WordWife and I are contemplating doing some homework but thought we’d ask Dopers first in case any of you had already done it:
We know that for avian flu, it is recommended that a family stockpiles enough supplies to be able to stay indoors for 2 – 3 weeks if avian flu comes to their town – apparently that is the typical gestation period and minimizing human contact lessens the likelihood that your family would be affected.
We have discussed having such supplies for a bit – not just for bird flu but for any other type of emergency. Do you know of a website that lists a good, standard, typical set of supplies a family should have on hand? Nothing over-the-top survivalist, just good solid basics. Should a home generator be on that list?
This article says the impact on human health is remote due to the fact that the disease is not trasmitable from human to human. Only those with direct contact with affected birds are at risk.
That said, the site silenus has linked to is very good. Living in Florida we tend to take such preperations seriously. Much depends on the nature of the emergency. Will the power still be on (like in your scenario) as well as running water (even if boiling is required) or are you totally self-suffcient? Are you evacuating so carry items are limited?
In our case our prepairedness is on a in-our-home-without-power/water type of situation.
(Fixed your link)
But the flu is mutating, that is where the risk is. In it’s current form, there isn’t much of a threat in the US beyond poultry workers. But if it mutates to a form where human to human transfer is easy, or even airborne, it will become global quickly. And very deadly.
The scare over avian flu in the U.S. right now is shameful. To my knowledge there have been no cases of human to human transmission, so unless you are handling poultry every day there is little to be concerned about.
It is also my understanding that as flu virii mutate they will trade virulence for transmissibility, so if a human-human variant does evolve, it is quite likely that it will be far less virulent.
Are you telling me I should be ashamed over my concern?! Whatever. :rolleyes:
I am open to the possibility that it is just me, but when I listened to NPR a few weeks ago they were interviewing a U.S. Senator about avian flu - he stated that everyone should be prepared by having a reasonable set of emergency supplies.
Since I have 2 young children and nothing in the way of supplies like this, I happened to use this as an excuse to do something. Note that I didn’t say in the OP that it was specific to avian flu, per se - but rather “a good, standard, typical set of supplies a family should have on hand” and “not just for bird flu but for any other type of emergency.”
Sorry if I shamed you for using this particular opportunity to do something smart for my family.
A handy way to store emergency kit material is in 5 gallon plastic food-grade buckets. You can get these at any hardware store or restaurant supply store. They keep everything together, waterproof, and they are easily transported and resist having things crush them. One for clothing, one for medical supplies, and as needed for food and the like. You can also buy a seat that snaps on and converts the pail into an emergency toilet.
Water needs to be stored in DOT approved containers for safety. A minimum for survival is 2 gallons per person per day. Better to stash as much as you can, a week’s worth at least.
No list will probably be exactly right for your family. What you need to do is figure out your particular necessities.
Start with medications. Talk to your doctor about getting a “backup” prescription. I keep an extra bottle of each of my medications stashed away, trading it out periodically to keep it from expiring. Does anyone in your household have medications which need refrigeration? (You’d need a supply of ice and a good cooler.) Always have an extra bottle of aspirin (for fever reduction) and anti-diarrheal medications in your first-aid kit, along with the requisite bandages and germicides.
Does anyone in your family have special dietary needs? If not, cans of soup (three per day, per person) would cover you in an emergency, especially since your cupbpards are not likely going to be bare when disaster strikes. Since they’re pre-cooked, in a pinch, you can eat them cold.
Water is pretty easy-- just go out an buy a supply of those pre-filled water-cooler bottles. (My household has one of those dispensers and we usually have six five-gallon bottles on hand.) Stash 'em in your basement.
Don’t forget your pets-- have an extra bag of food, and extra medication. Remember, they’ll need water, too, so factor that in when calculating how much you’ll need.
Also, talk with your other family members about where you’ll go in case you have to evacuate from your home. For example, if I have to leave my home, I’ll go to my grandmother’s house, and if my grandmother needs to evacuate, too, then we head to my mother’s house. My husband, aunts, cousins and mother all know this, so they’ll know where to find me.
Ummm, no, I am not saying you should be ashamed WordMan, I am saying that gov’t officials shouldn’t be on Good Morning America saying that avian flu is going to swoop in like the angel of death when there is no evidence for that at this point.
If you do a search on the boards you will see that I have been warning of a flu pandemic for years, but until there is proof of human-human transmissibility I don’t see the purpose of getting the populace all panicked.
NurseCarmen, here is one cite:
Scientific American :
“Everyone does agree with Ewald that in evolutionary terms, flu, like other viruses, has to trade off virulence for transmissibility if it hopes to get very far.”
I’m not concerned about the avian flu. If it comes, it comes, and there will be time to stock up before it gets to me.
However, I live in a hurricane-prone area, and that does concern me. I have 3 5 gallon water skins to fill before the storm hits, a modest gun collection, and sufficient tools to clean up. Around June, I’ll start adding to my canned and shelvable food stores, until I have enough for 2 weeks without power. I usually consume it over the winter so there are no shelf life issues. I also have lamps, oil, charcoal, lighter fluid, and lots of matches.
We also have several duffels we call the bug out bags, that get packed when a storm approaches. One for each family member, plus one for all the pets. That way, if an evacuation order is made, we throw and go.
As much fun as I make of the Mormons, I really respect their ethic of having 2 years of preserved food on hand at all times. It’s just that I have no place to store that much of my own…
At present, this is a non-issue for me as well. My crazy brother-in-law went into unnecessary Bomb Shelter Mode ™ for Y2K and that was a bigger threat to me than avian flu. If it turns out to be a threat to humans, holing up in your house for two weeks won’t be the answer.
Good gawd. Two gallons of water seems a bit excessive unless you’re trekking across the desert. In Chicago in high summer, I don’t think I’d use more than a half gallon unless I was unable to get to shade.
At the place I was working when Y2K went on, we had a secretary who was a bit of a religious loon, and her preacher was all atwitter about Y2K. Had his whole congregation convinced that it was the apocalypse, or nearly so.
The secretary also went into hole-up mode. New Years came and went without a peep, and she was rather embarrased. That’s when I told her, “Just because it comes from a preacher’s mouth, doesn’t make it Gospel…”
That’s fine, August West - but since my question about emergency supplies might have been sparked by a Senator’s statement about bird flu, but my intent with this post is about generic supplies, I would prefer that editorializing occur elsewhere…on all fronts, not merely yours. I hope you understand.
If the utilties go out, you will sweat a lot out. If the water goes out, you will need that to add to dishwashing in what I call ‘girl scout’ style with three buckets - one soapy, one bleach-water rinse, one water rinse.
And you won’t want to drink warm sodas, so warm powdered juice might work, or you can pack dry soup instead of canned, ‘cooking’ it with a solar oven or just boiling it on the grill, same way you can cook hot dogs boiled on the grill.
It’s not just for drinking, is all I’m trying to say.
My planning is more towards the ‘hurricane’ season and having been out of the friggin power grid for over a week. I’ll post my hurricane season list if anyone is interested.
