Tracking the next pandemic: Avian Flu Talk |
Defense and Compassion |
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TheFluMaster
Valued Member Joined: January 31 2006 Location: United States Status: Offline Points: 13 |
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Posted: January 31 2006 at 10:39am |
Being intentionally burned out by fire seems to be the biggest Another great danger might be that one overestimates the protection As we are preparing for a social break down and desperation during Buckets full of sand are a great idea. So are sandbags. Both can be Chicken wire on the windows is a good defense against thrown objects Secure and camouflage your own gasoline and propane supplies. Small Should your house or compound be overrun, and you managed to escape In general don't store all of your food, water and other supplies in A further consideration for you is if it is better to hide, Another most important consideration needs to be given as to when Bigger families or groups can defend themselves more sufficiently Inform, encourage and help your neighbors to prepare now and strike Remember, not even the Government thinks they can help adequately. Nobody really deserves to starve or see their families, relatives or Sharing our food supplies and survival gear with desperate people Some suggested to have some food and supplies, intended for donation Do we really know how long the situation will continue and are we Personally, I think the time to help is now. Not then. By informing Informing them now, will help them, will help you, and will help all "Give a man a fish and you will feed him for a day. Teach a man to Blessings, Mister E. |
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bruss01
Adviser Group Joined: January 12 2006 Location: United States Status: Offline Points: 448 |
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FluMaster, You bring up some good points. Once the giving begins, where does it end? Where is the line between compassion and good judgement? The rules will have changed, and basic life and death survival may be the name of the game. Like you, I think that NOW is the time to be generous, not in the middle of a crisis. Fire is going to be a huge concern. If power is out, people will be using candles, lanterns and improvised cooking arrangements. Some of these will no doubt start house or apartment fires. Assuming the residents get out alive, where will they go? We have a large apartment complex near us, and I worry about being swarmed with desperate residents who have been burned out of their homes. There's no practical defense against a molotov cocktail. Even presuming one has running water for the hose, who's going to cover your back while you're frantically spraying it down? A group looking for handouts might present this logic - Either give us half of your stuff, in which case you lose half but still keep half, or we'll burn your house down, you lose all of your stuff plus you'll be on the streets like we are. Think about it - they've got nothing to lose but their lives, they're losing their lives slowly anyway thru starvation and exposure, and most of us can't post a watch 24/7 to make sure they don't come back. What reason have they got to NOT burn your house down? Very little. Can you really shoot a group of people for threatening to burn your house down? I'm not sure that's the best policy either, but I'm having trouble coming up with an alternative. I like your application for chicken wire. Some CW and a staple gun would go a long way towards making the house safer. Tough enough to keep things from being thrown thru the window, fairly easy to remove if one needs to escape thru the window (push or kick it loose) in an emergency. Unlike boarding it up, it still allows light and air circulation.
Edited by bruss01 |
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jackson
Adviser Group Joined: January 26 2006 Status: Offline Points: 411 |
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Excellent points!!!
I still am not 100% sure what I will do when neighbors begin to stop by asking for food and water. (Most of my family lives far away, so i doubt they will come to me for help) I have made up several boxes of food, water, and supplies to provide to neighbors if they are desperate. Unfortunately, these boxes only contain enough supplies to last a few days, maybe a week at most. I have considered what was said in earlier posts ---will neighbors continue to come to me for their supplies after what I have given them runs out? Will they become "enemies" if I tell them I can no longer help them? should I be using the food I have designated for others to help my own family instead?? These are all excellent questions and ones that I do not have the answer to. Personally, I do not feel that I can turn away some of my neighbors if they come to me for help. I have become good friends over the years with several of them, and a few of them even have small children at home. I just don't think I could turn away someone with starving children. Like I said earlier, the boxes of food that I do have will not last for long, but I feel like it is better than nothing at all. I guess I can not say with any certainty what i will do until the situation arises . I will just continue to make my own preparations, and if I have extra time or money, continue to purchase things for neighbors as well. I can always use the food and water that I have prepared for others for myself or my family if I decide that is what is best at the time. If anyone else has any opinions on this topic, please post them! I am very interested in others thoughts on the subject and wondering if anyone else is "preparing for others". |
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Why are there always more questions than answers? Sometimes I feel like a drowning person being handed a drink of water. Excellent first post FluMaster! Fire-bombing my house is one reason they will not be allowed closer than shouting distance. Country yard w/ fence. But I will admit that I had discounted the fire bomb threat because someone would just be burning up the supplies they are after. After considering the above points, I have changed my mind. I think it's a valid point that someone might burn me out just for spite...even the playing field as stated. |
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TheFluMaster
Valued Member Joined: January 31 2006 Location: United States Status: Offline Points: 13 |
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Those were some really great responses to my first posting. I think I’ll like it here a lot. While there really isn’t too much of a defense to Firebombing the, situation as Bruss has pointed out is even worse for those in Apartment complexes. Although it seems practical to keep everyone in “shouting distance” of the house, it is not feasible to do so 24/7, as SophiaZoe suggests. Our very best defense to Firebombing is probably a gasoline shortage. Another great defense not only against Firebombing is of course well prepared neighbors, in a well prepared neighborhood, maybe even with Neighborhood Watch or some kind of alliance. I think However, I think the time to help your neighbors is NOW. Before an outbreak. As Maybe pick up some food items on sale for the neighbors, and present them with a box or two and an informational flyer or brochure about the upcoming pandemic. The CDC brochure for instance would work just fine: http://www.pandemicflu.gov/plan/pdf/Individuals.pdf Maybe even invite your closest neighbors over for a survival meal dinner preparation. A great chance to show off some survival food and demonstrate some survival tips. Inform them properly about the upcoming dangers and maybe even lay the foundation for a defense alliance. Or simply print up some flyers and distribute them anonymously in the neighborhood. Just don’t forget, even those who laugh at you now, will remember where you live when the time comes. Whatever it is you choose to do. However you plan to help and share. Whatever effort or money you wish to donate to charity. The time to do it is NOW. It is NOW when you still can make a difference. It is NOW when your efforts can still multiply. I’m gonna search for a posting I made to this subject and poste it as a new topic. But now, that I now there is interest, I think I have a few things to dig up on my computer. And with that I am stepping off my soapbox. For now Blessings, Mister E. |
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jackson
Adviser Group Joined: January 26 2006 Status: Offline Points: 411 |
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Unfortunatley, my neighbors don't seem to listen to me when it comes to
the bird flu. But, I really like your idea about bringing over some
supplies with some printed information for them to look at. I've often
gotten pamphlets or brochures that, initially, I didn't take much
time to look at, but later in my spare time, I've taken a look at
it. Maybe bringing them a small box of supplies with some info
will encourage them to read the info I give them and investigate
this further.
Thanks for the idea!!! |
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Left Field
Adviser Group Joined: January 13 2006 Status: Offline Points: 176 |
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You all have great points to ponder. I remember in Vietnam, during the war, the currency was gold leaf. I'm sure during WWII, many a life was bought with the international currency - GOLD. So, in addition to having food on hand, a nice bag of gold might come in handy, especially if you're running from your burning home and your stash of food.
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nanabush
advanced Member Joined: January 30 2006 Location: Canada Status: Offline Points: 29 |
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At some piont in time you gotta be askin yourself when is it time to get out. If I have my place lookin like fort knox it might spark some intrest in what's going on. I think a plan to get out of dodge might be in order. In fact if you rely think all hell's going to break out where you live maybe you should be planning that now. Flu is usualy is a winter thing " since I've said it may come in the summer now " but I'll stand by it. So look into portable heater's if you need them, stock up with portable food stuff and shelter. Have extra gas for you vehicle and make your move from the start. You can pick defenceable ground but your stuck with were you live. There will always be situations that arrise that you can't plan for so keep a cool head and reason them out. I will be way out in the wilderness if this Hits with my family and friend's, its planned. I wish I could say I did'nt have to but the skilles we have aquired in the bush over the years will be of some benifit. And in truth I'm more frightened of frightened people than I am of an environment I've grown up in or the bird flu. No matter what you do it should be planned with survival as the objective. and your going to have to realistic in assessing your skill set's. If it all goes to hell your best off hiding, hell play sick if you have to, who's gonna come nere you. If you've had survival training and know how to make it the wilderness go there. If you have'nt it will kill you quicker than the bird flu. I pray this does not hit us this year and if we recieve some reprieve Make it your bussiness to learn wilderness survival this summer.
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don't panick just yet
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The only thing you can do is give no sign that you have any food at all hiding it. Keeping a small fake stash that can be stolen . My hope is that the public plans around this with food distributation sites schools open for warm shelters with generators The general public can not defends itself otherwise . We are all smart independant people and like to think of ourselves as resourceful and yes we can probally buy our way out of any situation but we still need there to be plan around distribution of food for the unprepared. There is no way around it we will have Katrina type stadiums. my argumentis even a bad plan isa plan. I will sleep better the day Bush anounces that there will be food distribution sites and place set up for warmth and safety. MY imformation is that its not a shortage of food but a distributation of food that will cause the starvation . |
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Trigger
V.I.P. Member Joined: January 13 2006 Location: United States Status: Offline Points: 77 |
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All great input. One thing I have heard nothing about is the buying of flints. If the matches get wet you are probably screwed. The big thing for me is a question from above. What do you do when folks or family come to you for help. If you don't have enough to go around for the family you have, it a slam dunk. You can't help anyone unless...... I fear that I will not have enought for my 3 family members as we never know how long this will will last when it hits. It's me, my husband and my daughter. We can make do. But what about his 2 kids that no longer live with us, the fiance that is now in the family. They won't do anything, but if they call dad, he has to say come out. As the only one preparing for this, I don't know what to do. I keep buying things as I can, I pack up two boxes a week but I still don't have enough for 6 months for the 3 of us. How does one decide who lives and who dies if it comes to that? Please give your input on what you would do as I stress about this everyday. I know it's a hard thing to think about but I really need your input. The hardest question we may all face - "If we feed them do we all starve?" |
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Trigger
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i never thought of Matches. I am going about my business very quietly so no one knows we have any food except family. Maybe we will take our trailer and go camping. Good idea |
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Trigger
V.I.P. Member Joined: January 13 2006 Location: United States Status: Offline Points: 77 |
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I'm also very very quite about things. It's not the neighbors I'm worried about, some of them are just strange, we stay away from them. What do you do about family that does not or will not prepare?
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Trigger
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KOMET163
Admin Group Joined: January 15 2006 Location: United States Status: Offline Points: 278 |
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My girlfriend and I live in a elderly/ disabled housing complex in a small rural town. Since it is a small town and we live next tto a senior citizens center / nursing home, we do expect to face some porblems. However,, we feel safer than most ciitzens in urban areas. The city owns the utiltiy and we have no major probems with our neighbors. They are mostly older ladies in their 70's and 80's . we do have plenty of water and I am not wwithout weapons.
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Penham
Chief Moderator Moderator Joined: February 09 2006 Location: United States Status: Offline Points: 14913 |
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I also have family that will not listen to me about preparing, my daughter has two young children and her boyfriend lives with her. Currently we all live in a small town, they live a couple of blocks away, but they have just purchased a house in a nearby city in a not so good neighborhood 20 miles away. She won't listen at all, he is scared of the BF, so maybe I should put the pressure on him instead and give him information, they do not have internet access. I am trying to pick up stuff for them too, but I am trying to guage how much to buy for us and them, that is if they can even get out here to get it when the time comes, plus they need alot of different stuff than we do with two small children, we just have one child living at home now. The other daughter is married and lives in another state on a military base and says she will stock up on some things but is convinced the military will take care of them if it comes down to that. She did at least come and read some of this site, so at least she was willing to listen. It's frustrating!
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Kumera Kid
V.I.P. Member Joined: February 11 2006 Location: New Zealand Status: Offline Points: 33 |
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Watch out for little old ladies in wheel chairs, they can be mean!!
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