A day of mouring and ispiration

September 11, is not only a day of mourning for Americans but it is also a day of inspiration. Ten years ago, on September 11, 2001, 3,947 people were killed in an attack on our country, by Islamic Extremists. This unprecedented attack on Americans generated a worldwide war on terror that we continue to fight today. This is a war that we started to win on the very day of the attacks. I’m sure that the perpetrators of the attack on our country were very unpleasantly surprised to see that Americans did not and do not cower. We fought back without hesitation and many, knowingly, made the ultimate sacrifice of their lives to come to the aid of their fellow Americans. On that day, America, once again, showed its true metal and we continued to do so in its aftermath. A record number of young men and women enlisted in the armed forces to protect America and many of them have given their lives or have been gravely wounded so that the American way of life will continue.

In this past decade, we have had our setbacks. The war on terror has reshaped America in many ways. We have sacrificed much of our freedoms in the name of “keeping America safe,” and we have become, in many respects, a country divided. We grow tired of fighting and sacrificing and we want peace. But, we must remember that there is a difference between peace and defeat. Peace requires a “middle ground” between enemies and as long as the creed of Islamic extremists includes “killing Americans,” we will not have peace. This leaves only defeat, either ours or theirs, and defeat has never been an option for Americans.

Yes, we remain divided on many issues like the morality of war, its economic impact, the loss of our freedoms and the cost in human lives. Even though we don’t agree on the methods, we all share one important patriotic belief – the idea of America and that we will not go quietly. What started as anger has transformed to determination and we will preserve America for our children and for their children. Our resolve will not falter.

You may have noticed that I made no mention of the names of the attackers, their organization(s) or their leadership. I will not honor them by repeating their names on this day, but rather, my thoughts and thanks go out to the brave men and women of our armed forces and the victims and heroes of 9/11 as well as to all of their families. God bless them and God bless America.

Hurricane Irene

I’ve been talking with people on the east coast about the approaching hurricane. It amazes me how complacent some of them are. Here we have a potentially devastating storm bearing down on them and still they won’t take steps to prepare. It wasn’t that long ago that Katrina unleashed its wrath, killing over 1,800 people and leaving countless homeless. Katrina was a category 3 hurricane when it made landfall. Irene is expected to be a category 4 hurricane with some speculation that it could reach category 5. Most of the east coast of the United States is threatened, but still, they won’t prepare. Wake up and smell the roses people!

• This is what we can expect to see If Irene does not dissipate:
• People will wait until the day before it hits them to try to buy supplies. There will be runs on stores and many people will not be able to get what they need.
• Evacuation orders will come too late and will be ignored by many.
• Power outages will occur.
• Cell phone service will be interrupted.
• Flooding will occur.
• People will lose their homes.
• Lives will be lost.
• FEMA will take longer than expected to effectively respond.
• Those people who are in need of rescue will find that the recommended three days worth of emergency food and water was not nearly enough.
• Emergency shelters will be set up but they will be short supplied.
• The list goes on.

Hurricane Irene has the potential to be one of the worst to ever hit the U.S. So many people are gambling that it won’t be that bad and I am praying that they are right. But, personally, I would rather not depend on luck when a little action could have a huge effect. Prepare Now!

Good luck and be safe

Fukushima INES Level Raised To The Max

Earlier today the nuclear disaster at the Fukushima Daiichi power plant was raised to level 7 on the International Nuclear Event Scale (INES), the highest possible level. The only time in history that this level has been reached was the Chernobyl accident that spread radiation over a vast area, including parts of Europe. Yet, we are still being told that “it’s not that bad” and there is no danger to us here in the United States. If you read the April issue of SOS Magazine, you already know what it will take for the radiation from the Fukushima plant to reach the U.S. You will also see that we are rapidly moving towards that scenario. For a while now, we have been led to believe that the Japanese workers were getting the emergency under control, both by assurances from nuclear officials and the general lack of coverage by the mainstream media. I, for one, am tired of being treated like one of the mindless sheep that must be kept from panicking while the wolf is chewing on my leg.

In spite of what the government is telling you, or NOT telling you, it’s time to prepare for the potential of radiation reaching our shores. No, it’s not time to panic; it’s time to prepare and prepared people need not panic.

Learn how to shelter-in-place. Do yourself a huge favor and don’t rely on the limited “don’t panic” information that you will find on government sites. Get the information from disaster preparedness experts before it’s too late.

Go to www.SOSDisasterPlan.com and watch our “Radiation Exposure” video on our YouTube link.

Why we don't prepare

This video explains why we all have a resistance to preparing for disasters. It's called the normalcy bias and it could make the difference between life and death.

Emergency Contact Information

I recently had a family member that was rushed to the hospital in critical condition.  Because he was not carrying any emergency contact information, he was in the intensive care unit, unconscious, for three and a half days before any family members were contacted.  Only after a close friend retraced his most recent activities were we able to locate him.  The result was that four days passed before his doctors were able to determine the name of his physician to get his medical history and a list of his required prescription medications.  This has seriously impacted his chances of survival. 

Please carry emergency contact information with you at all times.  This information should include a contact person, the name of your physician and any special medical conditions and/or required medications.  This information could save your life and give your family the benefit of being contacted in the event of an emergency.

A Prepared America Is A Safer America

I’m often asked which disaster scenario scares me the most.  Well, the short answer is anything that disrupts the workings of our infrastructure on a national level.  By infrastructure, I mean our ability to move freight, provide utilities and otherwise adequately meet the everyday needs of the American people.  This could happen for any number of reasons, from a well-orchestrated terrorist attack to a general failure of our economy.  Our economy has never been so fragile and there are terrorist organizations plotting, every day, to destroy our way of life.  Experts agree that it is not a matter of if something will happen but rather, a matter of when.  We are extremely vulnerable to this type of scenario.  Here’s an example of what could happen:

Imagine if you woke up one day and the power was out, the phone didn’t work, the water was off and all of the stores were closed.  The businesses that had not been overrun by panicked mobs would be forced to close and lock their doors because they depend on electricity, water, sewer and deliveries to operate.  It would seem as if the earth had come to a deafening stillness.  And then it hits you:  What you have is all that you are going to get, probably for a very long time. 

If the economy and/or infrastructure were to suffer a collapse, it could be a long time before any sense of normalcy would surface.  It stands to reason that crime would run rampant as desperate people struggle to provide for their families.  Looting would become commonplace.  Cities in particular would become very dangerous places. Those who were able would leave the cities and head for the suburbs and areas beyond, flooding and over taxing the limited resources of those areas and spreading the violence with them.  Many people will think that they can live off of the land, but the fact is that we as a civilization have moved far beyond that option.  Only a very few people in this country are capable of living off of the land and even their chances would be diminished by the exodus of people into their areas. 

Most disturbing of all is that desperation can turn the nicest of people into lawless thugs.  If you doubt this, ask yourself a simple question: If my family was starving, would I take what I need from other people? 

The American Red Cross estimates that only about 7% of Americans are adequately prepared for a disaster.  This means that they probably have enough emergency supplies to last three days.  That isn’t enough.  We all need to prepare for an extended period of time in order to ensure the safety of our families and to preserve the America that we have come to know and love.

               

Plan, Prepare, Survive

www.SOSDisasterPlan.com

Are You Prepared?

It’s surprising just how few people are prepared for a natural or manmade disaster. It only takes a small amount of reflection to realize that we and our families are at extreme risk. We are so dependent on our infrastructure and local businesses that a single catastrophic event could leave most of us empty handed and wondering what to do. Even under normal circumstances, most communities only have enough food in their supermarkets to last a few days. If a disaster occurs, those supermarkets would be depleted of their goods within the first few hours of the event. We have seen this many times.


There are those that believe that FEMA and local emergency services personnel will take care of them if something happens. But, the Federal, State and Local Governments simply do not have the resources to handle anything larger that a small scale disaster. We have also seen this many times.

One of the biggest obstacles to being prepared is knowing what to do. There are many things to consider and, for most, the task seems insurmountable. Well, I am happy to be able announce a new disaster preparedness tool. SOSDisasterPlan.com is a very user friendly, web based program that addresses all aspects of disaster planning. You can make a plan that is specific to your family. It generates recommendations, menus, shopping lists, disaster tracking tools and much, much more. It really is the answer.

It’s time to take the responsibility and go to SOSDisasterPlan.com to plan, prepare and survive.