Second Half - Clothing

Welcome,

This is the second half of the blog about clothing. You will find videos/podcasts, instructions, and other information about the subject for this week.

Videos/Podcasts:

How to Hand Wash Clothes

http://video.about.com/housekeeping/How-to-Hand-Wash-Clothes.htm

How to Do Laundry : How to Wash Clothes Without a Washer

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tBNOJJx4Z9k

Hand Sewing Essentials - Intro 1 of 27

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8lAyq5D7xJs

Instructions:

How to Blend In

International Business Machines (IBM) has/had a unique philosophy about uniforms for their service personal. They believed a tech should blend in with the office, so a technician would show up for a service call in coat and tie with a brief case.

The briefcase held all the tech's tools. The tech would remove his coat and work on the machine. Once the technician was finished working, the tech would put his coat back on and leave. Unless someone saw the tech working on a machine, they would think he was a mid-level worker for the office.

In Britain, the road workers, delivery drivers, police and many others wear bright neon green vests or jackets. These bright vest are everywhere. Many people don't notice them anymore.

How many delivery drivers or tradesman do you see every day? What did they look like?

What about all the white pick-up trucks and vans you see all day long?

How Not to Blend In

Sometimes you are going to want to stand out. You can do this several ways.

The first way is to move. The human eye reacts to movement. Even if a dark object is on a dark background. If the object moves, you will see it move.

Be bright. No, I don't mean smart; I mean like flashing light bright. Use shiny objects to flash light in the direction of your rescuers, airplanes flying over, or towards inhabited areas.

The military signal mirrors, with the grid, are great. If you don't have one that's ok, you can use any shiny surface like a polished metal candy container lid or plain mirror.

Another method is to be bigger than you really are. Wave a blanket, the bigger and brighter the better. Spread out pieces of wreckage if you have it. I keep a couple of orange space blankets handy just for this reason.

The last method is to contrast. If you are on green grass, you need to be wearing red, blue, orange, pink, and ex cetera. If you are on a pink/orange background you need to be wearing brown, black, blue, and ex ceretra.

Washing Clothing during an Emergency

I have heard of a few ways of washing your clothes during an emergency. One method is to buy a clean, brand-new toilet plunger and a new or used clean 5-gallon bucket with lid.

A hole is cut in the middle of the lid and the plunger's handle is placed through the hole.

The clothes, water, and detergent are placed in the bucket. The plunger is moved up and down.

Do this for a few minutes.

Take out the soapy clothes, ring out, dump the soapy water from the bucket on your garden. Put clothes and clear clean water in the bucket and move the plunger up and down to rinse.

Another method involves a rocking chair and a five-gallon bucket.

Basically, you mount a plastic bucket on the two rockers in the back of the rocking chair. Fill the bucket just like you did in the above method then sit and rock back and forth for a few minutes. Once you think the clothes are clean, remove them from the bucket, and do the same as the above method.

Other Information:

United States' Military Clothing Issue

According to one of my brothers, the United States' military issues 4 sets (shirt and pants) of camouflage uniforms. These uniforms are worn during combat, conducting maintenance on equipment, and many other activities. I even see soldiers wearing their camouflage uniform in the airport when I travel.

The US military also issues every solider two jackets, two pairs of boots, and about seven pairs of socks, underwear, and t-shirts. Plus, they receive an annual clothing allowance to replace damaged and worn unifrom items.

Most people know these facts.

What most people don't realize is that the soldier's shirt last longer then their pants.

I have noticed the same thing at my work. As the guys and gals go about their jobs, the legs of the pants get beat up. Walking through sticker bushes, kneeling down, even walking from place to place in high top boots takes it toll on pants, but shirts stay in good shape.

So what does this have to do with emergency preparedness?

If you are stocking clothing, you need to store more pants then shirts.

Military Surplus Clothing

Depending on your threat analysis, will depend on the color of the military surplus clothing you will buy. I normally avoid the camouflage military clothing. I stick with the green pants, shirts, coats, and other items. Green works in my area of the world. If you live in the desert or urban areas, you may want to focus on the browns.

Now the British Special Air Service, The SAS, have a compromise. They wear green pants and shirts, but wear a loose fitting camouflage pullover or jacket that is about mid-thigh in length.

Foreign Military Surplus Clothing

If you lift weights, the foreign military shirts and coats, except the British military, may be too small in the arms and shoulders. I have heard, the foreign militarise don't put a great emphasise on upper body physical strength like the US military.

Current US Military Clothing

I have heard that the ACUs are delicate. Plus, to me, they don't blend in anywhere.

Spare Parts and Maintenance Items

You will need spare shoe laces, polish for you leather boots and shoes. Thread, needles, scissors, buttons, zippers, snaps, velcro, and other items to repair your clothes. Don't forget the washing detergent to wash your clothes. You will also need to dry them. The low tech solution is to have a clothes line.

Links:

How to Hand Wash Clothes:

http://beprepared.com/article.asp?ai=15&name=Sanitation%20And%20Hygiene%20During%20An%20Emergency&bhcd2=1219790295

Electricity Free Clothes Washing

http://www.treehugger.com/files/2005/07/qa_electricity.php

James Washer

http://www.lehmans.com/jump.jsp?itemID=4084&itemType=PRODUCT&path=1%2C2%2C673%2C674

Pedal-Powered Clothes Washer

http://greenbuildingelements.com/2007/05/30/weekly-diy-pedal-powered-clothes-washer/

Wash Day Blues

http://www.sailingbreezes.com/Sailing_Breezes_Current/Articles/July02/washday.htm

Tips on Laundering Flood-Soiled Fabrics

http://www.cleaning101.com/laundry/washflood.cfm

Week Nine - Clothing

Quickstart:

Insure everyone has a coat, hat, and gloves warm enough for this winter.

Blog Post:

Clothing is very important. It protects us from the extremes of this planet and outerspace. Yes, outerspace.

Think about the effort that the various space programs take to protect an astronaut, cosmonaut, or taikonaut. Extreme cold, heat, and the almost absolute vacuum of space.

Lucky for you, you are only preparing for an emergency on this planet, but that is still a big challenge.

Depending on where you live will depend on the clothing you will need for your emergency preparations. The Pacific Northwest will require an entirely different set of clothing preparations then in the American Southwest. This also goes for the urban, suburban, or rural resident.

Let's look at some of the similarities for all of these locations.

A hat

Everybody needs a hat. I suggest a wide brim hat that has a brim about 3 inches wide all the way around the hat. The full brim will protect your ears, neck and face from the sun's harsh rays. The hat will also reduce the amount of body heat escaping from you in the cold.

If it is really cold, you will need a second hat.

A US military pile cap, a close fitting cap with flaps that cover the ears; a wool watch cap/beanie; or a towel wrapper around your head will help retain some of your body heat.

A scarf

Yes, a scarf even for the desert. In the winter/cold areas of the the world, you will want a wool scarf. Make sure, the scarf is long enough to wrap around your face to protect your face from the wind. If you/a family member is allergic to wool, acrylic scarves work pretty well. You also might want to check out merino wool items. I hear they don't get scratchy like regular wool.

Back to the scarf for the desert. This scarf should be long enough to warp around your head to protect your neck, face, and eyes from the intense sunlight found in the desert. The Bedouins call them kufiyya; theirs are made out of wool. I suggest a cotton one; additionally, a cotton scarf can hold an ice cube at the base of your neck to help keep you cool in the summer.

A shirt

You will want a long sleeve shirt. The long sleeves will protect you from various dangers such as sun, wind, and biting insects. Depending on the climate, you can layer the shirt with a t-shirt under the shirt and a sweater over the shirt.

Most people will tell you to avoid using cotton in your emergency preparedness preparations. I agree, for the most part. Cotton is a poor fabric for survival. Cotton will hold moisture, doesn't dry fast, and it doesn't retain your body heat as well as wool and the synthetic fabrics, like polypropylene, when wet. If you can avoid getting wet, say when you are indoors, cotton makes an inexpensive clothing fabric.

I own a few cotton sweaters that I wear during the winter to keep the chill off while in the house. I even wear a cotton sweater when I travel around town in the winter. But I keep a wool or performance fabric, such as thermax, shirt handy if I go out into the wild for more than a few minutes.

Long Pants

You need long pants not shorts. Just like long sleeves, long pants protect you from the sun and flying stuff if you use a chainsaw or string trimmer.

Now don't get me wrong, shorts are cool, (Yes, the pun was intended.) but you are trying to prevent injuries during an emergency. Just like shirts, wool in the winter and cotton in the summer is OK, but avoid getting the cotton items wet.

Undies or no undies that is the question.

From my understanding, undergarments where originally intended to reduce the need to wash your outer clothing. Our sweat and body oils would soil the underwear instead of the outer cloths. The outer clothes could be worn many times before needing to be cleaned. I do this when I am working outside in the summer. I will wear the same jeans and t-shirt for 3 to 5 days before washing them.

Socks

I wear wool socks with my boots all year long. I will add a polypro (polypropylene) or nylon sock liner in the winter to keep my feet warm.

During the summer, I wear sandals. You can also wear sandals in the cold, if you wear socks or other insulating material around your feet.

Gloves

You will need gloves for every climate. Warm ones for winter/the cold, tough ones for when you work in the garden or heavy labor, and specialty gloves for those specialty tasks such as welding, painting, or operating on someone.

Footwear

The last similarity is the need for sandals, shoes, and boots. I suggest getting the best footwear you can afford. If all transportation stops, similar to 9/11/01 in New York, you may have to walk home.

I get my emergency clothing from discount stores, charity stores, department stores, military surplus stores, and specialty stores.

I buy my cotton undergarments and cotton socks, colored t-shirts, and inexpensive boots at discount stores. At department stores, I get my jeans and collared shirts.

I visit charity stores every once in awhile. I buy my used clothes in the "earth tones," green, brown, and black.

Military surplus stores provide a lot of my emergency preparedness clothing. Most surplus foreign military clothing is wool or cotton. The United States military surplus has polypro long johns, gortex jackets, and other more modern fabrics. Former military clothing seems to be more rugged; plus it is in the earth tone colors.

At specialty stores, I buy my expensive boots/shoes, welding gloves, safety glasses, and other hard to find items.

Before I go on, I would like to write about the levels of clothing technology in the US military.

In the 1940s-1950s, the US military used wool and cotton in their field gear/clothing. An example is the arctic parka. It had a cotton shell, a wool liner, and an animal fur hood. This level of technology has its limitation, but all of the gear still works. Be careful, some of this equipment is becoming collectible, so prices are increasing.

In the 1960s - 1970s, the US military was changing to synthetic material for their liners for their clothing. The shells such as field jackets and field pants were still made out of cotton, but the liners would be nylon with a polyester core.

From the 1980s onward, the US military had embraced the synthetic fabrics. Rain jackets are now made out of gortex. Uniforms are a combination of nylon and cotton, and liners are polypropylene. You still see wool and cotton, but it is slowly disappearing.

So what do these last three paragraphs have to do with emergency preparedness? They have to deal with technology levels and how to stretch your limited dollars.

Yes, gortex is great, but you may not be able to afford it. So you buy nylon rain jackets. Can't afford polypro long johns, buy military surplus wool long johns. If you can't afford surplus wool long johns, save your money and buy them. The cotton long johns will not protect you from the cold if they get wet.

Need more rugged inexpensive coats with liners, buy surplus foreign military coats. Need more leather boots, buy used military boots.

So, how much clothing do you need? You will have to decide.

I have 7 uniforms for work, one clean uniform for each day of the week and a spare at work and home. When I say uniform, I mean an actual uniform. For some people, such as office workers, your uniform may be a tie, button down shirt, dress pants, and underwear.

I have 3 coats with liners for everyone in the family. A nice coat for everyday wear and two coats that are surplus foreign military. The two coats are split between the family cars. As we add cars, we will purchase more coats for emergency boxes stored in the truck of each car. (More about that in a few weeks).

I keep many, many pairs of socks on hand. There is nothing like having cold wet feet and changing into a clean pair of dry socks.

In footwear, we have three pairs of work shoes/boots, a few pairs of sandals, and surplus military boots in storage.

From looking at third-world countries and other disasters, I believe that clothing will be available, but comfortable and properly fitting footwear will be in short supply. Don't forget a spare pair of arch supports if you need arch support and shoe laces too.

This is a lot of clothing and footwear. To save money, we buy clothes when they are on sale. I also search the military surplus stores/sites for bargains on boots and surplus clothing. For gloves, hats, and scarfs, we buy at the end of the season when these items are deeply discounted.

I also stock spare clothing for expected guests. I mentioned this in a previous post. The ladies are asked to send gently used bras. The clothing goes in metal drums for secure storage. We had a mouse problem that is the reason for the metal drums.

In my research, I have found two differing opinions on storing bedding, blankets, and clothing. The United States military throws their clothing in a pile. They say this method prevents wear spots that would develop, if the clothing was folded.

Others say that folding allows more items to be placed in the same amount of space when compared to unfolded items. These folks also say the wear spots only develop, if the item is repeatedly folded. You decide, and ...

I'll see you next week!

Links:

NASA - Human Body in a Vacuum

http://imagine.gsfc.nasa.gov/docs/ask_astro/answers/970603.html

Survival Clothing for Outdoor Emergencies:

http://www.buzzle.com/editorials/10-2-2005-77987.asp

Survival Topics - The Three Layer System

http://www.survivaltopics.com/survival/the-3-layer-system/

Jon's Exmoor Bushcraft Blog - Layering Clothing for Comfort and Survival, Part One

http://tracks4life.blogspot.com/2008/01/layering-clothing-for-comfort-and.html

Jon's Exmoor Bushcraft Blog - Layering Clothing for Comfort and Survival, Part Two

http://tracks4life.blogspot.com/2008/01/layering-clothing-for-comfort-and_10.html

Jon's Exmoor Bushcraft Blog - Layering Clothing for Comfort and Survival, Part Three

http://tracks4life.blogspot.com/2008/01/layering-clothing-fpr-comfort-and.html

Jon's Exmoor Bushcraft Blog - Layering Clothing for Comfort and Survival, Part Four

http://tracks4life.blogspot.com/2008/01/layering-clothing-for-comfort-and_17.html

Survival Clothing for Outdoor Emegencies

http://ezinearticles.com/?Survival-Clothing-For-Outdoor-Emergencies&id=78500

Stealth Survival - Boots, Bandanas, and Boxers

http://stealthsurvival.blogspot.com/2008/07/boots-bandanas-and-boxers.html

LL Bean - Paddling Tips-Dressing for the Outdoors

http://www.llbean.com/outdoorsOnline/outdoorSports/paddling/tips/dressing.html

Ancestors of Science - Inupiat Clothing and Arctic Winter Survival

http://sciencecareers.sciencemag.org/career_magazine/previous_issues/articles/2005_09_30/noDOI.12989321631044737104

Wildwood Survival - Hats

http://wildwoodsurvival.com/survival/clothing/hats/index.html

Survival Hat with Flaps

http://www.e4hats.com/_e/Extreme_Outdoor_Flap_Hats/product/ef007oh-taupe/Survival_Hat_With_Flaps_Taupe.htm

OSHA Guide - Cold Stress

http://www.osha.gov/SLTC/emergencypreparedness/guides/cold.html

Discovery Online - The Skinny on Smelly Sports Clothing

http://www.discovery.com/area/skinnyon/skinnyon970801/skinnyon.html

Friday - Christ Mass

It's Friday!

The end of the workweek and another original post about what's going on in the world/my life.

Christ Mass

I know; almost certain, really; that Jesus was not born 2009 years ago, today.

I know; again, almost certain; that he was probably brown-skinned with brown eyes and curly hair.

But these facts and many more, do not distract me from the message of love, forgiveness, and hope that this child/man brought to our lives.

So,

Merry Christ Mass and A Happy New Year.

Forth Half - Health/Medical

Welcome,

This is the forth half of the post on healh/medical. You will find links to other bloggers and websites about the subject for this week.

Blogs:

Stealth Survival - Homemade First Aid Kit

http://stealthsurvival.blogspot.com/2009/01/homemade-first-aid-kit.html

Stealth Survival - First Aid Kit for Treatment of Burns

http://stealthsurvival.blogspot.com/2009/06/first-aid-kit-for-treatment-of-burns.html

Stealth Survival - Pocket First Aid Kits

http://stealthsurvival.blogspot.com/2009/06/pocket-first-aid-kits.html

Stealth Survival - Home-made First Aid Kits, Additions

http://stealthsurvival.blogspot.com/2009/10/home-made-first-aid-kit-additions.html

Surviving in Argentina - Mosquito Repellent as Part of Your Preps

http://ferfal.blogspot.com/2009/03/mosquito-repellent-as-part-of-your.html

Surviving in Argentina - Preparing for Flu and Other Diseases

http://ferfal.blogspot.com/2009/06/preparing-for-flu-and-other-diseases.html

Surviving in Argentina - Swine Flu

http://ferfal.blogspot.com/2009/04/swine-flu.html

Of Two Minds - Overcoming Depression in a Depression

http://www.oftwominds.com/blogdec09/depression12-09.html

Many More Later.

Websites:

United States of America - Flu.gov

http://www.flu.gov/

Pandemic Influenza Preparation and Response: A Citizen’s ...

http://www.newfluwiki2.com/upload/InSTEDD%20Influenza%20Manual%20v1-5%20Master-EDR.pdf

Third Half - Health/Medical

Welcome,
to the third half of the post about health/medical.

Many week ago, I read a disturbing post by Michael Panzner at Financial Armageddon.

In "More Than Just Numbers" Mr. Panzner provides an article by Nick Turse titled "Meltdown Madness: The Human Cost of the Economic Crisis." Please take time to read the article.

Terrible isn't it. People taking their lives, robbing banks, committing other crimes, or just acting crazy. Yeah, people like you and me.

Some of us, maybe most of us, would dismiss this behavior as no big deal. I think it is a big deal. We are under a lot of stress in these times. People losing their jobs, homes, and financial security.

In the Links: I have provided some links, of course, about mental health. I urge you to seek help if you are having difficulty.

If you can't afford a professional, you need to find an ear to bend. Someone you are comfortable talking to about your feelings. This person could be a friend, priest, or family member.

If someone seeks you out to talk about their problems, take time to listen. You don't need to help, just listen. My wife and I call this "venting."

Since we have been venting (no venting about each other, by the way) for a few years, I have learned to recognize when she does this. I would suggest that you explain to your friend or family member what you want to do. Tell them upfront that you are not seeking help, just someone to listen.

If you are seeking help for a problem, tell your friend upfront, so she/he knows that you are seeking assistants to solve this problem. This is important; you have to let people know that you are seeking help to get help.

Yes, network! People have the answers you are looking for.

Always ask if there are questions you should have asked. As government budgets get smaller, you will need to turn to family, friends, and neighbors for assistance.

Now, some of us are going to try to work this out on our own. For me, I remember the Serenity Prayer. When I am feeling tough, I recite the Commando Prayer.

Links:

Financial Armageddon - More Than Just Numbers
http://www.financialarmageddon.com/2009/01/more-good-news-not.html

The National Institute of Mental Health
http://www.nimh.nih.gov/

click on "Publications (also en Espanol)

next to "Jump To" - Select a Topic -click on the arrowsscroll down to "Depression" or "Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder" (PTSD)

It will take you to some pages that have .pdf documents about these mental health illnesses

MedlinePlus: Mental Health
http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/mentalhealth.html

Suicide: Top Health Concern of Men
http://womenshealth.gov/mens/health/suicide.cfm

Women's Web - Suicide and Depression
http://www.womensweb.ca/mental/suicide

The Serenity Prayer
http://www.cptryon.org/prayer/special/serenity.html

Andre Zirnheld - The Paratrooper's Prayer/Commando Prayer
http://iwvpa.net/zirnheldala/index.php

Second Half - Health/Medical

Welcome,
This is the second half of the blog post on health/medical. You will find videos/podcasts, instructions, and other information on the subject this week.

Videos/Podcasts:

How To Wash Your Hands:
http://www.ehow.com/video_12779_wash-hands.html

Treating Minor Injuries with Basic First Aid: First Aid Kits
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fkWH8vYmWQs

Treating Minor Injuries with Basic First Aid: How to Clean a Wound
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=evgkXI2Pepw

Treating Minor Injuries with Basic First Aid: Using Adhesive Wound Closures
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ypHM8x92Xy0

Treating Minor Injuries with Basic First Aid: Applying a Sling
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9pMy8n6HD-8

Treating Minor Injuries with Basic First Aid: Treating Abrasions at the Scene
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WfQHSxcuSZU

Treating Minor Injuries with Basic First Aid: How to Treat a Strained Muscle
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FlXHHYM9umQ

Treating Minor Injuries with Basic First Aid: How to Treat a Bee Sting
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pCtln78Io2Q

Treating Minor Injuries with Basic First Aid: How to Stop the Bleeding
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R-ZqULDWAH8

Treating Minor Injuries with Basic First Aid: How to Treat Blisters
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=086cqlwjUic

Basic First Aid: Tips for Calling 911
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8llWt9nh--U

Basic First Aid:Controlling Bleeding
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a2zwU2c-HZo

Basic First Aid: How to Create an Anatomical Splint
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9I-EonUDI4M

Basic First Aid: Treating Blistering Burns
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vwpkrkWrXVI

Basic First Aid: Treating Chemical Burns and Victims of Electric Shock
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BB8kTdbzzpo

Basic First Aid: How to Treat Burns
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=87HW7OQqDtQ

Basic First Aid: Checking the Pulse, Breathing & Airway
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OaUzTNdrGpE

Basic First Aid: Using Rubber Gloves to Treat a Patient
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=trTvIlniqF4

First Aid for Splints & Bleeding Wounds : How to Use a Tourniquet
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wCXYkral5zg

I am going to stop here. There are many, many more videos on first aid at YouTube. Make sure you practise your new skills.

The Humanure Hacienda - Humanure Compost Bins
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XXcU-JQFdms

Starting a New Humanure Compost Pile
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1BWc-RjuWbs

Emptying Humanure Toilet Receptacles
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CZTZTVv6kYs

Humanure Compost Bin - Active Side
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gzvBZImkH0s

Instructions:

Washing Your Hands:
Turn on the water. Warm water that is a comfortable temperature for you is the best.

Get the soap on your hands. Don't worry if the soap isn't antibacterial. Any soap works, even the cheap stuff.

Rub your hands together. Lathering up your hand (lots of soap bubbles) for about 30 seconds. Count from 1 to 30, sing Happy Birthday, twice, any way you want but rub your hands together for 30 seconds.

As you wash your hands, wash between your fingers and under your finger nails.

Rinse the soap off.

Dry your hands, and turn the water off with your towel.

The hardest part is to remember to turn the water off with the towel. The reason for turning the water off is because you just turned the water on with your dirty hands.

Obtaining the U.S. Army First Aid Manual
Go To http://www.train.army.mil/

Click On (It is green, top left corner)
Public Access to Reimer Digital Library (RDL)

Click On (Make the Dot Turn Blue)
Official Departmental Publications

Under Type:Click On (Turn it Blue)
Field Manuals

Under School:Click On (Turn it Blue)
Medical

Click On
Submit

You are looking for FM 4-25.11 First Aid

If you click on the little anchor, all the way to the right of the page, it will take you to the .pdf download page for this manual.
Click On (It is green)

FM 4-25.11 (2,398KB)

The manual should start to download

You might want to download the two other manuals while you are there.

FM 21-10 Field Hygiene and Sanitation
FM 4-25.12 Unit Field Sanitation Team

Other Information:

Obtaining Prescription Medicine:
Prescription medication is controlled for several reasons. One reason, it can be used by druggies to get "high." Another reason for prescription medicine being controlled is because it can do great harm if used improperly. There are other reasons, but I'm not going to discuss them, here.

Now, one way to get prescription medication is to explain to your doctor why you want the extra medication for your current condition. You have a heart condition, and you think it would be a good idea to have a 90 day supply, just in case.

Another way would be for you to discuss with her that you are a survivalist, (Don't use the word survivalist; to many negative connotations. Try preparing for a long-term emergency, instead.) and you would like to have some antibiotics on-hand, just in case. You might even offer to have her store the antibiotics for you in her office.

Another method is to use drugs designed for animals. This way is starting to be/has been closed, so you may need to get a veterinarian to sign a prescription for you.

Another method is to buy them from oversea/out of country pharmacies. Be careful, there have been reports of scams. The buyer gets sent fake, ineffective, or even deadly fake drugs.
One report I saw, talked about a pharmacist receiving antifreeze as cough syrup. Another received a toxic chemical as an anti-malarial drug.

Don't, Do Not, Never take less then the medication that your doctor has prescribed. The antibiotics have been designed to be taken in the amount and the time indicated by your doctor. If you take less or stop before you are suppose to, you can cause the disease you are fighting to get stronger.

This has been happening with tuberculosis (TB) and other diseases.

What to do with your Poop:
During an emergency, you may lose the ability to flush your toilets.

There are several ways to deal with this problem. One way is to have extra water to place in the tank. Filling the tank will allow you to flush the toilet. You can even cause the toilet to flush by adding extra water to the toilet bowl; however, you may not be able to do either, if the sewer lines are broken.

If you are out in the woods, you can use a method used by many military forces. It is called a cathole. A cathole is a 1 foot deep and 1 foot wide hole dug in the ground. You squat over the hole and poop. Once you wipe your butt, the paper goes in the hole, and the hole is covered.

If you have a folding shovel, you can rest your butt on the blade of the partially folded shovel.

Another way is to buy a port-a-potty. These come in a variety of styles. One style is a seat with a plastic bag. Another style is a 5-gallon bucket with a snap-on toilet seat. Another style is the portable toilet.

The portable toilet is good for a few days maybe even a few weeks. You will need to store water (non-potable is ok), the fluid that the toilet uses, and toilet paper.

Don't forget water to wash your hands! You will need soap and water. The hand sanitizers are not as effective as soap and water.

If you don't have a lot of money, you can poop in a plastic shopping bag and pee in a large mouth bottle. The poop is covered with sawdust, shredded paper, or other absorbent material. The bag is loosely tied shut and placed in your outside trash can. The trash can lid is placed tightly on the can. The pee is poured on your garden.

If the emergency continues for a long time, you may need to build an outhouse. Basically, you build a small building over a deep hole.

If you don't like that idea, try this one.

There is a group of people that advocate using human poop as fertilizer. There is even a book written about it called The Humanure Handbook. It can be downloaded for free.

This idea could be adopted for use in a long-term emergency.

There are more methods, but I am stopping here. If you would like more ideas, do an internet search about poop!

Links:

Sanitation and Hygiene During an Emergency
http://beprepared.com/article.asp?ai=15&name=Sanitation%20And%20Hygiene%20During%20An%20Emergency&bhcd2=1219790295

Portable Camp Toilet:
http://armynavyshop.com/prods/rc560.html

Honey Bucket Style:
http://www.iprepare.com/100pp33.html

VISA 268 Portable Toilet:
http://modocars.com/visa-268-deluxe-portable-toilet-sanitation-equipment

Want a Great Garden? Pee On It!
http://www.greenthumbarticles.com/article/Want-a-great-garden-pee-on-it--a719.html

Think Green-Urine for Fertilizer
http://my.gardenguides.com/members/bsmitch/blog/2008/04/18/Think_green_Urine_for_fertilizer_repost

Wikipedia-Outhouse
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Outhouse

Outhouse-Frequently Asked Questions
http://www.jldr.com/faqs.html

The Humanure Handbook
http://www.jenkinspublishing.com/humanure.html

Week Eight - Health/Medical

Quickstart:

Buy a first aid kit. If you already have some first aid supplies, put them together, inventory, and/or organize your first aid supplies in a centralized location.

Warning:

I am not a doctor. Nor, do I play a doctor on tv. As with all of my blog posts, links, videos, instructions, and other information provided by me, you are responsible for any death, injury, harm, or saved lives that the use of this information provides.

Use at your own risk.

Blog Post:

In all the wars, humans have had, infection, disease, and accidents are the number one killers. So the best way to prevent a medical problem/emergency is through prevention.

Let us look at an extreme example.

If you hangout with drug using/dealing felons, you are more likely to be shot. If you live in a neighborhood with rival gangs that deal drugs, you are more likely to be shot.

So to prevent being shoot, hangout with law abiding citizens in a decent neighborhood.

OK, let's come back to reality, for most of us.

To prevent being sick from the cold; wash you hands. Avoid people who are sick, and the surfaces they have touched. Keep your fingers out of your nose, eyes and mouth.

To prevent catching the flu, wash your hands. Avoid people who are sick. Keep your fingers out of your mouth, nose, and eyes. Get a flu shot.

The washing of your hands is a common factor in preventing most diseases. Use the bathroom; wash your hands. Shake hands; wash your hands.

Another common factor is keeping your fingers out of your nose, mouth, and eyes. If you shake hands, and can't wash your hands, keep your fingers away from your face.

The last common factor, I will mention, is to avoid sick people and their things.

There is another way, of preventing diseases, it is to get vaccinations.

The US military has a long list of standard immunizations that all soldiers receive. If a group of soldiers are deploying overseas, they may receive other specific immunizations for the overseas area.

Another method of preventing diseases, is to control disease by controlling vectors. Vectors are the animals and insects that carry a disease.

One example, that most people have heard about, is the bubonic plague that wiped out 1/3 of Europe's population from about 1350 to 1400 A.D.

To recap the bubonic plague, fleas living on rats carried bubonic plague. The fleas bit the rats; the rats died of plague. The fleas, looking for a new host, jump on humans and bite the person. The person, most likely, dies of plague.

A more recent example is malaria. A mosquito carrying malaria bites a person; the person comes down with malaria. The person may or may not die. Either way, life will suck for anyone catching malaria.

Now, there are various ways of controlling vectors. One method is to prevent the vector from living.

You can do this by interrupting the vector's life cycle. For mosquito's, you make sure every container holding more than a teaspoon of water is empty of water. This works because the mosquito larva can only survive in water.

Another way to interrupt a vector's life cycle is to kill it. You set a trap. The trap kills the rat; keeping the rat population under control. This reduces the number of fleas.

You have to be careful using traps. The bigger traps can break your fingers, if they are caught in the trap. Traps with dead animals in them also expose you to the diseases carried by the dead animal, so you have to have a safe way of disposing of the dead animal.

You can do this a number of ways. One method is to design the trap, so the trap is disposable. The inexpensive mouse traps you see in the home/farm stores, usually 2 for $1 are designed to be thrown away when they kill a mouse.

To dispose of this trap, put on a pair of medical gloves, pick up the trap, place it in a piece of newspaper and dispose of it in your outside trash can.

Another method is to design the trap to dispose of the critter for you. One trap is the bucket trap. Basically, you take a 5-gallon bucket, fill it with water, get a board to act as a ramp to the top of the bucket, and bait the trap with peanut butter.

To empty, all you have to do is take the bucket and throw the water and dead critters out by your property line.

Another method, of protecting yourself from vectors, is to prevent vectors from biting you.

You can do this in a variety of ways.

One example is using a sleeping net. The net protects you from mosquitoes as you sleep. If global warming is actually happening, the changing climate may increase tropical diseases in the southern maybe even the whole United States. Some of these diseases are carried by night-time mosquitoes.

Another method of protecting yourself, from biting insects, is to wear DEET. DEET is the active ingredient in bug spray.

Preventing medical emergencies is not limited to preventing diseases. It also includes preventing accidents, and there are many ways to prevent accidents.

Don't store medicines next to candy, and don't tell your kids that medicine is candy. Because when they want "candy," they may eat all of your medicine as candy. Just like you said.

Don't store fuel, gasoline, diesel, and/or propane, in your home.

Don't smoke in bed. Heck, just quit smoking.

Don't put power cord under rugs.

The don'ts could and do continue forever. There are many of them. You will need to use common sense and do research on your specific situation.

Just like the "Don'ts," the "Dos" are endless.

Do wear the proper safety equipment when using any equipment. Goggles and safety glasses are needed to protect your eyes. Ear plugs or ear muffs protect your hearing, Gloves protect your hands, and a hard hat protects your head. Climbing harnesses protect you, if you fall from your roof. But all of this equipment will only protect you, if you are wearing and using the equipment properly.

Sleep is also important. Get enough sleep, so you are rested before doing something potentially dangerous.

OK, you have taken steps to prevent accidents. What happens if there is an accident. What do you do?

Call 911. Cool

What happens if emergency services are too far away?

You could provide "First Aid." Don't know first aid!

That's OK. The Red Cross will teach you first aid for a small fee.
Don't have any money. You can download the U.S. Army's first aid manual, and you and some friends can practise on each other. If you don't know how to get the U.S. Army first aid manual, read the "Second Half-Health/Medical" for instructions.

If you are going to provide first aid, you are going to need a quality first aid kit. Now, don't go to the store and expect to buy a quality first aid kit for $19.95.

The inexpensive kits are ok, if you are expecting to only treat minor cuts and scraps. If you expecting to treat broken bones, severe bleeding, gunshot wounds, and other severe injuries you are going to need a better kit.

There are several different ways of getting a better first aid kit.
One way is to buy it. When buying a prepared kit, you are paying someone to assemble the contents of the kit. This cuts into the amount of supplies you have. Plus, you don't know the quality of each individual item in a prepared kit.

Another way is to prepare the kit yourself. Do some research and buy the equipment and supplies, you think you need.
Another way is to make or improvise the items you need. Some things, you will have to buy. Some things you can make, such as backboards from plywood and bandages from bed sheets; additionally, you can improvise wound compresses from maxi- pads.

So you have a first aid kit, but you feel the need for something more. You can obtain further medical training.

Usually, people check out the local community college. These community colleges offer classes on becoming an Emergency Medical Technician (EMT), Paramedic, Nurse, and beginning courses for people later transferring to medical school to become Physician Assistants (PA) or Medical Doctors (MD).
Avoid "Doctor Assistants" schools. They usually teach people to be paper pushers for doctors.

So get your first-aid kit together, learn some first-aid skills, and ...

I'll see you next week!

Links:

Common Cold
http://www.commoncold.org/prevent.htm

American Lung Association: The Common Cold
http://www.lungusa.org/site/c.dvLUK9O0E/b.35873/k.A28F/Cold_and_Flu_Guidelines_The_Common_Cold.htm

Kid's Health: Infections-Common Cold
http://kidshealth.org/parent/infections/common/cold.html

Hands On Health-South Carolina-How can you prevent influenza?
http://www.handsonhealth-sc.org/page.php?id=1300

Mouse Bucket Trap
http://www.kountrylife.com/content/gal1017.htm

http://www.wikihow.com/Build-a-Mouse-Trap

Women: Stay Healthy at Any Age
http://www.ahrq.gov/ppip/healthywom.htm

Men: Stay Healthy at Any Age
http://www.ahrq.gov/ppip/healthymen.htm

Preventive Care Timeline
http://www.ahrq.gov/ppip/timelinead.pdf

Hooah For Health-Deployment Immunization:
http://www.hooah4health.com/deployment/immunizations.htm

Deployment Medical Information Sheets:
http://chppm-www.apgea.army.mil/dmis/

Public Health Pest Control Manual
http://vector.ifas.ufl.edu/manual.htm

U.S. Navy - Shipboard Pest Control manual
http://www-nmcphc.med.navy.mil/od/documents/us_navy_sbpc_manual_sep03.pdf

Armed Forces Pest Management Board Technical Guide #36
http://www.afpmb.org/coweb/guidance_targets/ppms/tg36/tg36.pdf

DEET
http://www.deet.com/

DEET - Frequently Asked Questions
http://www.deet.com/faqs.html

Accident Prevention
http://www.noah-health.org/en/healthy/home/index.html

Accident Prevention
http://www.preparedness.info/npi/accprev/default.htm

First Aid Kit
http://www.ready.gov/america/getakit/firstaidkit.html

http://www.redcross.org/services/hss/lifeline/fakit.html

Wilderness Medical Systems
http://www.wildernessmedical.com/

Survival Unlimited-Expedition First Aid Kit
http://www.survivalunlimited.com/firstaidkits/expeditionamk.htm

Doctors for Disaster Preparedness: A Basic Medical Kit for a 10-20 person Shelter
http://www.ddponline.org/medkit.htm