Evacuation:  To Go Or Not To Go

There is a concept among preppers known as “Bugging Out.”  I remember the term from watching reruns of M.A.S.H.  Whenever Radar O’Reilly, Major Henry Blake  and Hawkeye were ordered to move their Mobile And Surgical Hospital unit to a new location, they would make plans to “bug out.”  Today’s preppers use the term to describe an evacuation process to be executed when the current abode becomes too dangerous to stay put or uninhabitable.  

The likelihood of evacuation in our area is usually minor.  Our weather events don’t equal the hurricanes of the East Coast and Gulf Coast states.  Nor do we get the blizzards of the northern regions of our country. We have had isolated instances of evacuation due to flooding and landslides in the past, and for those living in the tsunami inundation zone, bugging out could certainly become a reality.  

You can be assured if I lived in a major city or in the hurricane zone, my preparation plans would include how to get my family and supplies out of town on short notice.  (Or in prepper lingo, “Out of Dodge.”)  Living in rural Oregon we have several things to our advantage.  Our relatively sparse population is far more self-sufficient and more  good-neighbor minded than big city folks.  If you’ve ever watched the news during a big storm or hurricane in a dense-population area, you see looting and other outlaw behavior.  

There seems to be a segment of society always on the cusp of criminal behavior.  This group of potential criminals allow themselves to be drawn over the line of unacceptable behavior at the slightest provocation and pillage, loot and even worse when they know the police have their hands full with other matters.  You can bet your emergency generator this group has never laid in an extra flashlight battery or can of Spam.  Their “plan” such as it is, will be to take your supplies in the event of a disaster.  This is precisely why, if I lived in a metropolitan area, I would be planning to “get out of Dodge” if necessary.

If you have relatives or loved ones in the big cities, send them a copy of this column and suggest they make plans to ‘bug out’ if the need arises.  

Speaking of tsunami inundation zones, if you’d like a copy of the latest map showing where a tsunami is likely to reach, send me an email and I’ll forward it to you free of charge. Specify if you live in the Coos Bay area, or in the Coquille River area.  Also if you’d like to read more on the topic of bugging out, there is an excellent blog titled, “Listening To Katrina.”  The author was forced to evacuate his family in the face of Hurricane Katrina.  The blog is over 100 pages long so consider your ink supply before you hit the “print” button.  He has a very balanced and intelligent approach to preparedness and bugging out.  Another of my favorites is a book titled, “One Second After,” by William Forstchen.  This book has been cited on the floor of Congress as one all Americans should read.

As always send your questions, suggestions and inundation zone map requests to disasterprep.dave@gmail.com.  

Amateur Radio

    Ever since Marconi tinkered with wireless transmissions in the early 1900’s,  people have been fascinated with communicating via the airwaves.  Today there are over 700,000 amateur radio licenses issued to private individuals in the U.S.  In Coos County alone there are approximately 300 license holders.  Granted not all of those are active, some haven’t touched their radio in years and some are simply no longer with us.  

Amateur radio operators (also known as “hams”) have played a vital role in disaster response for decades.  Groups such as A.R.E.S (Amateur Radio Emergency Services) and R.A.C.E.S. (Radio Amateur Civil Emergency Service) are well established and have good working relationships with other local disaster planners.  In Bandon alone there are ham radio stations set up at Southern Coos Hospital, the City Hall and the Fire Department.  In the event of an emergency this equipment is designed to operate free from the electrical grid and would be manned by personnel from A.R.E.S/R.A.C.E.S. Emergency communications networks can keep the local responders informed of developing events, while having the capability of communicating on a global basis.   Other cities have similar setups with their amateur radio folks.  

One might think with internet technology  such as Skype or Facetime, making video calls to loved ones all over the planet, that amateur radio would be relegated to the dustbin of “last millenium technology”.  Quite the opposite is true. Over the past five years the Federal Communication Commission reports issuing nearly 25,000 new licenses.  Digital radio equipment is less expensive and more powerful than ever before.  When an earthquake or similar event could sever fiber optic cables and bring down electrical grids, a battery powered ham radio can still transmit and receive vital messages throughout the county and around the world.  Even to outer space.

    During my time in Viet Nam, every G.I. knew if he wanted to call home, he would simply go to the local M.A.R.S. (Military Amateur Radio Station).  The M.A.R.S folks would make ham radio contact with another ham operator in the States, who would in-turn initiate a collect call to your home then do a “phone-patch” and presto, you could talk to your loved one.  Of course half the planet could listen in on your call and after every phrase you had so say “over” so they would know when to key or release the microphone, but it was a touch from home.  Those calls were considered invaluable to preserve the sanity of our guys half a world away living in unspeakable conditions.  So on behalf of a multitude of Viet Nam Veterans, I’d like to extend thanks to all those amateur radio operators we never got to meet or thank in person.

    As always, send your questions, comments or ham radio stories to disasterprep.dave@gmail.com. 

   

Food Supplies

Getting a kit together is a lot like planning for a camping trip.  Let’s see, we’re going to be gone for six days so we’ll have to take food for 18 meals, plus snacks, s’mores ingredients and drinks.  Then comes the sleeping bags, extra clothes, tent, camping stove and on and on and on.  The only difference between packing for a camping trip and preparing for a major disaster is with the latter, we really don’t know how long to plan for.  Those living in Hurricane Sandy territory last November were still without some services up to 60 days following the arrival of the storm.  By that time F.E.M.A. had arrived and other services, including food were brought in from outside the area.  

I have read that grocery stores in the region were sold out within three to four hours, there were similar reports from other stores dealing in camping gear and supplies. Someone recently approached me and asked about food resources locally.  Although there are a few food banks in the area, they really are not set up to serve our entire region in the event an earthquake  strikes our region.  The food banks receive supplies either from donated sources, program funding from various agencies which can be affected by the ebb and flow of available money or the generosity of local food drives and private individuals.  These food banks routinely provide groceries to families in need in our communities.  There is no cache of groceries in our county set aside specifically to be distributed in the event of a disaster.  

Back in the Civil Defense days of the 1950s to 1960s, there were some resources on hand to be “activated” in case of enemy attack.  There was an entire military field hospital stored in one of the buildings at the North Bend Airport.  This unit contained everything, with the exception of medications and staff, needed to set up a Mobile And Surgical Hospital (M.A.S.H.) .  That unit was dismantled sometime in the late 1970s.  There are currently no government (or private) warehouses full of food in our area to be distributed in case of disaster.

So now we’re back to the Y.O.Y.O. scene.  You’re On Your Own!  Building a pantry doesn’t require a huge extra outlay of funds.  Start by watching the sales.  Take advantage of the ‘buy one get one’ bargains.  One lady wrote to me and bragged she had saved $7000 in a year’s time by using coupons, online bargains and shopping the sales.  The side benefit was she had built up a very tidy stockpile of groceries as she did so.  

If money is no object, or you’re looking for a good way to spend some of your tax refund, there are literally hundreds (or more) websites selling disaster preparedness food supplies.  You can order freeze-dried, dehydrated, canned or a combination of all the above.  Some even offer free shipping.  A word of caution, all the experts recommend storing food that you are accustomed to eating.  During times of emergency, your body is already stressed and introducing an entirely foreign diet could result in some unpleasant gastric distress.

As always, send your comments, questions and arguments to disasterprep.dave@gmail.com.

Chicken Farmer

I just purchased 22 baby chicks in hopes of starting some kind of productive (and successful) poultry program. This is not my first attempt at chicken farming.  (Or is it ranching?) The first year I started with nine and lost them over a period of months mostly to murderous raccoons.  I woke up on the morning of December 24 and discovered the last five had all been killed the night before.  Two months later, determined to get it right, I ordered another batch.  (Did you know they’re shipped through the U.S. Mail?)  This time I started with nearly two dozen chicks. Over the next several months they were slowly picked off by raccoons, but mostly by the neighbor’s dog. The final ones were killed sometime around the first of the year.  This time I think I’ve got all the holes plugged in my fence and the neighbor’s dog seems to be no longer a factor, especially since mine weren’t the only chickens he feasted upon.  No further comment.  So maybe the third time’s the charm?  

If you’re interested in disaster preparedness, then maybe you should consider chickens as a part of your plan.  First of all once they mature, they provide a steady supply, and sometimes an overabundant supply, of fresh eggs.  Everybody knows once you’ve had farm fresh eggs, it ruins you for the store-bought variety.  A little bit like home-canned tuna versus store bought tuna.  Some folks even get a rooster and work at hatching theirr own chicks, thus perpetuating your flock. No you don’t need a rooster to get eggs, only if you want those eggs to hatch into baby chicks. If that confuses you, then you need to ask your mom to review “the talk”!  

Then some raise chicks especially to butcher.  There are some varieties that gain weight very quickly and can be butchered in six to eight weeks time.  Certain breeds are better for laying eggs, and still some are a good cross between both types.  The feed store where I bought my last batch of chicks orders in the most popular breeds, among which are Rhode Island Reds, Barred Rocks and Buff Orpingtons.  If you research what kind of chicks you want, the feed store will order them for you or you can order them directly and eliminate the middleman.  Some hatcheries require a minimum order so if you’re just testing the waters, you may want to start small and buy from the local feed store.  Another advantage to doing business locally is they have the waterers, feeders and the proper feed to start your little peepers.  Most chickens start laying in 20 to 24 weeks so there is a pretty fair time lag to production.  Once they start laying you might just wind up with more than you can eat so you’ll find your neighbors, relatives and fellow church-goers are happy to take them off your hands.  

As always send your comments, questions and chicken stories to me at disasterprep.dave@gmail.com. 

Preparedness Gardening

    Whenever the economy does a downturn the seed companies experience an upturn.  Planting a vegetable garden is viewed by many as one way to push back against high food prices and an uncertain economy.  Many preppers consider a garden as a hedge against not only high prices but the inability of the grocery supply line to come through in the event of a disaster other interruption.  
    Obviously gardening is a long-term project not to be rolled out the day after an earthquake with the expectation of a ready food supply.  But with Spring just around the corner, now would be a good time to start thinking about adding gardening to your disaster preparedness plan.  If you’ve never tried growing your own vegetables it can be not only a rewarding hobby but could potentially feed your family if needed.   

By way of disclaimer, I am certainly not a Master Gardener by anyone’s definition, barely an amateur gardener.  But if this interests you, contact the OSU Extension Office in Myrtle Point and inquire about their next Master Gardener Training Classes.  According to the Extension Office website the program offers a basic, practical  course in plant science and horticulture. Classes usually include basic botany and plant psychology, pest identification and control methods, soil management and plant nutrition and diagnosis and control of plant problems.  You may call the Extension Office at 541-572-5263, Ext 295 for full details.  

Something to consider before you plow up your backyard is the raised-bed concept of gardening.  Build a raised-bed enables you to confine your garden space to a specific area controlled by the framework of the raised bed.  Other benefits include the ability to control the soil or planting medium you prefer, enhanced draining ability, and raised beds tend to warm up faster, possibly giving you a jump on the planting season.  There are plenty of books and on-line resources to glean for information about raised-bed gardening.

Another item to consider is a sprout kit.  A sprout kit usually contains a variety of seeds suitable for raising edible sprouts.  There are several versions available and most come with the hydroponic growing apparatus needed to raise healthy, nutritious, organic sprouts.  Sprouts can be grown in just a few days and are rich in vitamins, minerals, trace elements, enzymes and fiber.  They provide a quick supply of vegetables for use in salads, sandwiches and stir-fry.  They may be steamed and even used in some baked goods.  Prices for a sprout kit run in the $50-$80 range, depending on which model you prefer.

    So while you’re laying in supplies, don’t forget that vegetable gardening can take you just one more step closer to the independence necessary for surviving calamity.  As always,send your comments and questions to disasterprep.dave@gmail.com.

Classroom Lockdown Kits

School officials are understandably jumpy these days.  School shootings are unspeakably tragic, they get nationwide attention and no school administrator wants to be caught unprepared in the event the unthinkable happens in their school.  Consequently most schools have developed a lockdown procedure which secures each classroom and isolates safe zones in the building.  Some states have even enacted legislation mandating that schools develop a viable lockdown policy and conduct periodic drills, much the same as the fire drills with which we are all familiar.
Schools activate their lockdown plan for a variety of reasons.  The primary reason is when the safety of the students is at stake.  Another reason is when the police are conducting a drug search, usually with a specially trained dog and they don’t want several hundred kids milling about. Also if an event is occurring nearby the school, such as some kind of “person with a gun” situation, bank robbery or other incident which could be potentially hazardous to the students, the school will lockdown.   Different schools do lockdowns differently.  The first step is to secure the students in their classrooms, secure all entrances to the building and block visual access to the rooms.  Students are directed to position themselves in an area of the room away from the door.  Often the classroom lights are turned off.  Students are usually required to remain quiet for the duration of the lockdown.  
Lockdowns can last from a few minutes to several hours. Not all classrooms are directly connected to a restroom.  Can you see where I’m going with this?  Human nature being what it is, there will always be the kid who just finished off a 44 ounce Big Gulp moments before the lockdown was ordered.  Other students may have skipped breakfast, then sometime during first period the school building locked down and now it’s two periods after lunch.  
To plan for just such a contingency, some schools have purchased lockdown kits.  The kit is usually stored in a five-gallon bucket and contains water pouches, food bars, first aid supplies and many other items considered useful to weather such an incident.  Some even include a snap-on toilet seat/lid and toilet bags to provide for the sanitary needs that would inevitably arise. (Yes, a roll of tissue is also included.)  Ideally each classroom has a kit with enough supplies to meet the needs of several students.  One kit I checked out sold for $70.00 and contained 30 water pouches.  It also was equipped with a battery powered radio, a flashlight, and several light sticks, among many other items.  
Disaster preparedness doesn’t always mean stocking your own pantry.  It is regrettable that we find ourselves turning schools into fortresses, but with the right amount of planning and supplies on hand, we can make our schools safer for our kids.
  Comments?  Questions?  Email me at disasterprep.dave@gmail.com

Earthquakes

Several earthquakes in the South Pacific this past week, including one initially rated at 8.0, prompted comments by the Portland news media of the necessity for disaster preparedness.   One commentator noted that in the event of a Cascadia subduction zone earthquake, Portlanders and others in the Willamette Valley should prepare to survive on their own for at least three weeks.  He went on to recommend that those living along the Oregon Coast should prepare for four weeks, or more, of disruption.
Experts believe if an earthquake strikes the northwest, depending, of course, on the location and intensity, all travel in to and out of the area could be cut off.  Bridges quite likely will be damaged.  Landslides could block roads due to liquefaction and downed trees and other debris will further contribute to the chaos. Electrical power distribution will be interrupted for a lengthy period and grocery supply networks will be at a standstill.  The only channels for delivering supplies to the area will likely be by helicopter or by sea.  Either mode of supply replenishment will take time to organize and deliver to our area.  If the entire Northwest is involved, then the airlift would likely among the largest we’ve seen in recent history.
It is a safe bet telephone communication would be fractured and cellular phone technology would likely be undependable at best. Remember in the event of a disaster; use the texting function on your cell phone to communicate with your loved ones.  The system will be overloaded with calls, and a text message takes up less “space” in the system.  Your text is much more likely to get through than a phone call.  If you don’t know how to send a text message, just ask any kid.  They love to show off their technology skills to us “grown-ups”.
In the meantime, we are left to our own devices.  We will be dependent on what we have set aside.  We will need to rely on our skills, our stores and each other.  Now is a good time to develop a network in your neighborhood.  “Mapping your neighborhood” involves getting to know your neighbors and finding out who has skills.  Who owns a backhoe, who knows how to run a chainsaw, and does anyone have medical training? Is there anyone in your neighborhood with special needs?  Maybe an elderly person lives alone and depends on an electronic alerting system. They will need to be looked after in person. The list runs longer, but when neither police nor fire department can respond, having this information may save someone’s life.  There are Mapping Your Neighborhood groups all over our area.  It only takes one person to pull his neighborhood together and get started.  If this interests you, contact Coos County Emergency Management and get information on Mapping Your Neighborhood.
Remember, the best time to prepare is before a disaster happens.  That time is NOW!  Send me your comments and questions at disasterprep.dave@gmail.com.