering. Twelve people have died of the illness and subsequent walker attack; two more have been murdered. Rick surmises that they were killed to stop the spread of the disease.
 |
| You won't like me when I'm angry. |
Most of the survivors in Cell Block D, and some of their rescuers, are now confined to Cell Block A battling the illness that killed Patrick. The rest of the group (Carl, Beth, Hershel, and the smaller kids) quarantined in the administrative block to protect them from the disease. Glen and Daryl are burying the bodies, and the Council is trying to decide what to do next.
Glen and Sasha come down sick, and Hershel says without needed medical supplies, including antibiotics, most of the ill will not survive. There is a veterinary college 50 miles away that might have what they need, and Daryl, Tyreese, Michonne, and Bob (oh great) head out on a run to get the supplies. On the way, they hear a garbled radio transmission and run smack into a massive pack of walkers. There are walkers as far as the eye can see on the highway, and the car gets stuck on a pile of them as Daryl tries to reverse the car to go back the way they came. The crew is forced to make a run for it, and Tyreese, after stewing for a moment, gets out gets starts swinging his hammer for all he is worth. His control is gone, as is his humanity for the moment. This is all about blind rage. Eventually he and the rest of the group link up and they head to the college.
Meanwhile, Carl and Hershel go into the woods to find elderberries to brew elderberry tea, a natural flu remedy. Hershel disperses the tea inside Cell Block A and gets exposed to the illness. He is now stuck inside. Maggie and Beth have a conversation about needing to do their jobs, and both are teetering on the edge of despair knowing their father and Maggie's husband are among those at risk. Beth shows that she is not as hardened as previously thought, but both agree to "do their jobs."
 |
| Carol, the new Colonel Saul Tigh. |
Finally, at the episode's end, Rick confronts Carol about the murders. She readily confesses in a matter-of-fact manner. The relative peace the survivors has known is shattered, perhaps for good.
Preparedness Discussion
Sanitation, proper hygiene, and the threat of illness is always a consideration in a survival situation. The illness that swept the prison is suspected to be a form of the influenza virus by the survivors, but truthfully no one knows. There are no labs or ways to test the theory, so Hershel and Doc S are really just taking a guess. These types of bugs can sweep through a facility like this under the best of circumstances -- as a father, I know what happens when an illness hits a modern school -- so there was really no way an outbreak could have been prevented. The surprise is that it took almost a year to happen.
Some basic biology: illnesses like this are caused by either viruses or bacteria. Viruses are smaller than a single cell, and are untreatable by antibiotics. Bacteria are treatable with antibiotics, but only certain drugs are effective against certain microorganisms. Further, some bacteria have developed a resistance to all but the most potent medicines. These drugs come with side effects as well. The Sanford Guide to Antimicrobial Therapy is a good resource for more information regarding these drugs and their effects. Just get a magnifying glass out, as it is printed in a tiny type size.
Let me preface my next statement with the following qualifier: I am not a medical professional. I am not a pharmacist. I have a layman's knowledge of biology, anatomy, and pharmacology. I urge you to do your own research in this matter. Always consult with a medical professional when considering taking a drug of any sort.
Hershel is correct in that many of the drugs used for animals are the same drugs used in humans. Please see this post at truthistreason.net that covers this topic fairly well (again, do your own research). The topic of survival antibiotics has been covered extensively on James Wesley Rawles' Survival Blog here, here, and here as well.
Antibiotics don't automatically turn to poison when a magical date passes, but some drugs, such as the -cycline family, might become toxic (see this post about the hazards of antibiotics). Hershel should know what he is looking at, so hopefully the group can get something to help the situation.
 |
| Tea for two. |
For more information regarding survival medicine, another good resource is the Dr. Bones and Nurse Amy web site, http://www.doomandbloom.net/.
The interpersonal dynamics of the people who are still healthy take front and center throughout the episode. Rick is trending back into a leadership mode, but the brutality that made him so effective earlier last season still lurks just below the surface. Tyreese is out for blood, and refuses to help do anything but find Karen's killer, but when Sasha becomes sick, he realizes that he cannot help his dead girlfriend, but he can help Sasha. Hershel wants to help the sick, and puts himself at risk to do so. At least one third of the the population is dead, with many more sick or dying, and everyone is being tested. People have to do what they can over events they can influence.
Finally, there is the shocker that Carol killed the two in the cells. She admits it as a matter of fact, then moves on. The episode ends on that note, but I am sure it will be explored in the next one. What would you do in her situation if you thought you could save lives by killing two of your group?
This review is already long, but here are a few more observations:
- How are they sterilizing their water? If the group is pulling that water straight out of the pond and drinking it, they should have all died of cholera by now. Likewise with the rain catchment system. It all needs to be boiled.
- All the patients' cell doors should be closed and locked, with Hershel having the key. This controls the threat of walkers via expiration.
- Where is Bob's AR clone from Episode 401? Maybe he realized without a rear sight it was a load. Just like him.
- Hygiene, sanitation, and hygiene.
- Simple infections that are treatable with a dose of antibiotics can kill after a disaster when resources are limited.
- Everyone will be tested in a survival situation, and everyone has to contribute, because there will come a time when the "old reliables" in your group might be incapacitated or dead.
Next week: Rick and Carol go on another supply run. Alone. Last time someone went out alone with Rick he put a knife in Shane's chest.
Friday, November 2, 2012
Hurricane Sandy, The Media, and Personal Responsibility
This morning I am watching Fox News to get the headlines. I really don't like the mainstream media. As a former journalist, with a Master's Degree in the field, I find the blatant bias on display at the national level glaringly obvious, almost to the point of absurdity.
Case in point: This morning, the discussion centered around the lack of fuel for cars and generators in New England. Most of the gas stations are either out of fuel for the pumps or the power is out to the pumps. People are standing in line for hours for gasoline to run generators. Aid is slowly trickling in.
At one point a guest commentator sitting in for Brian Kilmeade says, "Why can't they just get generators and bring them to the gas stations?"
Not a bad idea, actually. This would allow commerce to resume and allow people to get the fuel they need.
"Or why can't they just bring in filled gas cans and hand them out to people?"
You have got to be freaking kidding me. Why should FEMA be responsible for giving everyone fuel for their generators? What kind of crap is that?
There are legitimate needs in New England. Rescuers are still fishing bodies out of the water. People are without food, power, water and sanitation. Communications are down. The infrastructure took a real hit, and it's not going to come back overnight. It never does. The region needs help to recover from the storm, and that help is coming. Repair crews, prepositioned, have been swarming into the area. Water is being pumped out of the low-lying areas of New York City. Medical aid is coming in to help the swamped health care system.
But it's NEW ENGLAND. You get bad storms EVERY winter. If you have the forethought to purchase a generator, why would you not purchase and store fuel as well?
On June 29, 2012, a massive storm called a derecho swept through my state and left most of it without power. We were caught off guard. There was little or no warning of the storm. People went for up to two weeks without power. We learned, and we knew what we needed to do if something like this happened again.
Much of this preparation by myself and others paid off when Sandy came ashore and the rain and flood event in the Northeast became a snow event in our area. Areas of my state saw over 30 inches of snow. But unlike the derecho in June, residents had warning and were prepared this time. And our power grid, much of which had to be replaced in June, suffered much less damage and is being repaired much more quickly, because the power company learned lessons as well.
Preparedness is, at its core, the personification of the concept of personal responsibility. If Hurricane Katrina showed us anything in 2005, it was that if you are waiting for someone to come rescue you, you are going to be waiting for some time. You need to take responsibility for your own wellbeing and safety. The people at the New Orleans convention center discovered this. So did the people at the Superdome. Remember all those wonderful tearjerker news pieces showing starving babies in those places?
Which gets me to what really infuriates me about Fox News. STOP. Stop jumping up and down like an organ grinder's monkey and doing the same garbage the left-wing media did to George W. Bush. We get it. You don't like Barack Obama. I'm not a fan either. Now STOP IT. You aren't helping. You are either for individual freedom and the responsibility that comes with it or you aren't. Your principles and what you tolerate should not change depending on who's occupying the White House.
Keep in mind that everyone knew this storm was coming, just like Katrina in 2005. There was time for people to get out or be transported out if they did not have the means. After all, it is the Northeast, and many people, especially in New York, do not have cars and depend on public transit. Some even chose not to evacuate when ordered to do so. They should be the last in line when it comes to getting aid, and not one rescue worker should not be put at risk saving them. You have a God-given right to be stupid. Don't expect the rest of us to bail you out when you act stupidly.
Then there are towns that won't accept help from out-of-state electrical crews because the workers don't belong to a union. That isn't a joke. Read all about it here.
I really hope the people in the towns that turned down help wise up and vote those jokers out of office. If you can't fix it yourself, you'd better be willing to accept the help you're offered. Perhaps the media will cover that, but probably not. After all, bashing local politicians and their short-sightedness and mismanagement of a crisis is not as sexy as bashing a sitting president. Ray Nagin, anyone?
Case in point: This morning, the discussion centered around the lack of fuel for cars and generators in New England. Most of the gas stations are either out of fuel for the pumps or the power is out to the pumps. People are standing in line for hours for gasoline to run generators. Aid is slowly trickling in.
At one point a guest commentator sitting in for Brian Kilmeade says, "Why can't they just get generators and bring them to the gas stations?"
Not a bad idea, actually. This would allow commerce to resume and allow people to get the fuel they need.
"Or why can't they just bring in filled gas cans and hand them out to people?"
You have got to be freaking kidding me. Why should FEMA be responsible for giving everyone fuel for their generators? What kind of crap is that?
 |
| New Jersey residents fill a gas can. Just one. |
But it's NEW ENGLAND. You get bad storms EVERY winter. If you have the forethought to purchase a generator, why would you not purchase and store fuel as well?
On June 29, 2012, a massive storm called a derecho swept through my state and left most of it without power. We were caught off guard. There was little or no warning of the storm. People went for up to two weeks without power. We learned, and we knew what we needed to do if something like this happened again.
Much of this preparation by myself and others paid off when Sandy came ashore and the rain and flood event in the Northeast became a snow event in our area. Areas of my state saw over 30 inches of snow. But unlike the derecho in June, residents had warning and were prepared this time. And our power grid, much of which had to be replaced in June, suffered much less damage and is being repaired much more quickly, because the power company learned lessons as well.
Preparedness is, at its core, the personification of the concept of personal responsibility. If Hurricane Katrina showed us anything in 2005, it was that if you are waiting for someone to come rescue you, you are going to be waiting for some time. You need to take responsibility for your own wellbeing and safety. The people at the New Orleans convention center discovered this. So did the people at the Superdome. Remember all those wonderful tearjerker news pieces showing starving babies in those places?
Which gets me to what really infuriates me about Fox News. STOP. Stop jumping up and down like an organ grinder's monkey and doing the same garbage the left-wing media did to George W. Bush. We get it. You don't like Barack Obama. I'm not a fan either. Now STOP IT. You aren't helping. You are either for individual freedom and the responsibility that comes with it or you aren't. Your principles and what you tolerate should not change depending on who's occupying the White House.
Keep in mind that everyone knew this storm was coming, just like Katrina in 2005. There was time for people to get out or be transported out if they did not have the means. After all, it is the Northeast, and many people, especially in New York, do not have cars and depend on public transit. Some even chose not to evacuate when ordered to do so. They should be the last in line when it comes to getting aid, and not one rescue worker should not be put at risk saving them. You have a God-given right to be stupid. Don't expect the rest of us to bail you out when you act stupidly.
Then there are towns that won't accept help from out-of-state electrical crews because the workers don't belong to a union. That isn't a joke. Read all about it here.
I really hope the people in the towns that turned down help wise up and vote those jokers out of office. If you can't fix it yourself, you'd better be willing to accept the help you're offered. Perhaps the media will cover that, but probably not. After all, bashing local politicians and their short-sightedness and mismanagement of a crisis is not as sexy as bashing a sitting president. Ray Nagin, anyone?
Tuesday, September 18, 2012
So Where Have I Been?
This marks the first blog post since March for the Couch Potato Prepper. I was in the midst of writing several different posts when unfortunately life happened. We began a pretty substantial home renovation project that still needs finishing, and I took some needed time with family. We were also victims of the massive windstorm that swept through our region on June 29, 2012, and while we were much more fortunate than so many others, we still contended with survival issues.
My plan is to become more active with the blog through the Fall, as I have become more convinced than ever that preparedness is essential to face what is looming around the world both for the United States and the world.
September is National Preparedness Month
September has been dedicated as National Preparedness Month by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). There are so many things you can do preparedness-wise, it's really a year-round effort, here are six things you can do in the 12 days remaining this month to make your home better prepared for unforeseen events.
Most of the suggested items for purchase are relatively inexpensive, but whatever you do, DO NOT USE CREDIT CARDS TO PURCHASE ANYTHING. Live within your means.
1. Get pictures of all your valuables and save them to a flash drive, along with an inventory of all major appliances like televisions, game systems, etc. You should have a manifest of serial numbers with the inventory. Put the flash drive in a safe place like a fireproof lock box and position a second drive with the same information with a trusted family member. Scanned copies of birth and marriage certificates, insurance information, and a file with all your financial web site information should also go there. Use a free encryption program like TrueCrypt to make the information secure.
2. Start copy canning food. If you normally use two boxes of pasta a week, buy three; if you use one case of bottled water a week, buy two. You can increase your food storage for minimal expense over time. Try it this week when you go to the store. This will give you some reserves in case an unexpected expense arises or supply deliveries are disrupted.
3. Buy a dependable flashlight for everyone in the house. Inexpensive alternatives include the Nebo CSI Edge or the Mini-Mag Lite LED. Ensure that you have adequate batteries for three days of use. LED lights drain batteries more slowly.
4. Resolve to never let your car's gas tank fall below half before re-filling it. Not only does this minimize your pain at the pump when you fill up (gas prices are higher than they have ever been), but it ensures that if you have to leave your home or area quickly you can at least get 200 miles or so before filling up. If the power is out or communications lines are down, gas stations won't be able to run their pumps and debit card machines will not be online.
While you are at it, if you can store gasoline safely, buy a five gallon gas can, a small bottle of Stabil, and fill the can with gas and fuel stabilizer. Cost: $15 for the can, $5 for the Stabil, plus the cost of gas. This gives you an extra bump of gasoline. Rotate the can at least once a month by pouring it into your car's tank and refilling it. That keeps gas fresh and viable.
Gas should never be stored inside a home, apartment, or attached garage. A detached outbuilding with good ventilation is preferable.
Why am I fixating on gasoline? Gasoline was an issue during our own emergency last summer. We'll get to that in a later post, but for now, take a look at this photo essay of a highway evacuation after a hurricane. These folks weren't prepared and ran out of gas in traffic. Many thanks to the photographer for posting this.
5. Begin withdrawing $20 from the bank every payday and storing it in a safe place. My recommendation would be to have a minimum of $200 on hand just in case. That amount will get you and your family a room at a cheap hotel for a couple of days and food for about the same amount of time. The cash can go in the locked fire box with your flash drive.
If you can do these six things, you are more prepared than half of the people in your neighborhood.
My plan is to become more active with the blog through the Fall, as I have become more convinced than ever that preparedness is essential to face what is looming around the world both for the United States and the world.
September is National Preparedness Month
September has been dedicated as National Preparedness Month by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). There are so many things you can do preparedness-wise, it's really a year-round effort, here are six things you can do in the 12 days remaining this month to make your home better prepared for unforeseen events.
Most of the suggested items for purchase are relatively inexpensive, but whatever you do, DO NOT USE CREDIT CARDS TO PURCHASE ANYTHING. Live within your means.
1. Get pictures of all your valuables and save them to a flash drive, along with an inventory of all major appliances like televisions, game systems, etc. You should have a manifest of serial numbers with the inventory. Put the flash drive in a safe place like a fireproof lock box and position a second drive with the same information with a trusted family member. Scanned copies of birth and marriage certificates, insurance information, and a file with all your financial web site information should also go there. Use a free encryption program like TrueCrypt to make the information secure.
2. Start copy canning food. If you normally use two boxes of pasta a week, buy three; if you use one case of bottled water a week, buy two. You can increase your food storage for minimal expense over time. Try it this week when you go to the store. This will give you some reserves in case an unexpected expense arises or supply deliveries are disrupted.
3. Buy a dependable flashlight for everyone in the house. Inexpensive alternatives include the Nebo CSI Edge or the Mini-Mag Lite LED. Ensure that you have adequate batteries for three days of use. LED lights drain batteries more slowly.
4. Resolve to never let your car's gas tank fall below half before re-filling it. Not only does this minimize your pain at the pump when you fill up (gas prices are higher than they have ever been), but it ensures that if you have to leave your home or area quickly you can at least get 200 miles or so before filling up. If the power is out or communications lines are down, gas stations won't be able to run their pumps and debit card machines will not be online.
While you are at it, if you can store gasoline safely, buy a five gallon gas can, a small bottle of Stabil, and fill the can with gas and fuel stabilizer. Cost: $15 for the can, $5 for the Stabil, plus the cost of gas. This gives you an extra bump of gasoline. Rotate the can at least once a month by pouring it into your car's tank and refilling it. That keeps gas fresh and viable.
Gas should never be stored inside a home, apartment, or attached garage. A detached outbuilding with good ventilation is preferable.
Why am I fixating on gasoline? Gasoline was an issue during our own emergency last summer. We'll get to that in a later post, but for now, take a look at this photo essay of a highway evacuation after a hurricane. These folks weren't prepared and ran out of gas in traffic. Many thanks to the photographer for posting this.
5. Begin withdrawing $20 from the bank every payday and storing it in a safe place. My recommendation would be to have a minimum of $200 on hand just in case. That amount will get you and your family a room at a cheap hotel for a couple of days and food for about the same amount of time. The cash can go in the locked fire box with your flash drive.
If you can do these six things, you are more prepared than half of the people in your neighborhood.
Thursday, October 13, 2011
Personal Disasters: When YOUR World Collapses
In a previous post, I discussed some of the common emergencies and their levels of scope. Briefly, those emergencies fall into four broad categories (as defined be my after studying the issue):
Who Said A College Education Is Useless?
During my undergrad years, I had a history professor named Dr. Kiernan. He was gruff and opinionated, but brilliant. I was astounded at his depth of knowledge and his ability to deliver amazing lectures time after time with no notes whatsoever. He just walked into the class, grabbed the chalk, and started lecturing.
One time in a European history class, we were reviewing the Industrial Revolution in Europe, and he asked us what the greatest fear was for anyone in the working class. Some thought it was an unsafe workplace, while one student said it was contracting a disease that would make the employee unable to work.
Dr. Kiernan smiled at the student and said she was partially right. The greatest fear of any member of the working class was unemployment. Without the ability to make money, a person in an industrialized economy would be unable to survive.
Unemployment is a prime example of a personal emergency/disaster. As an employee or small business owner, a person has some control over his or her employment status. As an employee you can do the best job you can; as a business owner you can control your expenses and decide how to grow the company.
The problem is that things beyond your control can affect your employment status. I saw this firsthand when my father, after working in the same coal company for over 20 years, was laid off because coal had become simply too expensive to mine in West Virginia due to the age of the facilities and the company's union contracts.
Think it might be better as the head man of your own show? Think again. The U.S. Small Business Administration reports over 50% of small businesses fail in the first five years. Why? What goes wrong?
The answer is a lot: lots of competition, lack of capital, poor credit arrangements, etc. All conspire to stymie the small business owner. A small business owner may or may not get unemployment. Laws regarding unemployment compensation differ from state to state in the U.S., and each has its own rules regarding who's eligible to receive benefits.
So What Happens When You're Unemployed?
1. Your income is reduced. If you have never been unemployed (I have, for two months) you need to know your income is going to go down despite any unemployment benefits you may draw, because unemployment payments are never as much as you were making. Don't forget you can't draw unemployment forever, either.
2. If your health coverage was through your job, you just lost it. Some companies will extend that coverage for an amount of time after you stop working as a form of severance pay, but many won't. In 1986, Congress passed the COBRA legislation allowing employees to continue coverage at group rates for some time, but generally the company doesn't pay any of the premium and you have to pick up the tab. So just as your income drops your expenses increase. If you were barely making ends meet, you are going to start running out of money before you run out of month.
3. Psychological effects: according to a Rutgers University study in 2009, an overwhelming majority of the respondents said they feel or have experienced anxiety, helplessness, depression, and stress after being without a job. Many said they've experienced sleeping problems and strained relationships and have avoided social situations as a result of their job loss.
How Can I Prepare for the Personal Emergency of Unemployment?
1. Get out of debt. I am a big fan of Dave Ramsey and his system for eliminating debt. Our family is working on eliminating debt from our lives. By reducing debt from credit cards, school loans, car payments, etc., we make our money work for us instead of some bank. Mr. Ramsey uses a particular quote from the book of Proverbs (note the top right of my blog; Proverbs is one of the greatest compendiums of wisdom ever written) and I repeat it here:
Take credit cards for example. If you have a credit card with a balance, thanks to a Congressional reform act your company now is forced to place a little chart on your bill that tells you how much money you will spend paying off the balance and how long it will take if you only make minimum payments. There is usually a second line that gives another figure and a payoff of three years. Look at that table the next time you make the bill and note the difference in the total amounts paid. Look at this example I found online. I can think of a whole lot of things I can do with that $4,610 in savings, can't you?
By eliminating debt payments, you reduce monthly bills and increase the likelihood that your reduced income will be able to cover your expenses.
2. Save money. Dave Ramsey has everyone in his program start out with a $1,000 emergency fund for expenses we know might be looming over the horizon - the unexpected medical bill, a car repair, etc. What is more unexpected than unemployment? If you find out after you have been let go you are going to be $300 short every month after unemployment, guess what? You have a three month cushion to keep you afloat sitting in your emergency fund. Ramsey has you accumulate the fund first so that if an unexpected expense comes up you don't have to use a credit card to take care of it. Good idea.
3. Stock up on essentials. I have seen various estimates on how much food is in an average American household at any given time, but instead of quoting that here, I am going to ask you to go into your kitchen the day you read this post and look at what is in the fridge and pantry. Now, don't buy anything else and try to live for five days on what you have on hand. If you live in a typical American home, it should prove to be an illuminating experience.
Stocking up on food is not hard. Jack Spirko at The Survival Podcast has espoused a neat idea called copy canning. Copy canning is simple. Whatever you think you need from the store, double the amount you buy. If you are getting one jar of pasta sauce, buy two. That way you slowly build a surplus of food and other goods like toilet paper, paper towels, soap, etc. Set an initial goal to have two weeks of food on hand, then build to a month, and so on.
How does stocking up help you if you are unemployed? Remember, your income is going to go down. Imagine having six months of food stocked away, and not having a grocery bill while searching for a new job? Talk about relieving the stress of being unemployed!
4. Keep your cars and house in good repair. This minimizes the chances of a catastrophic repair bill while your income is reduced to unemployment compensation.
5. Keep your skill set sharp and be ready to hit the job hunt as soon you find out you are going to lose your job.
These are the basics in preparing for unemployment and a glimpse of how being into preparedness can help you weather your own personal emergency.
- Personal
- Local
- Regional
- National or Global
Who Said A College Education Is Useless?
During my undergrad years, I had a history professor named Dr. Kiernan. He was gruff and opinionated, but brilliant. I was astounded at his depth of knowledge and his ability to deliver amazing lectures time after time with no notes whatsoever. He just walked into the class, grabbed the chalk, and started lecturing.
One time in a European history class, we were reviewing the Industrial Revolution in Europe, and he asked us what the greatest fear was for anyone in the working class. Some thought it was an unsafe workplace, while one student said it was contracting a disease that would make the employee unable to work.
Dr. Kiernan smiled at the student and said she was partially right. The greatest fear of any member of the working class was unemployment. Without the ability to make money, a person in an industrialized economy would be unable to survive.
Unemployment is a prime example of a personal emergency/disaster. As an employee or small business owner, a person has some control over his or her employment status. As an employee you can do the best job you can; as a business owner you can control your expenses and decide how to grow the company.
The problem is that things beyond your control can affect your employment status. I saw this firsthand when my father, after working in the same coal company for over 20 years, was laid off because coal had become simply too expensive to mine in West Virginia due to the age of the facilities and the company's union contracts.
Think it might be better as the head man of your own show? Think again. The U.S. Small Business Administration reports over 50% of small businesses fail in the first five years. Why? What goes wrong?
The answer is a lot: lots of competition, lack of capital, poor credit arrangements, etc. All conspire to stymie the small business owner. A small business owner may or may not get unemployment. Laws regarding unemployment compensation differ from state to state in the U.S., and each has its own rules regarding who's eligible to receive benefits.
So What Happens When You're Unemployed?
1. Your income is reduced. If you have never been unemployed (I have, for two months) you need to know your income is going to go down despite any unemployment benefits you may draw, because unemployment payments are never as much as you were making. Don't forget you can't draw unemployment forever, either.
2. If your health coverage was through your job, you just lost it. Some companies will extend that coverage for an amount of time after you stop working as a form of severance pay, but many won't. In 1986, Congress passed the COBRA legislation allowing employees to continue coverage at group rates for some time, but generally the company doesn't pay any of the premium and you have to pick up the tab. So just as your income drops your expenses increase. If you were barely making ends meet, you are going to start running out of money before you run out of month.
3. Psychological effects: according to a Rutgers University study in 2009, an overwhelming majority of the respondents said they feel or have experienced anxiety, helplessness, depression, and stress after being without a job. Many said they've experienced sleeping problems and strained relationships and have avoided social situations as a result of their job loss.
How Can I Prepare for the Personal Emergency of Unemployment?
1. Get out of debt. I am a big fan of Dave Ramsey and his system for eliminating debt. Our family is working on eliminating debt from our lives. By reducing debt from credit cards, school loans, car payments, etc., we make our money work for us instead of some bank. Mr. Ramsey uses a particular quote from the book of Proverbs (note the top right of my blog; Proverbs is one of the greatest compendiums of wisdom ever written) and I repeat it here:
The rich rules over the poor, and the borrower is the slave of the lender. ~ Proverbs 22:7Debt is cancer. It rots away your finances and your self esteem. Getting rid of debt reduces your outgoing cash flow and allows you to preserve your money to spend it the way you want it. It gives you more resources to conduct preparedness planning and purchasing.
By eliminating debt payments, you reduce monthly bills and increase the likelihood that your reduced income will be able to cover your expenses.
2. Save money. Dave Ramsey has everyone in his program start out with a $1,000 emergency fund for expenses we know might be looming over the horizon - the unexpected medical bill, a car repair, etc. What is more unexpected than unemployment? If you find out after you have been let go you are going to be $300 short every month after unemployment, guess what? You have a three month cushion to keep you afloat sitting in your emergency fund. Ramsey has you accumulate the fund first so that if an unexpected expense comes up you don't have to use a credit card to take care of it. Good idea.
3. Stock up on essentials. I have seen various estimates on how much food is in an average American household at any given time, but instead of quoting that here, I am going to ask you to go into your kitchen the day you read this post and look at what is in the fridge and pantry. Now, don't buy anything else and try to live for five days on what you have on hand. If you live in a typical American home, it should prove to be an illuminating experience.
Stocking up on food is not hard. Jack Spirko at The Survival Podcast has espoused a neat idea called copy canning. Copy canning is simple. Whatever you think you need from the store, double the amount you buy. If you are getting one jar of pasta sauce, buy two. That way you slowly build a surplus of food and other goods like toilet paper, paper towels, soap, etc. Set an initial goal to have two weeks of food on hand, then build to a month, and so on.
How does stocking up help you if you are unemployed? Remember, your income is going to go down. Imagine having six months of food stocked away, and not having a grocery bill while searching for a new job? Talk about relieving the stress of being unemployed!
4. Keep your cars and house in good repair. This minimizes the chances of a catastrophic repair bill while your income is reduced to unemployment compensation.
5. Keep your skill set sharp and be ready to hit the job hunt as soon you find out you are going to lose your job.
These are the basics in preparing for unemployment and a glimpse of how being into preparedness can help you weather your own personal emergency.
Friday, October 7, 2011
Basic Definition of Emergencies
Where do you start with preparedness? For me, the first place I started was by doing a threat analysis. Generally speaking here are the four types of crises or emergencies:
Personal:
Personal:
- Home burns down
- Lose a job or a source of income
- Car breaks down
- Major illness
- Divorce or death of an immediate family member
- Home invasion/mugging
- Flood
- Snowstorm
- Tornado
- Utility outage (power, gas, water, etc.)
- Localized civil disturbance
- Hurricane or other large weather disturbance
- Regional outbreak of illness
- Riots/Civil unrest over a large area
- Wider, large spread utility outage last more than a couple of days
- Suspension of travel due to disaster/government restrictions following an event (see my post here about the movie Contagion).
- Drought/crop failure
- Worldwide pandemic
- Disruption of the delivery of petroleum and other energy sources.
- Large scale weather event.
- Worldwide drought/crop failure
- Terrorist attack with weapons of mass destruction, including the use of an electromagnetic pulse to destroy the electric grid.
- Total societal breakdown
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)