Just in Case (45 page)

• If you are outdoors and no immediate shelter is available, move upwind of the event as quickly as possible. Find shelter in a public building if possible.

IF YOU BELIEVE YOU HAVE BEEN EXPOSED TO THE CHEMICAL TOXIN AND MUST DECONTAMINATE:

• Remove all clothing including shoes, eyewear, and jewelry. Cut off clothing rather than pulling it over your head to avoid more contact with the sensitive areas of the eyes, nose, and mouth. Put clothing in a bag and seal it shut. Double bag and seal again.

• If you have eyeglasses, wash them in a solution of soapy water, rinse them in a ten-to-one water/bleach solution, rinse again under plain running water, and dry. If they cause irritation after this cleaning, dispose of them.

• Dispose of contact lenses.

• Flush your eyes under running water. Shower, lathering and rinsing several times.

• Put on clothing that has been stored in a closed unit such as a drawer or closet. It is less likely to have been contaminated.

• Seek medical attention.

RADIDLDGICAL DISPERSIDN DEVICES (DIRTY BDMBS)

A
RADIDLDGICAL DISPERSIDN DEVICE
(RDD) combines a traditional bomb with radioactive material. The purpose of an RDD is to scatter dangerous amounts of radioactive material over a limited area. A terrorist is far more likely to use an RDD than a conventional nuclear weapon, for several reasons. First, the necessary material is readily available, as it is widely used in medicine, agriculture, and industry. Second, the knowledge one needs to build such a bomb is far less technical than that needed to build a nuclear weapon. Last, it would be easier to pass through security checkpoints with the smaller scale of an RDD. While the amount of radiation in a dirty bomb would be confined to a limited geographic area, the psychological and economic effects on us as a nation would be immense.

It is unlikely that there would be any warning before an RDD was detonated unless intelligence caused a rise in the security alert level, so good general preparedness and knowing how to respond to such an attack would be crucial. The population would, of course, be aware that an explosion had taken place, but the presence of radiation would not be apparent until the levels were measured. In any bomb attack, proceed as though the presence of radiation were possible - especially if you are near a likely target, such as a government installation, major port or airfield, military site, financial center, petroleum refinery, or chemical or power plant.

You always want to avoid radiation or at least limit your exposure to it. Think DDT. That means putting as much distance, as much density, and as much time between your person and exposure to the radioactive dust as possible. You especially want to avoid inhaling the dust particles that result from the explosion, as they will carry a high concentration of radiation. If you are in the area of an explosion and you can see dust particles in the air, cover your mouth and nose to limit your exposure.

If you find yourself outdoors after an explosion, seek shelter indoors in the nearest undamaged building, especially one with an underground or other safe space. If you cannot find such shelter, move upwind as quickly as possible. In an urban area, foot traffic may be moving faster than automobiles. If so, abandon your car, in a lot if possible, and continue on foot, remembering to take your evacuation kit with you.

If you find yourself indoors, turn off ventilation and heating systems, close and lock exterior doors and windows, close fireplace dampers, and cover exhaust fans. Take your emergency kit to your safe room (see page 135). In the case of an RDD, plastic sheeting will not provide protection. You need as much dense, heavy material between you and the radioactivity as is feasible.

PART 4 DOING IT YOURSELF THE ARTS OF SELF-SUFFICIENCY

WRITE ABDUT MANAGING A HDME FOR A PERIDD DF
time without running water or electricity as though it is a given that such things are necessary for comfortable survival. In fact, people have lived without such luxuries for millennia, and all over the world, many people live without them now, either by choice or necessity. We turn these luxuries into necessities when we forget the skills we need to manage without them.

You can, and should, buy books on the arts of canning, dehydrating, bread baking, sewing, and any other skill you might need if you had to live without power for any length of time, but reading is one thing; doing is another. Try these skills now, preferably with a mentor. There are probably people in your community who would enjoy the opportunity to pass on skills in one of the arts that they fear will be lost in the sea of convenience. As you become more adept you will likely find that you experience a tremendous sense of pride in your new abilities. I know that one of the joys in my life is eating a tomato sandwich when I have grown the tomato and baked the bread. Rows of jewel-toned preserves in my cupboard are more beautiful than any precious stone, and an evening with my husband and kids, playing Clue in front of the fireplace and eating popcorn from the plants we harvested in the fall, is a lot more fun than a night on the town. I suppose canning and baking can seem like drudgery to some, but like beauty, drudgery is also in the eye of the beholder.

You may not want or need to use any of these skills in your daily life. It is a lot easier to run to the market for essentials. But I do think you should try each one out. You will be practicing preparedness and gaining confidence with every skill you master. When you pass such skills on to your children, you are giving them an incredible gift of self-sufficiency and independence.

CHAPTER 16 SKILLS FOR INDEPENDENCE

I am not a hard-core survivalist. I don’t believe it’s necessary for my family to live a completely independent life, feeding, clothing, and sheltering ourselves exclusively with provisions of our own making. But I do enjoy a certain measure of independence, so far as it allows me to feel confident that should we need to, my family could live well for quite some time without grocery and department stores, the power grid, and the oil delivery truck. I also am buoyed by the fact that should my children find themselves out in the wilds for any length of time, they have had a basic education in how to procure food, water, and shelter and how to stay safe.

The skills for independence, as they are called in this chapter, are varied. The range of skills I describe here are those I believe are necessary for my family. The list is not comprehensive; depending on where you live and your lifestyle, you may have different or additional requirements for independent living in the event of a crisis. I hope the discussion will inspire you to think about the skills and knowledge you would need in order to feel confident in your own ability to handle a crisis.

PURIFYING WATER SP

T
HERE ARE MANY
methods of water purification, but only three are practical for most families: boiling, disinfecting with bleach or iodine, or using a mechanical system, such as a filtering system or distiller.

Before purifying any water, remove any large debris that may be present. If the water is cloudy, let it sit for some time until the sediment has settled out, and then draw off the clear water from the top. If the water is very dirty, you can improvise a good filter from a canning funnel and a new white cotton sock or T-shirt, a handful of cotton balls, or several layers of cheesecloth. Wad your filtering material (the sock, T-shirt, cotton balls, or cheesecloth) up tightly and place it in the funnel, then run the suspicious water through it until it looks clear. This may take several trips through the filter and you may need to change the filter if it gets very dirty. If the water is foul smelling, you can freshen it by adding activated charcoal, such as you would use in a fish tank filter, sandwiched between two layers of cloth, to your filter. If you don’t have a canning funnel, you can improvise one by cutting the bottom off a two-liter plastic bottle.

A SIMPLE FILTER

Once the water is running clear, you are ready to purify it.

WATER PURIFICATIDN EQUIPMENT

The most basic equipment for purifying water includes the following:

•
Two l-gallon water carriers for transporting water

•
A large pot with a lid for boiling water

•
Two l-gallon glass jars for disinfecting water

•
A small amount of nonperfumed bleach (4 to 6 percent sodium hypochlorite)

•
A funnel

•
An eyedropper

•
Activated charcoal (also called activated carbon) for filtering and freshening

•
A good quantity of white cotton material

BOILING

There are pros and cons to this method. Boiling is cheap, quick, and reliable, killing both bacteria and viruses. It requires no equipment except heat and a pot. The downside is that it can use up a large amount of fuel at a time when you may not have fuel to spare.

Before boiling, filter out any large debris from the water. If it is cloudy, let it sit for some time until the sediment has settled out, and then draw off the clear water from the top. Heat the water until it boils, and keep it at a rolling boil for one minute (or for several minutes if you are at a high altitude).

Boiled water can taste flat. One way to restore the flavor is to pour the boiled water back and forth between two containers, allowing it to aerate a bit. A pinch of salt added to a gallon of water will improve the taste as well.

Since boiling water is not always possible, it is wise to have the means available for a second method of decontamination.

CHEMICAL DISINFECTION

Both chlorine and iodine will kill most pathogens in water. They are not as effective as boiling, however. Their effectiveness against certain organisms, most notably giardia, depends upon water temperature, pH, and turbidity (cloudiness); in general, they are more effective when the water is warm and the pH is lower than neutral (7.0).