As I spend time writing this post, I am on a plane watching the film Contigion. If you have not seen it, it’s a film about a pandemic that started and begins to be widely spread by those traveling. As the film progresses, it is found that the pandemic is a deeply deadly virus. The CDC gets involved after a handful of coincidental deaths around the globe. Matt Damon stars in it as someone who’s wife and stepson dies, and he is put in isolation. As you can imagine, the pandemic beings to slowly spiderweb across the globe. As I watched, I realized I had to write a post as I was watching it. The film seems eerily realistic, and frankly seems like an awakening of sorts for me (again) in this area.
That said, I travel quite a bit for work. Watching this film and knowing how I travel and the germs I get exposed to, I often laugh and say I am immune to the common cold and the flu. However, assuming that something was weaponized (allegedly). Or assuming it is a mutated version of something like H1N1 that I come in contact with I could carry it to and from place to place. Not to mention, pick it up and potentially become infected myself to who knows what end.
This film chronicles flash mobs for pseudo cures in pharmacy’s, as well as looting, and runs on grocery stores, etc. State borders were sealed off and in this case Illinois was quarantined. No one was allowed into the state or out. I think a lot of research went into this film.
The CDC / DHS suggested, in the film, that casino’s are a point where something can spread rapidly. I can attest to this, because I once left Las Vegas with pink eye after spending a bit of time at a casino. Research online has shown that it was an epidemic while I was there when I checked online after returning home. In addition, another time I was in Las Vegas a casino had an outbreak of Legionnaires disease. Casino’s are a cesspool of disease. Just do the research online for yourself.
This film, personally speaking, is a must see as I believe it might actually dictate in a slightly realistic fashion what may happen from a CDC / World Health Organization perspective and “business process” to finding the answers that may take to save lives or prevent disaster. My point, is that it is a slow process, and slow processes can be a real issue for the public.
Statistic, from the film, of course: The average person touches their face an average of 3,000 times a day. You can imagine after hearing that I was very conscious of touching my face.
It makes those Jesse Ventura conspiracy theories about the plastic coffin’s stacked up in waiting a little surreal.
I realize I keep touching my face. So weird. The woman two seats across from me (a very nice woman from France traveling to LA) is sick, and this seems a little weird.
This brings me to the thought of not just purchasing N95 masks, but to get back on the band-wagon and and get the NBC gear I have been putting off buying. I have been looking at NBC gear for some time. It is something that, while I have been putting off, primarily because I am an apartment dweller, and more gear takes up space. Aside from the gear, it is time to buy plastic sheeting and more rolls of duct tape to seal off windows and doors for a bug in period, however long that needs to be. All the more reason to continue prepping and adding to food preps. If there is a bug in period everyone will need enough water and food to sustain you and your family without going outside.
I keep touching my face.
What the film showed, and other films like it that I have seen in the past, is that a pandemic, while it starts with one person is quickly passed from person to person and the disease exchange happens exponentially. This is potentially most deadly. A vaccination, it produced quickly, could still take months to get to inoculation of the sick. Millions of deaths will continue to occur until that time. Isolating yourself from a virus (and the people infected with it), could be the easiest way to save yourself from the worst. All the more reason for me to buy that plastic sheeting and duct tape…
I touched my face again.
And again.
It’s time to kick the food and water storage up as well. It seems to me that it could take minimum, nine to 12 months just to provide a vaccine to a population. Minimum.
How many of you are prepared or preparing specifically for a pandemic? What have you done to prepare? Please let me know. I would be interested in learning what you know as well…
My husband and I watched Contagion a couple of weeks ago. One thing that struck my husband as unrealistic was that they still had television and power. He said you would think that with so many people not showing up to work and/or dying that there would be some disruption in those areas too. If that movie doesn’t start some folks thinking, I don’t know what will.
I agree. However, with today’s technology, someone can easily put a studio in their home like the conspiracy theorist. However, if no-one is there to man the equipment, I can easily see my Internet connection going down because too many people will be trying to get info from the web. If that happens, and no one is there to re-boot the equipment, the web will just be down for you. The same with Gas, electric, water, and any other utility we take for granted today.
I agree. However, with today’s technology, someone can easily put a studio in their home like the conspiracy theorist. However, if no-one is there to man the equipment, I can easily see my Internet connection going down because too many people will be trying to get info from the web. If that happens, and no one is there to re-boot the equipment, the web will just be down for you. The same with Gas, electric, water, and any other utility we take for granted today.
My husband and I watched Contagion a couple of weeks ago. One thing that struck my husband as unrealistic was that they still had television and power. He said you would think that with so many people not showing up to work and/or dying that there would be some disruption in those areas too. If that movie doesn’t start some folks thinking, I don’t know what will.
What a coincidence. I am going to watch this movie while my wife is out of town this weekend. I am not sure plastic sheeting will help. Sooner or later, you will need fresh air. It is recommended to have it for a chemical release of a short duration.
You are correct. Isolation is the best defense. If there is an outbreak, we need to be prepared for extensive periods of no contact with other humans. Eventually, power and natural gas could be lost.
@PrepperJim That is the fear, if something is water borne, the water supply will be shut down immediately, and Gas and Electric may be affected by default if there is no one there to man the utility companies… Not a good situation.
@PrepperJim That is the fear, if something is water borne, the water supply will be shut down immediately, and Gas and Electric may be affected by default if there is no one there to man the utility companies… Not a good situation.
What a coincidence. I am going to watch this movie while my wife is out of town this weekend. I am not sure plastic sheeting will help. Sooner or later, you will need fresh air. It is recommended to have it for a chemical release of a short duration.
You are correct. Isolation is the best defense. If there is an outbreak, we need to be prepared for extensive periods of no contact with other humans. Eventually, power and natural gas could be lost.
Sorry…posted before I was ready.
If the grid goes down, then shit goes from bad to worse. Cooking beans and rice becomes a real issue. Keeping people away from you becomes a real issue.
In the end, this becomes very similar to other SHTF scenarios. You need water, food, security, shelter, power, and medicine. Prepare for this and you have other stuff covered.
Sorry…posted before I was ready.
If the grid goes down, then shit goes from bad to worse. Cooking beans and rice becomes a real issue. Keeping people away from you becomes a real issue.
In the end, this becomes very similar to other SHTF scenarios. You need water, food, security, shelter, power, and medicine. Prepare for this and you have other stuff covered.
What kind of NBC gear are you looking at for your preps? The links do not seem tob working
@Beanfrompa Not really sure yet… I have been putting it off for so long that I need to start researching again. I know the preps can be very inexpensive (tyvek painters suits, masks, surgical gloves, etc) to very expensive gear. I need something that is going to stay compact until i require it…
@Beanfrompa Not really sure yet… I have been putting it off for so long that I need to start researching again. I know the preps can be very inexpensive (tyvek painters suits, masks, surgical gloves, etc) to very expensive gear. I need something that is going to stay compact until i require it…
thanks for the ideas
thanks for the ideas
What kind of NBC gear are you looking at for your preps? The links do not seem tob working
I went with the Israeli military and civilian masks, chem suits, gloves, over-boots, tape, hoods, and bought a bunch of NATO filters. Got some dosimeters, a dosimeter charger and a Geiger counter and some chem test papers. You can still buy the old US/Canadian equipment and there is a company in TX that still calibrates it.
@Mr Jones Very cool!!! I will look into! Thanks.
@Mr Jones Very cool!!! I will look into! Thanks.
great list thank you
great list thank you
I went with the Israeli military and civilian masks, chem suits, gloves, over-boots, tape, hoods, and bought a bunch of NATO filters. Got some dosimeters, a dosimeter charger and a Geiger counter and some chem test papers. You can still buy the old US/Canadian equipment and there is a company in TX that still calibrates it.
I have some NBC gear, but the more I think about it the more I have realized that its not all that useful. NBC gear is really designed for the soldier, lab tech, etc. who as a part of their job/battle MUST be in the open exposed to NBC materials or sick people. Hopefully you can keep your family safe and secure at home rather than risking exposure, because if you are the only people on the street with NBC gear you are going to make a lot of people anxious and angry, and risk having your gear compromised by the angry mob that decides that if they are going to die so are you.In an NBC situation the only tactic is to “bug out” to some remote location, before NBC contamination sets in, or bug in for the long term and await safe levels of contamination outside. Since you are most likely not going to wear a respirator in public places before a pandemic (or Nuclear or Chemical attack) NBC gear will not help in the pre-event. Once you have realized that some sort of NBC event has occurred you may have a few hours/days during the initial onset of the event to safely move your family to a less densely populated and/or better stocked place. During this stage hopefully you wont need a mask, although one might come in handy if interacting with people becomes necessary. For the most part however, your family will be safest, by staying in the house or in your car, with the windows closed and plastic sheeting sealing them. Of course once you have noted the onset of NBC situations in your vicinity then I would not risk my family by bugging out. In this case no mask is worth risking your family’s life. Sure having a NBC kit is essential, so that if you need some emergency supply you can go get it, but having lots of them are not so important so long as you can effectively make your house into a reverse isolation room.
I have some NBC gear, but the more I think about it the more I have realized that its not all that useful. NBC gear is really designed for the soldier, lab tech, etc. who as a part of their job/battle MUST be in the open exposed to NBC materials or sick people. Hopefully you can keep your family safe and secure at home rather than risking exposure, because if you are the only people on the street with NBC gear you are going to make a lot of people anxious and angry, and risk having your gear compromised by the angry mob that decides that if they are going to die so are you.In an NBC situation the only tactic is to “bug out” to some remote location, before NBC contamination sets in, or bug in for the long term and await safe levels of contamination outside. Since you are most likely not going to wear a respirator in public places before a pandemic (or Nuclear or Chemical attack) NBC gear will not help in the pre-event. Once you have realized that some sort of NBC event has occurred you may have a few hours/days during the initial onset of the event to safely move your family to a less densely populated and/or better stocked place. During this stage hopefully you wont need a mask, although one might come in handy if interacting with people becomes necessary. For the most part however, your family will be safest, by staying in the house or in your car, with the windows closed and plastic sheeting sealing them. Of course once you have noted the onset of NBC situations in your vicinity then I would not risk my family by bugging out. In this case no mask is worth risking your family’s life. Sure having a NBC kit is essential, so that if you need some emergency supply you can go get it, but having lots of them are not so important so long as you can effectively make your house into a reverse isolation room.