# what do disasters teach us?



## RNprepper (Apr 5, 2014)

The disaster in Nepal is utterly heartbreaking. I was watching the news as pleas for help are going out - LISTEN TO THIS!
1) Food
2) Water
3) Shelter
4) Health care


Preppers have food, water, and shelter well covered, as well as protection. BUT... many people disregard the next huge item on the list - health care. Besides obvious injury and trauma, within 24-48 hours, there will be immense health related issues, a lot dealing with lack of sanitation, contaminated water, no refridgeration, garbage pile up, contaminated food, rodents, flies, and an overwhelmed healthcare system. If the disaster doesn't kill you, the resulting disease and pestilence very well may do the job. How to prep for the health aspect of disaster?

1) Get your vaccines up to date, especially tetanus, Hep A, and childhood series. Typhoid is also a good idea.
2) Have plenty of basic first aid supplies on hand. You won't be able to treat every injury, but you should be able to handle basic cuts, burns, insect bites, and injuries in such a way to prevent infection and promote healing. Eye flushing -big time need. Know how to make sterile saline for eye and wound flushing. Take a first aid course.
3) Know how to make and use ORF (Oral rehydration fluids) for treating diarrhea (Dehydration from contaminated food and water will kill many, especially kids.)
4) Know how to make a tippy-tap so you can wash your hands without recontamination.
5) Have a plan for food prep that includes at least one surface that you can sterilize. Have a way to to safely wash and store dishes.
6) Have a safe water plan(s).
7) Have a safe garbage disposal plan and plan for excrement.

If you do these 7 basic things, you are light years away from most of the population as far as health preservation goes. Every single item is critical to survival. I've lived this and I've seen what happens when there is a break in the system. You can argue any point you like, but I've seen people die from preventable diseases, injuries, infections, and dehydration. Every single point is a life saver.

I am not even going to discuss antibiotics, because the ability to diagnose and treat correctly is another whole subject (and degree). The mis-use of antibiotics is worse than not using them at all. PREVENTION of disease needs to be the greatest priority.


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## Camel923 (Aug 13, 2014)

Great thread. You are spot on RNprepper.


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## sideKahr (Oct 15, 2014)

You are correct. But how effective will it be when you do all those things, but everyone else on your block does not?


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## RNprepper (Apr 5, 2014)

sideKahr said:


> You are correct. But how effective will it be when you do all those things, but everyone else on your block does not?


You will save your family. The whole block can and will be a cesspool (count on it), but you _can _still keep your family safe. You alone are responsible for your food, water, and hygiene, and you can do those things in the midst of contamination all around you. That's what makes it work - knowing what to do and having a plan. You can also teach your neighbors how to keep their own families safe. But I cannot tell you how easy it is to have a breach. It just takes one person who does not wash their hands properly and then does food prep for the group - that one breach can take out the whole group. (Now on a very morbid note - if you know how to keep yourself safe, you also know how to make others deathly ill. There are methods other than physical weapons that can take out an enemy. Be careful of with whom you break bread!)


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## Prepared One (Nov 5, 2014)

Good post RN. Thanks


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## paraquack (Mar 1, 2013)

While I am legal not responsible for my neighbors, I do feel a moral responsibility. Back in Illinois, I tried to gently preach the idea of being prepared. First with my family and then my neighbors. One nephew by marriage (a Boy Scout asst. leader) was more or less in line with my ideas but only for the short term. Other family joked about my efforts. Only one neighbor took what I was saying to heart but her husband was more or less only looking at the very short term. 
Down here in AZ I have kept my mouth shut. While I intend to help out my neighbors, doing so may end up being more dangerous than the SHTF event.


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## RNprepper (Apr 5, 2014)

paraquack said:


> While I am legal not responsible for my neighbors, I do feel a moral responsibility. Back in Illinois, I tried to gently preach the idea of being prepared. First with my family and then my neighbors. One nephew by marriage (a Boy Scout asst. leader) was more or less in line with my ideas but only for the short term. Other family joked about my efforts. Only one neighbor took what I was saying to heart but her husband was more or less only looking at the very short term.
> Down here in AZ I have kept my mouth shut. While I intend to help out my neighbors, doing so may end up being more dangerous than the SHTF event.


Most folks will not be interested until disaster strikes. I do believe communities can band together - look at what happens when tornadoes hit. Many of the neighbors pitch in to help each other. In that situation, your preps (and knowlege) will be lifesaving. Just getting people to boil drinking water will make a difference. Every situation will be different and in some, it will mean you must hunker down with your own and wait it out. But the bottom line is knowing how to keep your own family safe first. If you can help others that is great, but you will be of no help to anyone if you can't take care of yourself first. You have to keep yourself well to be of help to anyone else. Even teaching your neighbor how to hydrate his sick family with ORF will be life saving. Small things like that can make a big difference.


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## Smitty901 (Nov 16, 2012)

RN right on.
It also teaches us to be ready for our self the Government can' and won't do it. Many of the groups that claim to be of service like FEMA and Red cross have their own agenda.
B the ones with that sign that's says we are good go help them. Them being the ones with the sign day one save us.


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## Slippy (Nov 14, 2013)

RNprepper said:


> ...(Now on a very morbid note - if you know how to keep yourself safe, you also know how to make others deathly ill. There are methods other than physical weapons that can take out an enemy. Be careful of with whom you break bread!)


RNPrepper,

GREAT Thread, thank you.

(PS, I've always liked you, now I somewhat fear you!:77

Your friend, Slippy


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## Sasquatch (Dec 12, 2014)

Tippy Taps are cool and it's fun to say. Been wanting to build one for a while. Think I will now.


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## HuntingHawk (Dec 16, 2012)

The welfare & gimme cause I'm entitled will not change. 

Look at so many that get a warning but ignore it. Hurricane in the northeast & 99% learned nothing. Part of that should be blamed on the media stating that was a one in 100 year event. Then the next year one even worse.

Yet there are others like me that still recall the three hurricanes in one month in 2004 & use that as a basis to teach new people that have moved to Florida in the past 10 years.


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## sideKahr (Oct 15, 2014)

I've been accumulating the 1 3/4 gal containers that bulk laundry soap comes in. They have a spring loaded valve and are perfect for tippy taps, that don't have to be tipped. They're washed out, filled with water, and stored. I have 22 right now. I hope to get enough so that I could share with the neighbors.


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## paraquack (Mar 1, 2013)

Be careful of plastic soap jugs bearing the HDPE (high density poly ethylene with recycle symbol #2) symbol used in soap jugs. Study by the University of Davis found that HDPE and LDPE (low density poly ethylene) absorb chemicals. While the study was to see if the plastics would absorb chemicals form the sea water, one can infer that the reverse is probable.
Plastics and chemicals they absorb pose double threat to marine life :: UC Davis News & Information


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## RNprepper (Apr 5, 2014)

paraquack said:


> Be careful of plastic soap jugs bearing the HDPE (high density poly ethylene with recycle symbol #2) symbol used in soap jugs. Study by the University of Davis found that HDPE and LDPE (low density poly ethylene) absorb chemicals. While the study was to see if the plastics would absorb chemicals form the sea water, one caninfer that the reverse is probable.
> Plastics and chemicals they absorb pose double threat to marine life :: UC Davis News & Information


A good caution. These containers would probably be fine for hand washing, but not for drinking water.


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## tango (Apr 12, 2013)

What do disasters teach us?
We are never as prepared as we want to be!
Or, as well as we think we are!


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## bigwheel (Sep 22, 2014)

RNprepper said:


> The disaster in Nepal is utterly heartbreaking. I was watching the news as pleas for help are going out - LISTEN TO THIS!
> 1) Food
> 2) Water
> 3) Shelter
> ...


The best health care in the world come from staying away from doctors. Good point.


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## RNprepper (Apr 5, 2014)

tango said:


> What do disasters teach us?
> We are never as prepared as we want to be!
> Or, as well as we think we are!


True. It's just that I see many people not giving health care issues the same consideration as other preps. I understand this. Most people living in developed countries have never experienced life without a healthcare infrastructure, clean water, good sanitation, safe food supply, and a generally pretty sterile living environment, free of most diseases that plague the rest of the world. Unless you have been in a disaster or lived in a 3rd world country, it is impossible to imagine how quickly a healthy environment can deteriorate. In general, I think it is safe to say that immediately after a disaster, all water sources will be contaminated and sanitation will be gone. The living environment will be immediately contaminated which increases risk of food contamination. Now you are 24-48 hours away from dysentery, hepatitis, and God forbid, typhoid or cholera. Oh, did I mention the regular bacterial food contaminants of Salmonella, enteotoxogenic/enterohemmorrhagic E. coli, Campylobacter, Shigella, Staph aureus entertoxin, Clostrium perfringens, Bacillus cereus, or good old Norovirus and Rotovirus? Don't forget the parasitic/protozoans like amoeba, giarrdia, coccidicosis, and the nematodes. The real kicker is that people who live with this stuff on a daily basis have incredible immune systems. If they survived early childhood, they are as tough as nails. Those of us who live in the sterile, insulated bubbles of western civilization are going to have a very hard go of it when we are exposed to all this. Preppers, you have GOT to take this threat seriously. You will be of no good to your family if you are puking or pooping your guts out. Kind of hard to bug-out or defend the homestead in that condition.


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## RNprepper (Apr 5, 2014)

Slippy said:


> RNPrepper,
> 
> GREAT Thread, thank you.
> 
> ...


Dear friend, Slippy,
You have nothing to fear from me as long as you come in peace. Just don't try to steal the decoy food sitting there in full view. You might get more than you bargained for.  I will never have the tactical skill as most of you, but as I often say at my age, "Work smarter, not harder." There are other strategical methods to take out the bad guys.


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## Slippy (Nov 14, 2013)

RNprepper said:


> Dear friend, Slippy,
> You have nothing to fear from me as long as you come in peace. Just don't try to steal the decoy food sitting there in full view. You might get more than you bargained for.  I will never have the tactical skill as most of you, but as I often say at my age, "Work smarter, not harder." There are other strategical methods to take out the bad guys.


Yes Ma'am!

Last thing I stole was way back in the early 1970's from the local 5 and Dime store. Mom caught me and made me confess to the store manager. I was scared straight from that point regarding theft...there was this little issue back in the summer of '81 in the Panhandle of Florida, no theft was involved but we don't like to discuss that anymore!

So yes, I come in peace and if needed I will bring a Slippy-made Pike to mount the severed head of any bad guys that bother you and yours!

Now everybody go and wash your hands and quit picking your noses, you people are gonna get me and RN sick for heaven's sake!

Thanks

Slippy


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## Auntie (Oct 4, 2014)

Great info. I like to think I am fairly well prepared then I read something like this and find something else I need to do.


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## Arklatex (May 24, 2014)

RNprepper, creating germaphobes with every post. Thank you for the heads up. Due to some of your previous posts I have changed my previously unknown bad habits. For example, at work when I use the restroom or wash my hands I always make sure to not directly touch the door, flusher or sink handles. What's the point of washing your hands if your gonna touch the sink bare handed after you're done? You just recontaminated.. 

So as always, a big thanks from Ark. Keep the tips coming and know they are appreciated.


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## Auntie (Oct 4, 2014)

Between the disaster in Nepal, RNs posts and reading One Second After I am feeling very unprepared but better educated.


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