With the Center for Disease Control warning of impending Swine flu deaths in the United States over the next several weeks, California declaring a state of emergency due to recent deaths in the Los Angeles area, President Obama requesting 1.5 billion to enhance capability for disease response and treatment, and Mexico battening down the hatches for a prolonged fight with the bug, reasonable people are becoming increasingly worried about what they should do to prepare for a potential life-threatening pandemic.



As you ask yourself what you should do to prepare for a potential swine flu emergency, it is helpful to remember that a swine flu pandemic, or the outbreak of any infectious disease process, is really not that different from any other threat that we regularly face in life, such as earthquakes, tornadoes, floods, infrastructure disruptions and the like. Simply put, people should be prepared with emergency supplies and survival equipment to weather the storm in the safety of their own homes, and these preparations should be made well in advance of an actual emergency.

Interestingly, if you study history, you learn very quickly that pre-industrial societies were much better prepared, at least psychologically, to respond to a massive disease outbreak. They knew it was simply a matter of time before one would hit, and when it did they knew what to do – get out of town if possible, and if not, self-quarantine. Today, people aren't prepared to do either…we are glued to our televisions hoping and praying that it doesn't hit our neighborhood. But in our interconnected world, there is no predicting where a potential contagious disease may show up.

It could be on your hands right now…

Running to the grocery store when there is a line out the emergency room door with infected patients is not the time to take steps to be prepared for a major emergency. Remember that a pandemic is no different from any other hazard, and it is one that reasonable people can be prepared for.

In fact, there is really no excuse for not being prepared for a potential pandemic, since they give you so much lead time to be prepared and take precautions; indeed, the so-called Swine Flu (perhaps a better name would be the Mexican Flu) is all the media is talking about right now so you can't claim that you weren't forewarned. Moreover, experts on global warming have been predicting massive disease outbreaks for years as we increasingly discover that our warmer planet is allowing pathogens to remain virulent for longer than normal periods of time, and our interconnected planet provides the vehicle for widespread infection.

You have been forewarned. So what should you do?

In addition to the basics of personal hygiene and prevention – such as respiratory protection, regular anti-bacterial hand washing, and avoiding crowded places – we recommend that individuals, families and businesses take reasonable precautions to store necessary emergency supplies at home in the rare, but possible, event that the bug becomes so widespread people will want to self-quarantine. Such supplies include nonperishable food storage such as dehydrated foods, MRE's or canned meats; hygiene & first aid supplies including surgical masks, gloves, hand sanitizing lotion and necessary medications; and basic survival equipment such as water filtration (in the event that the pandemic affects support and supply networks, which it certainly can do if the rate of spread is significant), stoves, fuel, etc.

Remember that Swine Flu and other disease pandemics should be approached like any other natural hazard, disaster or emergency, and people should be prepared with Emergency Preparedness Supplies, Emergency Food Storage, and First Aid Supplies.

Stay Safe. Stay Informed. Be Prepared.

KBaum SurvivalOutpost