On Friday my youngest came home and showed us his poor little hands.  They don’t like the cold.  They get almost like a rash on them from being wet and cold.  It hurts really bad too.  Lavender oil is one of the few things that helps without stinging.

On Saturday morning, we woke up to this.

The little guy picked the blue gloves and the eldest was happy with the red and black striped ones.

The little guy wore them out and around the house.

• Flashlight
• Radio – battery operated
• Batteries
• Whistle
• Dust mask/respirator N95
• Pocket knife
• Emergency cash in small denominations and quarters for phone calls
• Sturdy shoes, a change of clothes, and a warm hat
• Local map
• Some water and food for 3 days
• Permanent marker, paper and tape
• Photos of family members and pets for re-identification purposes
• List of emergency point-of -contact phone numbers
• List of allergies to any drug (especially antibiotics) or food
• Copy of health insurance and identification cards
• Extra prescription eye glasses, hearing aid or other vital personal items
• Prescription medications and first aid supplies
• Toothbrush and toothpaste
• Extra keys to your house and vehicle
• Any special-needs items for children, seniors or people with disabilities. Don’t forget to make a Go-bag for your pets.

Your BOB should not weigh more than 25 pounds for adults and around 10-15 depending upon the child.

Here is a detailed list from Kumerakid in New Zealand, a friend at PFI, that is right around 25 pounds. It also tells you why they included the items they did.  This may help you decide what you should put in your BOB.

6 Tealight Candles ~ Great for starting fires with.
2 Disposable Cigarette Lighters ~To light the candles, and check wind direction when hunting
3 Torches (all take the same batteries)
2 hand held and one headlight all LED
1 Spare set of Batteries
30 metres 3/8” Nylon Rope ~To get down rock faces I’m too scared to climb down
2, 30 metre lengths of Braided Nylon Chord
12 Cable Ties ~ Plastic zip lock ties are great for lashing and binding
2, 5metre lengths of rubber inner tube cut into a ¼” strip ~ For lashing, fire lighting and makes a nice tourniquet
3 metres muslin ~ For wrapping dressed carcass, or use as towel
1 Pair Folding Reading Spectacles
2, $50.00 Bills
Pencil & Paper
1 Scalpel Blade
First aid uses
2 Roll Plastic Electrical Tape
First aid and trail marking
Eye Drops ~ We have a native pampas grass that can really beat your eyes up and cause infections
Personal Medication ~ Anti inflammatory for my old arthritic knees
Needle and Thread ~ First aid and sewing up dogs that have been ripped by a pig and general running repairs
1 Condom ~ To waterproof dressings and carrying water
1 Tampon
1 Sanitary Pad ~ Tampons and sanitary pads make a great dressing for big wounds like the ones bullets or compound fractures make
½ Roll Toilet Paper ~ First aid dressing, cleaning lenses and trail marking
1 Emergency Locator Beacon ~ In case I break a leg etc
1 Survival Blanket ~ Keeping the rain off the fire and so the authorities can say I’m well equipped
1 Disposable Plastic Poncho ~ Backup to my jacket, wind and rain in combination can be a real killer
1 Whistle ~ If I need help, an easy way to attract attention
Food
200gram Tin of tuna in oil and 200grams oatmeal/raisin mix per day
750 mil Bottle of Water
1 Folding Pruning Saw ~ Really effective saws and often the only way through thick bush
1 Pair of Binoculars ~ Bushnell 8×25
1 Compass & Topographic Map
1 Swiss Army Knife
Small two blades
1 Skinning knife
41/2” drop point skinning high carbon steel
1 Sharpening Steel
1 Flounder Spear Head
If I need food I tie it to a sapling with a strip of rubber and spear trout, eels, birds etc
Sleeping Bag ( plus silk liner and cover)
Down -10 deg., with Gortex cover.
Rifle
Kimber Montana .260 Remington with Leopold 3.5-10 power scope
10 Rounds Ammunition
120gn Nosler bt
Day Pack
Nike 15 Litre (900 cubic inch)

Remember, your BOB should be specific to your needs.  If you are in the South or West, you may wish to pack more water.  If you are in the North or East, you may wish to pack extra gloves, hats and socks for warmth.

Here is some great information I gleaned from the internet with the appropriate website address after the information.

—————-

A daily intake of 1-2 liters of water is required for the normal physiological functioning of the human body, depending on ambient weather conditions and diet (especially salt intake). The absolute minimum over the long term is about 1.6 liters (600 ml for urine, 200 ml for fecal losses, and 800 ml for losses via the skin and lungs). This includes water contained in food (i.e. it is not essential for survival to drink 1-2 liters of water a day, though it is often recommended for good health).

The sensation caused by dehydration of the body is called “thirst”. The sensation of thirst is a dry feeling in the back of the throat and an intense desire to drink fluids. Thirst is regulated by the hypothalamus in response to subtle changes in the body’s electrolyte levels, and also as a result of changes in the volume of blood circulating.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Drinking

Use the following guidelines when storing water:

1. Store drinking water in carefully cleaned, non-corrosive, tightly covered containers.

2. Store containers in a cool dark place. DO NOT store in direct sunlight. Polyethylene plastics (prepackaged milk and water bottles) are somewhat permeable to hydrocarbon vapors. Keep away from stored gasoline, kerosene, pesticides, or similar substances.

3. Stored tap water should be rotated every 6 months. Prepackaged bottled water should be rotated once a year. Check the pull date on the container. Be sure it didn’t sit on the store’s shelf for a year before you purchased it. Self Serve Bottled Water should be rotated once a year, as long as the water treatment process includes ozonation.

4. Rotate your stored water with the water you use on a regular basis. This practice helps insure you don’t have water stored longer than one year
Source: http://planforpandemic.com/viewtopic.php?t=156

Bathing

If you are low on water then don’t waste it bathing or washing your clothes. I know cleanliness is important but most of us overdo it in the United States. Just wash your hands, face, and feet periodically. Use the two-pot method for bathing. Fill one pot with water and use it as the first rinse after bathing with a sponge or wash cloth. Fill another pot with water and use it as a second rinse. Don’t discard the wash water in the first pot until it is too dirty to be used again. Then use the second pot as your first rinse and start a new pot of clean water as your second rinse. (Note: The average person probably won’t appreciate the true value of their feet until they are confronted with a difficult situation. Then they will suddenly realize that their long-term survival depends on the condition of their feet.)

Teeth Brushing

Always brush your teeth at least once per day. It doesn’t take much water, just a little in a small cup. Only use a little toothpaste each time, and not the amount you normally use. Your toothpaste will last four to six times longer this way, with no compromise in dental hygiene. Rinse your mouth thoroughly after brushing with a small amount of water.

Washing Dishes

Use the three-pot method to wash your eating dishes. Wash your dishes in the first pot of water with dish soap. Rinse the dishes in a second pot. Rinse the dishes again in a third pot. When the dish water in the first pot gets really nasty, discard it. Then put dish soap in the second pot and use it as the initial wash pot. Use the third pot as your first rinse. Add a new pot with clean water as the final rinse. If your sewer is still working properly, you can pour your waste water from the first pot down your toilet stool to flush it.

Hot water, or even warm water, makes it easier to wash your dishes by hand. However, the effort and energy required to heat the water may sometimes exceed the extra manual effort required to simply scrub the dishes a little harder by hand in cold water. That trade-off decision will need to be made by each person based on their own personal circumstances. (Note: Warm water doesn’t kill germs. Boiling water kills germs. However, warm water does make grease removal from the dishes much easier. Or you could use enamel coated camping dishes which clean up nicely even in cold water. However, long-term exposure to citric acid will stain the enamel coating on enamel dishes.)

http://www.grandpappy.info/wwater.htm -This site has GREAT information

Did you know that historically pediatrics death in the past have happened in December through May?  How many more children will we lose?

This is what the CDC is reporting on their website about their estimates:

http://www.cdc.gov/h1n1flu/estimates_2009_h1n1.htm

H1N1-related hospitalizations.
•CDC estimates that between about 2,500 and 6,000 2009 H1N1-related deaths occurred between April and October 17, 2009. The mid-level in this range is about 3,900 2009 H1N1-related deaths.

Deaths

Age                         Mid-Level Range*             Estimated Range *
0-17 years……………….~540…………………~300 to ~800
18-64 years…………….. ~2,920 …………………~1,900 to ~4,600
65 years and older………~440 …………………~300 to ~700
Deaths Total ………………~3,900…………………~2,500 to ~6,100

http://extension.missouri.edu/publications/DisplayPub.aspx?P=GH5117

Adapted by MU Extension specialists from material prepared by Cooperative Extension Service, University of New Hampshire, Durham.

At some time you may face a heating emergency — when your home heating system is inoperative for hours or days. At that critical time you must decide how to meet the emergency, either with an alternative source of heat or by seeking shelter elsewhere.

Safety

Safety is of prime importance in choosing an alternate form of heat. Consider all potential hazards and eliminate as many as possible, keeping in mind that your degree of protection is lower during a community emergency. Normal community services such as police and fire protection, doctors, hospitals and highway maintenance may be in great demand and unable to respond to your emergency immediately. Under emergency conditions, you may have to do certain things you wouldn’t normally consider. Use extreme caution.

Defining the problem

The first step in making a plan is to determine the conditions your family might face if the heating system fails. Take your climate into consideration — how cold can it get? Because all members of the family would be affected, each should help with the planning. Discuss what you might do if the heating system went off for several days.

If your home is heated electrically, failure would obviously be caused by lack of power. But don’t forget that most other systems depend on electricity, too. Oil burners usually have electrical fuel injectors and ignition. Hot-air systems rely on a fan for air circulation; hot-water systems with zone valves and circulator pumps; coal furnaces with motorized stokers also need electricity. Most thermostats require electricity.

Imagine that your area is experiencing an intense storm. It is cold and telephone service is disrupted. Then, with a pencil and pad handy, discuss how you would cope with the crisis. The family would have to determine what could be done to provide home heat, or at least how to keep warm. Discuss sources of alternate fuels available, how to get them and how to use them, what protective measures would be necessary such as keeping pipes from freezing and supplying water if the pump is not operating. As part of the discussion you probably will want to draw up a list of additional obstacles that might be encountered, the responsibilities of each family member and supplies available.

Your resources

First, consider the resources you now have in your home for meeting emergencies. Because no two homes are the same, homeowners should assess their own situation and prepare accordingly.

• Could your heating system, with simple modification or through manual operation, continue to heat all or part of your home?
• What other heating devices are used or stored in your home, garage or barn? List them. It may include a fireplace; a charcoal grill; a wood, coal, gas or oil stove or space heater; a camping stove or heater; electric or gas oven and surface heating units; a portable gas oven; a gas-fired hot water heater; or portable electric heater.
• List fuels available in your home or within reasonable distance. Which of them could be used in the above list of devices? Possible alternative fuels include: oil or kerosene; furnace, stove or cannel coal; firewood, lumber scraps, corncobs, straw; gas, campstove fuel, charcoal, starter fluid, alcohol, gasoline or motor oil; or newspapers and magazines.

If your heating device and fuel can be matched, would they provide enough heat to warm at least one room in your home? Is there enough fuel for several days? Do you have a secondary source of emergency heat?

Decide now

If your regular heating system cannot be modified for an emergency, consider buying, building or adapting a device or system that will. The choice might be a space heater, cast iron or sheet-metal stove or a catalytic heater. A small generator may be able to keep your furnace in operation. Your supplier or your local MU Extension center can help you decide what capacity generator you need. Try to avoid depending on the same fuel for emergency heat as you have in your normal heating system.

Preparation

Now that you have decided how to heat your home during an emergency, it is time to get busy making preparations. Good planning now will give your family confidence when an emergency arises.

You will probably have to make some changes in your home or in your heating system to accommodate another heating device. If you can’t make them, call in someone who can. Any device that burns fuel must be vented outside the house — both to eliminate smoke and gas and to provide oxygen for combustion.

Altering regular heating systems

Minor alterations to regular heating systems might be considered:

• Because automatic heating systems are often dependent upon electricity, you might wish to consider an emergency generator to provide power for full operation. This applies only to fossil-fueled systems with pumps, blowers, circulators, fuel injectors, electric ignition and thermostats.

Electrically operated valves in many steam or hot air systems can often be operated manually. Hot air systems, depending on installation, are capable of providing limited heat without a blower.

A coal-burning furnace can be fired the old fashioned way — with a shovel. Most small electrical generators supply only very limited power and are inadequate for heating a home.

• Sometimes another type of fuel can be burned in a heating system. For example, wood can be used in a coal furnace. Get to know the capabilities and options of your primary heating system. If it can function at least partially in an emergency, it is your best heat source.

Providing vents and flues

• Install a “thimble,” (a metal pipe which is inserted through the side of the chimney into the flue) to allow a stove hookup or space heater. If the heating device will be connected only during an emergency, fit the thimble with a metal or asbestos cap to cover the hole.

Note
Chimney flues are designed to accommodate a single heating device at a time. Using more than one heating device at the same time on the same flue may result in smoke damage and improper burning of the fuel. If your auxiliary heating unit is to remain attached to the flue being used by the furnace, fireplace, or other burner, it should be fitted with a damper which will close off the device. Gas flues, which are usually smaller and lighter, cannot safely accommodate oil, coal or wood burners. Gas devices, however, can be hooked to oil, coal or wood flues.

• Some fireplaces are designed for appearance, not for heating ability. If yours doesn’t heat well, plug the throat with a piece of sheet metal with a hole cut for a stove pipe. In an emergency, a stove or heater can be set on the hearth. Stoves are better, more efficient heat producers than fireplaces.
• Conventional masonry fireplaces are often not efficient producers of heat and may take more heat from a room than they put in. Heat circulating or “heatilator” fireplaces are much more efficient. Their ease of installation may offset their initial higher cost when compared with construction of conventional masonry fireplaces. Also, a glass-doored, heat-circulating fireplace with special outside air inlets makes a satisfactory heater that can use wood, coal and other combustibles.
• If your present chimney cannot be used with an auxiliary heating system, consider installing a prefabricated chimney for use with your alternate source of heat.

Using other fuels

• If oil is your emergency heating fuel and you have an oil furnace, install a drain cock or valve in the fuel line to draw oil from the tank. A siphon hose might be used if the tank has an access plug.
• An emergency generator to run your primary heating system will involve special wiring. Ask an electrician for advice.
• If gas is the standby fuel, be sure to have proper fittings, tubing and tools on hand for a quick, safe hookup or changeover.
• Heat pumps, similar to air conditioners, can supply considerable amounts of heat under certain conditions. They may be practical for your situation as a source of heat which requires only electricity.

There is considerable heat in well water, which is usually at least 50 degrees Fahrenheit, in the northern states. Depending on the water depth, this may be an efficient source of heat. The heat pump removes heat from the water and transfers it to the home. In warmer areas heat can be removed from outside air. Your local heating or air conditioning contractor can help you decide if a heat pump is practical for your situation.

Generators for emergency power

An electric generator could power furnace blowers, oil burners and some other appliances in time of emergency. Just how many appliances you could operate depends on the output of the generator. Before buying a generator, the homeowner should add up the wattage required. Motor requirements should be figured at their starting rate (much higher than the running rate) to arrive at the total number of watts required at peak use. Generators are rated according to their kilowatt output (a kilowatt equals 1,000 watts).

Additional costs would be necessary to rewire the home service entrance, to install a transfer switch or to add an alarm device or other accessories as desired, and for regular maintenance of the standby system. Home generators are usually driven either by an attached gasoline or gas-powered engine or a portable power source such as a tractor. The best information on a generating system for your home can be obtained from a local supplier, your utility company, or your local Extension Center or civil preparedness representative.

Conserving heat

• What other materials exist that could be used for conserving body warmth or emergency heat? Winter clothing, especially bulky items and outdoor garments, sleeping bags and small tents, blankets and bedding, drapes, curtains, slipcovers, rugs, large towels, etc., should be considered.

Remember, if all else fails (and you can’t get to other shelter), bed is the warmest place to be with other family members and lots of covers.

How much of your house should you heat? When the heat goes off and you are going to have to rough it, the smaller the space you heat, the easier the job will be. What you do will be dictated by the amount of emergency heat you have available, the floor plan of your house, and the severity of the cold outside. If you will be utilizing your fireplace or a stove requiring a chimney flue, the choice of rooms has been made for you. If, however, you will be able to obtain some heat from your furnace, select an area near it to cut down on heat loss that occurs in long pipe or duct runs. If you plan to use a portable heating device or have a choice among several heating zones, select an area on the “warm” side of the house away from prevailing cold winds. This area should have good insulation, as few windows as possible to minimize heat loss and should be capable of being isolated from other unheated areas either by closing doors or blocking openings to prevent drafts and heat loss. You may want to hang blankets or heavy drapes over windows to further reduce heat loss.

If you will be using your furnace in an emergency, know in advance how to prevent it from sending heat to unnecessary areas. In addition to shutting off the thermostat, this may involve blocking hot air ducts or shutting off certain steam or hot water lines.

Storing emergency fuel

Obtain fuel for your alternate heating system and store enough to last several days. Store it in a safe, convenient place such as a garage, carport, or shed away from the house. Do not use your emergency fuel for any other purpose, and check the supply regularly.

What resources are available for emergency assistance in your community? There may be town, school or county plans for coping with emergencies. Your local Red Cross or civil preparedness authorities may have contingency plans and supplies. Find out.

• Are there stockpiles of fuel available such as coal, oil or firewood? (Some towns keep emergency supplies of firewood on hand at dumps or highway department sheds. If yours doesn’t, perhaps it should.)
• Are there emergency supplies of foodstuffs and water? A civil preparedness representative or your local Extension Center could advise.
• If your family were forced to leave its home, where could it go? Under what conditions? Schools and municipal buildings often have emergency lighting equipment and heat.
• You may want to consider a cooperative emergency plan which combines your resources with those of a neighbor.

Mobile homes

Mobile home owners should consider installing a prefabricated sheet metal chimney assembly through a wall or the roof. Mobile homes are particularly well-adapted for use of prefabricated chimneys. Owners might also wish to consider purchasing a prefabricated fireplace which is highly efficient in operation, light in weight, easily installed, attractive and lower in cost than masonry units. If a prefabricated chimney or fireplace is purchased, be sure it is Underwriters’ Laboratories (UL) approved.

Remodeling, building or buying a home

Now would be a particularly appropriate time to think of emergency heating. Consider this feature in shopping for older houses and include it in construction or renovation plans. The extra cost of including a “second system” will be more than made up for in peace of mind later.

• The simplest approach might be to have a capped emergency thimble in a single flue chimney for an emergency stove.
• More desirable, but more expensive, would be to include two or more flues in your rebuilt chimney to accommodate the furnace and secondary heating devices such as portable heaters, parlor stoves or Franklin-type fireplaces. The stoves make attractive home features, and a fireplace will add value to the house at least equal to the cost of its construction.
• A number of modern sheet metal fireplaces, either free-standing or wall-mounted that do not require expensive masonry work, are available. They can utilize an easily assembled UL-approved prefabricated chimney pipe that vents through a wall or roof to the outside. One might be attractive in your home. Prefabricated chimneys can also be installed in mobile homes.
• Depending on the style or design of your house and its heating system, you might wish to install a second conventional system independent of the first for emergency heating of a portion of the house. A gas floor or wall furnace large enough to heat one or two rooms would meet emergency heat needs; electric heaters could be good insurance when the gas supply fails.
• Electric generators should be considered by the rural homeowner, especially if it is part of a farm or business which relies on electricity for operation.

Related heat loss problems

Keeping your family warm obviously won’t be the only problem you will face if an energy failure strikes your home. Consider the following:

Freezing pipes

Without heat for at least several hours and the temperature well below freezing, you will have to protect exposed plumbing. Drain all pipes, including hot water heating pipes, in rooms that will not receive emergency heat. Familiarize yourself with your home plumbing and heating layout in advance so you can do the job quickly and thoroughly to avoid repairs later.

It may be necessary to install additional valves to enable you to drain only portions of your system. Don’t forget the sink, tub and shower traps; toilet tanks and bowls; your hot water heater; dish and clothes washers; water pumps; and your furnace boiler, if you have one.

Water for household use

If you rely on electricity to run your water pump, a power outage could restrict your water use. Save as much water as possible while draining your system and store it in closed or covered containers, preferably where it will not freeze. In addition to water in pipes, a sizable amount can be collected from your hot water heater and toilet storage tanks. Water from the heating system may be unfit for drinking or other household use.

Lighting

Have a good supply of candles, matches and at least one kerosene or gas lantern with ample fuel. You should have a dependable flashlight with spare bulbs and batteries. If any of these materials are used when there is no emergency, they should be immediately replenished.

Sanitary facilities

If your water supply is shut off, sanitation will become a problem. Disconnect the chain or lever attached to the toilet handle to prevent accidental flushes and instruct users to put toilet paper in covered containers. Flush only often enough to prevent clogging. An alternative might be to purchase a portable camper’s toilet.

Emergency cooking

During an emergency, providing hot meals for your family may be a problem. A camp stove can be used or, if necessary, cooking can be done in a fireplace. Keep a supply of meal-in-a-can foods such as stews, soups, canned meats, beans, or spaghetti to supplement dry stores like cereal, bread, dried meats and cheeses. Freeze-dried meals for campers and backpackers are often excellent foods that can be prepared with a minimum of heat.

Note
Also, if you don’t already have them, a good fire extinguisher and first aid kit are necessities. Review all your plans and preparations to ensure the safety of your family. Emergency actions are of little value if they lead to a new or bigger emergency.

http://www.odh.ohio.gov/ASSETS/194F7A8A2EB5465D80B67437296020AC/h1n1_memo.pdf

A case of influenza A H1N1 virus should not be reported as “Influenza A, Novel Virus Infection”.  A case should be reported through the usual reporting mechanism (i.e. the Ohio Disease Reporting System) for the specific classification in which it belongs (i.e. an influenza-associate pediatric death, an influenza-associated hospitalization, a case belonging to a cluster.}

Testing for influenza A H1N1 virus at the ODH Laboratory will only be conducted on pre-approved specimens for cases that have been reported to ODH by Ohio local health districts.  ODH is conductins testing for influenza A H1N1 virus on the following:

- Patients being admitted or currently hospitalized with ILI:

- Patients with ILI who are part of a cluster or outbreak being investigated by local health districts and ODH.

Due to the wondrous insight of Dr. Jackson, who has declared in his own words “conclude that name-based case reporting of the influenza A H1N1 is no longer merited” http://www.odh.ohio.gov/ASSETS/8BC0C45C6047490EB03044378103FC75/h1n1_journal.pdf, Ohio will no longer be able to test children who report to their doctors with ILI symptoms.  Doctors will not be allowed to test for the Type A H1N1 unless the child is in the hospital or dies.  There will be no confirmed H1N1.  Schools will not act out their pandemic planning.  These are based on confirmed cases of H1N1.

Children will die.  Children who could have been saved if the schools would have closed at the first sign of flu symptoms.  Lives would be inconvenienced with school closures.  So would they with funeral planning.

How do your hands look with the blood of Jon Fowler on them?  There will be more.  All these deaths are on your hands Dr. Jackson.  You could have saved them if you allowed more testing.  But you didn’t.

How will you sleep at night Dr. Jackson?

http://www.wtam.com/cc-common/news/sections/newsarticle.html?feed=122520&article=6138354

It is indeed a sad day here in Ohio.

The news has just reported that a 14 year old boy from the Columbus Ohio area has succumbed to complications from the Novel Type A H1N1 formerly known as the Swine flu virus.

Jon Fowler will not be sitting down to eat dinner with his family tonight.  Nor any other night.  His family will have to learn to look at that empty seat.  He will not take his place at family game night, the marker for the board will stay in the box.  He will not fight for a chance at the wish bone this Thanksgiving dinner.  His family will not hang up a stocking at Christmas.

Holy Spirit Catholic School in Whitehall Ohio will have one less student on their roster.

What about your school?  Who’s name will be stricken from the roll call?  Oh, don’t worry.  Let’s just plant a tree for them.  Because we all know that a memorial will ease the heart of the parents.  Not.

The CDC is now saying that 76 children have died.  They don’t say up to what date that count is current.  I can tell you they are wrong to not tell you exactly how many children have died.

The count is now 128 with Jon’s name now to be added to the list.

http://www.singtomeohmuse.com/viewtopic.php?p=249344&highlight=#249344

See for yourself.  get a grippe from PFI forum has the grisly task of keeping the list.  Each and every one of those deaths has been found in their local media or from their local/state website.  Not one of these deaths is hearsay.  Each of these deaths counts as a loss in the lives of their families.

It is a sad day here in Ohio, we have lost one of our own young.

Swine Flu School Closings Could Cost Billions
Gov’t Urges Schools To Close Only As Last Resort

http://www.wsoctv.com/news/21157140/detail.html

WASHINGTON — Closing schools and day care centers because ofswine flu could cost between $10 billion and $47 billion, a report by the Brookings Institution think tank found.
The government is urging schools to close only as a last resort, such as when large numbers of kids or staffers come down with swine flu.
But in the month since classes began, many schools have closed. As of Monday, there had been at least 187 school dismissals across the country affecting at least 79,678 students, the EducationDepartment said.
The report issued Wednesday by Brookings’ Center on Social and Economic Dynamics estimated that the cost of closing all schools in the U.S. for four weeks would be between $10 billion to $47 billion. Brookings called that a conservative estimate.
Keeping kids home from school would require parents to stay home from work too, and some of those parents arehealth care workers, the report said.
The report also said:
– The cost of mass school closures in selected cities would be $65 million for Washington, D.C., $1.1 billion for New York City and $1.5 billion for Los Angeles County.
– Mass school closures would cause 12 percent of workers to be absent; absenteeism could be higher in lower-income households with only one worker.
– The value of lost class time is estimated to be $6.1 billion.

What I want to know is how much is your child’s life worth to you?
What would you choose?
Deal with finding child care when the schools are closed or attend your neighbor’s child’s funeral?
Go to school longer in the summer to make up the days or attend your child’s funeral?
Lose your job or your child?

Really, you have a choice. You can stand up for your child’s life or you can stand up for your country’s economy.
You can also choose to stick your head in the sand and pretend you didn’t know that over 100 children have died directly from contacting this swine flu. Although after reading this, you cannot claim that anymore.

Pick – your child or your money – chances are you cannot have both.

How much is your child’s life worth?

The season flu does NOT kill children like this.  These deaths would not have happened if they were ill of the season flu.  These deaths are directly caused by having the novel H1N1 virus.  This virus kills children and young adults.  We must not stand around and let more families be torn apart by this virus.

How many deaths will it take?  100, 200 missing children?  Your own child? These children are not coming back.  Death is final.

My own child is in the H1N1 vaccine trials.  I have no fear of the vaccine itself.  It is made with the same main ingredients as the season flu shot.  The only difference is that instead of THREE season threads there is only ONE H1N1 thread.  This H1N1 vaccine is no more dangerous than the season vaccine is to you.  If you suffer side effects from the seasonal, rest assured you will too with the H1N1.  If you don’t, then you won’t.
]]> http://alexwyattmommy.wordpress.com/2009/09/26/how-many-more/feed/ 1 alexwyattmommy http://alexwyattmommy.wordpress.com/2009/09/12/why-i-prep/ http://alexwyattmommy.wordpress.com/2009/09/12/why-i-prep/#comments Sat, 12 Sep 2009 00:16:53 +0000 alexwyattmommy http://alexwyattmommy.wordpress.com/?p=36 ]]> http://news.cincinnati.com/article/20090911/NEWS01/909120326/0/NEWS01/Utility++others+promise+better+storm+response

http://www.pulsejournal.com/news/local-news/windstorm-ravaged-ohio-1-year-ago-292569.html

One year ago on Monday, the most interesting week we experienced together began.  It started with just some strong wind.  Then it moved to severe wind.  Then it became a WIND EVENT.  We stood outside being pelted with mulch from our play area.  It did feel like we could be Mary Poppins if we just had an umbrella.  It didn’t seem life changing at the time.

Then the power went out.  Still, no big deal.  The power goes out around here a lot.  We’ve had our generator since we moved in.  The power doesn’t go out as much as it did in the beginning.  Once we got that cage thing over the utility pole, we stopped finding dead birds near it.  Dead birds equaled no power.  We can power the furnace, the TV, and swap between the frig and freezer and microwave.  IF we have fuel for the generator that is.

Turns out hubby used up the gas cutting the lawn and hadn’t refilled the cans.  He went out looking that night, but it wasn’t until the next day that he found some.  The power outage was wide spread.  We thought it was just our area.  More than 2/3 of the power company’s customers were without power.  Some for as long as two weeks.  Lucky for us, it was only one week.

We did have enough food.  Not enough milk.  But we had sodas, juices and water to drink.  We had soups, stews, canned pasta and some microwaveable frozen things.  The stove is electric.  Everything was done in the microwave.

The hardest part was keeping up with personal hygiene.  We have a cistern.  No electric means no power for the pump.  No pump means no shower, washing clothes/dishes and no toilet flushing.  Good thing we have a camping port-a-potty thing we bought for long car rides.  That came in very handy, me being a girl and all.  We used spring water for brushing teeth and modified sponge showers.  One cup to get wet and moisten the dove disposable wash cloth [they really lather up great!] and one cup to rinse off.  Dang it was cold.  I had icky hair in a pony tail for way too long.  I never want to do that again.

The boys were off from school for the week.  They alternated between playing their video games, watching TV, reading and playing board games.  But even they were happy when they could resume a normal life and go back to school.

Lessons learned –

1- Always hound husband about how much gas is in the cans after he cuts the grass.

2- Keep at least 4 gallons of milk in the frig. [we go through one gallon in two days normally]

3- Keep a variety of foods in the pantry so as to not get bored quickly.

4- Find a way to store water for personal hygiene.

We now collect rain water.  With two new dogs, we have to be sure to have enough for them to drink daily.  I’ve been filling our empty spring water jugs with rain water and storing them in the garage.  When the cold weather comes, we will have to empty the rain barrels or they will crack.  We use the spring water for daily drinking and cooking.  I make sure we have at least 2 months of potable water on hand.  I do have a filter system if we need to use the cistern water for cooking.  Yeah, I know the water that gets put into the cistern is the same that is pumped to housed hooked up to the system.  It just skeeves me out to know it has been sitting in that concrete cistern that is not all that clean.  So bottled water it is.

I have a very well stocked pantry now.  Yes little sister, I know, I’ve become our parents.  I have at least 3 months of meals.  Included in the supply are easy to eat and make foods.  Having survived way too many bouts of the stomach bug and not having easy to digest food in the house at the time, well, I learned my lesson.  Everything in the pantry is food we eat.  I make sure to rotate the food.  New food goes in the pantry, food on shelves came from the pantry. [Not like my parents there, I check my use by dates. LOL]

My freezer is well stocked.  A full freezer keeps the cold better than one with lots of empty space.

I never thought “it” could happen to us.  We don’t live in an hurricane zone.  Tornados are a rare occurrence.  Snow doesn’t last long.  Ice storms aren’t frequent.  And we are a long way away from earthquakes and volcanoes.  The need to have emergency supplies wasn’t a part of our daily lives until “it” happened to us.  A need to have enough supplies to last through an emergency.

Have you thought about whether or not you have enough supplies to last you and your family through an emergency?