Now that the FBI has said that there could be more bad stuff happening soon, do I need to prepare some sort of emergency kit?
I’ve been reading about what should be included, and I’ve got most of the stuff on hand. But is it really imperative now that I pack it together, in some sort of central location?
I don’t want to totally panic, but damn, the FBI is saying some pretty funky stuff here.
Anyone else got stuff together yet?
Nope. London’s had bombs before, and I doubt there’s much I could’ve done to avoid them. Just keep your eyes open for suspicious unattended bags, that kind of thing. Beyond that I doubt there’s much you can do.
I get the impression that the FBI could push the vigilance line while being a little more reassuring, really. I sincerely think (and hope) that we’ve seen the worst that can be done at the current time. I certainly don’t plan to change my habits.
People in earthquake country are supposed to be prepared. Most are not. Here’s a site about lots of preparedness:
http://theepicenter.com/howto.html
But if you check news sites, some give a small list of stuff to put into a backpack for whatever.
Fox news read a statement from the FBI about this a few hours ago. The thing that struck my dad was their advisory to be “aware of your suroundings” <looks around> knowing I’m in the livingroom helps me how?
From what I’ve heard there isn’t much average householders can do if they’re trying to do preventative stuff against chemical or biological stuff. The experts I’ve heard recommend having a basic emergency kit on hand: Red Cross Emergency kit.
The site also has some info on emergency procedures to follow, etc.
FWIW.
Veb
Dang! Then I left the “r” out of “url”. Sorry, guys.
[Edited by TVeblen on 10-11-2001 at 09:11 PM]
Al, I think at this time the only attack you should be preparing for is if Arden Ranger heads to Michigan.
Persephone,
Apparently, you’d need the same things as you would need for any natural disaster, I don’t recall how many days you should plan for though:
Matches
Candles/oil lamps
Bottled water
Canned or rations food (canned should be fine)
Flashlight
Batteries
Radio
Batteries for that
Blankets (depends on the family size)
Basic first aid kit that all families should have anyway (except us single and bold people. 
)
Cell phone
Now, according to those that live in Isreal (from a news report I saw a couple weeks back) they keep plastic (that construction plastic you see when they do remodels) and duct tape to seal around windows and doors in one room. I assume for chemical or biological attacks but I can’t see that doing much since most homes are not exactly sealed tight anywhere.
Me? I can say I am not totally prepared. I spose I need to make a run to the store tomorrow and get the basics, along with extra food for the cat and dog. Don’t forget extra beer and cigs for me. Yep, it’s true.
What is interesting about this list is that if you are an experienced camper/backpacker, you probably already have most of this stuff already.
I got some groceries – some peanut butter – to last a couple of days.
The basic assortment of emergency stores is probably not a bad idea to have on hand in case of any emergency, man-made or otherwise.
Trying to prepare for biological or chemical attack is, I think, a waste of time – particularly in terms of trying to proof your home against them. There’s a reason that the 9/11 terrorists apparently decided against the cropduster approach – namely, that its not likely to be effective. Any such attack that might be undertaken would likely be focused on a relatively small area in a crowded urban setting, where the best defense is simply to run like hell away from it.
I’ve sometimes thought about getting one of those fire protection hood/mask devices (EvacU8 being the best known brand), again because of its utility in more common emergencies. While they note that they are not meant to defend against nerve gasses or biologicals, I’m sure they’re better than nothing (while nerve gasses can be absorbed through the skin, they’re much more readily absorbed through the lungs or eyes), as long as they don’t distract you from the imperative of running away.
Of course, a clear plastic bag over your head could buy you a couple minutes too, and is even more portable. Just don’t go wearing it around all day as a preventative measure.
This ain’t no party… This ain’t no disco…
Yeah, I’m pretty sure that if we do get hit by a biological attack, I’m gonna be SOL, so I’m not going to worry too hard about that.
So I’m guessing it probably wouldn’t hurt to pack some things, like when I was a kid and my family would go on camping trips? That sort of thing?
Well, if I hear on the news that there is a poisonous gas in the air 10 miles away from me, and I should drive east to escape it, I’d like to have a little backpack in my vehicle with a few snacks, water, little blanket, flashlight… And full gas tank. That way I can maybe be a little comfortable zooming along the highway. Hmm. A few tunes wouldn’t hurt, too. FWIW
My housemate and I were just discussing what we needed to get. She just left to grab a couple of things we were missing.
She mentioned that we needed toilet paper. This wouldn’t be a big thing except we haven’t bought toilet paper since before Y2K. We hadn’t bought TP in almost 2 years!
I don’t think she’s planning on getting that much again.
What about an emergency plan-type deal? Like, should I try and organize something for my family, like where to go if we’re not together or what?
I feel so weird for even thinking of this. Hard to explain. I guess it’s because nothing like this has ever happened in my lifetime. My personal bubble was burst, and now I’m just not quite sure how to react. 
Persephone, I posted a link above. It’s aimed for earthquake preparedness, but could apply here, too, for an emergency plan:
She’ll definitely need water. Candles and batteries, optional.
Got batteries, got candles. Water is no problem. This is Michigan, it’s everywhere.
On a slightly more serious note, I talked to my mom ysterday, and she thinks that putting together some sort of plan for our whole family is a good idea, too (we’re big, we’re close-knit, and we all live fairly close together). So she’s left it to me to try & come up with something (because it was my idea, I suppose). I had a few ideas, anyway.
Fun fun fun.
Persephone,
I then recommend that you get some water purification tablets, pretty sure that any military surplus store has them. Also, if someone infects the main water supply, you should have some bottled water on hand for cooking and drinking. You can bathe in untreated water but I wouldn’t drink water from an unkown source. Well, that’s how it is here in Colorado. You can get pretty sick from even the “clean” streams up here.