We found a dead bird in our yard today, no obvious marks by predators or anything; it looked like it had just fallen off the fence, dead when it hit the ground.
While I was trying to keep the dog away and figure out how to safely dispose of it, my husband called the local health officials to see if they wanted to test it. He couldn’t get ahold of the county health dept so called the city people.
Their response was that although they usually do test, the guy who does it was out of town until the end of the week. “And anyway, they continued, there have been a lot of birds dying all of the sudden lately so it was probably just another one of that bunch.” (?!?!) Since there had been so many they said hadn’t bothered to test them, just assumed it was the heat. (?!?!)
Yes, this is summer in Texas and it has been hot, but nothing has particularly changed in the last few weeks and they hadn’t had die-offs during last summer’s heat.
Needless to say, hubby was NOT happy when he got off the phone. And of course it got me to thinking about the theory that has floated by here on FluWiki (Joe Neubarth, I think?) about BF coming up silently through TX.
I’m calling the county dept first thing in the morning and see what they say.
What part of Texas do you live, I am in North Texas?
Just another one of those things that can make you wonder where are the brains???? I get so confused when I read about how the WHO says there is NO sign of a cluster in Cicelet and then read another article that says from China, A very real possiblity of new cluster case. You would think the WHO is who we should believe!!!!
I can kind of understand average citizens not paying attention, but the city health people? It is their freaking job to pay attention. And there is one freaking person who can run a test? Doesn’t bode well for emergecny preparedness.
LT, I am in Central TX.
Dh called the county dept this morning and left a message. It was kind of funny, actually…he told the switchboard gal that he’d “found a dead bird in his…” and she had already switched him to the voicemail for the Environmental Health guy. So we’ll see what his response is.
I’m definitely telling him what the city people said and see if he says anything about die-offs.
Wow, that was fast, they just called back.
To sum up…they aren’t testing any birds for anything because they’ve already had confirmation of West Nile in the county and are assuming that any deaths are now attributable to that or heat.
(And yes, they’ve had a lot of birds dying.)
I asked specifically about BF and made the comment, very pointedly, about low path being found in the States ~ she was completely unconcerned and basically blew me off.
This won’t make hubby happy either. ;)
Petticoat Junction - I’m in West Texas so please keep us posted. Many thanks to you and your husband for being proactive and concerned.
They just assume its west nile or heat. Well thats nice.
Out of sight, out of mind. And what we don’t know, can’t hurt us.
PJ - see below. It is probably West Nile.
The above is a link to the Texas Department of Health’s web site. It is a map of West Nile found in birds in the State of Texas. Note the positive sites in Central Texas.
Hope this helps.
heh, Just moved to Dallas too… Ah well
Oh, I know we have it here. I caught it the first summer it was in TX…I wouldn’t wish that on anyone!
I think we were just frustrated with their assumption that since it’s here, nothing else is, especially given the low path positives. If the officials up there had decided, for whatever reason, not to test, nobody would know it was there either. I think this has all probably spread much further than anyone knows (or is willing to find out).
TxNurse Petticoat Junction, I am also from central Tx, live out in the country & have not noticed any dead birds yet…but will keep my eyes open. Glad to see there are preppers in Tx. I have ONE other friend who is prepping and thats it. I have talked to TPTB at the hospital where I work till I’m blue in the face with no results for over a year now. They just think I’m crazy now and try to avoid me!
PJ - I hear your frustration! However, the fall bird migration in our part of the US has not started yet. Some birds are beginning the fall migration but most of the birds on that come over Texas will not start their migration until September. I think our main concern will be in October when the Canadian geese begin arriving.
I, too, am very concerned for us in the fall. I live near Houston and 2 major flyways converge right over us! However, I also know that my chances of catching avian flu from a wild bird are a LOT less than catching it from another human.
Keep prepping!
PJ - I Drive just north of that general area for my job (follow the rail lines) and live down in Angelina County. We just moved here in June. I will keep my eyes open for anything unusual. I assumed West Nile was here because of the mosquitos so that is a concern unto itself. I have been watching for the migration to begin. Can’t say I’m not concerned, some of our neighbors let their chickens just run around everywhere.
Bluebonnet, I lived in Houston (near Katy) when I was younger, and can clearly remember all the Canadian geese that would cover all the rice fields in and around Katy, it used to be beautiful,,,like snow covered fields. In the last 10 years or so there has been considerably less geese. Probably due to several factors, especially hunters. I have been worried about duck & geese hunters this year, the way they kill and dreesout those birds I believe that puts them in as much danger as in coutries such as Indonesia, China, etc. as far as their proximity to catch the virus, and leaves another door wide open for us here, sooner than later!
TXNurse
Yes, my brother is an AVID goose and duck hunter. We have had several LONG conversations about not hunting this fall. I think the message is finally sinking in.
One of the main reasons for fewer geese in the Katy area has to do with the enormous build-up of homes in that area and loss of habitat.
We always know when fall arrives here - I love to hear the geese honking late at night - such a beautful, wild sound.
I continue to feed birds in my backyard. My DH is a bit perturbed but I figure, what the heck! Maybe that little bit of extra food will help save some of them (and US)!
Grimoire, welcome to TX, lol. You’re just in time. ;o)
TX Nurse ~ well, you know now that I am here! I have managed to get my parents prepping in CO and one friend here in TX; better than nothing, I guess. My friend here is a nurse, too, and was horrified when I sent her the bit I found out hospitals using JIT shipping (I think I posted it in the ‘Empty Shelves’ thread the night before last) ~ that was kind of the final straw that has really gotten her into this.
Poppy ~ yes, we definitely have West Nile here; I know you aren’t too far from me so unfortunately I’m sure it’s there, too. Trust me, you do NOT want to catch it.
Bluebonnet ~ I love Canadian geese. The town I’m from in CO has so many that they are on the city seal, on all the police cars, etc. We don’t get them too much here, but the thought of looking upon them with trepidation makes me sad.
Bluebonnet - My husband was an avid duck hunter for years, he has a lease just down the road from us, (its one major disagreemnet we always have , as I hate hunting!) He did not lease this year, I think he has finally come around to believing me, and does not bother me about prepping anymore (infact he even suggests things I should get!) I know most of the habitat is gone from around where you live due to the subdivisions. The geese used to be one of my favorite things there in the fall.
PJ - glad to have you near me! I’m a ICU nurse, and there are several in my dept. prepping, my bosses kid me about being a trouble maker, but my hospital has absolutely done nothing in preparation. My own research with central supply shows we have less than a weeks worth of PPE’s if things get bad. I have explained over & over that there will be no nurses who come to work in that situation. I have worked for 16 years in ICU with all kinds of infectious diseases & I know there is not a darn thing we can do for H5N1, so I have told the hosp. that many nurses will cease to come to work if they do not care enough about us to properly prepare. Mostly I get blank looks or rolling eyes, from TPTB all way down to infection control!!
Call your County Public Health Department. They should be working on a plan…. (per the Federal Government) That should incorporate the hospital, county & City Leaders, and a number of others…
They may be working on a plan… and they just haven’t released it yet.
Believe me I am careful about mosquitoes. I am allergic (since childhood). I carry an EpiPen everywhere. So I also use insect repellant and take my B-100 to try and prevent bites. I can’t always avoid going out at dusk so just try to minimize my exposure. Several poeple in my home town in California have come down ill with West Nile this year so I think the danger is finally hitting home. I just wish we had as good a spray program here as they have where we are from in California.
I keep a basket by the back door filled with sunscreen, insect repellant, flashlights, and umbrellas. This way I encourage my family to use these things because they are handy and easy to find.
Hey ya’ll!
Back to the matter at hand. Have you read the State of Texas’ plan?
The FAQ is linked below:
One item of interest:
What are the biggest challenges that remain in preparing for a pandemic outbreak?
reaching all the state’s residents quickly.
also some of the most rural and sparsely populated areas in the country.
smallest U.S. states combined.
response scenarios depending on availability of vaccines and antivirals.
illness and death.
activities.
Hmmmm - sounds like it was written by a Fluwikian, doesn’t it?
Here’s the State’s Hospital Preparedness (seems to need some serious updating)
Harris County’s Plan is linked below (WOW!!! I’m impressed):
So surely you can do a Google Search and find out what your county’s plan is/is not. Then you could go to your City (with County’s plan in hand) and say what is YOUR plan?
If your County doesn’t have a plan, why not go to the County seat (if not possible, write) and ask where it is. Show them Harris County’s plan or Bexar County or whatever.
If TPTB can’t answer, write to the State Department of Health and Human Services and find out why.
I have to admit that I am REALLY surprised by the information I found. Some really good and some in need of updating. Overal rating for Texas preparedness info, B+.
Keep prepping!
Sorry for the messed up lists! I’m kinda new at this wiki thing!
Bluebonnet - yes I have read the only plan Tx has so far …a draft from 2004, I am involved in preparedness in several areas/counties here, what may look good on paper has very little value in execution. Most areas around here have no extra PPE’s/medical supplies/food/water or anything else that may prove useful in the event of a pandemic…and forget about antivirals! My own hospital did not even know they had a Pandemic Preparedness Plan. I found an old one from 2003, and it was news to our infection control nurse! I feel like I’ve just been beating my head against the wall.
Sorry that may sound pretty negative, and really I’m not, I keep trying to inform as many people who will listen to me as I can, I hand out lists constantly, and give advice on good web sites, as with most comments I see on flu wikie, very few people seem concerned, even my own family, I have 3 sisters & one brother, I have been on them for 4 years now to have preps, and only one sister is actively prepping, you get alittle weary after awhile when people you really care about just keep their heads in the sand.But I still try.
I hear you TXNurse. I’ve presented hurricane and pandemic flu information at 2 neighborhood meetings. There were only about 30 people at each meeting but there are probably 500 homes in my subdivision.
NOT ONE person asked pertinent questions. One person even asked if FEMA would reimburse them for preps!!!!!
My brother is prepping but no one on my husband’s side of the family is even concerned. They were my Rita evacuees. WHY am I not surprised?
I, too, feel like you about beating my head against the wall. For 3 months now, I have pretty well kept my mouth shut. It gets really tiresome when people look at you “that” way, doesn’t it? But I keep thinking that if I help 1 family prepare, the “look” will be worth it.
I work in the Texas Medical Center and basically our pandemic plan is sort of glopped onto our SARS plan, which, by the way, wasn’t even IN place during the SARS epidemic. I will say that my institution has initiated a ban on travel to countries on the CDC list with avian flu. However, TPTB still have not answered any of my questions (submitted twice) regarding exactly what they are going to do. My main concern is about food and PPE’s. The administration seems to think they can handle this the same way they handle a hurricane. WRONG! But I am a lowly peon and not medical personnel - so what do I know about pandemic flu preparations?
Sigh - keep prepping!
TxNurse - I am from your area also, email me when you get a chance!
Bluebonnet - I know the look well!! Even some of my closest friends get that glazed over look when I start in about prepping !
bump
The best thing to do for those of us even close enough to be affected or those of us who have family and friends who live in areas that could be affected is to promote prepping for hurricanes. If we can get them to at least do that much it might help. Adding masks and gloves should be a normal part of those preps since hurricane season and flu season overlap. Can you imagine a serious flu outbreak let alone a pandemic with a hurricane evacuation added in for good measure. Talk about the stuff of nightmares! Try putting that thought into the heads of those special to you. Maybe then they will think and start prepping. If they would evacuate due to a hurricane to where you live, you might offer to let them store some of their preps at your place. Maybe in a separate shed that could be locked.
I am very disappointed in Texas’ plan. IMHO, it’s just paperwork and talk. I asked several key people (including folks out of Austin) at the first of the summer during our local Hurricane preparedness meeting about the plans for a pandemic. Basically, they just treated me like a --- well, like an airhead. When I started spitting out facts they began stammering. The bottomline, there’s nothing but what is on the state website. I have heard a meeting was suppose to take place in Austin late in the summer. I have heard nothing about what went on, if indeed something went on. I do know--- nobody I talk to is the least bit worried about the possibility of a pandemic hitting. And I live SE of Houston… one of those largest cities in the nation. That makes me keep running my mouth all the more.
I went to a lecture about BF back in June that was given by the Southwestern Medical Center. Someone from Dallas County Health Dept. was there and had some very sobering facts to give. He said that after checking with several of the larger food chains here he learned that we have a 48 hour supply of food for the entire county because of our JIT ordering. He also said that the amount of beds we had was extremely limited. I’ll have to try to find my notes and post again a little later.
Gee, I’ve been gone for awhile and when I come back on here it’s news about dead birds in Central Texas. I looked on that map for West Nile and the county I live in was positive. I haven’t heard about this on the news. (But then again, I haven’t been paying lots of attention to the news anyhow.) I took a walk around our ranch and didn’t see any dead birds - just lots of dead grass, flowers, bushes, etc. (Wishing it would rain someday.) Guess I better pay more attention to things around here.
I’m in Texas also, mostly lurk here. Our university President presented the annual convocation yesterday. Along with informing us about how well we’re doing after huricane Rita, he said that the State is really putting “our feet to the fire” with regards to getting our online courses up and running. He stated that this was a top priority here and made a point to emphasize how urgently the state was wanting us to get this done now. He didn’t elaborate as to why, and there was no question and answer period after the convocation.
Let me add that we finally (7/12/06) received a university wide mailing with regards to the avian flu. It stated that “we are taking measures to educate health workers and first responders and insure that we have medical supplies and equipment readily available if the campus is impacted by the flu”. The mailing went on to add links to the WHO, CDC, and DHHS for answers to addional questions we might have.
I suspect that the push for online courses may be related to the possibility of flu pandemic, but it won’t do much good if the grid goes down.
BUMP
Ruby- What University are you talking about, I have 2 kids in college, and have heard nothing planned for either of their colleges.
Wow, that is encouraging about your univ, Ruby. I’m with TX Nurse, though…there hasn’t been anything circulated at the university where my husband teaches, either; at least not anything of which we are aware. It’s a concern of ours, for sure, both for the students’ sake and for dh’s.
Our local health dept seems to just be ‘surface’ stuff, too. They have a big link on pandemic prep right on their front page, but it goes to a list of links, mostly the .gov ones we’ve all seen, which keep referencing back and forth to each other. Better than nothing, but no real ‘meat’ to any of it.
They also sent out a postcard to all the local churches and nonprofits, telling all about a new community outreach program to try and get emergency services to a wider range of people by using volunteers within each group. I wrote to say I was interested but have had no reply and it’s been almost a month now.
I’d like to think it’s because they were inundated with people wanting to help, but judging from the bird response and the web info, I’m guessing it’s more a case of setting up programs that look good (and I do believe there are some who sincerely want them to work) but then not doing much beyond that.
Doesn’t give me a warm and fuzzy feeling, to say the least. :o/
TXnurse, I work at Lamar University in Beaumont.
Poppy
Yup to the masks and gloves. My in-laws from Beaumont helped my husband build our new patio this summer. DH broke out the R95 masks (didn’t have any others available) while they were cutting bricks and that was an eye opener for them! DSIL has now stocked R95 masks as well. They had lots of questions about the mask, what it was for and why we had so many.
I was proud of DH - he answered every question and then referred them here. So sometimes folks do listen even when we think they aren’t.
I agree with all of you about Texas plan. It just seems to be referring everyone to all of these committees and County Health Departments. I live in Harris County and they are just now implementing ER controls for indigent patients due to the fact that the County hospitals are being overrun by folks with no insurance and Medicare/Medicaid patients with non-urgent health needs. Harris County is now triaging ER patients and those without urgent medical needs are being referred to County clinics for healthcare. Those that choose to remain must pay (what a novel concept) for services.
Sounds great, doesn’t it? But what happens when even a normal flu breaks out?
I read another site and found this. Thought it was interesting.
National Aviation Influenze Surveillance Information
Shows state-by-state how many birds have been tested for avian flu. See link below
AD – at 11:28 “….Someone from Dallas County Health Dept. was there and had some very sobering facts to give. He said that after checking with several of the larger food chains here he learned that we have a 48 hour supply of food for the entire county because of our JIT ordering….”
Eek. Not surprising, given JIT, but still ~ the thought of a city the size of Dallas with only enough food for 48 hrs (and an official saying it publicly, to boot!) and the chaos that that one factor alone could cause. Seems like that should have shocked a few people into action. Did anyone seem to catch what he was saying??
(Bluebonnet ~ yay for dh!)
Regarding West Nile….Harris County was doing heavy aerial spraying over north Harris County last night due to West Nile. Our local city trucks were going up and down the streets spraying. There have been several cases of human cases in our area. We haven’t seen any dead birds in our yard; however, due to all the development and mowing down of natural habitats, we are having lots of “urban wildlife” in the form of racoons, possums, and roof rats. Lots of disease roaming the neighborhoods at night!
Tx Nurse: I have a daughter at SFA (graduates in December)….nothing about plans from them. They are getting a new president, so perhaps some changes will occurr. The previous president did notdismiss classes until the day before Rita hit after FEMA and emergency groups arrived in town to set up staging areas. I guess what I am saying is ….don’t hold your breath about your schools planning. Lamar (my alma mater) has its act together because of Rita (the forgotten storm) and lessons learned from that experience.
Petticoat Junction - the level of supply available in the local food chain has been discussed before on the Wikie. Basically, business has now gone to the model where the semis on the interstate are the warehouse for your store. They unload from truck to shelf, and when the shelf is empty, the store is out.
Now, to educate yourself further, go to your favoriate supermarket. Pick any staple item you are familiar with. Say Powdered milk. Or canned tuna. Or Spam. or Rice.
Now look at how much is actually on the shelf. I can report that once I went to the market and saw a big sale gondola display for canned vegetables. I actually counted the cans. As I recall, there were about 250 cans. So how many families buying a dozen cans a piece does it take to empty the display?
Eccles, oh believe me, I am well versed in JIT! Explaining the reality of it (and giving them the same exercise) has been the one thing that has convinced several friends and family to start prepping. Realizing this week that hospitals do JIT on major meds was a bit of a shock to me, though, I will admit.
I was just surprised that a public official had actually come out and made such a blunt point about the reality of it, instead of sugar-coating it. Leave it to a Texan, though, lol. I hope, hope, hope that others heard what he was saying and understood the implications for any town, but especially one the size of Dallas.
N. of Houston ~ the univ where my husband teaches has 14,000 students and no apparent planning on their part, either. Looks like they could all learn a few things from Lamar!
Petticoat….I guess what frustrates me about the lack of planning at my daughter’s school is that one of their heavy major fields of study is POULTRY!!!! Need I say more.
Off subject here but since there are so many Texas people on this thread. I have been looking around for those 50 gal±plastic water barrels. I may have found a decent source for them at a very reasonable price, and also for the 5 gallon buckets used for staples food storage. I hope to know more on the water barrels soon. The guy I talked to only had ones that used to have chemicals in them but said he gets some that had juice in them sometimes. I’m sure once those are cleaned they would be very suitable for water storage.
Poppy- Do not use the ones that had chemicals in them for drinking water..even after cleaned, chemicals can leach into the plastic. Many feed stores/farm supply stores have 50 or 55 gal. food grade used containers ( usually had something like coke/dr. pepper syrup in them) they usually sell for about $15 - 17 dollars. The feed stores also carry metal burn barrels for about $15.00. You need one of these two to be able to get rid of your trash.
Poppy – at 17:58
Re the skeeters-on a seperate thread someone mention placing a dryer sheet 1/2 in a pocket when outside and how effective that was at keeping them away…just a thought..
I think I’m the only West Texan on this website, but it would be great if we could have a thread for Texans to keep up with what is happening in other parts of the state. Like most Texans, I have relatives all over the state, including Dallas, Temple, and Austin. I’m constantly sending them news stories from this website to keep them updated.
History Lover - sounds great…you name it
How about Lone Star State? Anyone else have a suggestion?
Lets go for it!
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