Friday, March 11, 2011

Japan

Our thoughts and prayers are certainly with the people of Japan today as they deal with this disaster.

I would also like to remind everyone that, as we teach/preach on TBD/SURVIVAL that you owe it to yourself and your family to have some level of preparedness. We're not talking about the gearing up for the end of the Mayan Calendar of the Zombie (and, yes, I do joke about that), but simply to be able to get your family through a disaster and its aftermath.

At TBD/SURVIVAL we use a color code to refer to disasters of all stripe, based on their duration and impact. A GREEN level disaster is 1-14 days, say a tornado or a blizzard; a YELLOW level disaster is a 1-3 month event, say a moderate hurricane and its aftermath; a RED level disaster goes beyond 3 months and has profound societal and even worldwide implications.

We think in general people should prepare for a YELLOW level disaster -- that is, your family should be able to continue on its own without outside hep for 3 months. That means water, food, necessary medicine and medical supplies, power, heat, security, etc. to ride out a 3 month "social dislocation." At the every least, be ready for a GREEN level disaster.

A key element that we believe very strongly in is understanding your risk. This is no different than what we teach for self-defense on THE BEST DEFENSE...step one is having a realistic threat assessment of your situation, whether it is for personal defense or disaster preparedness. Do you live on a coast subject to hurricanes? Along a major fault line (hello Memphis and St. Louis!)? In a wildfire zone, along a railroad track where hazardous materials are transported, in a community near large-scale chemical plants, in harsh winter areas with frequent blizzards, in a flood plain, etc.? Is the nature of your risk such that you need to "bug in," that is, stay in your home for the duration of the emergency, or "bug out," evacuate to a safer location?

Preparedness is ultimately an extension of our personal protection philosophy...it only makes sense!


- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

7 comments:

Anonymous said...

Good thoughts MB.

You going to get an iPad deuce?

AlanR - GunRightsAlert.com said...

In Eureka, Ca (250 mi north of San Fran) we got the tsunami warning phone call at about 5am with an ETA of 7am. We're just outside of the tsunami zone, so our plan is to sit tight unless the quake is off our coast. 2 min on the internet confirmed off the coast of Japan, went back to bed.

Woke up 7:05 to all the UPSs in the house beeping, power is out. Shutdown desktops and check internet. Also, turned on NOAA radio, ETA moved to 7:30am.

One of the local radio stations reports that PG&E has shut down the local power plant (ex-nuclear decommissioned 20 years ago but converted to NG over the last two years). Tsunami warning sirens installed five years ago are going full bore and Samoa, Manila and Fairhaven communities on the north spit of the bay are to evacuate. Level of the bay is at low tide but has risen by a foot at 7:30. Schools are closed.

Reports of roads into the mountains backed up for miles. Police at on ramps for Hwy 101 with lights on but not preventing anyone from entering highway (both north and south are in tsunami zone, several parts of the freeway are at elevation of two or three feet above high tide.)

Power back on a little after 8am. By 9am business as usual.

Sapper3Delta said...

Just saw a news headline that there are evacuations in Boulder County for wildfires. I hope you, sweetie, and your assorted domesticated creatures are OK. Done with Zombies, now dealing with fires (again).

Michael Bane said...

So far; so good on the latest wildfire...it is brutally dry here, though, and we have the bug out bag packed...

mb

Anonymous said...

How do you have Wildfires when your up to your butt in snow ?
I really don't understand this.
Tom B.

Sick of crybabies said...

Our thoughts and prayers are certainly with the people of Japan today as they deal with this disaster.

Indeed.

You think they will commence looting and then stand around yelling, "Where's where's my free FEMA shit?"

Anonymous said...

When I read about Japan I am surprised that there are no looters, no one firing on the police or firemen. Imagine if Americans behaved in the same fashion.

If we suffered this type of disaster in the US I am ashamed to say you had better be prepared to defend your loved ones. Obamao sure ain't going to do anything.