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.