Wine Making
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Preparing For a Widespread Disaster
   
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There are at least seven global or widespread disasters that
seem likely to occur at sometime in the future. A large asteroid
hitting the earth is one of those seven. It is generally
accepted by scientists that asteroids have struck the earth in
the past causing widespread damage. It is believed that
asteroids will continue to collide with the earth every now and
then. Maybe every sixty million years a big one comes along that
is large enough to have a global effect on survival of earth's
living things. The chances of such an event happening in a
particular person's lifetime are tiny. But that tiny chance is
there.
It is unpleasant to consider such terrible things. But the best
attitude, it seems to me, is to ignore, to a very large extent,
the unpleasant feelings that the topic causes. That allows a
person to consider what might be done to increase the chances of
surviving a disaster. No way can a person be fully prepared. And
since we cannot know just what is going to take place, it may be
an exercise in futility. But you never know, simple basic
preparations could bring you through some calamity.
And why not take the attitude that your efforts and interest in
such preparation is something to feel good about. Those efforts
can be fun and interesting. The topic certainly grabs my
attention better than a Hollywood movie. By doing what I can to
become prepared, I am doing something that could dramatically
make my life much more pleasant should I be involved in a
catastrophe. Disaster preparedness is an interesting and
enjoyable hobby that could pay off big-time. Knowing that all
the benefits of modern life are not necessarily a given, is a
reason for enjoying them more.
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The seven possible widespread or global disasters:Twin Falls Economic Report done by me; Twin Falls, ID has potential for additional car washes, Detail Centers and mobile washing units. Twin Falls has enough water in their reservoirs to make it .....
1). Very large volcanic eruptions. Hugh volumes of gas and dust
could spread around the globe. There is some evidence that these
have occurred before. Doesn't that mean that it could happen
again?
2). An epidemic. There was the flu epidemic of 1918 that killed
30 million people worldwide. There was the plague that killed
about one fourth of Europe's population in the Dark Ages.
Viruses and germs are known to mutate and change. They may
become resistant to vaccines and medications, become more
deadly, and become more contagious. Viruses and other pathogens
could mutate into virulent forms that could spread rapidly
around the world by people using air travel.
3). Crop failures due to plant diseases, climate change, or
ozone depletion.
4). Climate changes including global warming and the effects
that might come with it such as extreme heat, drought, and
severe storms.
5). Nuclear war.
6). Terrorist act which could bring about widespread effects.
If, for instance, a nuclear device was detonated in Washington,
D.C. and another wiped out Wall Street, the effects could be
unpredictable and could include economic depression, anarchy,
shortages of consumer goods, and war.
7). Something unexpected. A disaster could be caused by a
completely unknown event. It is unreasonable to think we are
smart enough to be aware of all threats that could bring
catastrophe.
There are many other plausible scenarios for widespread
catastrophes. These include such things as a large solar flare
that shoots out radiation and charged particles toward the
earth; an object such as a black hole passing close to the
earth; and a technology accident such as a genetically modified
organism being released into the environment.
In recent years vast quantities of methane gas have been
discovered on the sea floor where the water is very deep and in
places where the water is very cold. It is believed that global
warming or earthquakes could cause the methane to be released
perhaps suddenly and in massive quantities. Methane is explosive
and could displace oxygen causing suffocation.
Below are some things you can do to be better prepared for
emergencies.
Store food and water: About a gallon of water a day per person
is a reasonable goal. How many days worth is anybody's guess -
you have to use your own judgment about what is practical for
you. Know where to get water if your standby supply runs out.
Water of unknown purity should be boiled at least 3 minutes to
kill any pathogens. If boiling is not possible add 16 drops or
1/4 teaspoon of household bleach per gallon and let stand at
least 30 minutes. Smell the water. If it does not have a slight
bleach odor, repeat the process. Use bleach that contains
nothing else other than water and 5.25 percent sodium
hypochlorite. Bleach is most effective for killing bacteria but
is not effective against parasitic organisms.
Choose long storage food such as canned goods, dry food such as
nuts, seeds, beans, and grain products in plastic or glass
containers. Most dried beans will need to be soaked and cooked
before eating. Examples of dried beans that can be eaten after
soaking and without cooking include split peas, mung beans,
lentils and black-eyed peas. Wheat and corn can also be soaked
and eaten without cooking. Peanut butter and vegetable oil are
good choices because they are calorie rich, long keeping and
require no preparation. Canned meat provides protein and
requires no cooking. A multi vitamin will help with adequate
vitamin requirements.
Keeping warm: The colder the climate where you live, the more
important this is if the electrical power fails or you are
forced to leave your home. Have enough heavy clothing and
blankets in your home to keep you warm. Have ready to go to put
in your car such as in a garbage bag: at least two changes of
clothing that will keep you warm, a sleeping bag or a couple of
blankets, gloves, knit hat, and sturdy shoes.
First aid kit: The most important items may be soap for washing
a wound, an antiseptic ointment, and bandaging.
Tools and supplies for short-term emergencies: Flashlight and
batteries, candles, matches, can opener, soap, battery-powered
radio and batteries, face mask for filtering the air you breath,
Tools and supplies for long term emergencies: all of the items
above for short-term emergencies plus the food items listed
above plus: long lasting led flashlight, wind-up flashlight,
wind-up radio, unscented 5.25 percent sodium hypochlorite bleach
for purifying water, sturdy knife and sharpener, salt, grain
grinder, food storage containers, shovel, blankets, rifle and
ammunition.
Tools and supplies for your car: gallon of drinking water,
blanket, extra clothes (sweatshirt, long underwear, boots,
socks, gloves, hat), compass, rain gear, battery-powered radio
and batteries, long storage and light-weight food, maps, siphon
(20 feet plastic tubing, 1/2 inch diameter), gas can, wrenches,
pliers, screwdrivers, portable light. Long-term and extras:
bleach for purifying water, shorts or swimsuit, tube tent (or 10
by 10 tarp, cord), ground moisture barrier, closed cell foam
sleeping pad, sleeping bag, insect repellant, sunglasses,
sunscreen, soap, knife, backpack, duct tape, cord (i.e., seine
twine, parachute cord, masons' twine).
Have a short-term plan: Discuss with your family how everyone
will get home if their usual transportation is not available. If
the phone systems are operating, one person could remain at home
to take and relay messages. Have a place in mind in case you
need to relocate to a different geographic area. Plan how to get
there and what you will take along. If you believe you are not
enough prepared, decide how to become so.
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extra batteries. A wind-up radio not requiring batteries could
be used if the power is off for an extended period. Emergency
alert radios might receive broadcasts in a long-term power
failure where the backup generators for am/fm radio stations
have run out of fuel.
If situations develop so that longer-term solutions are needed,
you will need other strategies. You may have to hunt for and
gather food from the wild. Very long-term collapse of the
present supply chain would require that you become
self-sufficient in mending and making your own clothing. You
might have to construct a shelter using basic tools and basic
materials. The scope of this article does not allow for
discussions of what you would need to know to survive extended
collapse of society into how it was a couple of hundred years
ago.
If you would like to learn more about disaster preparedness and
related topics some of the following links might be helpful.
American Red Cross
Terrorism Preparation Materials
Dealing with terrorism and natural disasters of less than two
weeks duration. Some of that info would be helpful at the first
part of a long-term disruption.
www.redcross.org/pubs/dspubs/terrormat.html
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
Public Health Emergency Preparedness and Response
Has a little information on nuclear radiation treatments and
effects, avian flu and other diseases, the effects of hot
weather on the body.
www.bt.cdc.gov/
American Red Cross
Food and Water in an Emergency
Brief guidelines for storing and using food and water for
short-term emergencies.
http://www.redcross.org/services/disaster/beprepared/foodwtr.html
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
Heat Wave: A Major Summer Killer. An online brochure describing
the heat index, heat disorders, and heat wave safety tips.
www.nws.noaa.gov/om//brochures/heat_wave.shtml
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
Extreme Cold: A Prevention Guide to Promote Your Personal Health
and Safety. Planning to avoid problems caused by exposure to
short periods of unusually cold weather.
www.bt.cdc.gov/disasters/winter/guide.asp
Index of other articles at same site:
www.cdc.gov/az.do
National Aeronautics and Space Administration
Update on the Spaceguard Survey and on Asteroid Apophis
Schweickart Proposes Study of Impact Risk from Apophis (MN4)
A couple of articles on issues concerning a specific asteroid
that has a small possibility of striking the earth in 2036.
http://impact.arc.nasa.gov/
Investigate Magazine
Late, Great Planet Earth
Describes the effects of an asteroid hitting the earth, evidence
that it has happened before, odds of it happening again, and
what should be done about it.
www.investigatemagazine.com/mar3ast.htm
NewScientist.com
Climate Warning as Siberia Melts
This describes one factor that can accelerate global warming.
www.newscientist.com/article.ns?id=mg18725124.500&feedId=online-n
ews_rss20
Toronto Globe and Mail
Civilization Could End in a Giant Methane Belch
The vast quantities of methane hydrate in ocean sediments could
cause what would otherwise be a gradual increase in global
temperature to become a faster and greater increase.
http://www.gasandoil.com/goc/features/fex34681.htm
Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution
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Abrupt Climate Change: Should We Be Worried?
Global warming can cause abrupt regional climate changes that
cool or dry continent-size areas of the earth. Such changes
could occur in as little as a decade.
www.whoi.edu/institutes/occi/currenttopics/climatechange_wef.html
Independent Digital
A Modest Proposal To Save the Planet
What can we do to head off global warming.
www.gasandoil.com/goc/features/fex42410.htm
Effects of a Global Thermonuclear-War
by Wm. Robert Johnston
www.johnstonsarchive.net/nuclear/nuclearwar1.html
Nuclear War Survival Skills
by Cresson H. Kearny
www.oism.org/nwss/
Hoods Woods Survival.com
Eating Bugs
An article on eating insects
www.survival.com/bug.htm
Backwoods Home Magazine
www.backwoodshome.com
Mother Earth News Magazine
www.motherearthnews.com
Each of these has a few hundred articles that can be read
online. Some of the articles describe how to accomplish some
task contributing to self-sufficiency.
About the author:
Alan Detwiler has written several books about ways to have fun.
Find them by doing a search for his name at the ebooks section
of Amazon.com
His web site, www.leisureideas.com has ideas about having fun.