OT: Pandemic flu alert

[Kickapoo Joie Juice]

Actually, you are wrong, and, you have more of a doomsday attitude than any little video.

We live in a rural area, and would absolutely be able to live quite happily on our farm with or without the outside world. Free gas, and plenty of space to plant, and a handful of livestock. People did that before they counted on trucks, and manufacturers for all of their stuff. As I stated earlier, my only concern was my husband's meds. And the antibiotics...also now in stock.

We may never need or want to live out there...lol, we started our marriage out there, and I've had enough farm life! But that is where we would head if need be. And we could be quite happy, warm and well fed between the bounty of the garden and the lovely wheat that I use every week to bake bread. Spaghettios and canned fruit are not anywhere on our property, let alone considered potential food!

Being prepared for a hurricane, earth quake, epidemic, flood or blizzard is smart. Not liberal, not conservative.

LOL, and as far as your friend, well, my friends at the CDC, (and I have more than one!) are the ones recommending being prepared in a reasonable manner. As they say...it is just common sense to assume that **** happens...

Ok, the farmers would starve the slowest?

I don't have a doomsday attitude at all. I just recognize that I am really not in control of what happens if a major disaster hits. Attempting to be "prepared" is instilling in oneself a false sense of security.

I simply prefer to think that we'll all probably be fine, and then move on to other things. Like Disney. I LOOOOOOVE thinking about Disney .

 

[tlbwriter]

There was some movie (maybe a made for TV) that came out when I was in middle school The Day After. I was scared for weeks and all the kids at school talked about it non-stop.
I'm with you, I'm an adult and I have supplies to take care of our family for a few days in case of emergency, but I don't want my kids to worry about it. They know the basic info. -- what to do, where to go, etc. But, it's their time to be kids.

I remember that, it was a great movie. And no, none of us are going to be able to stockpile enough to get through a nuclear attack or similar disaster. But a flood? Snowstorm? Local flu outbreak? It's silly to say that since you can't prepare for/prevent The Big One, you should prepare for nothing.

Knowledge is power, folks. Ignore the extremeists on ether end, and just know what you can know and do what you can do. Even if you can't do anything about a flu pandemic, you need to know what your kids' school is going to do. What the local hospital is going to do. What the grocery stores are going to do. Gaining knowledge is not fearmongering, nor is it futile.

 

[Kickapoo Joie Juice]

Knowledge is power, folks. Ignore the extremeists on ether end, and just know what you can know and do what you can do. Even if you can't do anything about a flu pandemic, you need to know what your kids' school is going to do. What the local hospital is going to do. What the grocery stores are going to do. Gaining knowledge is not fearmongering, nor is it futile.

I'm sorry I can't let this go, but really, "knowing what the [government] is going to do" is not helpful. Let me illustrate this with one very powerful point. Katrina is coming, so what does the government decide to do? Herd all the people who can't get out of town into the SUPERDOME. Yeaaaaahhhhh, that was a *great* plan.

Ok, pandemic hits. What is the school going to do? CLOSE.

What is the local hospital going to do? Be overrun.

What is the grocery store going to do? Run out of groceries.

This is not "knowledge", it's a futile effort to reassure oneself that you'll be in control of a disaster situation, and the reality is you won't.

You will deal with a disaster one day, one moment at a time, and your next step will be predicated upon your immediate circumstances, not what the government DVD says to do.

Wake up and stop being a such a bunch of sheep, for crying out loud!

 

[tlbwriter]

I'm sorry I can't let this go, but really, "knowing what the [government] is going to do" is not helpful. Let me illustrate this with one very powerful point. Katrina is coming, so what does the government decide to do? Herd all the people who can't get out of town into the SUPERDOME. Yeaaaaahhhhh, that was a *great* plan.

Thank you; that is an excellent example of when it would have been extremely useful to know what the government was planning to do. If those people had known well ahead of time that the busses would be left to rust and they'd be herded into the Superdome rather than taken out of the city, perhaps they would have made other arrangements instead of assuming they'd be taken care of.

When I say "know what the X is going to do," it doesn't mean know what they'll do for you. Quite honestly, it means know what they will NOT do for you. No, you will not be able to go to your private physician and get a flu shot (and even if you could, it would be useless). No, the schools won't be open. And the busses and trains might not be running either. Meals on Wheels will not be running.

If having this knowledge makes me a sheep... well, it's better than being an ostrich.

 

[meandtheguys2]

Well put, tlb!

You can't assume the govt. will have the answers, that is why it is up to people to personally take responsibility for their lives.

 

[MDTerrapin]

The school system sent this home with your child?! I would be outraged. This is completely inappropiate for a child. IMO

Karen

 

[WendyisDarling]

The DVD was actually in a sealed case and the cover really said nothing except Pandemic Flu...What You Can Do, then www.ohiopandemicflu.gov underneath. You had to watch it to find out any info, DD wasn't scared, a little worried until we talked it over, she did say the actors in the DVD were really bad. Seriously probably most of the DVDs didn't even get watched.

That is an odd distribution method. I guess if you don't have kids in school, you are just out of luck kidding
I'm curious...what did the DVD suggest? I know you didn't watch most of it, but did it give a checklist, advice on how many days to prepare for...that sort of thing?

We've been through a couple of natural disasters (not Katrina-like in scope--thank goodness) and I did learn enough from those that it's a good idea to have some canned goods, fresh bottled water, radio, flashlights, fresh batteries, first aid, cash (and quarters--odd, but we once needed them), etc. Trying to rush out the day before and search for batteries is not fun.
I have never purchased plastic sheeting and duct tape, though. rolleyes1 I do secretly have those Iodine pills if there is a nuclear problem...there is a plant not too far from us and I guess that The Day After movie from childhood scarred me for life )
If we ever had some massive disaster and I could get out of here, I would probably head to my folks' farm in WV and die of slow starvation with the other farmers

I do think it is a good idea to be prepared for at least a couple days. But, to each his own.

I think most everyone who has been in any sort of disaster natural or otherwise likely learned the most important thing: the need to help others. For us that was always a dominant theme. We have been on both the giving and receiving end. As far as a pandemic flu, my late grandmother told me stories of the flu when she was a girl (I guess this would have been 1918)--it was the epidemic. She told me that she, her mother and sisters would take food to neighbors and leave it at their doors.
ETA: While I think helping others is crucial, I don't think anyone should just assume that others will be there to help you. Sadly, it isn't always the case. Just don't want to be mis-read. I do think we need to be prepared to take care of ourselves, but if we can go above and beyond to help others--we should, JMHO

 

[meandtheguys2]

So, all information about health and safety should be stopped?

Weird. I'm not usually one to stick up for public schools (as the teachers around here would be the first to note! ) but sending information home to parents doesn't seem out of line to me. It wasn't as though they were demanding people do something...like immunizations. They were just sending parent's info.

 

[Kickapoo Joie Juice]

Thank you; that is an excellent example of when it would have been extremely useful to know what the government was planning to do. If those people had known well ahead of time that the busses would be left to rust and they'd be herded into the Superdome rather than taken out of the city, perhaps they would have made other arrangements instead of assuming they'd be taken care of.

When I say "know what the X is going to do," it doesn't mean know what they'll do for you. :

Huh? So we need to know what they'll do for other people?

Sorry, it's a specious argument.

The people willingly went into the superdome; everyone who went in there obviously thought the government had a good plan in place to take care of them. The government obviously thought it was a better idea than bussing people to who-knows-where. The end result was a lot of people not thinking things through well at all, but simply going where the government instructed them without stopping and saying, hey, wait a minute, this is a STUPID idea. Which was what I was yelling at the tv screen that day!

My point, although I feel like I'm belaboring it into a wallowing morass of second grade logical processes, is that you think you can anticipate a disaster, but you can't. You can only REACT to a disaster, because each disaster is unique.

Seriously, there's a reason the phrase "the best laid plans" is often spoken with such irony. You'll have a nice stash of spagetti-O's and a bathtub full of water, you think how great, right up until the guy down the street with a gun and an empty cabinet comes up and takes it from you.

THAT's the harsh reality of anything beyond a blizzard or a Katrina; the sheep will be fleeced...

 

[Kickapoo Joie Juice]

So, all information about health and safety should be stopped?

Of course not. I always enjoy getting the letters about the lice outbreaks in our school. It is topical, pertinent, and helpful.

DVD's about potential flu pandemics?

Spare me!

Somebody had to justify their government grant, that's what that DVD was all about...

 

[WendyisDarling]

Somebody had to justify their government grant, that's what that DVD was all about...

Yep. This is what I suspect, too. Something along these lines anyway.

 

[meandtheguys2]

My point, although I feel like I'm belaboring it into a wallowing morass of second grade logical processes, is that you think you can anticipate a disaster, but you can't. You can only REACT to a disaster, because each disaster is unique.

Seriously, there's a reason the phrase "the best laid plans" is often spoken with such irony. You'll have a nice stash of spagetti-O's and a bathtub full of water, you think how great, right up until the guy down the street with a gun and an empty cabinet comes up and takes it from you.

THAT's the harsh reality of anything beyond a blizzard or a Katrina; the sheep will be fleeced...

Sure you can anticipate. Learning from history is a pretty positive thing to do. Thinking the whole world is like New Orleans is kind of weird, though. Negative attitudes are bad for your health. Nor is thinking that you are superior to others. It is rude at best.

I can't be ready for every possible mishap. No need to try. But a long term public health issue is something that we can deal with. And we would share what we have with as many as possible. 'Cuz that is the kind of family we are raising.

I have to say, though, that having three boys increases my belief that we could get by in about any situation in this area of Ohio. Between their enjoyment of our veggie gardens, and their ability to hunt, the basics are taken care of. And those lovely gas wells and the spring... Oh, and that stack of books and magazines I keep out there for a lazy hazy summer afternoon. I'd be quite content!

As far as the guy with the gun, I think we could deal with that, too. If he gets us first, that is fine, too. Death isn't a scary thing for me. I'll have done my best, and someone will still benefit from our planning.

 

[Kickapoo Joie Juice]

Actually, you are wrong, and, you have more of a doomsday attitude than any little video.

And the negative attitudes expressed in your posts, well, maybe professional help would be of benefit. Negative attitudes are bad for your health.

Death isn't a scary thing for me. I'll have done my best, and someone will still benefit from our planning.

Your posts are getting kind of snarky. Try to keep the mental health potshots to yourself, if you please, it's kind of mean, along with informing me I'm "wrong" and "negative".

The topic is about kids being sent home with DVD's about imaginary pandemics, and our opinions are not "wrong", or "right" or "negative", just different. My POV was to think outside the box a bit...

But hey, the sun is shining, I'm going to Disney in a month, and I'm feeling like I've certainly had enough "what if the sky falls" discussions to last me a looooong time.

 

[ceecee]

Yep. This is what I suspect, too. Something along these lines anyway.

Probably was a grant thing!..Actually this thread is a lot more scary than the DVD! We watched all 10 minutes of it. It talked about what "could" happen and the family made a rubbermaid tub with Tylenol, medicines, flashlight, radio, canned goods, etc. This was to be an emergency kit for ANY type and they included weather related (we do get quite a bit of snow here). I don't think it would scare even the most timid child.
As far as stockpiling goes, all the meteorologist has to do is say is "it's going to snow" and people flock to the groceries! Today is my weekly shopping trip and it was packed! It was supposed to snow today, I forgot. It's 1:00 now and just a few flakes are coming down. Kroger has to love that advertisement.

 

[meandtheguys2]

Probably was a grant thing!..Actually this thread is a lot more scary than the DVD! We watched all 10 minutes of it.

LOL, you gotta do something on these long cold winter days... Once the pool opens, it wouldn't be worth an argument!

 

[Sandi]

Information is information and what you do with it is up to you. We've a well stocked pantry, medical supplies, reading material, an ample supply of water, etc. for my family. A pandemic won't last forever, but it will be a substantial amount of time. If you can weather the storm with your supplies, you will be in a much better position than those who chose to not be prepared.

I will find it very difficult to turn away people who did not prepare. But, my responsibility is to my family.

Yeah, I'm getting sick of the canned peaches, but I'll be glad to have them (even with a tinny flavor) when there isn't an ability to run to the store or order them over the internet. This is a matter of making choices.

 

[Belle1962]

Everyone should be prepared to take care of yourself and your family for at least a few days (estimate 3) in the event of an emergency.

If it's a natural disaster such as hurricane, earthquake, etc.---if the roads are impassable--they are impassable for everyone--including government vehicles. The roads will need to be cleared before anyone can be reached. Restoring services is the priority--not checking in on your family.

If it's medical LISTEN to what you are told. When you are told to practice social distancing (i.e. stay home) then STAY HOME. That "not me" attitude will not work for you in this situation. That also means you don't let the kids all go over to xx house to play together. Or gather at the local playplace, etc.

Plan on driving away from the problem? Did you see the traffic backups fleeing DC after 9/11 or NOLA prior to Katrina? Long snarls, people running out of gas on the highway, etc. Buy a motorcycle if your only survival plan is to "run as far and fast as possible". It can move better among snarled traffic and gets better mileage.

Above all else---remember--your first line of defense is your STATE government. CHOOSE WISELY when you vote locally!!!

 

[tlbwriter]

My point, although I feel like I'm belaboring it into a wallowing morass of second grade logical processes, is that you think you can anticipate a disaster, but you can't. You can only REACT to a disaster, because each disaster is unique.

You are wrong. Disasters may be unique, but the outcome is pretty predictable. Also, if the only way to get your point across is to insult people who disagree, perhaps you don't really have that much of a point in the first place.

 

[Alphabetsoup]

It's not wasted food -- you use and replace it as you go, just keeping more on hand than you would. All you need is a bookcase in your basement. Buy a few extra things each time you shop for the next few weeks and you'll have a good supply. As you need canned veggies or whatever, take them from the pantry. When you shop, put the new stuff in the pantry.

Buy one get one free sales are great for stocking a pantry like this...as are some of the 10 for $10 sales (Kroger in GA does these practically every week on some canned veggies). I'm on a limited budget as hubby is out of work atm...but I still have enough to get us through at least two weeks of just eating what is in the pantry.

It can be done, even on a tight budget, you just have to consider it important enough to do.

 

[J. Galt]

I read about this in my alumni magazine. I went to UW-Madison and they hired on some renowned researcher of pandemic disease. It is a big controversy because they are spending bajillions of dollars to retain this guy and build him special facilities, etc.... I remember in the article that the guy said with a laugh that he keeps telling his wife to stockpile food and all she has done is buy one can of green beans.

I also remember that nuclear holocaust film from the 80's The Morning After or whatever it was called. I remember I was in middle school, they showed it to us and then kicked us out for a long weekend with no discussion of the film at all. I had HORRIBLE nightmares from it (I can still see some of the images as I am typing this) and the school got an EARFUL from my mother over it!

That being said, I do try to keep some basic disaster supplies on hand... maybe three or so days worth. I figure, even with the crazy weather we have around here it is worth it to have a few emergency supplies. I'm not the best at keeping it current however, and we often joke that if the disaster doesn't kill us, the emergency supplies might. Time to review the supplies again, I suppose!