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Sunday, January 11, 2009

Emergency items and planning

In the days after 9/11, I had begun to think about a nuclear attack on Chicago, Illinois. If you named 5 cities in the U.S. that our enemy would like to destroy, Chicago will be on that list. I did not believe that the war would be over in a year or two. It will take decades. The basic problem that I have is that time is not on our side. Sooner or later one of these groups will obtain and deploy an effective weapon of mass destruction. This can only be a matter of time.

I began to put together items that we would need if something like that happened. Over the past 7 years, we have updated our supplies and list about once a year. The biggest advantage anyone can have for the unexpected is to have a plan.

Our plan is that if the attack is with a nuclear weapon, which way is the wind blowing? If out of the east (About 15-20% of the time) we will need to leave the area as quickly as possible. This will be a problem because the EMP will probably disable all vehicles that we would use. If the wind were out of the north and/or west, we would do best to stay at home and wait for 4 or 5 days until the dust settles. If the attack were with a chemical or biological weapon, we would probably hit the road as quickly as possible. The good news here is that cell phones and vehicles would not be impacted by this type of attack. We have to plan for either. Here is a condensed list of what we have so far.

1) Flashlight and radio. Hand crank so no need for batteries and/or backup power supply. Spare candles with matches and/or lighters.

2) Reserve of fresh water.

3) Spare blankets and canned food. We rotate food supply to keep it fresh.

4) Plan of action: Do you leave the area as soon as possible, or do you ‘hunker down’ and wait a few days for the dust to settle before you move out?

5) Where will you go if you had to leave the general area?

6) Backup transportation: The EMP from a nuclear explosion will destroy ALL electronic devices. Cars will be disabled and stop immediately. Can you walk or have bicycle backup?

7) Weapons for defense? People will probably panic. They just may take violent action. Not that anyone wants this to happen, but it may be very useful to have a night club or some other hand held weapon to defend yourself with.

I am looking into a solar power generator that would supply power and recharge any batteries that we would need. This would require an inverter to convert DC to AC power. I have seen articles that say this can be obtained for as little as $300.00.

Many will disagree with this statement, but our President-elect will place the U.S. on the strategic defensive. This means that anyone living in or near a major city will then be in the front line. Hopefully, none of this equipment will be needed. If it is needed, it just may save your life.

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