Monday, February 17, 2020

I had a typical prepping conversation...

with the nurse who was here today to treat my legs.  I asked her if she had heard anything new about the Coronavirus (COVID-19).  Her response was that it was nothing to worry about.  So, because I just couldn't help myself, I asked her what would she do if it is real and if it spread and if quarantines were put into effect.  Could she feed her family for a minimum of two weeks on what she had in her pantry?  She said it didn't matter because she could just get whatever she needed at the store.  So I asked her what would she do if quarantines kept the delivery trucks out of the quarantine areas.  And her answer was sadly typical - "Oh, that will never happen here."

I have had similar conversations over the years.  I am done.

What prompted my conversation with the nurse was an email I received today from my best source of information.  The following was published by the American Trucking Association.  There could be any number of reasons for the trucks to stop running, but right now the threat of the virus spreading, quarantines being put into effect and trucks being kept out of the quarantined areas is what is on the minds of many.  Here is what I found in my friend's email.

"When Trucks Stop, America Stops
A Timeline Showing the Deterioration of Major Industries Following a Truck Stopage

The first 24 hours:
*Delivery of medical supplies to the affected area will cease.
*Hospitals will run out of basic supplies such as syringes and catheters within hours.
*Radiopharmaceuticals will deteriorate and become unusable.
*Service Stations will begin to run out of fuel.
*Manufacturers using just-in-time manufacturing will develop component shortages.
*U.S. mail and other package delivery will cease.

Within one day:
*Food shortages will begin to develop.
*Automobile fuel availability and delivery will dwindle, leading to sky-rocketing prices and long lines at the gas pumps.
*Without manufacturing components and trucks for product delivery, assembly lines will shut down putting thousands out of work.

Within two to three days:
*Food shortages will escalate, especially in the face of hoarding and consumer panic.
*Supplies of essentials - such as bottled water, powdered milk, and canned meat - at major retailers will disappear.
*ATM's will run out of cash and banks will be unable to process transactions.
*Service stations will completely run out of fuel for autos and trucks.
*Garbage will start piling up in urban and suburban areas.
*Container ships will sit idle in ports and rail transport will be disrupted, eventually coming to a standstill.

Within a week:
*Automobile travel will cease due to the lack of fuel.  Without autos and busses, many people will not be able to get to work, shop for groceries, or access medical care.

Within two weeks:
*The nation's clean water supply will begin to run dry.

Within four weeks:
*The nation will exhaust its clean water supply and water will be safe for drinking only after boiling.  As a result gastrointestinal illness will increase, further taxing an already weakened health care system.

This timeline presents only the primary effects of a freeze on truck travel.  Secondary effects must be considered as well, such as inability to maintain tellecommunications service, reduced law enforcement, increased crime, increased illness and injury, higher death rates, and likely, civil unrest."

The full report can be viewed Here.

I'm not saying this virus is going to turn into a pandemic.  But what if....

30 comments:

  1. "What If..." is why we prep. We're far closer to the sources of food production here than we were in Lost Angeleez, and still we "prep". It's just "common sense" to us to keep basic foodstuffs and supplies on-hand. And we rotate what we have. replacing it with fresh.

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    1. Same here, drjim...We have insurance for everything else. Common sense says we need food insurance for the bad times and a deep pantry is the best insurance. I just don't understand why so many cannot grasp that concept.

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  2. That nurse must be very young or uninformed.

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    1. Linda...She is old enough to know better. She just is absolutely certain that life as she knows it will go on forever. Maybe it will, but then again, maybe not.

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  3. For those with cars and trucks...people will get desperate and try to steal gas from your vehicles. There are ways to remove gas without going through the filler spout. Red

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    1. Red...I am thinking that gas won't be the only thing people will try to steal. People get hungry enough they will do most anything. If it comes to that, it will not be pretty.

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  4. I am a nurse and I can imagine full well what would happen if the Corona Virus gets going here, big time!! It sounds like it is hitting folks with lung disease very hard. So everyone ya know who is a smoker or on Oxygen are going to be extremely lucky to escape this unscathed.

    Wash your hands, if you have to go out and it is everywhere, use an N-95 or N-100 mask, then throw it out when you get home. Buy them now, while ya still can. Look in the paint aisle of the local hardware store. Along with nitrile gloves, and "sick day" stocks like Kleenex, ginger ale, jello, saltine crackers, chicken noodle soup (yes, it is high in sodium, but if you are having diarrhea you want to retain some fluid) and some Pedialyte. Hand sanitizer, antibacterial soap, a thermometer, a pulse ox (can check your oxygen levels, clips on your finger, runs about $30 at Walmart, and can tell if your oxygen saturation is below 90% which means you should get to the ER now, rather than later. A few canisters of Clorox wipes to make it easy to clean off surfaces.

    I had the conversation with my landlady that she might want to stock up on a few things...like dog food, flour and yeast, canned fruit. She thinks she has enough food in the house to go 3 months...I don't think she realizes how much everyone eats around here. I am already seeing empty shelves at Walmart. Walmart and dollar stores I expect would be the early indicators of a slow down of goods from China.

    And yes, I made a quiet trip to the local superstore and picked up a few things. Every little bit will help, and it is all stuff I would use anyways.

    But bottom line: WASH YOUR HANDS when you get home from being out, and don't put your hands near your eyes, nose or mouth while out. That works against the regular flu, never mind any other super kind of virus. Do it for 20 seconds, and scrub vigorously. Sing Happy Birthday to yourself twice to get 20 seconds. It is a lot longer than most folks wash now.

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    1. Thank you, Suz, for your very helpful suggestions. I wish the home health care nurses I deal with were as vigilant. I think I irritate them sometimes when I insist on precautions, but I am on oxygen 24/7, so this virus would in all likelihood be fatal for me. I fail to understand those who think that a couple of extra cans of pork and beans will see them through weeks of potential quarantine. This thing may burn itself out, but then again, it might spread like wildfire. To refuse to prepare is just plain foolish. I truly appreciate your comment and I know the others who stop by here will, as well.

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  5. Indeed, what if? Vicki, I have family and friends who think just like your visiting nurse. They are intelligent but cannot see the facts or truth when presented to them. A person can only deny reality until it slaps them right up the side of their head. Then what...it will be too late. Today was a stay inside day so I checked my to-do list. Yup, I still needed to go through all of my spices, check their dates, and make a list of those needing to be replaced. It took awhile, but the job is done. If weather cooperates, I will replenish the old with new some time this week. Take care and keeping stocking up on your food and meds. I don't think we want to take any chances if the trucks quit rolling down our highways. CW

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    1. CW...I wish my crystal ball was in working order so I would know what direction this virus is going to take, but alas, it is out of order. So we just keep right on adding to our stores. If it burns itself out or if it is contained - wonderful. But if not, I am not going to have to wonder where my next meal is coming from.

      About those who refuse to see what is right in front of their eyes...The ones who irritate me the most are the ones who say with all piousness, "God will provide." I look at it like this...God may give us the shovel to dig a hole, but he expects us to use the shovel to dig - not to lean on while waiting for the hole to magically appear.

      I, too spent the day going through my closet pantry, trying to sort and make more room. It might be a losing battle. :) But if I have to just stack cases of food on the floor, then stack I will. I am glad you reminded me about the spices. I really need to go through mine. It is never ending, isn't it!!

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    2. I believe that God is providing for us right now, so we can go out and stock up!

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    3. chipmunk...I think you are right. God provides, but I believe He expects us to do the work. In this era of 'free stuff,' that concept seems to be somewhat lost.

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  6. Just thought I would make mention of this...
    For those of you who are not followers of survivalblog.com I would suggest you stop by the site. They have been providing some very good information about the Coronavirus issue. Yesterday's and today's posts have some information that could be vital to all...CW

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    1. Thank you, CW...I hadn't checked Survival Blog for a couple of days, but will now. They usually have good info.

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  7. Your nurse isn't alone in covering her ears and saying, "I can't hear what you are saying."
    As you and others have said, food and water for some period of time are absolutely essential.

    Keep in mind that a swimming pool is also a large reservoir of fresh water, but also remember that many pools are salt water and you cannot drink that water.

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    1. John...I find it astounding that there are so many who have no clue that there is a life threatening virus that has spread nearly world wide. But I would be willing to bet those same people could tell you the details of their favorite TV show or the stats of their favorite sports team.

      Thanks for the reminder about swimming pool water. Excellent water source. Being an apartment dweller, finding ways to store water has been a challenge, but you might be amazed at all the nooks and crannies there are that can hold 2 ltr bottles of water. And cases of bottled drinking water will fit under a bed or stack up in a corner. We do what we can. :)

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  8. Don't confuse me with that facts my mind is already made up. Now you know why Obama was elected twice.

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    1. Rob...I sometimes think there are those who don't want to know so they don't have to deal with the problem. The sad part is, even if this virus amounts to nothing, there are other circumstances that can affect us, and those people won't know until it is too late. Keep on prepping!

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  9. The hardest thing for us has been trying to sort through the inconsistencies in the "official" reports about the virus. Meanwhile, I completed an updated inventory, so now we know where the gaps are in our preps -- not the most fun thing to do, but I'm sure it beats the daylights out of having no food!

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    1. sbrgirl...I just assume that none of the 'official' reports are true. 'Officials' fear the population will panic if we know the truth, so we are treated like children rather than the adults we are. If we fill in the gaps in our preps (I'm doing the same.) and this turns out to be much ado about nothing - great. That just means we are ready for the next crisis that comes down the pike. And if it is worse than we are being told, at least we are as ready as we can be.

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  10. Never before has our society been so dependent on so many single points of failure. What strikes me is how comfortable most people are, walking on such thin ice! I'm not one of those people! Serve in the military long enough, and your credo BECOMES "What if?"

    Concerning this virus though, it's more like "What the hell?" When has it EVER been quarantine best practice to bring people from where a disease IS to a place where it ISN'T? If you look at the map, these people are being sprinkled across the country, stem to stern, port to starboard. Here's a frequently updated disease tracking map and dashboard from Johns Hopkins Center for Systems Science and Engineering (CSSE):

    https://gisanddata.maps.arcgis.com/apps/opsdashboard/index.html#/bda7594740fd40299423467b48e9ecf6

    Something stinks here. I just cleaned the chicken coop, so it ain't that...

    All we can do is point out why we do what we do to others. If they don't take to it, so be it... We tried...

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    1. Pete...I am utterly amazed at how many are not even aware of what is going on around them. And if they are unaware, they surely won't be taking steps to protect themselves and those around them.

      I am more than convinced the powers that be are downplaying the numbers. I heard today that here in the States they will begin testing for the virus, but only in selected cities: New York, Los Angeles, possibly Chicago. You are spot on about the stupidity of bringing people from where it is to where it isn't. I understand that they are trying to avoid panic, but in doing so, they are putting all of us at risk.

      Nope...it is not your coop that stinks. I think they are peeing on my leg and trying to tell me it is just raining.

      Thanks for the link to the map. You are right - virus cases coast to coast and border to border. But hey - move along - nothing to see here. I pray this virus amounts to nothing here, but if it spreads like it has the potential to do, those who aren't prepared will be in a world of hurt. Stay safe!!

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  11. My tin foil hat is firmly on my head. I went out today to do some shopping. On my shopping list was hand sanitizer. I went to three grocery stores and three drug stores. I could only find some very small travel size bottles at one drug store and two small bottles at another drug store. Nothing at all at the grocery stores. Just saying...shortages may be here already.

    Or perhaps it's the result of the Canadian national rail blockages going on.
    More later, SJ in Vancouver BC

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    1. Don't think it has much to do with your tin foil hat, SJ...or the rail blockages, either. Perhaps people might be starting to pay attention. And from what I have read, there are ships here and maybe there that aren't being allowed to unload their cargo because they came from China. Somewhere online - can't remember where - I saw the statement that we will know the virus is out of control when there is no TP left on the shelves! Me...I'm ordering more on Monday. :)
      Take good care.

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  12. I had not realized how much we had put away until we moved last summer. What a gigantic job! I am on 02 24/7 like you so have to be extra careful, too. Get my hand sanitizer from Amazon.

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    1. Tewshooz...One reason I stay where I am is because I really don't want to have to move all those full canning jars! But boy howdy, are we going to be glad we've got them should the time come when quarantines go into effect.
      It is because of both my age and the 02 that I am about to get real persnickety about who comes in and what they do while here. The nurses are sometimes a bit lax in procedure while treating my legs and that is about to come to a screeching halt. I have way more that I want to do with the years I have left to have those years shortened because someone didn't wash their hands. You be careful and take care!

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    2. Nobody gets into my house without using the hand sanitizer stationed by the door along with paper towels...nobody! Also hubby washes hands immediately upon coming inside.

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    3. Sorry, Tewshooz...I just now saw this comment. You have come up with an excellent method of insuring only clean hands are in your home. I believe I will do the same. This afternoon I set up a hand washing station in my bathroom for the nurse's use. There is a bottle of antibacterial soap and a stack of white washcloths from Sam's. for drying. The cloths go directly into my washing machine and I can use bleach water on whatever they touch. Seemed like a good idea, especially since they see several sick clients before arriving here. Thanks for the inspiration.

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  13. Vicki~ I've been using Dr. Bronner's Peppermint Liquid soap for decades. It works well and if you have a cut or skin condition, it helps to heal or clear it up. As to preps, I put new tires on our car today. The set taken off went on the car in 2011. It was time. Red

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    1. Red...I had not heard of that soap but I will see if I can find it here. Just bought 4 bottles of antibacterial liquid soap - forget the brand. Yep...I'd say it might be time for new tires! I don't have that worry - don't own a car any more. My money is going for preps - bleach, Clorox wipes, TP, over the counter remedies, etc. Plus more sugar, flour and canned fruit. I wonder how this will all turn out. Take good care.

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