What's Your Disaster?

[hurricane64]

A hurricane. Just like the one spinning off the coast right now.

This far inland we don't do much, but it probably would be smart to get some bottles of water if we ever had another Fran or Hugo.

 

[minsue]

I haven't really thought about it in years because there has been a lot of "First Aid" training of various sorts in between, but I took a Civil Defense course in high school (ca. 1965) called "Medical Self Help."

It was a course built on the premise that through enemy attack or natural disaster, people would likely be isolated from medical care for long periods of time -- i.e. up to 90 days in a fallout shelter.

It covered broken bones, child-birth, fevers, and all of the things that people go to the emergency room and urgent care clinics for today.

I don't think there is any sort of equivalent course today short of going for a full EMT Qualification and, sadly, I don't think anyone would take it if there was one becaue of the litigious nature of America today and fears of liabiity lawsuits.

There are courses similar, though I'm sure not as extensive. I was Red Cross certified in first aid years ago. While I don't remember everything it covered, the main reason certification expires I'm sure , I know broken bones and fevers were part of it. I believe those are offered by any local Red Cross.

 

[Colleen Thomas]

Shereads' comment about stocking up before a hurricane and myresponse about survival supplies not being a high priority for me prompted this thought:

What natural disaster is most likely to affect you and how well prepared are you for it?

Here in the Las Vegas valley, the most probable disaster is flooding, believe it or not. However, since I don't live in an area where I'm directly threatened or likely to be threatend by the direct effect of flooding, my preparedness is mostly to sit tight until the flooding is over and my normal shop-ahead and buy in bulk is sufficient to cover that eventuality.

The second mostl likely disaster is a "major" earthquake -- nothing approaching what California would consider a "Big One," but our building codes aren't as strict about earthquake resistance.

The Las Vegas Valley is laced with fault lines that have been quiet for a very long time so if there ever is an earthquake in this area, it is likely to be big and unexpected.

Las Vegas doesn't have an evacuation plan because the only thing that is likely happen that would require and evacutation is an Earthquake that destroyed the water supply and that would be a post-disaster kind of evacuation that wouldn't be time critical -- people would have time to pack and make other arrangments before leaving.

From the threats I can foresee, I'm well prepared except for an extended reserve water supply without needing to do anythng specifically for disaster preparedness.

Every place where humans live has some potential for a major disaster, so what's yours and how well would you be able to survive if it happened right now?

A secondary question is what are you doing to improve your chances if your disaster holds off for a week, month or year.

I can see indian point from my home. No way to prepare for that, but a will in a nice safe place far from the radiation zone.

Besides that, I suppose a flood or mudslide. Neither of which I am especially well prepared for.

 

[SeaCat]

It's funny. After reading this thread last night I got to thinking about it. Every place I have ever lived outside of Germany has been known for some interesting weather.

Upstate New York. Not too far from Buffalo. We got snow, oh did we get snow. We got enough snow that they didn't have road plows. They had monster SnowBlowers on the front of trucks. Hell our Rescues up there had Blowers on the front of the Ambulances.

Alaska, need I say more?

Cape Cod. Home of the Kennedy's and the NorthEasters. (I still don't know which blows more. ) I was working Rescue during both Hurricane Bob and "The Perfect Storm". (1993 for the perfect storm.) What is a Nor'Easter you ask? Take a Cat. 1 Hurricane, toss it in the freezer for a while so it's colder than hell. All of the rain turns to snow. Yep you lose power and people who aren't prepared turn into Frosties. (And people wonder why I don't really mind losing power down here?)

Florida. Ummmmmm, need I say anything after last year? And people wonder why I have such an extensive storm survival kit?

Cat

 

[Weird Harold]

There are courses similar, though I'm sure not as extensive. I was Red Cross certified in first aid years ago. While I don't remember everything it covered, the main reason certification expires I'm sure , I know broken bones and fevers were part of it. I believe those are offered by any local Red Cross.

The Red Cross First Aid course was available then and I took that course also (and a couple of times since then.) The Medical Self Help course was at least an order of magnitude more comprehensive -- First Aid doesn't teach you about emergency amputations or appendectomies, for example.

Even a modern EMT course is oreiented towards stabilizing patients and getting them to a doctor rather than how to survive without a doctor. In some ways, it was a compressed 18th century doctor's degree with germ theory added.

 

[shereads]

While they have usually not been of "disaster" proportions, I've dealt with floods almost everywhere I've spent any length of time. Since I moved 22 times at government expense in 21 years, that's not an inconsiderbl sample of the world -- altough the USAF did seem to favor sending me to deserts and jungles except for the seven years spent in England or Germany.

Where in Germany? I lived in Weisbaden from ages 3 to 6. Were you the bad man in the park? Thanks for the ice cream.

 

[SeaCat]

The Red Cross First Aid course was available then and I took that course also (and a couple of times since then.) The Medical Self Help course was at least an order of magnitude more comprehensive -- First Aid doesn't teach you about emergency amputations or appendectomies, for example.

Even a modern EMT course is oreiented towards stabilizing patients and getting them to a doctor rather than how to survive without a doctor. In some ways, it was a compressed 18th century doctor's degree with germ theory added.

Ex EMT and I agree with you about this. I am lucky that I have a father who knows way too much about way too many things, not to mention has a lot of friends. I was able to take a lot of courses no longer taught about first aid and self help. It helps sometimes.

Cat

 

[LadyJeanne]

Oh, wine! Oh, yes! Hint, hint: Emergency, emergency! Come on over!

Am I too late? Did I miss the emergency??

*uncorks bottle and pours*

You could probably use a sip anyway.

Cheers!

http://bestsmileys.com/drinking/10.gif

 

[shereads]

A hurricane. Just like the one spinning off the coast right now.

This far inland we don't do much, but it probably would be smart to get some bottles of water if we ever had another Fran or Hugo.

Holymary Motherofgod! You don't have a stash of bottled water? How many C and D batteries do you have? How old are they? Any spray cheese? Silicone caulking for sealing the bathtub drain to save water for flushing the toilet? You might be able to use the spray cheese for that, depending on how old it is.


South Florida has another, less publicized disaster unrelated to weather: the plague of Giant Poisonous Toads (Bufo Marinaris). They grow to the size of dinner plates, look like Jabba the Hutt, and excrete a deadly toad-juice that can kill a curious dog or cat within minutes.

The worst thing about Giant Poisonous Toads, assuming your toad-poisoned dog survives, is what happens after you find her having convulsions in the yard of your new house, rinse her mouth with a garden horse, rush her to the vet, and head home. You will be determined to kill the poor hideous toad-thing even though you can hardly stand to step on a bug. It's Jabba or the dog; you have no choice. You tell yourself you'll make it a quick death.

You poor fool. You have no idea what you're facing.

If you should corner Bufo Marinaris in the carport and whack it on the head with a shovel using all of your strength, you will dent the toad but you won't kill it. Not even close. Jabba will look a bit stunned at first. Then, displaying a dent in its head the thickness of your finger, it will start hopping up the driveway, the impact of its body on the gravel making a nauseating semi-moist plopping sound.

Desperate to protect the dog from future toad encounters, but suffering agonies of animal-lover guilt, you will follow Bufo Marinaris up your driveway with the shovel - whacking and missing, whacking and leaving another dent - while crying loudly and chanting, "Oh, god. Please die. Please die." The offended and badly dented Giant Poison Toad will eventually take refuge between a tree trunk and a fence post, somehow squishing its hideous bulk into a space no wider than a broom handle.

"Fine," you will pant, blocking Jabba's exit with a stack of loose bricks you found under the carport, "You can live in there."

Lying in the strange bedroom of your new house that night, it won't be "The Telltale Heart" that gives you nightmares. It will be the realization that your new neighbors, who leave their windows open, probably heard the carnage in your driveway today. The fence is covered with vines, so they wouldn't have been able to see your victim; but they would clearly have heard you striking something or someone repeatedly, panting from exertion, and sobbing, "Please die. Please die."

These toads are imported, by the way. Some genius Florida pioneer noticed that ordinary local toads enjoyed a diet of insects, and concluded that larger toads would eat more insects.

Ha!

Giant Poisonous Toads outgrow an insect diet when they reach the size of a large grapefruit. By the time they're dinner-plate size, they dine on small birds and whatever else they can sneak up on.

PLLLOP.

 

[Weird Harold]

Where in Germany? I lived in Weisbaden from ages 3 to 6. Were you the bad man in the park? Thanks for the ice cream.

Spangdahlm AB from 1985 to retirement in Dec 1989.

I did make one trip toWeisbden, but I didn't have time to troll the park.

 

[shereads]

Spangdahlm AB from 1985 to retirement in Dec 1989.

I did make one trip toWeisbden, but I didn't have time to troll the park.

You should have made the time. Best chocolate ice cream ever. Plus a puppet show!