If You are prepared, You shall not feared.
Posted: February 21st, 2009, 10:42 pm
I received this e-mail from a family member who is a high priest in his stake, as part of his calling he has to go to CERT (Community Emergency Response Team training) and this are the notes he shared with all of us from his most recent one enjoy and sorry for the length but is worth the read:
These are my notes from a lecture given as part of my CERT (Community Emergency Response Team) training held: This is shared with you NOT to cause wide spread panic, but wide spread preparation. Please share it with whomever you think would use it to prepare. My last desire is to cause panic and fear.
Saturday October 18th 9:00 am
Enoch, Utah
By Terry Weiss (spelling of the last name is still not clear. The gentleman that could tell me for sure is in Mexico for a week. After speaking to several others at the lecture I am reasonably sure this name is correct.)
Terry Weiss is a former Military Terrorism Specialist working in the middle east for the Army Special Forces and is currently working for the Department of Homeland Security in the State of Utah.
Terry told us that the reason this is not put out to the general public is because you can’t yell “FIRE” in a crowded building. If they evacuated LA and nothing happened, there would be an out cry from the people that had to leave their homes. Besides, when would the evacuation happen and how long would it last and how could that many people be moved? Truly a nightmare in the making.
History shows us that before an attack on America, there was some indication of attacks coming by listening to intercepted conversations had among the enemy. As far back as Pearl Harbor and before, we have usually had some idea that something was coming. We even thought we knew something before the attacks on New York.
We have also seen that since 911 there have been alerts sent out in a new “color code” alert system. When nothing happens people get upset that their daily routine was upset for no reason and when they get mad they threaten lawsuits.
Unfortunately right now this lecture is all theory and guess work and no matter how good they think their information is, they just don‘t know for sure until it is too late. So without some concrete proof that an attack is about to happen and a date to go with it, there will simply not be an alert sent out.
Terry began with his back ground and qualifications and some of the things he has learned about the Alqueda Terrorist group in the middle east and why he thinks this government guess is a good one.
Alqueda’s goal is to bring down America as a Super Power and therefore get us out of the middle east where they want to rule. The news reporters would have us believe that they just want to kill Americans, but it is much more than that. If they can kill our morale by killing the men and women serving in the Army, they can kill our confidence in our government. With that gone, they can try to cripple us financially and then bring us down from our title of Super Power in the world.
When they hit the Twin Towers there were several things that we didn’t hear about in the news media. First, we were lead to believe that it was not a big success because only 3,000 people died and there fore they did not reach their goal of mass killings. The purpose of the attack was not to kill Americans, it was to cause financial chaos. The Twin Towers were just a few blocks away from Wall Street and they did stop the stock market for several days. We had a new untested President in Bush, the attack happened just 9 months after he took office. The Pentagon attack was meant to add chaos to the financial shut down. But America is strong and their strategy failed. The stock markets rebounded and they have been looking for a new way to attack us.
What if they could bring down the banks? They would be able to cause chaos that could bring us to our knees.
we are coming up on a new election of not only the President of the Untied States, but also for many members of Congress who are also up for re-election. Just like when the Twin Towers were hit, we will soon be in the chaos of a change in power in Washington.
Now that Alqueda has our internal financial house in an uproar, what will they do next? Homeland Security has been watching and listening to the “chatter” and they believe that they will hit our exports. If we can’t get our goods out to the world, then we will be crippled even further.
With the knowledge that Pakistan has Nuclear Weapons and that they are willing to sell them to Alqueda, (if they haven’t already) Homeland Security is looking for a hit on our major ports within the first year of a new President in 2009 (no matter who wins).
While there are several ports on the list, Terry felt most confident that the Port of Las Angeles would be hit with a Nuke in the coming year. This port, along with the port at Long Beach, are responsible for 80% of the goods leaving America.
He went on the teach us how to be safe WHEN it happened, he never used the word IF. However, he did close the lecture by saying that he hoped he was wrong and that all the preparation was for nothing and that he would be very happy to hear from us in 2010 to tell him that he was wrong.
When the Ports in LA are hit, we here in Southern Utah will have 6-8 hours of warning depending on wind speed and other weather conditions, before fall out arrives here. Should they hit Las Vegas (also on the list of possible targets, but not as likely in Terry‘s opinion) we would have 3-4 hours to prepare for the fallout.
Depending on the power of the weapon and the weather during the explosion, we can expect fallout that wouldn’t be deadly from either target, but it could cause life long health issues if we weren’t prepared. Because radiation has a specific life, we can accurately come up with a scenario of what could happen, so . . . worse case could look like this:
A very powerful Nuke sends 450 Rad into the air in LA. This is the power that Pakistan could produce. This would cause death to local people within 48 hours if they survived the blast.
High winds could bring the fall out to us in Cedar City in just 6 hours. Levels would still be at about 200 Rads in that amount of time, depending again on wind and other weather conditions. By day two, levels would drop to 100 and by day 3 they could be down below 50 Rads which is considered safe. On a normal sunny summer day we are exposed to 22-25 rads from the sun.
So what does that mean?
The following comes from an internet article and NOT our CERT lecture . . . .
Very few of those receiving doses of less than 100 R would become sick, even briefly. All of those exposed to acute doses between 100 R and 200 R should recover from radiation effects, but the recovery could be long and hard.
However, under post-attack conditions of multiple stresses and privations, some who receive radiation doses of 100 R to 200 R may die of infectious diseases because of their reduced resistance. The human body usually can repair almost all radiation damage if the daily doses are not too large.
The majority of those with doses of less than about 350 R will recover without medical treatment, but again, it could be long and hard.
Almost all of those receiving doses of over 450 R would die within a few weeks, even if they were to receive treatment in a typical hospital during peacetime. If all doctors and the equipment and drugs needed for heroic treatments magically were to survive an attack and persons suffering from radiation sickness could reach them relatively few additional lives could be saved.
The most effective way to reduce losses of health and life from radiation sickness is to prevent excessive exposure to radiation. Adequate shelter and essential life-support items are the best means of saving lives in a nuclear war. The following information on radiation sickness is given to help the reader understand the importance of building a good shelter and to help him distinguish between symptoms of common illnesses and first symptoms of radiation sickness.
The first symptoms of radiation sickness are nausea, vomiting, headache, dizziness, and a general feeling of illness. These symptoms begin several hours after exposure to doses of 100 R to 200 R. and within 30 minutes or less after receiving a fatal dose. A source of confusion is the fact that one or more of these symptoms is experienced by many people when they are first exposed to great danger, as in shelter during a bombardment.
The occupants of a shelter might worry unnecessarily for weeks, mistaking their early emotional reactions for the initial phase of radiation sickness. Keeping everything calm and as low stress as possible will be the best thing you could do for those in your care.
The initial symptoms end within a day or two. Then follows the latent phase of radiation sickness, during which the patient experiences few, if any, symptoms. If the dose received was in the non-fatal range the latent phase may last as long as 2 weeks.
In the final phase, the victim of serious or fatal radiation sickness will have reduced resistance to infections and is likely to suffer diarrhea, loss of hair, and small hemorrhages of the skin, mouth, and; or intestinal tract. Diarrhea from common causes may be confused with the onset of radiation sickness, but hemorrhages and loss of much hair are clear indications of having received serious, but not necessarily fatal, radiation exposure. The final phase usually lasts for one to two months. Any available antibiotics should be reserved for this critical phase of the illness.
Recovery from most cases of radiation sickness will be more likely for patients who receive a well balanced diet, rest, freedom from stress, and clean surroundings. But most patients, even without these advantages, will survive, as proved by the survival of thousands of Hiroshima and Nagasaki citizens who suffered serious radiation sickness.
Caring for radiation victims is not hazardous. Radiation sickness is not contagious.
Part two of this e-mail will have information on “Safe Rooms” for our homes and how to protect our family should this happen.
SAFE ROOMS!
This is NOT a Completely SAFE ROOM. It is a temporary shelter that enables you to escape exposure to Chemical, biological agents or low level radiation. It is a shelter for temporary events. Evacuate at the first opportunity.
*REMEMBER* Radiological, Biological and Chemical weapons are area-denial agents designed to hinder or deny the use of an area to enemy troops for some amount of time. You and your family are not soldiers. Your best defense is to get out of the area if at all possible. This safe room is for use when you must shelter in place.
Radiological, Biological and Chemical weapons are area-denial agents designed to hinder or deny the use of an area to enemy troops for some amount of time. You and your family are not soldiers. Your best defense is to get out of the area if at all possible. This safe room is for use when you must shelter in place. **WARNING ** IF you are in a high risk area such as a major target city, you will need more survival gear such as a gas mask, and be practiced in it's operation and methods of putting it on, SO THAT YOU do not contaminate the mask in putting it on. If you feel you need added protection, please seek Gas Mask and other personal protection training.
A safe room is useful if there is a chance of an accidental release of chemicals in the case of a train derailment or a semi truck accident on a local freeway. A safe room is also useful in the event of radiation fall out if you are far enough away. It is intended to provide short term protection for your family until evacuation may be required. Safe rooms are especially useful when infants or small children are present in the home, since it is difficult to obtain personal protection systems designed for children. A safe room also provides protection for pets as well as giving its occupants mobility, a place to sleep, and allows reading and watching TV more easily than a gas mask and chemical safety suit. When equipped with a robust HEPA filter, it may also offer protection for longer periods of time than a gas mask filter, which generally has a 3.5-hour life span in a toxic environment. WITHOUT the activated HEPA charcoal filter, it is not a secure or safe room.
NATO recommended expedient shelters for civilians who might be exposed to a Soviet chemical attack. People in Israel and those who live near chemical manufacturing or processing plans have created safe/expedient shelter rooms in their homes for years. Homeland Security has reviewed data from multiple military and industrial sources, including the Israeli Defense Force, and is please to recommended the following guidelines to preparing your own safe room:
Picking the Safe Room Location
Pick a room on an upper floor (not the basement) with few windows. The fewer external walls, the better. A room with an adjoining bathroom is always nice. We recommend the master bedroom since it usually includes bathroom facilities, a phone, radio or TV and is comfortable. Basement rooms should not be chosen because some poison gasses as well as radiation have a tendency to collect in low places. The room should have a minimum of one-square yard of floor space per person, but for optimal comfort, at least twice this much space is recommended.
Preparing the Room Ahead of Time
Ideally, you are prepared well ahead of an emergency and have time to prepare your room. Preparations include both steps you can take to make the room airtight and supplies you may want to store in the safe room to make your stay comfortable. Buy enough of the following to cover all the windows and other entrances in your safe room area:
Weather stripping (get enough for the doors, too.)
6 ply clear plastic film, at least 1 mm thick, wide enough to cover your windows and doors with at least 1 inch overlap.
Scissors or something else to cut the plastic to fit (but realistically you should have precut the plastic to fit these openings).
Duct tape
Caulk and a caulk gun
A portable HEPA air filtration system large enough for your room.
Before the event, install the weather stripping material on all windows, ensuring that they seal tightly in a manner that eliminates the transfer of air from outside to the inside of your home. Also install weather stripping on the doors to the safe room, even if it only leads to another room within your house. You should also add weather stripping on all your external doors elsewhere in the house -- it won't hurt and will probably help.
Please be aware that trailer homes do NOT have enough insulation for a safe room. If you live in a mobile home, plan an sheltering with family or friends in a framed house.
If you have an older house or older windows, caulk the windows to prevent any drafts or leakages. Also caulk any other locations where air might penetrate your house, such as holes where cable and phone wires enter the room.
Set up the HEPA filter and plug it in. (HEPA stands for High Efficiency Particle Arresting and removes 99.97 percent of all particles 0.3 microns or larger and is suggested as a way to remove Anthrax bacteria and other harmful substances from the air.)
Store the following items in a box or two in the safe room:
Bottled water, juice, sports drinks or other beverages
Food that can be stored for a long time yet requires little or no preparation, such as peanut butter and crackers, peanuts or mixed nuts, energy bars, candy bars, pretzels, pudding packs individual servings of applesauce, MRE’s etc. Don’t forget baby food if needed and the means to wash and reuse baby food items.
A portable radio with fresh batteries
A flashlight with fresh batteries
Extra batteries for each
Cellular phone with texting capablilites. During an emergency the cell towers become jammed with frantic callers. Texting is done on a much smaller band width and can be sent when voice calls can not.
A deck of cards, books, DVD’s and games or other activities to keep you and your children busy.
Any basic toiletries or medicines you may need and change of clothing for a family members, enough for up to four days.
A fan, as it may become warm in a confined space, and you must shut off the air conditioning to prevent it from bring outside air into the safe room.
N95 face masks. These are form fitting to the face and their use will be talked about later in this article.
Once you have everything in place and installed, you can rest a bit easier until such time you feel a emergency is imminent.
How do you know when to go to your expedient shelter/safe room?
While there may be a broadcast alert, either through an all-news TV or radio station, or some official notification of an attack or emergency -- such as sirens -- your senses are also important. Use your five senses as well as your common sense to determine when you should retreat to a safe room.
Some dangerous chemicals will cause you to experience a burning or itching in the eyes, nose and throat. Others, such as chlorine or ammonia, will have a distinctive smell. Also be aware of explosions or other sounds that could represent some type of munitions. All are cues to retreat to the safe room. Visual cues for a biological incident might include a low-flying crop duster in parts where there are no crops or a truck with a large plume of white spray fanning out behind it, sick or dead animals, absents of wildlife or insects. Be Alert!
Decontamination
If you are exposed during an incident -- outside the house, at your office, in your car or otherwise feel you may have been contaminated -- your best bet is to immediately return to the house. Remove all outer garments outside the house, including shoes socks and jewelry. Rinse off with a garden hose before entering the house. This is not the time to worry about modesty. Put all your clothing and personal items in a plastic garbage bag, sealing it shut for later decontamination. Leave it outside. Then retreat to the garage or back porch. Remove you under garments and wash thoroughly two or three times in lukewarm water with antibacterial soap if you believe you have been exposed to chemicals OR baby shampoo if you believe you have been exposed to radiation. Let the suds stay on you for at least one minute prior to rinsing. Wash your hair very well, too. Do not use conditioners or moisturizers because they will trap the water next to your skin and you want all that moving down the drain. If you don’t have access to water on the porch or in the garage, go to a bathroom NOT in your safe room for this washing. Then use clean towels to dry off. Dab and blot, don’t rub yourself vigorously. Put the towels and undergarments in a garbage bag and seal them for later decontamination. Now go to the safe room to dress in clean clothes. DO NOT RISK BRINGING CONTAMINATES TO YOUR SAFE ROOM.
In the event of an Incident
If you expect an imminent incident or believe there is a imminent danger from biological, radiological or chemical incident, you should:
Immediately close all windows and doors in the house.
Turn off all heating or air conditioning
Put on your N95 mask
Gather all residents of the home, including pets, and retreat to the safe room
Turn on the HEPA filter
Cover the windows in your safe room with 6 ply plastic (preferably clear so that you can see out and light can get in), taping the plastic all around with duct tape or another strong tape. Apply a second layer of plastic and seal with tape again. Also seal air conditioning or heat vents with double layers of plastic.
Apply additional tape over the cracks in plaster around windows and the door to prevent any air transfer.
Seal the door with tape and plastic, tucking the fist layer of plastic tightly under the door. Apply second layer to door and tape bottom shut.
Also cover with plastic and taped securely in place all air conditioning/heater vents and don't forget the bathroom ceiling vent fan and any other hole, void, crack or crevice where outside air might enter the room.
Light switches and electrical outlets do not need to be covered because they are coming through the inside wall and protected by your house frame and insulation. But if you have a cable that comes directly from the outside your house into your safe room, cover and tape it well.
You may remove your N95 mask once you are sealed AND the HEPA filter has run for about one hour to clean the air in your room. This time frame will very slightly depending on your room size and the filter size. Review your make and model and room size and choose a time that best serves you and your family.
**This first hour will be very hard for young children who do not want to wear their mask. You should practice before an emergency and find the best way to coax your child to wear it for up to one hour. Do your best. A screaming child is better than a sick child.
Plan on bathing everyday you are in your safe room so that you can remove any contaminates that should get in, even in the smallest of doses. Use the same bathing method you used to wash before entering you safe room.
If you expect an imminent incident or believe there is a imminent danger from biological, radiological or chemical incident, you should:Immediately close all windows and doors in the house.Turn off all heating or air conditioningPut on your N95 maskGather all residents of the home, including pets, and retreat to the safe roomTurn on the HEPA filterCover the windows in your safe room with 6 ply plastic (preferably clear so that you can see out and light can get in), taping the plastic all around with duct tape or another strong tape. Apply a second layer of plastic and seal with tape again. Also seal air conditioning or heat vents with double layers of plastic.Apply additional tape over the cracks in plaster around windows and the door to prevent any air transfer. Seal the door with tape and plastic, tucking the fist layer of plastic tightly under the door. Apply second layer to door and tape bottom shut.Also cover with plastic and taped securely in place all air conditioning/heater vents and don't forget the bathroom ceiling vent fan and any other hole, void, crack or crevice where outside air might enter the room.Light switches and electrical outlets do not need to be covered because they are coming through the inside wall and protected by your house frame and insulation. But if you have a cable that comes directly from the outside your house into your safe room, cover and tape it well.You may remove your N95 mask once you are sealed AND the HEPA filter has run for about one hour to clean the air in your room. This time frame will very slightly depending on your room size and the filter size. Review your make and model and room size and choose a time that best serves you and your family. **This first hour will be very hard for young children who do not want to wear their mask. You should practice before an emergency and find the best way to coax your child to wear it for up to one hour. Do your best. A screaming child is better than a sick child.Plan on bathing everyday you are in your safe room so that you can remove any contaminates that should get in, even in the smallest of doses. Use the same bathing method you used to wash before entering you safe room. How do you know when it is safe to leave the room?
Your best bet is to wait for some kind of official notification, such as an all-clear siren or radio broadcast.
With chemicals, the danger usually dissipates in a number of hours. Weather conditions play a role in how quickly the chemicals are diluted to a residual level that is no longer dangerous. Wind, for example, will cause the chemicals to blow away. Usually, you can leave the safe room after a number of hours from the incident, assuming there are not continued attacks or leaks (in the case of an industrial emergency).
With a biological threat, the danger can last much longer. Anthrax and other bacteria and viruses may break down after exposure to sunlight, but weaponized anthrax is still a bit of a question. Plus, there may be residual amounts remaining at ground level which could be stirred up when you walk through it. If you are certain that Anthrax or another biological hazard has been spread in your neighborhood, we suggest that you stay in your safe room as long as you can comfortably do so without running out of oxygen. Even then, utilize caution when leaving the house and consider getting a test or possible antibiotic treatment.
Radiation has specific life and safe levels can be determined by professionals. Many factors play into this time frame. How strong was the blast? How far away are you the blast site? What weather conditions are effecting the fall out? It is best to listen you your radio for the “all clear” to be given before leaving your safe room.
**WARNING** You must always keep in mind the amount of oxygen in the room. If the room is completely sealed, you will be consuming oxygen and exhaling carbon dioxide. Dying from a lack of oxygen is not a positive outcome, especially when the chemical or biological threat may not have actually materialized or the danger may have passed. If you notice your breath becoming shallow or rapid, or you experience any other symptoms that may reflect oxygen deprivation, you should immediately don your N95 mask and open a door to another part of the house to let in some fresh air. DO NOT OPEN AN EXTERIOR DOOR. Leave it open for 30 minutes with your HEPA filter near the open area. Reseal the door when you feel enough fresh air has entered the room. Leave your masks on for one additional hour after resealing while the HEPA filter cleans the new air. (This time will very slightly depending on your room size and the filter size. Review your make and model and room size and choose a time that best serves you and your family) Remove the mask and have everyone in the room wash again to remove contaminates from skin.
In the case of small children, remove them to another room within the safe area during the time you are refreshing the air. They will not be likely to keep their masks in place during this time.
You can also bring plants into the room to help keep the room fresh. A family of four in a master bed/bath area should have a gallon size plant or several smaller plant equivalent to a gallon. The best plants for this kind of room are the Spider Plant and the Rubber Plant. Even with a plant you may still have to open up the door of your safe room if you experience any signs of oxygen deprivation.
What do I do when I leave my safe room?
Once the “all clear” is given you may receive additional instruction on your radio or TV that is specific to your particular event. Follow this direction closely. Here are a few general guidelines.
Once the “all clear” is given you may receive additional instruction on your radio or TV that is specific to your particular event. Follow this direction closely. Here are a few general guidelines.
Wear your N95 mask into the rest of your house. Be aware of skin irritation or itchy, watery eyes. This may be a sign that your home is not clear yet. Return to the safe room and wash. Wait an additional day and try again. If no signs appear in the first two hours, you can remove the mask. Small children should remain in the safe room until an adult can safely move about the rest of the house.
While wearing water proof gloves, wipe down all surfaces with a mild bleach solution. For items that won’t do well with this type of cleaning, such as books or carpets, spray well with a disinfectant like Lysol.
Plan on staying in the house for an additional day or two. While bacteria outside the house has already died and chemicals or radiation has dispersed, you don‘t need to come into contact with sick people who were not as prepared as you were. When you do venture out, keep contact with others to a minimum.
Food in the house should be safe to eat at this time. Food in sealed containers such as cans or bottles are good. Food stored in a refrigerators or freezers are safe due to the seal around their doors, so long as you had electricity during the event. Food left on the counter tops such as fresh fruits or foods in unsealed containers such as bread in lose plastic bags may not be safe. When in doubt, throw it out.
Should anyone of your family members have any symptoms that concern you, be sure to CALL the hospital or doctor before bring them in. Your condition my be a mild case and the doctors may be dealing with much more serious cases that you don’t want to be exposed to. Or the sheer number of people at the emergency room may be over whelming to the staff and getting care may be next to impossible. Only go to the hospital if your care giver tells you come in.
These are my notes from a lecture given as part of my CERT (Community Emergency Response Team) training held: This is shared with you NOT to cause wide spread panic, but wide spread preparation. Please share it with whomever you think would use it to prepare. My last desire is to cause panic and fear.
Saturday October 18th 9:00 am
Enoch, Utah
By Terry Weiss (spelling of the last name is still not clear. The gentleman that could tell me for sure is in Mexico for a week. After speaking to several others at the lecture I am reasonably sure this name is correct.)
Terry Weiss is a former Military Terrorism Specialist working in the middle east for the Army Special Forces and is currently working for the Department of Homeland Security in the State of Utah.
Terry told us that the reason this is not put out to the general public is because you can’t yell “FIRE” in a crowded building. If they evacuated LA and nothing happened, there would be an out cry from the people that had to leave their homes. Besides, when would the evacuation happen and how long would it last and how could that many people be moved? Truly a nightmare in the making.
History shows us that before an attack on America, there was some indication of attacks coming by listening to intercepted conversations had among the enemy. As far back as Pearl Harbor and before, we have usually had some idea that something was coming. We even thought we knew something before the attacks on New York.
We have also seen that since 911 there have been alerts sent out in a new “color code” alert system. When nothing happens people get upset that their daily routine was upset for no reason and when they get mad they threaten lawsuits.
Unfortunately right now this lecture is all theory and guess work and no matter how good they think their information is, they just don‘t know for sure until it is too late. So without some concrete proof that an attack is about to happen and a date to go with it, there will simply not be an alert sent out.
Terry began with his back ground and qualifications and some of the things he has learned about the Alqueda Terrorist group in the middle east and why he thinks this government guess is a good one.
Alqueda’s goal is to bring down America as a Super Power and therefore get us out of the middle east where they want to rule. The news reporters would have us believe that they just want to kill Americans, but it is much more than that. If they can kill our morale by killing the men and women serving in the Army, they can kill our confidence in our government. With that gone, they can try to cripple us financially and then bring us down from our title of Super Power in the world.
When they hit the Twin Towers there were several things that we didn’t hear about in the news media. First, we were lead to believe that it was not a big success because only 3,000 people died and there fore they did not reach their goal of mass killings. The purpose of the attack was not to kill Americans, it was to cause financial chaos. The Twin Towers were just a few blocks away from Wall Street and they did stop the stock market for several days. We had a new untested President in Bush, the attack happened just 9 months after he took office. The Pentagon attack was meant to add chaos to the financial shut down. But America is strong and their strategy failed. The stock markets rebounded and they have been looking for a new way to attack us.
What if they could bring down the banks? They would be able to cause chaos that could bring us to our knees.
we are coming up on a new election of not only the President of the Untied States, but also for many members of Congress who are also up for re-election. Just like when the Twin Towers were hit, we will soon be in the chaos of a change in power in Washington.
Now that Alqueda has our internal financial house in an uproar, what will they do next? Homeland Security has been watching and listening to the “chatter” and they believe that they will hit our exports. If we can’t get our goods out to the world, then we will be crippled even further.
With the knowledge that Pakistan has Nuclear Weapons and that they are willing to sell them to Alqueda, (if they haven’t already) Homeland Security is looking for a hit on our major ports within the first year of a new President in 2009 (no matter who wins).
While there are several ports on the list, Terry felt most confident that the Port of Las Angeles would be hit with a Nuke in the coming year. This port, along with the port at Long Beach, are responsible for 80% of the goods leaving America.
He went on the teach us how to be safe WHEN it happened, he never used the word IF. However, he did close the lecture by saying that he hoped he was wrong and that all the preparation was for nothing and that he would be very happy to hear from us in 2010 to tell him that he was wrong.
When the Ports in LA are hit, we here in Southern Utah will have 6-8 hours of warning depending on wind speed and other weather conditions, before fall out arrives here. Should they hit Las Vegas (also on the list of possible targets, but not as likely in Terry‘s opinion) we would have 3-4 hours to prepare for the fallout.
Depending on the power of the weapon and the weather during the explosion, we can expect fallout that wouldn’t be deadly from either target, but it could cause life long health issues if we weren’t prepared. Because radiation has a specific life, we can accurately come up with a scenario of what could happen, so . . . worse case could look like this:
A very powerful Nuke sends 450 Rad into the air in LA. This is the power that Pakistan could produce. This would cause death to local people within 48 hours if they survived the blast.
High winds could bring the fall out to us in Cedar City in just 6 hours. Levels would still be at about 200 Rads in that amount of time, depending again on wind and other weather conditions. By day two, levels would drop to 100 and by day 3 they could be down below 50 Rads which is considered safe. On a normal sunny summer day we are exposed to 22-25 rads from the sun.
So what does that mean?
The following comes from an internet article and NOT our CERT lecture . . . .
Very few of those receiving doses of less than 100 R would become sick, even briefly. All of those exposed to acute doses between 100 R and 200 R should recover from radiation effects, but the recovery could be long and hard.
However, under post-attack conditions of multiple stresses and privations, some who receive radiation doses of 100 R to 200 R may die of infectious diseases because of their reduced resistance. The human body usually can repair almost all radiation damage if the daily doses are not too large.
The majority of those with doses of less than about 350 R will recover without medical treatment, but again, it could be long and hard.
Almost all of those receiving doses of over 450 R would die within a few weeks, even if they were to receive treatment in a typical hospital during peacetime. If all doctors and the equipment and drugs needed for heroic treatments magically were to survive an attack and persons suffering from radiation sickness could reach them relatively few additional lives could be saved.
The most effective way to reduce losses of health and life from radiation sickness is to prevent excessive exposure to radiation. Adequate shelter and essential life-support items are the best means of saving lives in a nuclear war. The following information on radiation sickness is given to help the reader understand the importance of building a good shelter and to help him distinguish between symptoms of common illnesses and first symptoms of radiation sickness.
The first symptoms of radiation sickness are nausea, vomiting, headache, dizziness, and a general feeling of illness. These symptoms begin several hours after exposure to doses of 100 R to 200 R. and within 30 minutes or less after receiving a fatal dose. A source of confusion is the fact that one or more of these symptoms is experienced by many people when they are first exposed to great danger, as in shelter during a bombardment.
The occupants of a shelter might worry unnecessarily for weeks, mistaking their early emotional reactions for the initial phase of radiation sickness. Keeping everything calm and as low stress as possible will be the best thing you could do for those in your care.
The initial symptoms end within a day or two. Then follows the latent phase of radiation sickness, during which the patient experiences few, if any, symptoms. If the dose received was in the non-fatal range the latent phase may last as long as 2 weeks.
In the final phase, the victim of serious or fatal radiation sickness will have reduced resistance to infections and is likely to suffer diarrhea, loss of hair, and small hemorrhages of the skin, mouth, and; or intestinal tract. Diarrhea from common causes may be confused with the onset of radiation sickness, but hemorrhages and loss of much hair are clear indications of having received serious, but not necessarily fatal, radiation exposure. The final phase usually lasts for one to two months. Any available antibiotics should be reserved for this critical phase of the illness.
Recovery from most cases of radiation sickness will be more likely for patients who receive a well balanced diet, rest, freedom from stress, and clean surroundings. But most patients, even without these advantages, will survive, as proved by the survival of thousands of Hiroshima and Nagasaki citizens who suffered serious radiation sickness.
Caring for radiation victims is not hazardous. Radiation sickness is not contagious.
Part two of this e-mail will have information on “Safe Rooms” for our homes and how to protect our family should this happen.
SAFE ROOMS!
This is NOT a Completely SAFE ROOM. It is a temporary shelter that enables you to escape exposure to Chemical, biological agents or low level radiation. It is a shelter for temporary events. Evacuate at the first opportunity.
*REMEMBER* Radiological, Biological and Chemical weapons are area-denial agents designed to hinder or deny the use of an area to enemy troops for some amount of time. You and your family are not soldiers. Your best defense is to get out of the area if at all possible. This safe room is for use when you must shelter in place.
Radiological, Biological and Chemical weapons are area-denial agents designed to hinder or deny the use of an area to enemy troops for some amount of time. You and your family are not soldiers. Your best defense is to get out of the area if at all possible. This safe room is for use when you must shelter in place. **WARNING ** IF you are in a high risk area such as a major target city, you will need more survival gear such as a gas mask, and be practiced in it's operation and methods of putting it on, SO THAT YOU do not contaminate the mask in putting it on. If you feel you need added protection, please seek Gas Mask and other personal protection training.
A safe room is useful if there is a chance of an accidental release of chemicals in the case of a train derailment or a semi truck accident on a local freeway. A safe room is also useful in the event of radiation fall out if you are far enough away. It is intended to provide short term protection for your family until evacuation may be required. Safe rooms are especially useful when infants or small children are present in the home, since it is difficult to obtain personal protection systems designed for children. A safe room also provides protection for pets as well as giving its occupants mobility, a place to sleep, and allows reading and watching TV more easily than a gas mask and chemical safety suit. When equipped with a robust HEPA filter, it may also offer protection for longer periods of time than a gas mask filter, which generally has a 3.5-hour life span in a toxic environment. WITHOUT the activated HEPA charcoal filter, it is not a secure or safe room.
NATO recommended expedient shelters for civilians who might be exposed to a Soviet chemical attack. People in Israel and those who live near chemical manufacturing or processing plans have created safe/expedient shelter rooms in their homes for years. Homeland Security has reviewed data from multiple military and industrial sources, including the Israeli Defense Force, and is please to recommended the following guidelines to preparing your own safe room:
Picking the Safe Room Location
Pick a room on an upper floor (not the basement) with few windows. The fewer external walls, the better. A room with an adjoining bathroom is always nice. We recommend the master bedroom since it usually includes bathroom facilities, a phone, radio or TV and is comfortable. Basement rooms should not be chosen because some poison gasses as well as radiation have a tendency to collect in low places. The room should have a minimum of one-square yard of floor space per person, but for optimal comfort, at least twice this much space is recommended.
Preparing the Room Ahead of Time
Ideally, you are prepared well ahead of an emergency and have time to prepare your room. Preparations include both steps you can take to make the room airtight and supplies you may want to store in the safe room to make your stay comfortable. Buy enough of the following to cover all the windows and other entrances in your safe room area:
Weather stripping (get enough for the doors, too.)
6 ply clear plastic film, at least 1 mm thick, wide enough to cover your windows and doors with at least 1 inch overlap.
Scissors or something else to cut the plastic to fit (but realistically you should have precut the plastic to fit these openings).
Duct tape
Caulk and a caulk gun
A portable HEPA air filtration system large enough for your room.
Before the event, install the weather stripping material on all windows, ensuring that they seal tightly in a manner that eliminates the transfer of air from outside to the inside of your home. Also install weather stripping on the doors to the safe room, even if it only leads to another room within your house. You should also add weather stripping on all your external doors elsewhere in the house -- it won't hurt and will probably help.
Please be aware that trailer homes do NOT have enough insulation for a safe room. If you live in a mobile home, plan an sheltering with family or friends in a framed house.
If you have an older house or older windows, caulk the windows to prevent any drafts or leakages. Also caulk any other locations where air might penetrate your house, such as holes where cable and phone wires enter the room.
Set up the HEPA filter and plug it in. (HEPA stands for High Efficiency Particle Arresting and removes 99.97 percent of all particles 0.3 microns or larger and is suggested as a way to remove Anthrax bacteria and other harmful substances from the air.)
Store the following items in a box or two in the safe room:
Bottled water, juice, sports drinks or other beverages
Food that can be stored for a long time yet requires little or no preparation, such as peanut butter and crackers, peanuts or mixed nuts, energy bars, candy bars, pretzels, pudding packs individual servings of applesauce, MRE’s etc. Don’t forget baby food if needed and the means to wash and reuse baby food items.
A portable radio with fresh batteries
A flashlight with fresh batteries
Extra batteries for each
Cellular phone with texting capablilites. During an emergency the cell towers become jammed with frantic callers. Texting is done on a much smaller band width and can be sent when voice calls can not.
A deck of cards, books, DVD’s and games or other activities to keep you and your children busy.
Any basic toiletries or medicines you may need and change of clothing for a family members, enough for up to four days.
A fan, as it may become warm in a confined space, and you must shut off the air conditioning to prevent it from bring outside air into the safe room.
N95 face masks. These are form fitting to the face and their use will be talked about later in this article.
Once you have everything in place and installed, you can rest a bit easier until such time you feel a emergency is imminent.
How do you know when to go to your expedient shelter/safe room?
While there may be a broadcast alert, either through an all-news TV or radio station, or some official notification of an attack or emergency -- such as sirens -- your senses are also important. Use your five senses as well as your common sense to determine when you should retreat to a safe room.
Some dangerous chemicals will cause you to experience a burning or itching in the eyes, nose and throat. Others, such as chlorine or ammonia, will have a distinctive smell. Also be aware of explosions or other sounds that could represent some type of munitions. All are cues to retreat to the safe room. Visual cues for a biological incident might include a low-flying crop duster in parts where there are no crops or a truck with a large plume of white spray fanning out behind it, sick or dead animals, absents of wildlife or insects. Be Alert!
Decontamination
If you are exposed during an incident -- outside the house, at your office, in your car or otherwise feel you may have been contaminated -- your best bet is to immediately return to the house. Remove all outer garments outside the house, including shoes socks and jewelry. Rinse off with a garden hose before entering the house. This is not the time to worry about modesty. Put all your clothing and personal items in a plastic garbage bag, sealing it shut for later decontamination. Leave it outside. Then retreat to the garage or back porch. Remove you under garments and wash thoroughly two or three times in lukewarm water with antibacterial soap if you believe you have been exposed to chemicals OR baby shampoo if you believe you have been exposed to radiation. Let the suds stay on you for at least one minute prior to rinsing. Wash your hair very well, too. Do not use conditioners or moisturizers because they will trap the water next to your skin and you want all that moving down the drain. If you don’t have access to water on the porch or in the garage, go to a bathroom NOT in your safe room for this washing. Then use clean towels to dry off. Dab and blot, don’t rub yourself vigorously. Put the towels and undergarments in a garbage bag and seal them for later decontamination. Now go to the safe room to dress in clean clothes. DO NOT RISK BRINGING CONTAMINATES TO YOUR SAFE ROOM.
In the event of an Incident
If you expect an imminent incident or believe there is a imminent danger from biological, radiological or chemical incident, you should:
Immediately close all windows and doors in the house.
Turn off all heating or air conditioning
Put on your N95 mask
Gather all residents of the home, including pets, and retreat to the safe room
Turn on the HEPA filter
Cover the windows in your safe room with 6 ply plastic (preferably clear so that you can see out and light can get in), taping the plastic all around with duct tape or another strong tape. Apply a second layer of plastic and seal with tape again. Also seal air conditioning or heat vents with double layers of plastic.
Apply additional tape over the cracks in plaster around windows and the door to prevent any air transfer.
Seal the door with tape and plastic, tucking the fist layer of plastic tightly under the door. Apply second layer to door and tape bottom shut.
Also cover with plastic and taped securely in place all air conditioning/heater vents and don't forget the bathroom ceiling vent fan and any other hole, void, crack or crevice where outside air might enter the room.
Light switches and electrical outlets do not need to be covered because they are coming through the inside wall and protected by your house frame and insulation. But if you have a cable that comes directly from the outside your house into your safe room, cover and tape it well.
You may remove your N95 mask once you are sealed AND the HEPA filter has run for about one hour to clean the air in your room. This time frame will very slightly depending on your room size and the filter size. Review your make and model and room size and choose a time that best serves you and your family.
**This first hour will be very hard for young children who do not want to wear their mask. You should practice before an emergency and find the best way to coax your child to wear it for up to one hour. Do your best. A screaming child is better than a sick child.
Plan on bathing everyday you are in your safe room so that you can remove any contaminates that should get in, even in the smallest of doses. Use the same bathing method you used to wash before entering you safe room.
If you expect an imminent incident or believe there is a imminent danger from biological, radiological or chemical incident, you should:Immediately close all windows and doors in the house.Turn off all heating or air conditioningPut on your N95 maskGather all residents of the home, including pets, and retreat to the safe roomTurn on the HEPA filterCover the windows in your safe room with 6 ply plastic (preferably clear so that you can see out and light can get in), taping the plastic all around with duct tape or another strong tape. Apply a second layer of plastic and seal with tape again. Also seal air conditioning or heat vents with double layers of plastic.Apply additional tape over the cracks in plaster around windows and the door to prevent any air transfer. Seal the door with tape and plastic, tucking the fist layer of plastic tightly under the door. Apply second layer to door and tape bottom shut.Also cover with plastic and taped securely in place all air conditioning/heater vents and don't forget the bathroom ceiling vent fan and any other hole, void, crack or crevice where outside air might enter the room.Light switches and electrical outlets do not need to be covered because they are coming through the inside wall and protected by your house frame and insulation. But if you have a cable that comes directly from the outside your house into your safe room, cover and tape it well.You may remove your N95 mask once you are sealed AND the HEPA filter has run for about one hour to clean the air in your room. This time frame will very slightly depending on your room size and the filter size. Review your make and model and room size and choose a time that best serves you and your family. **This first hour will be very hard for young children who do not want to wear their mask. You should practice before an emergency and find the best way to coax your child to wear it for up to one hour. Do your best. A screaming child is better than a sick child.Plan on bathing everyday you are in your safe room so that you can remove any contaminates that should get in, even in the smallest of doses. Use the same bathing method you used to wash before entering you safe room. How do you know when it is safe to leave the room?
Your best bet is to wait for some kind of official notification, such as an all-clear siren or radio broadcast.
With chemicals, the danger usually dissipates in a number of hours. Weather conditions play a role in how quickly the chemicals are diluted to a residual level that is no longer dangerous. Wind, for example, will cause the chemicals to blow away. Usually, you can leave the safe room after a number of hours from the incident, assuming there are not continued attacks or leaks (in the case of an industrial emergency).
With a biological threat, the danger can last much longer. Anthrax and other bacteria and viruses may break down after exposure to sunlight, but weaponized anthrax is still a bit of a question. Plus, there may be residual amounts remaining at ground level which could be stirred up when you walk through it. If you are certain that Anthrax or another biological hazard has been spread in your neighborhood, we suggest that you stay in your safe room as long as you can comfortably do so without running out of oxygen. Even then, utilize caution when leaving the house and consider getting a test or possible antibiotic treatment.
Radiation has specific life and safe levels can be determined by professionals. Many factors play into this time frame. How strong was the blast? How far away are you the blast site? What weather conditions are effecting the fall out? It is best to listen you your radio for the “all clear” to be given before leaving your safe room.
**WARNING** You must always keep in mind the amount of oxygen in the room. If the room is completely sealed, you will be consuming oxygen and exhaling carbon dioxide. Dying from a lack of oxygen is not a positive outcome, especially when the chemical or biological threat may not have actually materialized or the danger may have passed. If you notice your breath becoming shallow or rapid, or you experience any other symptoms that may reflect oxygen deprivation, you should immediately don your N95 mask and open a door to another part of the house to let in some fresh air. DO NOT OPEN AN EXTERIOR DOOR. Leave it open for 30 minutes with your HEPA filter near the open area. Reseal the door when you feel enough fresh air has entered the room. Leave your masks on for one additional hour after resealing while the HEPA filter cleans the new air. (This time will very slightly depending on your room size and the filter size. Review your make and model and room size and choose a time that best serves you and your family) Remove the mask and have everyone in the room wash again to remove contaminates from skin.
In the case of small children, remove them to another room within the safe area during the time you are refreshing the air. They will not be likely to keep their masks in place during this time.
You can also bring plants into the room to help keep the room fresh. A family of four in a master bed/bath area should have a gallon size plant or several smaller plant equivalent to a gallon. The best plants for this kind of room are the Spider Plant and the Rubber Plant. Even with a plant you may still have to open up the door of your safe room if you experience any signs of oxygen deprivation.
What do I do when I leave my safe room?
Once the “all clear” is given you may receive additional instruction on your radio or TV that is specific to your particular event. Follow this direction closely. Here are a few general guidelines.
Once the “all clear” is given you may receive additional instruction on your radio or TV that is specific to your particular event. Follow this direction closely. Here are a few general guidelines.
Wear your N95 mask into the rest of your house. Be aware of skin irritation or itchy, watery eyes. This may be a sign that your home is not clear yet. Return to the safe room and wash. Wait an additional day and try again. If no signs appear in the first two hours, you can remove the mask. Small children should remain in the safe room until an adult can safely move about the rest of the house.
While wearing water proof gloves, wipe down all surfaces with a mild bleach solution. For items that won’t do well with this type of cleaning, such as books or carpets, spray well with a disinfectant like Lysol.
Plan on staying in the house for an additional day or two. While bacteria outside the house has already died and chemicals or radiation has dispersed, you don‘t need to come into contact with sick people who were not as prepared as you were. When you do venture out, keep contact with others to a minimum.
Food in the house should be safe to eat at this time. Food in sealed containers such as cans or bottles are good. Food stored in a refrigerators or freezers are safe due to the seal around their doors, so long as you had electricity during the event. Food left on the counter tops such as fresh fruits or foods in unsealed containers such as bread in lose plastic bags may not be safe. When in doubt, throw it out.
Should anyone of your family members have any symptoms that concern you, be sure to CALL the hospital or doctor before bring them in. Your condition my be a mild case and the doctors may be dealing with much more serious cases that you don’t want to be exposed to. Or the sheer number of people at the emergency room may be over whelming to the staff and getting care may be next to impossible. Only go to the hospital if your care giver tells you come in.