Terrorism, Preparing for the Unexpected - Part 6

This is my last installment. Well, at least on terrorism. I have a LOT more to say on many different subjects.

Shelter in Place

If you are advised by local official to "shelter in place," what they mean is for you to remain inside your home or office and protect yourself there. Close and lock all windows and exterior doors. Turn off all fans, heating and air conditioning systems. Close the fireplace damper. Get your disaster supplies kit, and make sure the radio is working. Go to an interior room without windows that's above ground level. In the case of a chemical threat, an above-ground location is preferable because some chemicals are heavier than air,and may seep into basements even if the windows are closed. Using duct tape, seal all cracks around the door and any vents into the room. Keep listening to your radio or television until you are told all is safe or you are told to evacuate. Local officials may call for evacuation in specific areas at greatest risk in your community.

Additional Positive Steps You Can Take

Raw, unedited footage of terrorism events and people's reaction to those events can be very upsetting, especially to children. We do not recommend that children watch television news reports about such events, especially if the news reports show images over and over again about the same incident. Young children do not realize that it is repeated video footage, and think the event is happening again and again. Adults may also need to give themselves a break from watching disturbing footage. However, listening to local radio and television reports will provide you with the most accurate information from responsible government authorities on what's happening and what actions you will need to take. So you may want to make some arrangements to take turns listening to the news with other adult members of your household.

Another useful preparation includes learning some basic first aid. In an emergency situation, you need to tend to your own well-being first and then consider first aid for others immediately around you, including possibly assisting injured people to evacuate a building if necessary.

People who may have come into contact with a biological or chemical agent may need to go through a decontamination procedure and receive medical attention. Listen to the advice of local officials on the radio or television to determine what steps you will need to take to protect yourself and your family.

--American Red Cross Disaster Services

LEARN BASIC FIRST AID!

~Karin

Terrorism, Preparing for the Unexpected - Part 5

If Disaster Strikes,

A Word on What Could Happen, and

Evacuation

If Disaster Strikes -

• Remain calm and be patient.
• Follow the advice of local emergency officials.
• Listen to your radio or television for news and instructions.
• If the disaster occurs near you, check for injuries. Give first aid and get help for seriously injured people.
• If the disaster occurs near your home while you are there, check for damage using a flashlight. Do not light matches or candles or turn on electrical switches. Check for fires, fire hazards and other household hazards. Sniff for gas leaks, starting at the water heater. If you smell gas or suspect a leak, turn off the main gas valve, open windows, and get everyone outside quickly.
• Shut off any other damaged utilities.
• Confine or secure your pets.
• Call your family contact--do not use the telephone again unless it is a life-threatening emergency.
• Check on your neighbors, especially those living alone, elderly or disabled.

A Word on What Could Happen - As we learned from the events of September 11, 2001, the following things can happen after a terrorist attack:

• There can be significant numbers of casualties and/or damage to buildings and the infrastructure. So employers need up-to-date information about any medical needs you may have and on how to contact your designated beneficiaries.
• Heavy law enforcement involvement at local, state and federal levels follows a terrorist attack due to the event's criminal nature.
• Health and mental health resources in the affected communities can be strained their limits, maybe even overwhelmed.
• Extensive media coverage, strong public fear and international implications and consequences can continue for a prolonged period.
• Workplaces and schools may be closed, and there may be restrrictions on domestic and international travel.
• You and your family or household may have to evacuate an area, avoiding roads blocked for your safety.
• Clean-up may take many months.

Evacuation - If local authorities ask you to leave your home, they have a good reason to make this request, and you should heed the advice immediately. Listen to your radio or TV, follow the instructions of local emergency officials and keep those simple tips in mind--

• Wear long-sleeved shirts, long pants and sturdy shoes so you can be protected as much as possible.
• Take your disaster supplies kit.
• Take your pets with you; do not leave them behind. Because pets are not pemitted in public shelters, follow your plan to go to a relative's or friend's home, or find a "pet-friendly" hotel.
• Lock your home.
• Use travel routs specified by local authorities--don't' use shortcuts because certain areas may be impassable or dangerous. [Karin - scout out and find an alternative]
• Stay away from downed power lines.

[With that said - let me interject here. Evacuation? Do you have sanitation items? Porta-potty? Water stored to drink? A food supply? Alternative power and lights? If you're prepared then I would stay put. The authorities let people int he Katrina area stay as long as they put up black plastic so that raiders and wanderers didn't know anyone was home. So I would also add - protection - a firearm is a great tool to foil home looters. We'll discuss this more in Part 6]

--taken from American Red Cross Disaster Services

I would strongly suggest that you seriously go over every bullet listed above and make sure that you and your family understand what is said.

For instance the first bullet says, "Remain calm and be patient." If you are prepared, they you will not fear.

The second and third bullets instruct you to listen to local emergency officials and listen to your radio or television. Do you have a battery or solar operated radio?

Prepare like it will happen tomorrow, and then you will live with peace of mind.

~Karin

5 Creative Ways to Teach Preparedness to Your Child

by Tactical Intelligence on October 28th, 2009

For this post, Tactical Intelligence is honored to have Lisa from The Survival Mom share some creative ways you can use to teach preparedness to your child. I’ve linked to her articles in the past, and if you haven’t had the chance to check out her site, do so!
Ask any survival-minded adult why they’re into preparedness, and they’ll likely offer at least a half-dozen reasons. Ask a child why there’s a closet filled with cans of tuna and buckets of wheat, and there’s no telling what answer they’ll give. Depending on what they’ve been taught, it may be a constant reminder of a foreboding future, full of threats and uncertainty. On the other hand, stored food, stockpiled ammo, and 55 gallon water containers may be accepted as a natural part of life.
Children fear what they don’t understand. When a difficult concept such as preparedness is presented in a creative way, at their level, it helps them feel reassured and satisfied. Here are five creative ways to teach this concept to your children in ways that will reinforce important concepts and include a lot of fun along the way.

• When you explain your preparedness efforts, use examples from children’s literature that children of all ages can relate to. The story of Joseph from the Bible is an excellent example of preparing for difficult times and then being able to provide for others in need. The Little House on the Prairie book series by Laura Ingalls Wilder follows a pioneer family through good times and bad. Each book is a great source of information about practical skills from hand-stitching to making homemade butter to smoking wild game as well as great examples of self-sufficiency. If your children are very young, Little House picture books are available at the library and in bookstores.
• Children naturally love learning about animals and there’s no better source for examples of preparedness than the animals they’re already familiar with. Bears, squirrels and other forest animals get ready for the winter. Geese begin a long trek south when they sense that cold weather is near. Did you know that prairie dogs purposely mound up the earth around the entrances to their homes so rain doesn’t flood their burrows? My own children love The Burgess Book of Animals, which uses entertaining stories to teach facts about dozens of animals.
• Keep an eye on current events. Don’t focus on details that might terrify your kids, but if the Weather Channel is reporting on an approaching hurricane, for example, talk about the steps families in those areas should be taking. Younger children might not be able to
• Teach practical skills. Kids should know how to cook, clean, and scrub the kitchen floor! Learning how to mend ripped jeans or doing laundry isn’t child abuse. They’re real life skills that teach independence and instill a healthy work ethic. Older children can be taught target shooting, how to put up a tent and how to start a campfire. I’m all in favor of lots of play time, but children also need to learn skills and knowledge that are truly worth learning.
• Participate in activities that teach or reinforce preparedness. Scout programs and 4-H are ideal for children to learn some terrific practical skills and socialize with other like-minded kids. You just can’t beat that combination.
Everyone loves learning something new, especially when there’s fun involved. Keep your lessons about preparedness casual, creative, and fun. Your kids will discover the future isn’t something to be feared and will figure that everyone in the neighborhood must also have boxes of freeze-dried food under every bed!

What is Biltong?

BILTONG is classic South African specialty - seasoned dried meat, like beef jerky but much much better. South African Biltong. A great taste. 25 lb beef (top round/sirloin/London broil/ eye of round) · 4 pints warm water · 1 ¼ lb fine salt · ½ cup brown sugar · ½ cup coriander, coarsely ground · 2 tbsp bicarbonate of soda · 1 tbsp black pepper, ground · 1 cup red wine vinegar · 2 tsp saltpeter (optional) Biltong hung and ready to eat Cut the meat along the natural dividing lines of the muscles of the meat of choice Cut into strips of approximately 2-inch thick and any desired length, always cutting with the grain. Mix the salt, sugar, bicarbonate of soda, saltpeter, pepper and coriander together. Rub the seasoning mixture thoroughly into the strips of meat. Layer the meat, with the more bulky pieces at the bottom, in a glass or stainless steel container. Sprinkle a little vinegar over each layer, as you add them.    Leave the meat in a cool place for 12 hours or more, depending on how salty you want the meat to be. (Some experimentation may be required to ascertain the correct length of time to let the meat 'marinade' for, according to your taste.) Remove the meat from the marinade Mix the water and vinegar and dip the meat into this mixture. This makes the biltong shiny and dark. Once this is complete, the biltong is ready to dry. Pat the pieces of meat dry and then hang them up on S-shaped hooks, or use pieces of string, about 2 inches apart. Hang the meat in a cool, dry place with an oscillating fan blowing on it. Ensure that the air is dry, as too much moisture will cause the biltong to spoil. The biltong is ready when the outside is hard and the center part of the biltong strip is still a little moist. Let the center dry according to personal taste. Makes about 21 lb. Another recipe: Ingredients Beef (Preferably Silverside/London Broil) Rock Salt Coarse Ground Black Pepper Coarse Ground Coriander Vinegar (preferably Apple-Cider vinegar, though any will do) Directions Get some half-inch thick strips of beef (silverside - called London Broil in the US). Make sure it's cut _with_ the grain. The pieces should be about 6 inches long. Liberally sprinkle rock-salt on each side of the pieces of meat and let them stand for an hour. The longer you let it stand the saltier it will become. After the hour, scrape off all the excess salt with a knife (don't soak it in water!). Put some vinegar in a bowl and dip the strips of meat in the vinegar for a second or so - just so that the meat is covered in the vinegar. Hold the biltong up so that the excess vinegar drips off. Sprinkle ground pepper and ground coriander over the meat on all sides. Once you have done this, the meat is ready to dry. Drying There are several methods of drying. One is to hang it up on a line in a cool place and have a fan blow on it. This method is a bit difficult because if the air is humid the meat can spoil. The method I use is a home-made 'Biltong Box'. This is basically a sealed wooden box (you can use cardboard if you like) with holes in it and a 60w lightbulb inside. Just hang the meat at the top of the box, and leave the lightbulb on at the bottom. The heat from the lightbulb helps dry the meat (even in humid weather) in about 3-4 days. Remember, the box must be closed on all 6 sides except for a few holes (as per the diagram below). The whole theory behind this method is that hot dry air rises thus drying the biltong. The holes are quite important as they promote good air circulation in the box. 8.             9.                         .4 metre across 10.                     _______________ 11.       FRONT VIEW    |             | 12.                     |x-----------x|  <------- Hang biltong here on a wire 13.                     |  B    B     | 14.          1.0 meter  |  I    I     | 15.            high     |  L    L     | 16.                     |  T    T     | 17.                     |  O    O     | 18.                     |  N    N     | 19.                     |  G    G     | 20.                     |             | 21.                     |x-----------x|  <------- Put a piece of perforated wood 22.       60W lightbulb |     @       |           covering the lightbulb here. This 23.       goes here --> |    |||      |           prevents blood from dropping on the 24.                     ---------------           lightbulb.  Make sure the wood has 25.                                               a few holes in ot to let the hot air 26.                                               rise. 27.         28.         29.                     .4 metre across 30.                     _______________ 31.       SIDE VIEW     |             | 32.                     |  O  O  O    |  33.                     |             |   < --------   Holes at the top of the box on 34.          1.0 meter  |   O  O  O   |                both sides. 35.            high     |             | 36.                     |             | 37.                     |             | 38.                     |             | 39.                     |             | 40.                     |             | 41.                     | O  O  O     |   < --------   Holes at the bottom of the box 42.       60W Lightbulb |             |                by the lightbulb on both sides. 43.       goes here --> |  O  O  O    | 44.                     --------------- 45.         You'll know when the biltong is ready when it is quite hard, but still a bit moist inside. Of course, some people like it 'wet' and others like it 'dry'. It's all a matter of taste. Most South Africans I know like it in between - basically just a bit red inside. If it has gone green, then the meat has spoiled (i.e. don't eat it). Variations include the above recipe, but add flavours like Worcestershire sauce, BBQ sauce, tabasco sauce, soy sauce, etc.. Just brush these sauces on after applying the vinegar using a basting brush.