U.S. Senator: Printing Money Will Lead to More Severe Inflation

In an interview with Reason.com, Sen. Tom Coburn explained how the low interest rates and lack of hyperinflation now was a harbinger of things to come:

reason: So looking at low interest rates is missing the larger point?

Coburn: It’s missing two important points. One is that we’re the best-looking horse in the glue factory. The second point is that just because we have low interest rates doesn’t mean they’ll always be low. When you’ve printed $3.6 trillion worth of money—right now it’s printed but it’s not in the economy, it’s sitting on bank assets listings and the Federal Reserve asset listings—what happens is when that money starts moving, when the velocity of that money starts moving, you’re going to see 15, 18 percent inflation. 

So the debt bomb is two things: short-term is deflationary, long-term is highly inflationary. And that has a real meaning to anybody that’s living in our country. If you’re my age or less, and you have socked away something for your retirement, the purchasing value of that goes away.

For the full article, go here.

Think Inflation Is Not Here? Think Again!

Inflation is a function of economics that describes the purchasing power of money.   Generally speaking, the larger the money supply, the less each individual dollar is worth, and the less it can buy.   People usually think inflation means prices on goods and services are increasing, when in reality the value of the money they possess is decreasing.

According to Inflation Data, the inflation rate in September was 1.99 percent, which is very low and on the surface looks good.  If inflation was high, say, over 10 percent like the 1970s, then interest rates on things like cars and housing loans would climb, and it would indicate that the U.S. dollar was very weak. 

Why is this important?  For one thing, the U.S. dollar is THE reserve currency for the entire world.  People buy things like oil on international markets in dollars.  The dollar is in demand even though our own Federal Reserve is creating money out of thin air because of this.

The problem with the "official" core inflation rate is that it does not include food and fuel costs.   The increase in the price of gasoline and other fossil fuels has been well documented in the news, but I have not seen as much in the media about the cost of food rising, until now.

This piece on The Blaze shows just how much prices have gone up for 21 everyday items families might purchase based on data from the Bureau for Labor Statistics.  The  article compares price data from 2002 and 2012, which covers from the early parts of the Bush administration to the Obama administration.

Here are some highlights:

• Eggs: 2002  – $1.03; 2012 – $1.80 or a 73 percent increase
  
• Loaf of Bread: 2002  – $1.01; 2012 – $1.41 or a 39 percent increase
• Ground Beef: 2002 – $2.28; 2012 – $3.69 or a 61 percent increase

This is one of the reasons why in my previous post during National Preparedness Month in September 2012 I urged readers to begin adding to their food stores.  The cost of food is rising! With the Federal Reserve adding further fuel to the inflation fire via quantitative easing, the pressure on the dollar's value is only going to increase.  

There is no doubt food and fuel prices are going to increase. By adding to the amount of food you store in your house now, you are deferring these additional costs into the future and ensure that in a crisis you have the means to sustain your family.

Preparedness Review of the Walking Dead Episode 301: Seed

Spoiler Alert!!!

Rick:  We have to go in there ... hand to hand.

Synopsis:  The group has been on the run all winter, dodging herds of walkers and scavenging as they go.   Rick is desperate to find a safe haven so that Lori can deliver safely.   Despite this, things between the couple are strained.   When the group finds the prison, Rick decides on a dangerous gamble to clear it of walkers to use as a base.

Seed picks up pace-wise from Beside the Dying Fire, Season 2's finale, but several months have passed since the fall of Hershel's farm.  Lori at this point is VERY pregnant, and the group has been on the run since the homestead was overrun by zombies.  

It is interesting to note how hardened and cohesive the group has become.   Gone are the days of keeping the kids and women back while the men deal with the walkers, and endlessly debating courses of action. Everyone who has survived is a soldier now ... even Carl, who has become exactly what Lori feared, a hardened killer.  Even little Beth Greene, who last year tried to commit suicide rather than face what the world has become, is able to muster up the courage to survive this world gone mad.  

Andrea and Michonne (the character with the sword from last season) have been on the run all winter as well.  Andrea is sick, and Michonne has found aspirin for her fever, but despite the illness the former wants to leave their temporary home.   She feels she will die if she doesn't keep moving and fighting the illness.   Of more interesting note are their other traveling companions.  These are two walkers Michonne has disarmed, literally, and de-jawed (I think I just made up a word there).   She uses them like pack mules and leads them on chains.

The episode opens with Rick and company finding and clearing a house of zombies in search of food, only to find a couple of cans of dog food are all that's left.   Walkers arrive, and soon the group is back on the road.  During a rest break Daryl and Rick go hunting and find the prison.  The group penetrates the outer courtyard and clear it.  With the safety of fences and the ability to rest after weeks on the road, Rick decides to clear the inner courtyard and penetrate the prison itself in search of sanctuary.

The phalanx attacks, and Glenn is holding my LMF knife.

The group action is visceral and compelling; they are nearly overrun as guard walkers in riot gear attack, and the group has to figure out how to penetrate riot helmets.  Their superior tactics and aggressive action carry them through;  Rick leads the team in a pre-planned phalanx-style formation that keeps everyone covered and allows them to take the zombies one at a time as they attack piecemeal. 

They find a way into the prison and clear one cell block.  Then, the group gathers resources from the dead guards (flash bang grenades, more weapons, and body armor) and proceeds to search the interior to find the commissary and infirmary.   Stumbling into a herd of walkers in the dark, Maggie and Glen get separated and when Hershel tries to find them is bitten on the leg.   Rick, in a desperate bid to keep him alive, amputates his lower leg before the acute infection can kill him.   The episode ends with more survivors - prisoners who have taken refuge nearby - stepping into the open.

Preparedness Discussion

There is a lot here to discuss.   It is pretty obvious the writers have taken past criticisms into account.  Showrunner Glen Mazzara, who wrote the episode, does a masterful job of showing us rather than telling us what has happened in the months after their exile from the farm.

First, being on the run without a fall back location STINKS on ice.   This group is on the run, out of resources, and running out of time.

In a crisis, you can do two things, stay put or leave.   If staying put, or "bugging in" is not an option, you should have a destination in mind before you leave -- a relative's house out of the danger area, a hotel (with resources to pay for it), or a secondary location if you can afford it.  If you are staying with someone, ask if it's okay ahead of time.   If you are buying a second location like a hunting cabin, etc., make sure it is secure and remote.  This is your safe haven.  

If possible, cache some supplies there ahead of time.  For instance, if your plan is to go to your brother's house two hours away, ask if you can leave a couple of bins of supplies there;   put in some spare clothes, bedding and storage food.  That way, if you show up with just the clothes on your back, you have something to wear and will be able to contribute food to the household.

None of this was possible for Rick's group.  The scope of the disaster is such that there is precious little they could take and very little is left to scavenge.

Secondly, everyone needs to contribute to the group's survival.  EVERYONE.  Note how all the members of our band of heroes helped take down the walkers in the initial penetration of the prison.     Even Carol, the meekest of the group, is in a tower firing an AK-47.  

As parents, we typically try to shield children from harsh reality.  That is a good thing.  The problem is when parents become overprotective.   Kids need to learn how to do some age appropriate things for themselves.  While no one expects a 13-year-old to become a trained killer like Carl has, the fact is there are some practical preparedness skills kids can learn;  how to start a fire, basic land navigation, using tools like knives to enhance survival, etc.

Lastly, group members with irreplaceable skills need to be cross-training others or consideration needs to be given to leaving them in reserve.  Hershel is their only medical resource, and taking him deep into the prison was a mistake on Rick's part.   In my opinion, Hershel should have stayed and Carl should have gone on the mission.   I know Carl is his son, and he wants to safeguard him as much as possible, but losing Hershel puts everyone at risk.

Preparedness Lessons for Episode 301:

• While staying in one's home is preferable, have an alternate location if possible with multiple routes to it preplanned.  Make sure you cache resources there.
• All members of a family or group need to contribute to survival.
• People with skills vital to the continued success of the group should be protected to the extent possible.

Next week:  The group continues to try to save Hershel as they come to terms that some of the prison population survived.   I am sure they were all in there for parking violations.

The Walking Dead Returns Sunday ... Let's Hope They Learned Something.

For readers of my blog (the 12 of you) you know that last season I published preparedness-themed views of AMC's hit TV show The Walking Dead.  My plan is to return to the reviews this season, and hope that our intrepid band of misfits has actually learned something about survival.  

Given their track record, I am not optimistic, but it does make for good television.

Here is a preview of the first episode.

Rest Break

Hyperinflation: The looming threat over us all

British Judge to Burglars: Break Into a Gun Owner's Home, Expect to Get Shot

A judge in Great Britain has informed two career criminals that there would be no leniency in their sentences simply because they were both shot by the person they tried to rob.

The pair had broken into the rural home of businessman, Andy Ferrie, and his wife Tracey in August.   Andy shot both of them with his legally owned shotgun.   The Ferries were arrested and questioned for 40 hours following the incident and released without charges.  

Judge Michael Pert QC, told the defendants, who had pleaded guilty: “If you burgle a house in the country where the householder owns a legally-held shotgun, that is the chance you take. You cannot come to court and ask for a lighter sentence because of it.”

The judge then pointed out that the 40-hour arrest of the Ferries was traumatizing for them as well.

Story Link 

National Preparedness Week - Task Update

Last week I posted a list of items you can easily take care of by the end of September, which is designated as National Preparedness Month.  Here is an update on what I have accomplished.

1.  Copying all vital information and a video and excel inventory to a flash drive in your fire safe.

I have not completed any part of this.  I hope to enlist my son to help me this weekend.

2.  Start copy canning food.

 We did this when we went to the store this week with peanut butter and other stuff that for some reason we only buy one at a time, but we constantly keep on the shopping list because we run out.  We now have a month's worth of peanut butter and other extra foods on hand in the pantry.

3. Buy a dependable flashlight for everyone in the house. 

Accomplished.  We have two new NEBO CSI Edge flashlights and a Mini Maglite LED with plenty of batteries on hand.   One is in my wife's nightstand, the other is in mine, and my son has another in his room.

4.  Resolve to never let your car's gas tank fall below half before re-filling it. Buy a five gallon gas can, a small bottle of Stabil, and fill the can with gas and fuel stabilizer.

I have an additional five gallons of fuel stored and stabilized in my outbuilding, and I have kept the cars' tanks above half.

5.  Begin withdrawing $20 from the bank every payday and storing it in a safe place. 

Done and stored in the fire safe.   That way I can't spend it on lunch on a whim and it is safeguarded from destruction from fire.

How are you doing?

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. 

An Open Letter to the Producers and Writers of the The Walking Dead

Now that Season Two has drawn to a close, I’d like to thank the cast and crew of the show for a great season of television.   This “zombie movie that never ends,” as Mr. Kirkman put it, is better than anything else on TV in my opinion.   Nowhere have I seen the stark realities of survival portrayed quite as vividly, especially the intense psychological stress of a survival situation.  The cast is fantastic.  The production values are high.  The universe you have created is a rich tapestry that revels in the bleakness of its central premise of a zombie apocalypse.

That being said . . .

I have been a regular visitor to some of the bulletin boards maintained by members of the preparedness community where your show is discussed, and frankly, many of us “preppers” are a bit concerned.  There have been instances where characters have taken reckless actions that seem contrived only to advance the plot.   The expanded episode count and pacing of this season have allowed you time to explore more of what living in this world is like, but many times the day-to-day struggle to survive has been perceived by many in the audience as taking a back seat to the character drama (or some would say melodrama).  Preppers are passionate about this show because the zombie premise is a stand-in for so many different types of emergency situations and disasters and your series serves as a primer to the uninitiated regarding what may happen and how to prepare and respond to a natural or manmade disaster.

So here, I humbly submit the following suggestions for you to consider as you break the major plotlines for next season.  Feel free to laugh, cry, or mock me as you stare at your computer screen.  Please keep in mind is that I am passionate because I care.

Make group security absolutely the first concern.  For too long the survivors lived an unguarded and idyllic existence at the farm, and paid the price for their complacency when their stronghold was overrun.  Security HAS to be the first priority.  If you have food and water, but no security, you are at the mercy of walkers or groups like Randall’s friends who want to take it from you.  Once they clear the prison facility of walkers at the beginning of next season, here are some ideas for increasing security.

Lock down the ground floor.  This is similar to what they did at the farm, but the covering of the window needs to be more robust.  It wouldn’t be a bad idea to cinderblock windows and certain doors if there are some on the property.  The design of the prison should help here.  Make sure you have one way in and one way out for new people, and plan routes out of sections so if one point of the prison is overrun, people can retreat to safety.

Get some more guns and ammo.  Locate and lock down the prison armory, if it has one.   Retrieve those weapons and distribute firearms and ammunition to the group.  Everyone should have a gun.  If there is not an armory, then someone needs to retrieve a phone book and find the closest gun store so that the survivors can retrieve weapons from there.  While we’re at it, we preppers sure do hope the next time you find an overrun Army garrison you pick up all the M-4s, M-16s and 5.56 ammunition.  A thirty round magazine sure does beat a six shooter when the zombies come marching.

No one goes outside the wire in less than groups of three.  That way, if one person is injured, two can carry him.  It also allows scavenging parties to carry more.  Hopefully this will keep Lori and Carl out of trouble.  Somehow I doubt it.

Practice noise and light discipline.  Morgan and Duane got it right in the very first episode.  Use blackout curtains or blankets to cover the windows at night.  While we’re on this subject, they should really find a couple more compound bows or even a .22 pistol with a suppressor fairly easy.  It’s Georgia. Lots of people own guns and bows.  Suppressors are legal, and at least one company in the state makes them for pistols.   Get some subsonic ammo and you’re set.  

Once everything is locked down, you can start doing some big time scavenging.

Product Review: NEBO CSI Edge Flashlight

Flashlights are usually one of the first things a person buys when getting into prepping.   Every prepper should have one in their Every Day Carry (EDC) load.   The problem is the bewildering variety on the market that come in all shapes, sizes, and battery configurations.

I am something of a flashlight junkie.   I started years ago with the tried and true D-cell Maglites, but I was always replacing bulbs and the lights are too bulky for EDC purposes. I still have a couple at the house to use in blackout situations and as a self defense club as a last resort.  I have a few Mini Maglites as well, which are smaller, but still have bulb replacement issues. Mostly I use smaller LED lights now that don't use traditional bulbs and make more efficient use of battery power.  One day while I was in a local battery shop to replace a cell phone battery I saw the NEBO CSI Edge Flashlight sitting on a rack at the counter.  Intrigued, I bought it for $9.99, as I had never heard of the brand and I was looking for a smaller EDC flashlight.  Sure I have a Surefire G2 and a P6, but I wanted an EDC that a) used conventional batteries, unlike the Surefire products; and b) could fit in my pocket.

The NEBO CSI Edge fits both requirements.   It delivers 50 lumens with a single AA battery with a total run time of five hours.  The beam extends out to 45 meters, but I almost  never use it to view something that distant.   My everyday use for this light is simply for emergency illumination of my immediate area.  I have used it to move through darkened hallways at my home, church and workplace.  I have used it to search for my cell phone in the car at night.   I have used it to illuminate my key ring when I forgot to leave my porch light on one night coming in from the store.  I even used it a couple of times to sneak into the bedroom while to grab my work shoes while my wife was sleeping (I have to leave for work before she does due to travel times). 

The CSI Edge fits neatly into the palm of my hand with a total length of 3.75 inches.  The construction is rugged and made of anodized aluminum, and includes a scalloped bezel to act as a self-defense edge (the edges have served as an ad-hoc screwdriver several times as well). The light is water resistant;  I once jumped into a pool and forgot I had it in my pocket and it was none the worse for wear.   It also has been dropped on concrete, stone and wood with no ill effects.   If I had one criticism, it would be the metal clip.  Mine broke.  Up until that point I had used it to clip it to a hat brim at night and onto a shirt pocket.  I am really hard on clips for pens, etc., as well. 

Overall, I would recommend this product for an EDC carry or for an emergency kit.   I have had the light for a year now and I am satisfied with the performance.  I plan on getting one for each car.  Just don't try to use the clip to put it on a sun visor. That is how I broke mine.

Preparedness View of the Walking Dead Episode 213: Beside the Dying Fire

SPOILER ALERT!!!


Rick (to the group):  "This is not a democracy anymore!"


Synopsis:  A massive herd of walkers overwhelms the farm, killing Jimmy and Patricia and scattering the group into the woods; Rick comes clean with what Dr. Jenner told him at CDC, and that he killed Shane, causing Lori to draw away from him.  The group is on the run, without resources, and low on ammo.   A new character is introduced, and a possible safe haven is teased in the last shot of the season.


Newbie out front:  This walker did not die during the summer.

Beside the Dying Fire is the payoff episode many preppers were looking for because of vocal criticism of how unprepared the farm really was to repel walkers.  The episode opens with an group of small walkers following a helicopter in the distance.  The herd picks up members as they ramble across the countryside heading in the general direction of the helicopter.  They walk for days, weeks, and finally mill about in a patch of woods until the sound of Carl's gunshot draws them in.  This is literally an all-consuming herd.  It is also interesting to note that many of the walkers are newbies; some are dressed in warm clothes like jackets, sweaters, and vests.   They didn't die during the sweltering summer and it may be that Randall's group of 30 guys with automatic weapons met with an untimely demise, since Maggie said the herd came from the direction of the highway and Randall said his group was camped just off  the highway.  That would render the entire debate about killing the young man moot.

T-Dog, Lori, and Beth escape.

Rick and Carl are still walking away from Shane's body  while the rest of the group digests the fact that Randall turned without being bitten, and immediately are put to flight by the oncoming walker swarm.   They flee to the barn while the rest of the group arm up and try to herd the walkers away from the barn.   Rick and Carl set fire to the barn with walkers and themselves inside, hoping to distract the herd and warn the others.   Daryl has Jimmy drive the RV around to pick them up, but in the process the RV is overrun and Jimmy is consumed.   Rick and Carl escape the barn and make it to the house in time to save Hershel, who is on the verge of being overwhelmed by the attack despite having the largest shotgun magazine tube in history (he must have fired 10 or 12 times during one sequence before reloading.  Here's a tip:  directors need someone in the edit bay who knows something about guns).  Lori notices Carl is gone and freaks, and the girls agree they have to leave.   As they run to the truck where T-Dog (who was forced to leave Andrea and Carol surrounded by walkers) is parked, Patricia gets taken.  Carol is about to be consumed when Daryl rides in to pick her up.  Andrea is cut off after a dead walker falls on her.  Maggie and Glen retreat after almost being overwhelmed by walkers in Shane's Hyundai (where he hid the ammo the group now needs).

Eventually, the group returns in dribs and drabs to an ad hoc rally point - the car where they left supplies for Sophia.   Andrea retreats through the woods with walkers in trail. They mourn their dead. They also learn that Shane is gone.   The farm belongs to the dead now. 

The group finds some breathing space and begin to recount how Randall reanimated without being bitten, and Rick confesses that back at the CDC Jenner told him they are all infected; regardless of how they die, everyone will eventually turn.   Rick also confesses to Lori that he killed Shane, and that he wanted Shane dead to "end it."

Lori's upset reaction prompted a lot of  eye-rolling.   She is mad at Rick.  Really?  She set this in motion.  She has been whispering in Rick's ear about taking care or Shane like Lady MacBeth, and she screwed up Shane in the last episode and prompted his descent into madness.  I hope Rick finally sees her for who she is.

The rest of the group begins to openly question Rick's leadership, causing him to explode, tell them he killed Shane for them and offer them a chance to leave.  When no one does, he informs them that this is no longer a democracy and from now on he will lead as he sees fit.

Andrea runs out of ammo and goes hand-to-hand.

Meanwhile, Andrea is on her last legs in th woods, out of ammo, and out of luck.  She is about to be overtaken when a stranger kills the last walker with a large sword.  Oh, and the stranger, whose face is never shown, is dragging along two walkers with missing arms and mouths by chains.  The last shot of the episode shows a prison facility in the distance.

Disussion

This episode did some things right and some things wrong from a preparedness standpoint. Rick's earlier decision to place the cars where they were easily accessible paid off, and the group did their best under the circumstances.  The attempt to herd the walkers was the right one;  they didn't have the ammo or the fortifications to hold off that big a horde.

 In other ways, the survivors' preparations were completely inadequate.   Two-way radios would have helped the group coordinate the defense.  They are plentiful and the local sporting goods store probably stocked them along with much needed ammunition. There should have been more standoff defenses, like a deep vertical trench to trap walkers that could have been constructed from a commandeered backhoe, and stout fencing close to the house to form a redoubt.   Likewise, there should have been supplies loaded in the cars and EVERYONE should have had a bugout bag.  They had no designated rally point; everyone just happened to show up on the highway. The cars should have stayed topped off with gas.  Given that they had collected a ton from the abandoned cars on the highway per previous episodes, that was a huge oversight.

They also could have done some more offensive things, like luring walkers into abandoned buildings in town before herd got there and burning them down like the barn.   They also could have dug some large pits with a backhoe near the highway, tossed in some wood, planted a boom box in there with the volume up, and once it was full dump in gas and light it.  The highway was the most likely avenue of attack. 

During the debate, Maggie remarks that no place is safe, and they could all be overwhelmed again by another herd.

Maggie:  "Look what happened with the farm.  We fooled ourselves into thinking it was safe."
Hershel: "We won't make that mistake again."

Finally someone realizes how poorly defended the farm was from the beginning.   Maybe Hershel's remark could serve as Patricia and Jimmy's epitaph.

Preparedness Lessons from Episode 213

• Two-way radios are vital tools in a crisis situation.  
• Without ammunition, a gun becomes a very expensive club.
• Most people will stay in place when an emergency occurs unless there is a mandatory evacuation order from the government, i.e., during a hurricane or flash flood.   We should make our homes secure and safe as possible.  Sure, we could all go live out of a bugout bag for a week in the woods, but if we don't have to, why should we?
• It may be necessary for us to bug out (leave home because it is no longer safe).  If that happens, every family member should have a bugout bag, even small children.  Keep at least a quarter to a half a tank of gas at all times, and store at least enough extra gas (if you can safely do so) to top it off without going to a gas station. For instance, my Toyota Tacoma four-wheel-drive has a 21 gallon tank.  I can typically fill it up from a quarter tank full with 15 gallons, so I store 15 additional gallons in five gallon cans in a secured outbuilding.
• Drill your family or group on what to do in a bugout situation. They should know what to grab and how to get out of the house.  Designate a rally point on the property for everyone to meet in case of a fire, etc.
• Have a rally point that everyone knows in case your family or group gets separated. If you can cache some supplies there in advance, it wouldn't be a bad idea.  How easy would it have been to throw some water, beans, rice, extra ammo, blankets and cooking utensils in one of the abandoned cars on the highway, covered the stuff with a tarp, and locked it up?  You could have gotten an SUV started, gassed it up, and hidden it to the side.  Cache the keys in a hiding place just inside the woods and you have a vehicle and supplies.

What's next?  Stay tuned as I post an open letter with preparedness tips to Robert Kirkman and Glen Mazzara next week!

Preparedness View of the Walking Dead Episode 212: Better Angels

 SPOILER ALERT!!!


Rick (to Shane): "Damn you for making me do this Shane.  This is you, not me.  You did this to us!"

Synopsis:  Shane and Rick's conflict finally boils over into lethal violence, with Shane plotting to kill Rick and Rick finally seeing that he can no longer turn a blind eye on a man who was once a brother but now is a threat to him and everyone in the camp.  It's about time.

This may come across as a rant, but honestly, I spent so much time yelling "FINALLY!" at the screen Sunday night I feel like I have to address some core preparedness issues.

Better Angels finally shows that yes, this tattered group of survivors might actually deserve to survive.  The group realizes that if a walker can get into their inner sanctum near the farm to kill Dale, they are not as safe as they once thought. The group makes many prudent preparations "just in case:"  The tent dwellers are moved into the house, and cars are positioned to make a quick getaway; observations posts (OPs) are established on the windmill and in the barn loft to give early warning; the basement is stocked with siege provisions and the windows of the lower level are boarded up; and Shane leads a patrol around the property to check fences and put down a group of seven walkers feasting upon a dead cow.

Chris Rock gets a shovel to the face.

It's about bloody time.   For too long these people have been living like there was nothing out there threatening their existence.   The farm's isolation lends itself to building a false sense of security.  The problem is that this land is not that far from a highway, and from a town we know is now overrun with walkers.  All that rotting mobile flesh has to go somewhere.

That's another problem I have with the preparedness of this group.   The town is now full of walkers, and there is no way to get in to get the drugs out of the pharmacy or (gasp) find a sporting goods store to resupply with ammunition.   They have been going through an awful lot lately, and with Shane hiding mags and boxes of pistol ammo in his car in Judge, Jury, Executioner, it's bound to be getting thin.  Winter is coming, and without scavenging canned goods and other needed items from the town and surrounding farms people are going to starve to death.  This may all be moot given how the episode ended, but we'll discuss that in a second.

The episode starts with Rick's speech over Dale's grave about unity, and how the group needs to live up to its dead friend's ideals, is a good one.  Telling also is the fact that the captive Randall is still alive and Rick plans to take him further out and cut him loose ... with Daryl.  This is a huge turn in the relationship between Rick and Shane.   Shane so far has been tolerated because he is Rick's partner and has a ton of survival skills.  He gets stuff done when Rick cannot, until last week, when Daryl took Rick's gun and put Dale out of his misery.  There is a really nice beat between Rick and Daryl on the porch when they discuss the latter's actions:

Rick: "That thing you did last night ..."
Daryl:  "Ain't no reason you should do all the heavy lifting."

Sometimes less is more.  That simple exchanges spoke volumes between the two;  Rick knows he can trust Daryl, and Daryl is coming into his own as a group leader.  Daryl also subtly lets Rick know that the conflict between him and Shane is destructive to the group as a whole when discussing the trip to drop off Randall.

Rick:  "You okay with this?"
Daryl: "I don't see you and I trading haymakers on the side of the road.  Nobody'd win that fight."

Ouch.

Then we have Lori going up to Shane and apologizing for shafting him once Rick came back in a conversation that indicates she still has unresolved feelings for him.  Great.  Just when Shane is getting his head screwed back on straight.  She messes him up again.  At this point it is really difficult for me to believe she was not doing this somehow on purpose.  Not to sound sexist, but given that her kid slips out pretty much all the time and gets into trouble (last week he went into the swamps and freed the walker that killed Dale; this week he sneaks out of the house at night to find his dad) you'd think she's keep her focus on what's important.  Like making sure her kid is not out somewhere causing trouble.  One could say the same of Rick, but I don't think he trusts Shane to do the right thing anymore about anything, so he is going off the property more and more.

Carl and Shane:  two damaged people.

Speaking of Carl, he confides to Shane that he was responsible for Dale's death and hands Daryl's gun back.  Shane confronts Rick about it, and tells the father that he needs to attend to his son's needs before taking Randall off the property.  Once the scene between Rick and Shane ends at the porch, it's pretty obvious that this is not going to end well. Rick goes to talk to Carl about his actions, and hands him back the gun so that his son can defend himself.   Rick says that he is going to have to grow up because of the world they live in now.

One could say the same thing about the adults in the group.  This episode was supposed to be about restoring hope.   Instead it's about the end of innocence for everyone on the farm.

Shane finally decides to act on his desire to get rid of Rick.  He takes Randall into the woods and kills him, then smashes his face to act like the boy knocked him out and escaped with his gun.  He and Rick take one search area, and Daryl and Glen head off in another direction.  The search goes on into the night.   Daryl and Glen find and kill a zombified Randall, whose neck is broken but is otherwise undamaged.  He was not bitten, so how did he reanimate?

Zombie Shane approaches Rick from behind.

Shane and Rick keep plowing through the woods, with Rick growing more suspicious all the time, until finally they stop in a field.  Rick tells Shane he knows what is happening, and Shane goes on a tirade, calling Rick weak and telling him he had no idea how to keep his family safe.  Shane tells Rick that they will get over his death.  After all, they've done it before.  Rick talks in a soothing voice to Shane and slowly hands his former partner his gun.  As Shane, who is visibly calmed,  reaches down to take it, Rick draws his knife an brutally stabs him in the chest.  Shane dies in the arms of his former friend.   Later, Rick is sitting beside the body and Carl shows up.  Shane and Rick walked in a huge circle in the dark and ended up on a few hundred yards from the house.   As father and son approach each other, Shane reanimates despite not having been bitten and Carl shoots him, saving his dad.

I can't say I blame Rick.  The conflict between the two was never going to be over as long as Lori was still in the picture.   Shane had many good, practical ideas for the survival of the group, but his jealousy of his friend drove him to to obsession and violence.

I was shocked that the "good guy" managed to take Shane off guard and suck him into a trap.  There is a lot of dark stuff loose in Rick's head as well it seems.  It's also interesting to me that the hothead redneck Daryl Dixon has kept his stuff wrapped tighter than a couple of upstanding police officers. 

We're about to see if all those preparations around the farm are going to pay off, because the episode ends with a massive herd of walkers hearing Carl's shot and moving to attack the farm house.  The question is:  how did Shane and Randall reanimate?  It has been a hard and fast rule that bites kill you and infect you, so what has changed?  

Preparedness Lessons for Episode 213:

• The time to gather resources is before the zombies (or unprepared normal people) stampede into town.
• Have a defense plan for your bugout location.  If you are bugging in, start talking to like-minded neighbors about community security before something happens.
• If you think you might need to bug out, stock some supplies in the vehicle.  If you don't want to keep it in the vehicle, put a couple of quickly-loaded plastic bins in a convenient location.  If you travel long distances to work, put together a bailout bag with essentials to get you home.
• There are people out there, even in your circle of trusted associates, that are untrustworthy.  Stop talking and start listening.  They will usually reveal themselves. 
• You might be forced to do some bad things to survive.  Know what your limits and abilities are BEFORE the crisis hits.
• Don't be like Shane; if everyone in the group has to keep giving you the benefit of the doubt, pretty soon they are going to doubt your benefit.  

Next week:  Walkers overtake the farm like a wave breaking on the shore?  Who will survive?  Who will perish?  And will Carl sneak out again?  Season Three has been green lighted for sixteen episodes, so someone has to live. 

Preparedness Review of The Walking Dead Episode 211: Judge, Jury, and Executioner

 SPOILER ALERT!!!


Rick (to Dale): "He's a threat."

Synopsis:  Dale pleads the case for civilization, but it mostly falls on deaf ears;  Carl tries to show just how tough he is, and indirectly causes the death of Dale.  Daryl steps up to become a leader.

Judge, Jury, Executioner

It's tough to write a preparedness-themed review of this episode.  The human drama on display here is on par with great works like 12 Angry Men.  The issue at the central core of the show is what makes us human, and what this world does to the characters that forces them to compromise their humanity.  I cannot think of a better episode that displays this theme than Judge.

Dale

Dale has been the odd man out for most of the season, constantly being outmanuevered and outflanked by Shane and others as he sought to be the moral center of the group.  In this episode Jeff DeMunn's acting prowess is on full display as he pleads for the life of Randall.  He's unsuccessful, and one wonders if he would pack up in his RV and leave had he survived another episode.

He has a point.  If they were going to kill the kid anyway, why in the world did Rick go to the trouble of saving him if they were going to end up shooting him?  The group wasted valuable medical resources and potentially compromised their group security.  

Carl

Dude, really?

I just have one thing to say:  What does it say about camp security and the the security of their arsenal if the 12-year-old can wander unseen out of camp, grab a .45, get tangled up with a walker and LOSE THE DARN GUN!!!!  I know it is a cruel, hard world, but as the potential future father of humanity, you might want to keep tabs on the kid.    Not that this kid minds.  The fact that he was cheering his dad on to shoot some guy in the head speaks volumes about how far this group has moved from a group of humans trying to survive the Apocalypse to a hard, broken band of people threatening to tear each other apart.

I honestly don't know what is worse, the walkers or the people.  At least with the walkers you know what you've got.

Daryl

Mercy killing:  Daryl puts an end to Dale's suffering.

Daryl is all business.  Randall has to die, and he is okay with it.  He was okay with Shane shooting Otis, pointing out to Dale that he didn't believe Shane's lie for a minute since Shane returned with Otis' gun.   I was wondering when someone was going to mention that detail.  There was a very quick scene right as Dale was attacked that showed Randall in the barn, strung up, with Daryl sharpening a knife.  It appeared as if he was about to take care of the job for Rick when the walker attack went down.  I don't know if this show has room for two Colonel Tigh-type personalities.  Also note that it is Daryl who shoots Dale at the end of the episode instead of Shane when Rick falls apart.

So what are we left with, preparedness-wise from this episode?  First, the group is running low on ammo as expressed when Andrea goes rummaging through the gun bag.  Also, it's getting colder, and Rick and company are going to have to move of the tent city soon.  They'd better get cracking on grabbing food out of the town and the surrounding houses before a big freeze or vermin ruin it as well.

Finally, there has got to be improved security.  If a walker can just traipse through the meadow and attack Dale and that cow, they are in for a rude awakening.

Preparedness Review of The Walking Dead Episode 210: 18 Miles Out

 SPOILER ALERT!!!


Rick (to Shane): "It's time for you to come back."

Synopsis:  Rick and Shane take Randall out to leave him to his fate, only to nearly get killed when their conflict erupts in violence;  Beth hovers between life and death as she considers the future and the grim struggle for survival that lies ahead.

18 Miles Out finally brings the Shane vs. Rick conflict to a head.  A week has passed between the events of the previous episode, and Rick has decided to let Randall, their former assailant, live.  He and Shane drive 18 miles out to an abandoned municipal complex where they plan to leave the young man tied up but within crawling distance of a blade and some basic supplies for survival.

Randall gets dropped off ... until he admits he knows Maggie.

On the way to the drop-off, Rick pulls off and he and Shane have a frank discussion about the latter's questionable decisions and his romantic pursuit of Lori.   I am not going to go into detail regarding the discussion except to comment on the way Shane, when confronted, confesses to it all: shooting Otis at the high school to survive, his love for Lori, and his regret - which seemed very genuine  - that he betrayed and hurt his best friend.   Rick forgives him and tells his partner that from now on Shane needs to consider Lori, Carl, and his unborn son off limits.   He also tells him that he, Rick is in charge, not Shane, and that the only way they move forward together is if Shane accepts that.  With the matter seemingly settled, the journey continues.   Rick and Shane find the complex they are looking for, kill a couple of walker zombie deputies (who noticeably have NOT been bitten) and prepare to leave Randall behind.

That is, until Randall shouts out that he went to high school with Maggie and knows Hershel Greene, which means he knows where the farm is, and knows how to lead his group back to the farm, which compromises the group's operational security.  Rick and Shane eventually get into a fight regarding whether to kill him or not and end up inadvertently releasing a small group of walkers from a nearby building.  Neither man has a firearm, having lost them in the fisticuffs, and thus have to run for their lives.  Shane ends up trapped in a bus, and Rick dispatches three zombies after finding his Colt.  Randall gets lose and joins in on the zombie-killing carnage.


Preparedness Observation - Assuming

We're all wondering what the CDC guy told Rick back in Season One?  I think that he told him the virus has mutated and everyone has it.  No matter how you die, you still reanimate.  My proof lies in the foreshadowing with the two deputies with no bite marks, and the fact that back in Episode 9, when Rick shot the two guys in the bar, he made sure to put a bullet in each of their heads.

Richard Marcinko, founder of Seal Team Six, wrote a book on leadership several years ago where he talked about the sin of assumption.  There are various religious connotations to that phrase, but Marcinko was talking about strategic planning and operational procedures.  Marcinko stated that assuming things are always going to be the same way just because they always have been the same way is a recipe for failure.  We must adapt to changing conditions or perish.   I have a feeling that Rick Grimes is keeping that little secret because he knows how devastating to his group's morale it will be.

As preppers we have to understand that things might change, and change drastically, when a crisis occurs.

Meanwhile, Back at the Farm ....

Beth is talking and pretty much tells Maggie she wants to kill herself.  Andrea says they should let her make the choice, but Maggie and Lori will hear none of it.   Andrea and Lori also have a conversation about some of Lori's choices and how everyone she loves most is still here but everyone else has had to bury their dead.   It's a standout performance from the actors that makes you realize while people still have confidence in Rick, Lori isn't exactly a favorite among the group.  Ultimately Beth chooses survival, but only after trying to cut her wrists with glass.


Shane Gets A Dose of his Own Medicine

Shane pushes the door shut while awaiting rescue.

Back at the drop point, Rick is tempted to leave Shane to his fate.   For a moment it looks as if it he is going to pile Randall back in the car and take off.   Then he sees the bodies of the two deputies and changes his mind.  With Randall driving, Rick shoots several walkers at the bus and Shane jumps out of the back door and into the open window of the Hyundai.  Once safe, they toss Randall back into the hatchback and drive back to the farm.  Rick admits they will probably have to kill the boy, but he just can't do it without having thought it through some more.   Shane still thinks its foolish to keep him around, but bows to Ricks judgment.  After all, the guy just saved his life.

Preparedness Lessons for Episode 210:

• Operational security and keeping your bugout location hidden may force you to make some tough choices - like whether a skinny kid lives or dies.
• Leadership has to be well-defined in group survival, and everyone has to accept it.
• Never commit the sin of assumption.
• Be careful when you write someone off; someone may do the same to you.
• Be ready for all seasons.   During the episode Rick commented that the group had to get ready for winter, and before the zombies showed up they scavenged 20 gallons of fuel and the weapons of the dead officers at the county compound.  They need to get serious about raiding pharmacies and grocery stores to get supplies into a safe, warm location before winter's cold causes canned food to freeze and burst.  They need warm clothes, shoes, and MORE ammunition.  Point of note:  there was a fire truck at the compound.  I hope they thought to look for fire extinguishers, fire axes, and a neat little entry tool called the Halligan bar.  Not only is it good for getting into buildings, it could be a heck of a melee weapon.   See Adrian's Undead Diary, a zombie fiction online journal, for some examples.

A final note:  Shane said that when the zombie outbreak started, it was just a couple of weird stories on the news, and within two weeks the hospital was being overrun as depicted in the sixth episode of the first season.  You'd like to think that maybe things would have held together a bit longer than that.  It also means that there should be a lot of supplies laying around as most people were probably overrun fairly quickly. 

Preparedness Review of The Walking Dead Episode 209: Triggerfinger

Spoiler alert!

Hershel (to Shane): "Do us all a favor and shut up."

Synopsis:  Rick, Hershel and Glenn have to fight their way out of town after confronting friends of the men Rick killed.  Lori gets herself out of a jam.  The group is split over a new arrival.

There are so many times I wanted to cheer during this episode; then there were other times I was unnerved at the Machiavellian manipulations on display.  Triggerfinger is at times full of sound and fury, but the quiet beats of the story when guns aren't blazing make for some compelling television.   How much preparedness information will we be able to glean from the screen? Let's take a stab at it.

Hi, I'm Glenn, but my friends call me The Load.

Rick is becoming harder and more heartless in this world of no quarter.  He killed the pair at the bar in the previous episode, but he hesitated to kill the other who showed up looking for them.   There are a few reasons why he would do so;  he'll kill when he has to, but he realizes there are precious few enough living humans to go around.   Also, having just seen Glenn, a.k.a. the guy who stands with a shotgun and does nothing while his friends are being threatened by thugs, freeze up in action might make one think he was the only gun that was going to be in that fight.  I tend to think it was the latter.   Rick would never call him on it directly, but the way Glenn refused to look at him after the shooting told the tale.  He knows he screwed up, Rick knows he screwed up, and now Rick has doubts where previously there were none. 

Hershel, in the meantime, has made his peace with his earlier reluctance to kill even walkers and grabs a weapon to defend himself.   He doesn't always agree with Rick (witness the look he gave Rick when the deputy tried to deescalate the standoff outside the bar)  but he knows what needs to be done.

This gets back to the survival mindset.  In a survival situation, you have to consider paths of action that you might not take in normal times, and in Hershel's case it appears he has followed and old saying from the foothills of Appalachia where I grew up:  you might as well get to doing it, because you've got it to do.  My grandmother told me that right after my grandfather died.  Family members were going to take turns staying with her and she turned them down. She was a strong woman.

In a survival situation, there can be no doubt.  You have to be able to count on the other members of your party to follow through.   Anything else could spell doom for the entire group.  Weapons training is not the same as combat, just as putting down walkers is not the same as shooting real people.  In a real-world situation where you have to defend yourself, unless you are trained and experienced in such situations, you are going to freeze, if only just a little bit, and do that "not me, not now, I don't want to do this" debate in your head.  Shane and Rick need to teach these folks how to cover each other and clear urban terrain.

You can't go wrong with face.

Outside the bar, it's Walkerpalooza.  The gunshots have attracted a large crowd of walkers (the town seems infested now) and one of the gunmen, wounded by Hershel, ends up being consumed up close and personal.   Another falls from a roof and gets impaled on a wrought iron fence, and the third bugs out in a truck.

Rick wants to try to save the dude on the fence, while Hershel, who has just witnessed walkers take down the other thug he shot, suggests shooting him so he won't have to endure being eaten alive.  Rick talks him into attempting an amputation, and the group is assaulted by walkers until finally Rick turns and yanks the leg off the stake in a fit of desperation.

I have some real qualms about Rick wanting to save the guy. I realize that every life is precious now, but this guy was shooting at him a few seconds before.  Then again, this was the Rick who went back for Merle Dixon ...

While I'd like to think I would try to save the guy, in my heart of hearts I probably would have shot him in the head and jumped in the truck.  Sorry, but this was a three way battle between walkers, thugs and our intrepid band of heroes, and I know who I am rooting for.

Really?  Are you that stupid?

On the other hand, I was almost rooting for the walkers out on the highway.    Lori has some serious issues.  Not only does she take off without telling anyone, she takes no backup, and doesn't know where she is going.  She has been taken care of for so long in this environment by Shane and Rick that she forgets just how dangerous the world can be.  

That being said, she drops the two walkers who attack her pretty quickly, including using the old blade in the eye trick pioneered by Andrea and the good ol' .38 round to the head trick pioneered by ... just about everyone else.  It's nice to see that another female besides Andrea can take care of herself.  I just wish she'd think a bit more before she did stuff that put her in positions like this.   Preparedness isn't just buying guns and food;  it's about saying "what if" and avoiding situations that could be life threatening as well.

Lori's disappearance leads Shane on a one-man rescue mission (as only Shane can do) to find her, and he lies to her and tells Lori that Rick and crew are already back at the farm.  This leads to a confrontation between the two that reinforces a couple of points for me:

• Way back in the series premiere when Shane asks Rick how he and Lori were doing, it wasn't just idle curiosity.  He wanted her back then, even before the dead starting walking around eating people.   And all his sexual conquests were ultimately worthless because the one woman he wanted he couldn't have.  
• Lori still has unresolved feelings for Shane and she doesn't want to deal with them.

What does this have to do with preparedness?  Not much on the surface, but it is a direct result of a dysfunctional group dynamic caused by supposedly intelligent people making very bad decisions the pressure of a survival situation.  And that has everything to do with it.   These characters need to start thinking about the repercussions of their actions in a world where the snap of a twig underfoot could make the difference between life and death.  There is a mental state called normalcy bias, and these people have a bad case of it since coming to the farm:

 The assumption that is made in the case of the normalcy bias is that since a disaster never has occurred then it never will occur. It also results in the inability of people to cope with a disaster once it occurs. People with a normalcy bias have difficulties reacting to something they have not experienced before. People also tend to interpret warnings in the most optimistic way possible, seizing on any ambiguities to infer a less serious situation.  ~ Wikipedia

Daryl has done the oh so smart thing and retreated way from the others, moving his tent away from them and withdrawing from even Carol.  Sure, he's tough, but he has to sleep sometime.  Ask Ed Peletier about that. Actually, you can't, because he was eaten by walkers while sleeping in a bloody tent.

The group's cohesion is further strained over the decision to bring Randall to the farm and treat his leg, then send him on his way.  Fans wondered what would happen to the group after the search for Sophia was over, and now we know.  Whatever force of hope that bound them together in the hunt for Sophia is long gone.  Things are falling apart, and no one appears able to step up to put the pieces back together.  In fact, Dale is actively helping things along by his continuous (and cowardly) attack on Shane's support in the camp.  The poison pill he fed to Lori in the last episode finally bore fruit at the end of the episode this week, when Lori, in a scene reminiscent of Macbeth, tries to convince Rick he has to get rid of Shane, because Shane will never stop coming after her.  It was unnerving to watch her behave in such a ... conniving way.   She channels into Rick's protective instincts and what is probably his unspoken yet understandable desire to confront his friend about carrying on with his wife in his absence.

No good is going to come of this.  

Preparedness lessons for Episode 209:

• Groups of people have to stick together in a survival situation and be able to count on each other when the chips are down.
• Just owning a gun is not enough.  You have to have the will to use it to defend yourself and other, and have training in its tactical application if possible.
• DON'T GO OFF BY YOURSELF.  There should be a group of three minimum when outside the fence.  
• Normalcy bias can kill.
• Sometimes group cohesion unravels because of the stress of the crisis; sometimes it is by design. You need to think hard about how to prevent it.  Either live together or die apart.

 Next week:  More walkers, Maggie threatens Andrea, and Shane and Rick finally have it out.

Preparedness Review of The Walking Dead Episode 208: Nebraska

Spoiler alert!

Rick (to Hershel): “This isn't about what we believe anymore.  It's about them.”

Synopsis:  The camp divides into Shane vs.  Rick, with Shane getting an early lead on the balloting.   Sophia's death hits home; and the show sets a record for the shortest guest star stint in television history.

Nebraska picks up right where the last episode left off, with Rick killing a zombified Sophia and the group shocked by the discovery that she was in the barn all along.  There are two themes here that merit the attention of those who are preparedness minded.  First, in a crisis situation there is a good chance that someone you care for is going to get injured or possibly die.  Secondly, despite this tragedy, you are still in a survival situation and survival activities must continue.

 For Hershel and his family, the "Barnmageddon" massacre of the walkers is a wake-up call.  While Maggie has seen the light regarding the true nature of the undead, the rest of the group blindly followed Hershel's belief that somehow they could be restored.   Only Shane's action of shooting a walker multiple times without any discernible effect is able to convince them that these people are no longer people.   

In any disaster, especially a long-term one, there will be a tendency on the part of some to assume that eventually life will return to normal.  Most of us believe emergencies are short term.  Ask the city of New Orleans about that.   Katrina and the resulting levee failures ripped the guts out of a major metropolitan center in the United States, and the area still has not fully recovered.  

On the day this episode premiered, I woke to find the the water shut off in our house.  I quickly realized the cold had frozen the pipes and over the course of the next ten minutes, using a hair dryer, I was able to thaw them and get the water going again.   I had addressed this problem previously by adding an electrical heat tape to the section of pipe prone to freezing and had wrapped the pipe with foam insulation.   For whatever reason a portion of the insulation had come undone and been pulled away from the pipe.    Once the water was flowing I repaired the insulation issue.   Then I began to think about how easily the expanding frozen water could have caused the pipe to burst, and my minor inconvenience would have been a major problem coupled with and emergency call to a plumber.   I also realized that my stored water was outside in my outbuilding and probably frozen solid.    And what if the water outage was caused by a city pipe bursting due to the cold?   I need to take a serious look at this side of my preps.

She's not dead dead, she's mostly dead.

But I digress.   The Greene clan now gets to mourn properly for people they should have rightfully capped and buried long ago.  Hershel's wife and stepson are among the bodies, and just as Dr. Greene's step-daughter goes to her mother to mourn her, we get the meaning of the "Double Tap" rule from the movie Zombieland; never go near a hazard, like a supposedly dead walker, without lots of caution and the proper equipment, like a gun. 

On the other side is Team Rick, who have had more brushes with death than they care to remember.   Glenn tells Maggie that they've lost people before, but that losing Sophia is different.   In a way, I understand that.  Sophia and Carl are the only "kids" left.  If the children can't be kept safe, can the safety of anyone be assured?  Carl's matter of fact statement regarding Sophia being put down is a chilling testament to just how hardened this group has become to death and gore.  Is it any wonder that Hershel regarded them with caution?  Is it any wonder that he wants Shane away from his family?

Shane, T-Dog, and Andrea do their grisly dirty work.

While the characters deal with the implications of the actions at the barn, T-Dog and Andrea point out that these folks ain't gettin' any deader, so the mess has to be cleaned up - Annette, Shawn and Sophia get graves, while the rest of the bodies are burned in a pyre.   (Point of note:   Lori mentions more walkers could have heard the gunfire.)  Once again we see Shane just getting stuff done, all the while defending his actions to Dale and Carol. 

The graves are dug, the service, awkward yet poignant, is held, and the bodies of the other walkers are burned.  Hershel and Rick both have their own crises of confidence as Rick realizes his snap decision to leave Sophia in the woods led directly to her death and Carl's shooting, and Hershel realizes that there will be no cure, and that the world as he knows it has ended.  Hershel seeks solace in self pity and the bottom of a bottle, while Rick occupies himself with finding Hershel to help Beth who has collapsed post-massacre into a catatonic state.  (Another side note:  my son believes she got scratched when her mom - now a corpse - attacked her.) 

There is a fundamental problem with how the survivors retreat into separate corners after the service; sure some people need space to grieve, but in a situation like this, someone should have been watching Hershel and Carol to make sure they didn't slip off.   Hershel is the only darn medical help anywhere to be found, and they left him alone?  I guess it could be chalked up to everyone tending to what happened and what needed to be done, but Hershel Greene is maybe the most rare commodity left in this post-Apocalypse world.

Rick gets his Shane on.

And it is still a dangerous world.   Lori plays walker-tag and ends up flipping her Mercury Sable driving into town to find Rick by herself without knowing where she is going and without telling anyone where she went, thus creating yet another  missing person to find. Rick, Glenn and Hershel run into two nefarious refugees, Dave and Scrawny Tony.  These two pump the trio for information about where they are holed up, how many are in their party, and whether they have room for more refugees.   Rick and Hershel obviously see right through the nice act and stonewall the pair, noting how disrespectful and vulgar they behave.   The tension builds, with the strangers maneuvering around the bar to cover Rick and the others without actually pointing a weapon at them, until Rick gets the drop on them and  shoots them first.  It's an act of violence that shocks Glenn and Hershel and shows just how far Rick is willing to go to protect his own now.

Here is a scenario all preppers have to face:  at some point, you may have to defend yourself against people who mean to do you harm, take your resources, and pee on your body when they are done.  I once heard a commentator remark that in New Orleans  it took only four days for a major U.S. city to descend into anarchy, and how we would like to think the veneer of civilization is a little thicker than that.  How far are you willing to go to defend your family, your neighbors, and your resources?  If you think prepping is just about stocking guns, ammo, and food, think again.  It's a mindset.  It's a determination to defend your right to live and survive even when all the odds are against you.

If you are looking for a lot of hope, you won't find it in this episode except for the fact that Maggie admits her love for Glenn to him right before they leave the farm to find Hershel.  Glenn has always been a scrappy survivor.  Now he has something to fight for, and I look forward to seeing how this plays out.

Preparedness lessons for Episode 208:

• Realize what your most precious resources are and take steps to safeguard them; this includes people with valuable skills.
• Realize there is a good chance that someone in your group is going to be injured or die;  you have to work to prepare yourself for that eventuality and work on dealing with it before it happens.  It could be something as simple as making sure everyone stays busy to take their mind off the person for awhile until the emergency is resolved and people get the change to grieve outside a survival situation.
• The emergency is just one thing that puts you in danger.   Rogue groups can be more dangerous.  Treat all meetings with strangers as potential hostile encounters.  Approach with caution and use someone in an overwatch position to cover you.  Think, if Glenn had been hidden behind the bar instead of poking around listening to Rick and Hershel, maybe that scene could have ended with the newcomers still alive.
• When discussing matters with strangers, practice operational security - a topic about which Glenn knows nothing.  During the bar scene he was an open book.