Defending from the Smallest Enemies

Dear Fellow Survivalist;

There are things which knives and guns can’t defend us from; things which are too small to shoot. In fact, they’re too small to see. When it comes to these tiny enemies, we often feel helpless to defend ourselves and our families.

I’m speaking, of course, of disease; specifically of viral infections like the coronavirus, which is working overtime to infect and kill people around the world. As of this writing, over 80,000 people have been infected by the virus, with 2,800 of them dying of it. When we compare the death rate to those who have recovered, we’re currently at about an eight percent fatality rate. But some experts are saying that could reach as high as 15 percent before all is said and done.

The really scary thing about this virus is how fast it is spreading. Part of that is due to air travel, something that wasn’t an issue in most of the pandemics of the past. But the other part of it is that this is a highly contagious disease, with a transmission rate of somewhere between two and four people becoming infected by each person who has the disease. That, in turn, is partially due to the 21-day long incubation period, before symptoms appear.

Regardless of anything else, the one thing we can say with certainty is that this is a threat to our families. Maybe it’s not much of a threat yet, here in the United States, but the CDC (Center for Disease Control and Prevention) has already gone on record saying that it’s not a matter of if, but when the disease starts spreading amongst our population.

I’m not trying to be alarmist here; just to talk about a potential threat which we should all be ready to protect our families from. Should the CDC call for a “voluntary quarantine” we need to be ready, with a plan and the necessary supplies in place.

This quarantine, if they call for it, would probably last for two to three weeks. It is hoped that if enough people follow the quarantine, the disease will burn itself out. But to do that, we must lower personal interactions outside the family to virtually nothing.

So, how do we get ready for this? Here are a few of the basics:

  • Stockpile enough food and water to get your family through the quarantine period. I would go for non-perishable foods, which can be cooked on a camp stove, the barbecue grille or a fire pit; just in case the power goes out from a storm.
  • Buy medical masks, sanitizing hand cleaner, goggles and medical gloves for use in times when you have to have contact with others.
  • Tyvek suits, often used by automotive painters and others who deal with messy jobs, make acceptable hazardous materials suits, providing protection if you need to go out in the quarantine.
  • Install an intercom, so you can talk to people who show up at your door, without having to go outside.
  • Make sure you have medical supplies, including over the counter medicines and a good first-aid kit to deal with small things, so you don’t have to run to the hospital.
  • Check to see if your employer has a plan for working from home. If they don’t, suggest they create one.
  • Check to see if your children’s schools have a plan for tele-education, so that they can continue classes if the school is closed. Japan is already closing down their schools.
  • Develop a family plan, so that everyone knows what’s going to happen, if a quarantine is established.
  • Buy at least one solar panel, so that you have a means of charging your phone, even without electrical power.
  • If you live in the northern part of the country, make sure you have a means of heating your home, if the power goes out.
  • Get a few bottles of chlorine bleach and some spray bottles, so that you can use it for decontamination.

The whole idea here, is to avoid interpersonal contact. The way viral diseases like this spread, is that an infected person will sneeze or cough, and the droplets of spittle will contain the virus. That can travel several feet through the air and be breathed in by others, infecting them.

That’s why the masks, goggles and gloves on that list. Even if you end up being in the vicinity of someone who has the coronavirus, that’s enough to protect you most of the time. If things get real bad and you have to go out, putting on a Tyvek suit, along with the mask, goggles and gloves will totally cover you, protecting you. When you come home, spraying your Tyvek “hazmat” suit down with 10% bleach will kill any virus that got on it. Then you can take it off and enter your home, virus free.

It doesn’t take much to protect your family from a pandemic like this. A few basic precautions will make a huge amount of difference. So take those precautions and make sure that you and your family are safe. It’s not much different than keeping your powder dry and your survival gear close at hand.

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