It sounds like we should start a thread here to coordinate our efforts to bring awareness to our state. I live in Rockford and the county has no plans what-so-ever and will not start planning until the bird flu reaches US shores. Called The area CERT for Winnebago County and got no response.
I’m in Illinois. Spoke this morning to a friend in the military and public health in Will County about local prep efforts. He had lunch the other day with a state-level public health official who confirmed that moneys have been reallocated into pandemic preparedness in the state’s counties for the past few months. No details but efforts appear to be underway. Some confirmation that quarantines will be tried and then local blanketing of tamiflu in an effort to prevent further spread. Would like to keep this thread alive as a way of getting to know the others making preps in this state.
called nicor for plans on how they would keep the gas flowing and they told me the only thingthat could stop flow was if someone hit a main during construction. Any other disaster planning would not be released to the public.
I’m just north of Chicago
Anonymous…thanks for checking in, I’m on the north side of the city myself. Can you share any info on your preps to date?
Didn’t mean to post under anonymous. I’m really not in as good shape as I’d like to be. We have 8 55 gal water containers that we’re cleaning out the basement to store - water stored in these are potable for 5 years or something like that. WE have Tamiflu, lots of gloves, eyewear, isolation gowns, a first aid kit from REI, lot of herbal remedies, Tamiflu (small supply unfortunately), some antibiotics, we’ve stocked pet meds and pet food, kitty litter, etc. and as for food, we haven’t gotten into the dried survival stuff, but have been putting up lots of canned foods, things that we will eat anyway. I still need to determine how to cook if electricity goes out, decide on whether we will get a generator, how to secure the house, get a shotgun, put up propane and gasoline and much more! I just started this in October and I’m not as far along as I would like to be. I’d like to be ready and then relax and try not to let this rule my life like it is now. But I suspect tha the more you prep, the more you realize how much more you could do. One thing I just did was to write a letter to the community that I plan to have some anonymous looking kids deliver (I don’t want the neighbors aware that it came from me, not because I’m afraid of looking like a wacko, but because a good # of them won’t prep and I don’t want them knocking on my door). The letter basically refers the reader to the government’s web site and tells folks that it’s time for personal responsibility and that in the event the pandemic does come it’s every man for himself. What town do you live in?
Felicia, sounds like great preps so far. I’m actually on the north side of the city itself, not far from the lake. Have been preping for more than a year on and off, mostly on since Katrina. That’s a healthy supply of water there, I have about 50 gallons stored now, but another 100 of storage capacity in 5 gallon containers to be filled if this starts to take off as well as 2 40+ gal water heaters, a huge tub and tons of different purification systems for the long haul. Also have a good selection of canned, dehydrated, freeze-dried and MRE foods, probably enough for more than 2 years at this point. Also have alternative energy, heat and cooking sources, solar, propane, white gas, and gasoline supplies. Meds include a good supply of big T and probenicid, anti-nausea, anti-anxiety, antibiotics, and an extensive medical/surgical kit, oh, and plenty of self-defense items should things get “dicey”.
I’m in Evanston. Perhaps we should start a “user group” Think there are few other likeminded people that I know who would be interested in sharing information - not to mention that it’s pretty lonely here in prepland.
I agree, used to live in Evanston, still have family there, but they would just roll their eyes at the thought of preping for the BF.
What’s the best way to share information without posting our information all over the place?
flrish, I’m just south of you. My brother-in-law says they have had no discussions at Byron nuclear plant about pandemic planning. In his opinion, they would go down pretty fast. I need to check in with him again.
If you want to form an e-mail group, you can send an e-mail to DemfromCT and ask him to provide your e-mail address to the others posting here. I’ve done that with two other people on the forum.
TJclaw1- thanks I will do that. It really doesn’t surprise me that they are not prepared in byron. After all they put a shooting range next to the plant without considering anyone could get shot.
Any communities talking about the af in the local paper. We here get blurbs but the last article in the Rockford paper said the bird flu was not going to be as bad as we thought. Even the mayor after attending the mayors conference was “surprised” to learn that we will be on our own and no communities will be able to help us during a pandemic.
flrish5, lol, about a month or so ago an employee did get shot in the leg! Apparently the security people were taking target practice.
bumped
I’m north of Chicago. I went to City Hall yesterday, and talked to the director of the public health department and a doctor, and to the assistant to the city manager, and gave them a list of links, including ones by the state and the feds. (How would anyone find these helpful lists unless they already knew about a possible pandemic?) It doesn’t look like they are prepared, but the doctor said they are making plans.
Jane, what town are you in?
I’m in Evanston. I’ve talked to only 3 people who know me. At city hall, they didn’t ask, so I didn’t tell. Discretion is important, I think.
Jane, I’m in Evanston too! At least there are two of us! I actually do know a few others in Evanston that are taking this seriously.
bumped anyone watch fox or national geographic??
Hubby was too busy watching re-runs, so I got bumped and didn’t get to see either program. Have the day off tomorrow and kids will be at daycare, so I hope to get preps organized. No news in my community of preparation and everybody seems to think there are more important things to worry about.
tjclaw1, please email me thru demfromct and I can get you copy of the tapes. I was frustrated this morning talked to wife of Rockford high up about prepping and she just looked at me like I’m nuts. This past summer she saw copies of the federal disaster plan and freaked out about it but obviously did nothing about it. Sad, very sad.
flrish5, I’ve e-mailed demfromct, so he should put us in touch shortly.
tjclaw
can i be added to your contact list? western suburbs.
Felicia, would you like us to e-mail each other about local information? But I don’t see the e-mail address for demfromct to exchange addresses.
flrish5, demfromct e-mailed me and said he’d give you my e-mail address.
hvac, contact demfromct@earthlink.net and let him know you would like to share your e-mail address with me. I’ll do the same.
Jane, I don’t see any harm in posting my e-mail address. It’s sbritton@brittoninfoservices.com
I split time between Evanston and Miami and in neither place is there much concern and even less action on the BF. Evanston tho presents a scary scenario for “preppers”. Years ago, there was a newsletter called the Ruff Times, written by Howard Ruff who predicted all kinds of terrible economic related problems. He suggested a prepper mentality including storing lots of TP and he insisted on firearms and lots of dehydrated food in storage. Remeber this was 25 years ago. I was a subscriber and bought into this idea. But as I prepared for calamity to strike I realized that in a community that has a large disparity between haves and have nots ( like Evanston and Miami), the presence of valualbe commodities in yor home (prep supplies, meds, water, masks and the like) makes your home a real target for crime and violence—thus the need for the firearms. ALl the prepping in the world will do you no good if it taken from you by force, and I am of the opinion that starving people will not be disposed to to follow rules of civility or the law when in desperate straits. I hate firearms. wish they never existed BUT the likelihood is that others will have them and will not hesitate to at least threaten to use them to stay alive. Bottom line- in a city like our in BF pandemic, don’t advertise your stockpile and be prepared to defend it if need be.
Is anyone invited to the conference at the Rosemont on the 17th w/ Blago, Daley and Mike Levitt?
At least part of the state is getting ready. There was a day-long exercise in McHenry county. <snip> But the exercise, while dealing with the big picture, also tried to address a multitude of unanswered questions, from school cancellations to legal issues to the impact of millions of people being forced to stay indoors. McHenry County Sheriff’s Capt. David Shepherd asked what legal authority police would have to enforce a quarantine, as well as where violators would be held.
“How do you convince an officer to go catch a sick person?” Shepherd asked. “Just what level of force can be used to enforce a Class 2 misdemeanor [violating quarantine]?” <snip>
The exercise also helped expose problems people would not ordinarily consider, said Capt. Larry Williams, a Navy doctor stationed at Great Lakes Naval Training Center. While hospitals and first responders have to be ready, he said, so do their support mechanisms.
“Do you realize how fast a hospital will close if the housekeeping doesn’t show up?” Williams said. <snip>