Another Kind of Viral Event?

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Through the extended Corona virus event we have been reminded just how much we depend on the internet.  This has weighed heavily on my mind:  what if the virus wasn’t attacking our bodies, but was an attack on the internet?  What if the internet was down for an extended period of time?  How could we manage our lives?  All the banks, as well as other businesses, and even families in our society can’t function without the internet.  How could we access our money?  How could we pay our bills?  During the Corona virus banks, the government, and businesses have made allowances so people would not be put out on the streets or go bankrupt.  But could they even do that if the internet was down?  What preparations are in place?  Do we have any back-up systems? 

Previously I have talked about the importance of having some cash set aside for an emergency—not $100 bills—small denominations and coins.  We have learned from the experience of folks fleeing storms and floods that people run out of change, and you could end up paying $20 for a bottle of water.  You might need some 20s, but also some 10s, 5s, 1s, and coins.

But if you could not access your funds, do you have enough cash on hand for a month, for instance, to get groceries?  Gas, if the stations were able to be open?  During the virus I’m sure most of us haven’t needed as much gas as usual, but some, at least.  It’s not necessary to put it all aside at once, but a friend and her husband set aside $20/month, until they had $600 on hand for an emergency situation.  Of course, you need a safe place to stash it.

Panic is not productive.  But remember, whatever you can do (gradually and in an orderly way) is better than doing nothing.

And, ask your bank and your governmental representatives what they are doing to prepare for and prevent a widespread extended internet downer.

Addendum:

Here is IQ’s response:

“The Internet has become a critical part of the operations of businesses of all types, either directly or indirectly. This is similar to how most businesses depend on functioning physical transportation systems (roads, bridges, railways, shipping). And just like the transportation network, the Internet is a big system with many connections.

Like many businesses, banking has become more dependent on electronic connections with other organizations, many of which are made using special secure connections. For a financial institution like iQ, we could continue to operate many key banking functions without being connected to the Internet. This includes branch operations, call center operations, check processing, withdrawals, deposits, and most everything a person would need to continue to go about daily life.

It’s a tough question to answer fully because the Internet is such a large system that it would depend on exactly what challenges we were dealing with. With that said, iQ maintains a comprehensive business continuity plan along with back-up connections and redundant systems. In many cases, these contingency systems would allow us to continue to operate with no impact to members whatsoever. All services would continue to be available.

Even as we all adjusted to life due to this pandemic, iQ has maintained ongoing operations in all departments. The largest impact has been that branch lobbies are not open regularly. All other services, include drive-up, phones, ATMs, online, lending, new accounts, deposits, etc. have all functioned normally. This is due in no small part to our fantastic employees and comprehensive contingency plans.

Let us know if you have further questions.”

Alarm, or Wake-Up Call?

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Not sure the last time I heard the announcement we were so used to, “This is a test of the Emergency Broadcasting System”.  It began with a dreadful blaaaa sound, and was such an irritating nuisance!

Now we have been forced to test our Emergency Response system.  It’s a nuisance, uncomfortable, inconvenient.  Whether it will reach the widespread alarming proportions of the Flu Epidemic of 1918, we don’t know.  We hope that the measures taken will halt it long before that.  But we can see that some have already panicked, or become greedy, just as when the Great Depression (and other “Panics”) hit, which makes the whole experience worse.

Last month I posted an emergency consideration, “For the Long Haul” . . . because we never know what’s around the bend, over the horizon or hill, or how long it will last.  I didn’t know then that we would have a viral outbreak that would close down schools for 6 weeks, cancel events, cause quarantine concerns  . . . Just hope it doesn’t shut us down completely, with the attendant financial disaster.

Saturday I happened to need milk and a few things.  The photos above were taken at the store.  As I was finishing my shopping they were restocking, but I overheard one employee telling another that earlier there had been a long, long line of people outside the store anxious to stock up.

I was glad I already have some shelf-stable cartons and cans of milk, and dried milk if absolutely necessary, along with other options for eating:  bottled and frozen fruits from my garden, extra canned goods, water, extra eggs and cheese in the frig, etc.  I’m hoping that when this is all over, people won’t fall right back into complacency and wait for the next emergency to run out and clean out the shelves of the stores (or cause riots) because they didn’t see any reason to try to keep something on hand for possible emergencies.

I hope we will discuss with our families  how we could have been better prepared for this emergency, and take steps to remedy anything we may have overlooked or that overtook us unexpectedly.  I don’t think we can expect an emergency to not be inconvenient and uncomfortable, but I think we can even out the spikes of anxiety.  I hope we will try to

• keep at least 3 days of necessities on hand
• consider being prepared enough to live 2 weeks without having to go to the store
• keep a roll of TP and a container of disinfectant wipes in the car for using public restrooms–not just during viral epidemics, but for anytime.

A night or two previous to going to the store I happened to watch an old Sherlock Holmes episode, “The Case of the Perfect Crime”.  Watson becomes more and more alarmed as he sees more and more evidence that Sherlock is the perpetrator of a criminal spree stealing the most valuable and the most sensitive items of the Realm.  As it turns out, Sherlock was acting under instruction from the highest authorities to test their protective and crime solving systems.  The authorities had their eyes opened, and they took steps to resolve and strengthen weak areas of their security systems.

Before I conclude this post, I’d like to say a word about allaying the fears of our children, youth, elders, and those with intellectual or emotional disabilities.  Over and over again I have been irritated by characters in stories/films that try to soothe their children by promising things they have no right to promise.  “I promise I’ll be back . . .” they might say, or, “You’re going to be ok,” they tell a dying person.  It’s a cop-out, because they don’t want to speak truthfully and realistically.

I’m not saying we shouldn’t reassure the fearful.  But how does it help to lie to them?  It leaves them feeling betrayed if the promise doesn’t come through.

I’m suggesting that we tell those immobilized by fear something like, “It’s very important that we follow the instructions we’re given, so we can fight this and not let it crush us,” in a reassuring tone.  If the worst happens, we know we have done our best.  If the worst doesn’t happen, we still know that we did all we could and don’t have to be filled with regrets.  Bad things do happen in life, and sometimes we suffer.  But we can choose to be better for them, to take the positives from the experience.  If a loved one dies, we can rejoice that we knew them, think about how they have enriched our lives and made the world better for having been here.  We can also try to live so people will feel that way about us.

For the Long Haul

What’s up ahead, around the bend?  Can we pull through?

Emergencies don’t always happen in 3-day (72 hour) sprints to the finish line.  What if disaster becomes a marathon of days?  Are we trained for it, and do we have the steam to power up the hills that inevitably show up? Can we bridge the troubles that come flooding, overflowing the bank?

Here’s a game or two to help your family think about strategies for an extended emergency event:

Make a card game with the following 6 “suits” (titles):

Light

Cooking

Shelter

Safe Food

Sanitation

Pets

Each suit will have 5 cards (not an exhaustive list, but a starting point).  Write the title on each of the 5 cards for each suit.  Then pass out the 5 cards of each suit to family members to illustrate:

Light

• candles not recommended (for instance, draw a candle with an x through it)
• flashlight & batteries
• camp lantern & supplies
• light sticks
• game ideas to play in the dark (stories, singing, etc.  Don’t use up your power/batteries trying to keep the lights on.)

Cooking

• camp stove
• sterno stove
• grill & fuel
• inspect chimney
• no charcoal indoors

Shelter

• tent
• sleeping bags
• rain/snow/weather gear (vs cold, wet, wind, & heat)
• mylar & other blankets
• newspapers can insulate

Safe Food

• keep frig/freezer closed
• full frig is safe 6 hours (if kept closed–draw a closed frig and write “6 hours” on it)
• full freezer is safe 2 days (if kept closed)
• toss food that is over 40 degrees (draw food with 40 degrees being tossed in garbage)
• if in doubt, toss it out (question mark over stick figure tossing out bad food)

Sanitation

• don’t dig a hole for waste (contaminates)
• lotsa strong bags
• disinfectants (liquid, sprays, wipes, soap)
• camp toilet/commode
• store plenty TP

Pets

• food for a week (draw pet food, write 7 days)
• water for a week
• toilet water is ok for pets
• ID with owners/address (pet collar)
• labeled picture of pet (picture of pet with its name)

Game for younger children:  choose 2 cards of each title/suit to play Concentration.

Game for older kids:   “Endure”– similar to other card games where you try to gather 2, 3, or 4 of a kind (suit or title), a “full house”, or a “straight” (one card of each suit).

Treat:  cook something everyone likes using an alternate cooking method, such as a camp stove, sterno, or look online for how to make Buddy Burners.

Assignment:  assess what you have in each category, and gradually acquire at least something in each.  Keep information on Safe Food in a convenient, memorable place where it can be easily accessed.

Smile for the Camera, or, Copy That, Copy Cat

In case some disaster happens,

1. Does everyone in the family have a recent family photo to help you find one another if separated?
2. Do you have a copy of the paperwork you need to get your life back on track?

Here are some ideas for family activities to help you be ready:

-Divide into two teams:

–Team One makes a video/takes pictures of all the valuables you have, for insurance claims (electronics, bikes & recreational equipment/vehicles, collections…), as well as pictures of each member of the family and/or the whole family.

–Team Two gathers all the important family documents and makes copies (at home, or take a field trip to the copy shop).  Store copies on a thumbdrive in your Go Bag/72-hr kit, in a ziploc bag disguised in a pizza box in the freezer, or in a safe deposit box.

—Here’s what to gather and copy:

• home/renters/vehicle insurance
• health insurance (medical, dental providers, life insurance, extended care, etc.)
• financial papers (bank accounts, investments, retirement)
• wills/power of attorney/estate papers/advance directives
• proof of ID (birth & marriage certificates, proof of citizenship, military service records, social security & medicare cards, passports, etc.)
• Keep a recent photo of each member of the family with your copies of important papers.

-A game for younger children:  Silly-Face Simon Says (try different facial expressions, body poses, body language . . .), and take pictures.  Little ones will love looking at them later, if you keep them in an inexpensive album.

-A literary extension could be the Cheshire Cat, from Alice in Wonderland.  Older kids might enjoy a discussion about the nuances/meanings of the story, younger ones might like to watch the Disney version.

-As an extension for older children, you may want to hold a family counsel about Insurance, Finances, parents’ end of life choices.

-treat ideas:

1. picture purrrfect party food
2. pretend kitty chow made with cold cereal/mini marshmallows or candies/nuts/dried fruit
3. or, google “kitty theme party food”

Here are some picture cards you can use for Bingo, Concentration, Go Fish, or just as reminders of what to collect.  If using for games, make more than one copy.

Important Papers game sheet

Important Documents game sheet for Go Fish

3 Days of Fun vs Frantic Fiasco

Overwhelmed with the idea of putting together a 72-hour (3 day) emergency supply/kit?  You don’t have to go out and buy it all in a maniac shopping spree–you may already have much of what you need around the house.  Here’s a fun way to put it together:

-Brainstorm a list of things your family would need to live for 3 days without  running water and electricity.  Divide the list among the members of the family—by teams, if you wish.  Opt. get in football formation/huddle, come up with strategic plays, and pass off the list, or plan with your team

—Scavenger Hunt: get items on your lists around the house, bring them back to one location.  Pack it all in something(s) for quick evacuation (such as backpacks each family member can carry, a duffle bag or two, wheeled cooler or shopping basket, wagon, for instance–remember, you have to be able to carry it, if you need to evacuate.  Some things may be kept in the car). If you need to, make a shopping list of things you are missing—you may spread the list over several months if needed.

—Bonus:  plan a 72-hour “camp out” in the living room or back yard  each summer and winter (like during school breaks), to rotate supplies, and see how well you planned—pretend there’s no running water or electricity.  How will you entertain yourself?  Practice on a 3-day weekend.  Keep it fun and light-hearted.  Young kids will likely find it all fun.  Older kids can build bonds and things to laugh about in years to come.  When your family has had experience, if a disaster occurs it will be so much less stressful and traumatic.

-treat:  if weather is nice, backyard BBQ; if weather is bad, do the “Can Can” (eat only what doesn’t have to be refrigerated or cooked: canned meats, fruits, vegetables, canned juices or meals, high energy foods such as PB, granola bars, trail mix, fortified cereals, jerky, “comfort foods”—crackers, hard candy, etc.—meal replacement drinks can help supply needed liquids as well as nutrition)

-game option for young children:  Play Noah’s Ark—load up a pretend Ark (couch, cushions, box, blanket on the floor, or whatever) with all the stuffed animals in the house.  What foods would they need?  What sounds do they make?  Make the sounds, animal by animal.  Pretend to be in a storm, and everyone is tossed from side to side (you may pretend some get seasick).  Pretend the sun has come out, and what a relief it is . . .  Retell/re-enact the story in a lively and fun way.  Google “Noah’s ark songs for children” for musical ideas.

-treat options for Noah’s Ark activity:  make pretend animal chow for each animal (each child chooses an animal to pretend to be, or take turns being different animals for a multi-course meal).  Find creative foods to pretend for each animal to eat.  Different kinds of cold cereal or cold cereal/cracker mixes is one idea.  Alternatively, carnivores might eat tacos/burritos, chili, burgers or hot dogs, shredded pork, meat kabobs or chunks, etc.  Plant eaters might have fruit salad (or individual fruits), a veggie plate or salad . . . pretend you are zoo keepers:  what will you feed each of the animals?

Water Works

When an emergency happens, you may have to rely on water you have on hand for 3 days (72 hours) or more.  You can invest in bottled water (recommended 1 gallon per person per day), which you can buy by the gallon, by 5 gallon jugs, or by 16-20 oz individual bottles.  The individual sizes might be easiest to use and to pack & carry, especially for little kids.

Alternatively, you can bottle your own water.  Soda pop bottles are food grade, easily obtained, easily carried, and easily used.  They don’t break as easily as glass.  You  would need six 2-liter bottles per person, for 3 days.  Don’t use milk jugs or bleach bottles:  their plastic deteriorates.

“Water Works” Family Activity–create an assembly line.

1. Rinse the bottle and lid.
2. Drop 8 drops of bleach in 2 cups of water.
3. Swirl the bleach water in the soda bottle and pour it out (like into the next bottle).
4. Fill the soda bottle with fresh water all the way to the top.
5. Put the lid on tightly.
6. Label it “drinking water” and date it.

 

“Hide the Water & Seek” family fun activity.

The person who finds the best place scores!  It should be a place that is easily accessible to grab & go, a cool, dark place, such as under a bed, a corner of a closet, behind a sofa.  In an emergency evacuation, even a fairly young child can carry a 2-liter bottle.  The water is good for drinking, cooking, and hygiene.

It is recommended that water be rotated every 6 months.  Don’t just pour it down the drain!  Use it resourcefully–water your plants or use it for cleaning.

You may want to have disposable dishes for an emergency, because dish washing uses a lot of water.  Wet wipes and hand sanitizer, as well as rinse-less shampoo can reduce water use for emergencies.

Learn how to distill safe drinking water.  See  https://mil.wa.gov/asset/5ba420151d2ac

Water Bottle Bowling, or Bottle Art & Science

• Fill soda pop bottles about 3/4 of water.  Add sparkles, buttons, marbles, food color, oil, or whatever you like to make them pretty inside.  Be sure to observe and talk about what happens when you add something.
• Young children can have fun shaking the bottles up like snow globes (be sure lids are on tight).
• You can set them up like bowling pins, and bowl with a basketball or a soccer ball.
• You can drop various things in one, to play “Sink or Float” . . . such as a nail, a bath oil bead, and other small objects to see which sink, which float.
• You can use duct tape to tightly seal two partially filled soda pop bottles opening to opening, and carefully swirl them so that it makes a vortex when held vertically. Flip it over and over, swirling it again and again.
• Alternatively, cut the bottles into boats and have boat races in the tub or kiddie pool.
• You can also explore the different states of water:  ice, liquid water (does the ice sink or float?), and water vapor (steam, clouds, or mist are similar enough).  Watch your breath on a cold day, watch what happens when cold air from the freezer meets the warm air of the room, or watch the condensation form on the outside of a container of ice or ice cold liquid.
• Explore fresh water vs salt water, dissolve salt or sugar in water.  After it disappears, taste it.  Not everything that exists is visible.

Read fiction and non-fiction stories about water.  Sing and dance favorite songs about water, oceans, seas, rain . . .

Treat Ideas

Banana boats, potato boats, stuffed celery or cucumber boats; vitamin or otherwise flavored water.  If you flavor it yourself, enjoy watching the flavor disperse and color the water.

Who ya gonna call?

 

When an emergency happens, you need to know who to call.  Sometimes local lines might be jammed, so your family needs to choose an out-of-area contact that everyone can call to stay in touch (texting is even better).  Type the contact information for this person and give everyone in the family a copy for their purse/wallet/backpack/vehicle.  You may want to give school or work this emergency information.

Everyone needs to know how and when to call 911, parents and alternate adults, and schools/workplaces where people in the family might be when something happens.

Game #1:  Brainstorm emergencies that might happen, and write them on small slips of paper (such as, “You are lost …”, “An earthquake occurs …”, “There’s a fire …”,  “Someone is choking/had a heart attack/stroke …”, etc.)  Put the slips of paper in a bag or bowl.  Take turns pulling the slips out. Read each slip.  After each slip, everyone calls out together, “Who ya gonna call?!”  The person or team that pulled out the slip gives the appropriate answer.

Game #2:  “Who do you know … (that lives here)?”  Get a map or puzzle of the US, or your state/area.  Similar to playing Scattergories (rules for play on wikipedia.org), each person or team tries to list everyone they know that lives in each state/place (choose the places alphabetically, pulled from a bag/bowl, or toss a die/poker chip/coin onto the map).

Treat:  Call and exchange recipes with someone you know who lives far away.  Or get creative in the kitchen and craft food telephones by teams.

What could possibly go wrong?

What’s the worst that could happen?

What’s the most likely to happen?

Two questions worth thinking about, discussing, preparing for.  Whether it’s the lost child in the store or park, lost car keys, dead battery, overheated engine, over exertion . . . or, as we head into the cold season . . . colds/flu, furnace/water heater trouble, plumbing leak, winter/ice storm, power outage . . . what do we need to do to prepare/prevent emergencies?

Each child should know his full name, the names of his parents, their phone number(s), his address.  Somebody needs to have access to an extra set of keys.  Do you have cables or battery charger?  Do you keep a gallon of water in the car to cool the engine?  Do your kids heading off to college pay attention to car warning lights (check engine, etc), know what they mean, and know what to do?  Do they have emergency numbers in their glove compartment? Do you know when to quit, and what to do when you’ve overdone it?

Do you have current meds on hand so you don’t have to make a trip to the pharmacy in the dead of the night?  Do you have ways to keep warm/heat water, survive a few days until you can have repairs done?  Do you know of a stop-gap?  Do you have at least 3 days of supplies, ice melter, snow shovel?  Could you manage if electrical power went out for 3 days? (keep warm, heat water/food, run appliances/keep them closed or off, communications …)

The picture above shows how PSU has thought about and planned for emergencies.  It would be great if every workplace, educational facility, and every home had a plan for whatever might happen, even if fairly unlikely.  Because emergencies usually take us by surprise.

Here’s an idea for a 1 hour family activity:

1. Brainstorm the kinds of disasters that might occur in our area, and write them on slips of paper.
2. Put the slips of paper in a bag, bowl, hat, or similar.
3. Choose two teams if you like.
4. One person or team draws a slip of paper out of the bag. That team, or the family, try to come up with a plan of action if that type of disaster were to occur.  One person should act as scribe to write the ideas.
5. Game—Simon Says: Stop, Drop, and Roll; Earthquake cover; find the fuse box in the dark; where is the flashlight; fire escape; evacuation notice;  recite your name, address, phone #, and parents’ full names; and other ways of acting out what to do in an emergency.  One person could make the sound of the alert; one person could time how long it takes for everyone to react . . . Make it fun!  And age appropriate.
6. Treat: Rocky Road
7. Assignment:  someone type up the actions plans and post them, or put them in a manila envelope or binder in your 72-hour kit/Grab ‘n Go bag–so if an emergency happens, you don’t have to panic.

Attached is a document with some possibilities:

1 Action Plan–What to do if . . .

Shake, Shake, Shake!

http://clipart-library.com/clipart/56495.htm

Don’t Forget!  International ShakeOut earthquake drill 10/17 at 10:17am, I think.

Millions will participate in #ShakeOut on October 17 (though you can hold a drill any day of the year too). By now, your ShakeOut plans may be set… or you might need a little help – it’s okay! The ShakeOut Resources Page has many ways you can enhance your drill for wherever you, your friends, and co-workers may live, work, and play. Take advantage of a drill manual, share one of the preparedness guides for where you live or work, and download the drill broadcast videos to have ready for your ShakeOut drill!

What you do can help you become a Washington #ShakeOut Champion! You can survive the big one IF you get prepared. Visit mil.wa.gov/shakeout to learn more and to enter the 2019 Youth Video Contest (cash prize of up to $1,500), courtesy of the Cascadia Region Earthquake Workgroup.

Remember too that September is always National Preparedness Month. Be sure to involve people of all ages and backgrounds, think about all the hazards that can affect you, and ultimately: take action BEFORE the next disaster strikes. Be prepared, not scared.

 

 

Run, Hide, Fight

Regrettably, we need to consider what to do in case of a shooter showing up.

Elementary Schools have lock-down procedures, and students & teachers need to follow those.

There’s a good video done by Wayne State U, for college students (and anyone from teens up) listed below, and some links for if you are at work, or the mall.

It’s important to know that the first job of the responders is to get the attacker. They can’t take time to be gentle or take care of injured. Obey their instructions immediately, without distracting conversation or movements.

What about the disabled?
Persons with mental disabilities are likely to be confused (we are all scared). Your calm, kind, confidence can help them cope. Explain in brief, simple terms. For instance: there’s a dangerous person coming, and we are going to be like bunnies. When there’s danger, bunnies run as fast as they can, if they can. We’re going to run like bunnies and get away. Alternatively, if bunnies can’t run, they hide very quietly. They are scared, but they keep very, very quiet. We’re going to hide and be as quiet as bunnies. If the predator comes where we are, and if there’s a chance, a whole bunch of us brave bunnies are going to jump on the predator and hold him/her down until the police come. When the police come, we are going to do exactly what they say, very quickly, so they can do their job and grab that predator so he can’t hurt any more.

Admittedly, bunnies are not known for jumping attackers as a group. Depending on the understanding of the disabled person, you may have to present it differently. Crows and other birds will work as a group against an attacker, but they are not quiet. If you have responsibility for a mentally disabled person, or if one/some is/are in your daily circumstances, think about how to pose this in a way they can understand, and will give them the most comfort.

Persons with mobility issues–while pushing a wheelchair on the run in a mall might be possible, considering the often torturous accessible routes and probable lack of accessible exits in many, many buildings, I give it as my opinion that the best you can do for them (us), is to help them (us) hide so that any assistive devices are out of sight, and barricade (from the inside . . . so that they can get out when the emergency is over). Then get yourself out fast. The decision what to do has to be instantaneous.

College students (good for anyone from teens up):

People/families in general:
https://www.ready.gov/active-shooter

If you work at a healthcare facility
https://www.nso.com/Learning/Artifacts/Articles/active-shooter

At the mall
https://cbs12.com/news/local/expert-explains-how-to-stay-safe-in-a-mall-shooting-situation