Bird Flu

[Boyd Gathwright]

.... Just received this E-mail.


.... Don't know if you have seen this or not. You may want to give it some consideration.

If the Avian Bird Flu becomes a pandemic

which is estimated to kill over 150 million people,
then according to the White House's Report:
the government won't be able to rescue you.
You will be on your own.

Do you have a plan to save yourself and your family?
If you follow the bird flu news on the Internet or in the media, you will quickly discover that it isn't just a bunch of extremists and lunatics doing Chicken Little Impressions. The experts say a pandemic is coming. Not if, but when.

• 3/15/06 Top Bush administration officials are bracing for the arrival of the feared H5N1 strain of avian influenza into the United States within a matter of months, with the virus most likely to be carried here by migratory birds, the same way it has spread from Southeast Asia to Europe and Africa.

Here's a quick review of what the media had to say about the White House's 227-page Avian Flu Report that was issued on 5/2/06:

• • • The Boston Globe: "U.S. flu response plan offers few answers."
• Chicago Sun-Times: "If bird flu hits, don't count on a federal rescue."
• CBS News: "Flu plan: States, cities on their own."
• USA Today: "[the plan} paints a grim picture of the social and economic chaos that could overtake the country"

The Department of Homeland Security estimates that businesses might lose as much as 40 percent of their work force if there is a severe Bird Flu pandemic, as employees take sick leave or stay home to avoid infection.
With such an acute workforce shortage - one like we have never seen before - this is what the government is telling us we can expect:

• • Electricity outages - employees are needed to operate and repair power plants
• Water contamination - without electricity filtering plants can't operate properly
• Food shortages - most grocery stores only have a 3 to 4 day supply and without regular deliveries being made shortages will quickly happen
• Medical Shortages - hospitals will quickly become overwhelmed with patients. Shortages of personnel and supplies will force doctors to make triage decisions that are unthinkable in our modern day of medicine.
• Reduced Income - illness, school closings or quarantines could require you to stay home which will most likely reduce or eliminate your paycheck.

Experts expect that public gatherings, schools, sporting events and religious services will be closed or canceled to help stop the spread of the deadly virus. One of the most effective ways to protect yourself and your family will be to simply quarantine yourself at home.

How Long Could You Survive

Without Leaving Your Home?
Do you have enough water, food and supplies to last you at least 6 weeks? Or preferably for 3 months? Think about when the flu passes through your community each winter. Do your kids ever get it once and then sometimes again 6 weeks later? It takes a while for a virus to completely work its way through a community. You'll need to be able to survive that entire period from your home. And you must be able to survive with or without electricity.
The time to get the supplies you need is now. Not after your local 5:00PM News announces that the bird flu has hit your community. By then it will be too late.

Here's one example of why you can't wait

until the last minute to prepare...
There are companies that make food that has been specially prepared for long shelf lifes. Emergency food supplies like these are ALWAYS IN SHORT SUPPLY. In fact, if you called every company in America that offers long storing foods (freeze-dried, dehydrated, mre's, etc) on any given day, and you asked for immediate shipment of EVERYTHING they had you might get a year's supply for 35 people. That's all companies combined! Since there are about 300 million Americans, what do you think your chances are of getting the supplies you need once EVERYONE realizes they need it?
A testimonial from one survival food manufacturer's site:

• After Hurricane Katrina (August 2005), we sold out of every food unit we offered within a few days. One large corporation came in and BOUGHT EVERY mre meal we had within hours of the hurricane hitting land.

Hopefully you get the idea. The time to buy fire insurance isn't when your home is on fire. The Bird Flu Family Survival Guide is a practical guide to preparing for the bird flu pandemic without going overboard and spending a fortune.
You won't find gibberish on how to catch a bear in the woods using a shoe string. You won’t see any diagrams for building a fall-out shelter or converting your home to solar power. Instead you'll find reviews and recommendations of the most affordable resources all in one place so you can easily prepare for this pandemic.

The plan is to be prepared

so you don't have to panic.
To quarantine yourself, you need to prepare and that's exactly what the Bird Flu Family Survival Guide will help you do. It is clearly explained and helps you with every step of your preparation. No misinformation. Just jam-packed with the latest, no-nonsense cost-saving ideas to help you protect your family from Bird Flu.
Here are just some of the topics that are covered in this informative, easy reference guide:

• • What Bird Flu is and why the experts say you should get prepared
• When the Bird Flu pandemic hits, what you can expect
• An Easy Bird Flu Survival Strategy
• The very first thing you need to do to prepare for Bird Flu
• Why you need to stockpile water
• The two best water storage strategies
• Four ways to safely treat water
• Hidden water sources in your home
• What’s for dinner? Food stockpiling strategies
• Regular grocery store items that are great for storage
• Stockpiling long-term survival food
• Why you need to prepare for living without electricity
• Lighting options for when the electricity goes out
• How to stay warm
• Two easy ways to cook without electricity
• The convenient way to wash clothes without a washing machine
  (and it doesn't involve a washboard)
• Four gadgets under $50 to make life without electricity much easier
• What to do when the doctor is... out
• Why not to stockpile Tamiflu
• How to get free medical supplies
• What to include in your medical kit
• Additional items you’ll need
• Ready made disaster kits
• Putting together a financial crisis plan
• What to do with the kids
• Online Bird Flu supply list and links

There are plenty of die-hard survival books and guides available on the market today. But not many of them are practical for the constraints of neighborhood living. This Bird Flu Family Survival Guide will detail everything you need to know to prepare your family and home.

Think back to when Katrina hit....

Did you sit in your living room and watch the cable news 24/7 broadcasts and wonder why people didn’t listen to the warnings? Did you watch as the government was horrifyingly slow to respond? Were you shocked to discover that level of suffering and helplessness was possible in the United States? And most importantly

... did you learn anything

from that experience?
Maybe you vowed to get better prepared - for anything (earthquake, terrorism, etc.) - but now you’re thinking:

• • You got more credit card debt than you want to admit.
• Your weekly calender is full with chauffeuring kids to and from activities.
• And you can’t imagine a life without the conveniences of today’s economy.

...so just exactly how are you going to find the money and time to create a Bird Flu family disaster plan? Start with this Bird Flu Family Survival book. It will provide helpful shortcuts to saving time and money when you prepare your family to survive the bird flu pandemic.
I purchased the "Bird Flu Family Survival Guide" and my husband and I both have read it... We were elated with it as it helped us to stay focused and made us think about a lot things we had not even thought about. I would recommend this survival guide to everyone who wants to be prepared. All we can do is to be as ready as possible...doing nothing is not an option, it is suicide. After seeing what happened after Katrina we all know that the government will not be able to handle a national disaster like the bird flu. Thanks for all your research.

- J. C.

Summerville, SC
Congratulations. Fantastic. Well prepared and planned. I read your book on the computer without stopping. Thank you very much from a health care provider.

- Franc Rincon

Thank you so much for your guide. I have been talking with my adult children and my husband about our plans for survival. Your guide will be so much help for us to be prepared. Katrina was such an eye opener. We always felt so secure being an American. The federal government has plainly let us know that each state is responsible for its citizens. I have tried several times to find out what our government has planned for the state of Hawaii. I have never received a reply.
Also, my family wants to believe that it will not happen. Your facts and the daily news are helping me to get them to open their eyes.

- M. Garrett

Haleiwa, Hawaii
The book is easy to understand!!! It's concrete examples of what is needed to be prepared for a pandemic is a resource every family should have and utilize.

- Glen and Marty T.

Westminster, Colorado.
This book is exactly what I was looking for. Everything is simply laid out and the links to find needed supplies are very helpful. The book has motivated me to get started on collecting basic things like the masks, water, first aid kit and hand powered radio and flashlights. I've put my book in a binder with tabs for the various topics. When I find new articles on the topics, I can add them to the binder and all my information is in one place.

- Dorothy S.

Thanks for this wonderful information. I have been searching "survival" sites for information ... this is the most complete one I've found. Now to begin shopping and preparing. Great job!

- S. Michalicek

Stop for a moment and
think the unthinkable....
If the country’s economy shuts down as forced home-quarantines are mandated, do you want to look in the eyes of your children and tell them you're sorry that you don’t have any food and water because you didn’t take the time, or spend the money to get prepared?
Even worse, when the Bird Flu pandemic hits, do you want to be standing in lines with panicked people - some of which will probably be infectious - getting supplies only to come home, contract the disease, die from it and leave your children all alone to fend for themselves? That sounds extreme until you consider this recent quote:

• 3/17/06 RENOWNED bird flu expert Robert Webster told ABC's World News Tonight that there were "about even odds at this time for the virus to learn how to transmit human to human," and "society just can't accept the idea that 50 percent of the population could die. . . . I'm sorry if I'm making people a little frightened, but I feel it's my role."
  
  Robert Webster is the Rosemary Thomas Chair at St. Jude Children's Research Hospital in Memphis, Tenn., and is credited as the first scientist to find the link between human flu and bird flu.

If you have a family, you owe it to yourself to get prepared - because your children can't protect themselves. Getting prepared doesn't have to cost a lot of money and a lot of time. The Bird Flu Family Survival Guide is a concise special report that details everything you need to know.

[Frank Pellow]

I think that this whole thing is blown out of proportion.

It is good to be aware of potential problems like this and to take a few resonable precautions. But this is just one of the many many things that do already and/or may in the future challenge humankind and it is receiving too much alamest atention.

[Stu Ablett in Tokyo Japan]

I agree with you Frank.

[Cliff Rohrabacher]

I submit that the whole idea of counting on one's government is - well - foolish.

My local and state legislaltors are frequently on the news talking about their "plans" and "contingencies" and "measures" they have all set to go. Sadly the damn fool so called TV journalists don't ever think to ask what those planes,measures, and contingencies are.
In fact thay are little more than the government offices trying to come up with ways to keep themselves operating in such an event.

I suspect that in the event of some horrible catastrophy that there will be no one but YOU to rely on when YOU need someone on whom to rely.
This mostly because everyone else will be in the same boat.

[Ian Barley]

Sorry Boyd but this is rubbish. This is a classic example of somebody peddling a product and using fear to do so. How many people in the world have died of the so called "Bird Flu". According to the World Health Organisation about 120-130 - since 2003 - average 40-50 a year. Thats less than 5 a month. In the entire World

A quick google search indicates that in the USA 42,000+ people died as a result of road traffic accidents in 2002 - the last year that I could find information on. The W.H.O again claims that worldwide over 1.2million (repeat 1,200,000) people lose their lives as a result of RTAs. if those numbers are anywhere close to accurate you are approximately 10,000 times more likely to die on the road than you are from this disease. If this guy was selling the "Family Station Wagon Survival Guide" would you buy it? And most of the Avian flu fatalities are people in direct contact with infected birds. Of course if you really want to push your luck you could try driving a truckload of chickens around but that might be a bit too foolhardy even for me.

There are , as Frank says, plenty of challenges that present themselves to the Human race and this is undoubtedly one of them. But, there is a whole industry based on the fact that , by and large, the human race has got so good at managing its environment that most of the really scary things (leopards, bears, tigers,famine, weather) are ameliorated to the point where we have to invent new things to scare us. This is one of them and I personally refuse to buy into it.

[John Hart]

Yup..this is nonsense. It's good that you posted it Boyd because now an opportunity for clarity is available. The CDC is keeping their information well updated. I have followed this issue closely for about two years. The best source of information is http://www.cdc.gov/
It is truthful and informative.

[Joe Pelonio]

On the radio yesterday they were talking about an actual case here in WA where some people that had been to China caught the bird flu. They stayed in their home with the rest of their family and none of the others caught it, which the medical authorites considered good evidence that it is not contagious between humans. I was thinking that anyone with a shotgun could meet the migrating birds when they get here from the winter and pop off a few thousand rounds.

Seriously, we all have to be prepared to manage on our own just because of hurricanes, earthquakes, fires and the rest, but for this pandemic threat I'd say if you like chicken, stock up the freezer.

[John Miliunas]

By coincidence, I was home with flu-like symptoms just the other day. Still not feeling quite 100%. A concerned friend sent this along to me:

John,


There is a way to determine if you have the generic flu, or the feared bird flu. The Mayo Clinic released a report recently pointing out the symptoms are identical for the first 24 hours, then you have one symptom which confirms for sure that your flu is type H5N1... The uncontrollable need to poop on a windshield.
**************
Don't believe I have type H5N1 at this point!

[Mike Hollingsworth]

Looks like it came from Florida

[Lee DeRaud]

Seriously, we all have to be prepared to manage on our own just because of hurricanes, earthquakes, fires and the rest, but for this pandemic threat I'd say if you like chicken, stock up the freezer.

Ooooh...that ties in nicely with this thread:
http://www.sawmillcreek.org/showthread.php?t=36944
"Tastes like chicken"...or so I'm told.

[Ken Fitzgerald]

To think that any amount of preparation would have been able to handle the events caused by Katrina is absurd! The best preparation would have been to not have that many people living in the lowest place in the area where a hurricane is going to strike.

To think that the government....any goverment has the power to prepare and stop something like the bird flu....is absurd. They can do certain mediocre containment measures like monitor and eliminate contaminated flocks of domestic fowl but that is about it. If someone comes down with the bird flu they can contain those persons......but that's about it.

Some natural events are so horrific that man has limited realistic power to stop or prevent. We don't have to accept that any natural event is unstoppable but we do have to realize that reasonalble and unreasonable measures will not stop, slow or prevent same. So while we wait for some intelligent group of people develop a fix.......try to stay calm!

[Joe Pelonio]

You know, someone once said "follow the money." If everyone does stock up on everything as we are being advised to, someone's going to make a fortune. Makes you wonder.

[Boyd Gathwright]

.... I think Ken summed it up quit well. Joe and Cliff and others made some excellent points and I have to agree as well. In today's world and especially in the terrorist state that we now all live in, it is far better to be preemptive than to wait for disaster to take place. Even though, as individuals, we could NOT stop it there are basic circumstances and conditions you could prepare for. As far as the money trail which was mentioned above, there is enough FREE information that can be utilized now. The Internet is a good source and if you want to buy the book or books they are available. I myself do not want to wait for an outbreak, in my circumstances, to take care of common sense needs. Everybody's situation and needs may or may not be a little different than the next persons.
.... In today's HIGH volume world with the huge amounts of people moving back and forth, when something happens it usually spreads quickly. All the more reason to be knowledgeable and as prepared as one can be. Remember it's not if it's when.

.... Just my thoughts.

.

[Dennis Peacock]

A good shotgun can help keep those sick birds away and then you won't have to worry about the bird flu.

[Ken Fitzgerald]

I think the other thing you have to keep in mind ..............especially when dealing with the internet.............There's more DISINFORMATION out there than information!

Even on the new daily.......when I here a new "study" that shows some NEW finding ..........I want to ask a couple of questions of the person reporting this NEW finding....

1. Who paid for the study?.........Financing a study will have a DEFINITE effect on the results! With money...you can find someone with the credentials to perform the study and will have the results the financer wants!

2. What was the mindset of the persons performing the study BEFORE they did the study?.............Today it often seems that a group with a preset opinion will perform a "STUDY" and their results just reinforce what they already thought............HMMMMMM! An unbiased ...double-blind study?.........I doubt it!


Remember the big "DIRTY" bomb scare? People rushing around wrapping their houses in plastic....stocking up on water and food...medicines......Well...there's nothing wrong with having emergency supplies ready for a natural disaster or a man made disaster (man is part of nature IMHO) but don't over react to a suggestion. If people had taken the time to find the true nature of a dirty bomb they'd realize that it would have very little effect....acute or chronic on people but.....it certainly will have an emotional effect on people... which is what it would be designed for ..........the emotional effect!

In short.....prepare for natual disasters but don't overreact to situations or disinformation.