I can no longer sit silently by as i watch my neighbors live their lives blissfully unaware of the Pandemic Potential of H5N1.
I thank all of you who have helped me these past 2 years reach the point where i feel confident in my knowledge of all aspects to an H5N1 Panedmic.
I have come to the conclusion that Strict SIP will not work.
There will be a time when I have to go out in search of something we need. There will be a time when my neighbor will have to go out to find what they need. We can prep till we own Costco and Home Depot… but I can guarentee it won’t be enough.
If we all stay home, civilization doesn’t have a snowballs chance in hell of continuing….. so…. I have made the brave move:
This morning I called the First Selectmens office at Town Hall and I now have a meeting set up for Fri morning Sept 22. All emergency departments will be there. He reponded quickly when i dropped the names NBC, Safe America, major corporations, CDC, WHO, HHS, Homeland Security, UN’s Dr Nabarro.
I am to make a presentation on what I know.
I am resolute to get every resident in my town prepared in some way. I am resolute to get every store to have a plan I am resolute to get the school on board with pandemic education for our kids
I have been afraid since last year of letting anyone around me know too much. Now I am afraid not to.
I will be assembling a presentation based on the Conference topics - revised for my town’s needs and concerns.
I will pull no punches
The First Selectman started to tell me of our town’s emergency plans including seting up the Middle School as a Vax center
I stopped him mid sentence:
“excuse me for interupting sir, but I must stop you. There is and will be no vaccine. You would be handing a death sentence to this town if that is your plan.”
He stopped and listened to me for a moment and then set up the meeting.
Truthfully (and i have never not been on these boards) i am frightened to “come out”. But I HAVE TO DO IT.
I am compelled by my knowledge, the Conference, my one on one with Nabarro and all of your heartfelt thanks and thoughts.
It is time folks for us all to come clean… we cannot survive alone. You need your neighbors to be as prepared as you are.
To lose 100 pounds, you start with ONE.
We are in the unique position of owning the best prep there is - KNOWLEDGE. It IS power. We must prepare - not scare (although when i am through they will be).
Goju is taking action….. lets all work together and all take action in our towns… and just maybe, we’ll see each other on the other side of the horror coming our way.
When asked if i have preps, i will say what Nabarro said to me: a moments silence…. a look in the eye…. “yes, but i’d rather not talk about it”.
Peace to you all. Goju
Can someone please post my report and this post onto Curevents FC - even though they banned me last year, they should know about this. Thanks
Goodluck. I wish I had your courage.
Just keep in mind at all times during your meeting that you will be saving many lives. Many children. That should give you strength.
Goju, I admire your spirit! Light them up!
They know it already- now they just need to move on it!
Best wishes.
Good for you. As someome who does this for a living let me tell you that the learning curve is steep for some people; however, if you are earnest and honest people will listen. You can actually see the ‘aha moment’ in someone eyes— and in my experience once they ‘get it’ they really get it. Make sure the connectors and salesmen (from The Tipping Point) in your neighbourhood ‘get it ‘ and you will have won half the battle. I have made The Great Influenza required reading for our new hires, it’s amazing how/what people think about bf after reading that.
Please share what you say and do and what does and doesn’t work. I’m trying to figure out how to raise awareness in my community. The light has not come on in people’s heads. Most know almost nothing because they depend on the newspapers to let them know. The mayor referred me to Emergency Management folks who haven’t returned my calls.I need to get an “elevator speech” together that I can use to communicate effectively the nature and extent of the threat.
I emailed my County Health Department and Town Council and got no response from either. Goju motivated me and I just finished a letter to the Mayor and Town Council. I know from serving in the past that they are required to present all correspondence to the Council at the regular meetings. They don’t have to take action, but they must read or at least summarize the letter to the members.
Bill,
Does your county even address it on their website? If not, forward this link and they can at least update their site with the info provided. It may help to “legitimize” your interest in this issue if you can show an extremely heavily populated county’s actions.
Sorry Bill, here is the link:
TIG:
Actually, thee was a big story in the local paper and the contact information for the website and Director was listed. They do address pandemic influenza on their website. I assumed they would be glad to get an offer of help from a resident. Obviously I was wrong.
Goju, Goju,Goju. I had to go lie down after I read your post of 11:13! Got me a little bit rattled. ;-) You are taking the bull by the horns and other body parts which are destined to give you a ride around the bull ring unlike you have had before. I cannot wait to hear the response.
I wish you the best and we want a blow-by-blow description of your meeting. Videotape it so you can recall the questions asked and varied discussions. You may need to request permission to video as there may be questions asked and discussions that TPTB don’t want discussed in an oh-so-public format.
Good luck!
Goju, bless you (and lotsa luck!) You are doing something right:
“He stopped and listened to me for a moment and then set up the meeting”
I hope they listen, and take action, and, be ok with getting the public to listen and take actions for resiliance - while there is still time.
Goju,
I admire you for your action and commitment! We need more folks that are willing to ‘come out’ in whatever way they feel comfortable with. I don’t know if you have read anything about the red ribbon campaign we started here (see threads), but perhaps you could pass out the cards Dude is working on and wear the ribbon?
To others, if you do not get replies from your local leaders, try showing up in person. I have done this and it does work.
Go Goju! Go Goju! Go Goju!
pelase le us know how your meeting goes. My attempts to get others to take action have fallen (mostly) on deaf ears. Gald to hear there are others out there with more perusasive power than my own. Keep up the great work!
I’d like to have a copy of THAT power point presentation.
Go Goju
Goju
Have passed on your initial reports of the NYC meeting and your plans for your community to my town manager. Hope all of us who read what you have done can do the same. Thank you for all your efforts. You give me some hope. Have just about given up on my person to person persuasion, have had very little luck in that regard, although I think collectively all our efforts have made a difference.
Goju,
Please ask Dude for access to the large files project if you haven’t already seen it. . . many excellent slides.
Where are you geographically, in general, NE US?
Good for you Goju. Individuals can make a difference.
yes NE NYC area
OK - people invited to my Town Meeting on Sept 22
First Selectmen Police chief Fire Chief Town Health officer Chief financial officer Weston/Westport emergency Planning group ( of which my town is part)
I need to create the presentation for each dept. I cannot tell them their jobs I cannot tell them what to do I need to lead them to their own conclusions that each and every individual home needs to begin to prep. I will then offer a proposal for a town event.
Comments please
Goju - is superintendent of school system invited? Don’t know if that’s appropriate auggestion for this meeting, but they can reach many people.
Goju, Please call someone from the newspaper(s) and have them there as well, so an article in the paper will follow, as well as the TV station if you have a local affiliate. I would also invite the Superintendent of your schools if possible. Any way you could make it a “public” meeting and get the newspaper to run an article about it in advance, so that any interested member of the community could attend? The more press it gets, the more “invited guests” will actually show up. If you have the newspaper there and they don’t show up, you can blast them. :) Just MHO. Good luck!
I’d suggest to stick to small groups in the beginning- you don’t want them to debate things among themselves instead of listening to you.
The facts alone are horrifying- no one could make up a horror story like this.
It kills me that people think that somehow in the past 100 years we have gotten smarter than the flu virus. Lethal lethargy. Fatal Fantasies. Cemetaries are filled with over-confident people.
‘Hope is not a plan’-spray painted on homes post-Katrina.
The local paper has agreed to cover my story. The scahhol board will not be there - another story for another time.
I am scared to death. I have never done anything like this before.
Goju, hang in there. You’ve already hit the hard part, getting thir attention. Waiting to talk is always rough, but once you get up and start speaking the nerves will fly away and you’ll do fine. Let the data itself speak for you.
And, of course, you have the full and complete backing of the wikie backing you, in sprit even if we can’t be sitting there in person.
Goju, look at the big files? page if you haven’t already: specifically, “one-click” and “explaining pandemics” - top of the page.
Recently I took a plane and the video with safety instructions was much better than anyone I’ve ever seen: you could almost feel you were there, with sounds and movement, very real. What I’m trying to get at is that some people will react to a pie chart, others to a photograph, others to other things. The presentation can be both “sober” (not trying to fool or entrance anyone) and “multi-channel” (presenting the same stuff in different ways for different people).
Re “multichannel”: you’ll be showing images and then your voice. You already know
how
to use
silence.
You may want to suggest they DO the maths themselves, in real time: initial number multiplied a few times - if they don’t want to then you provide the slide with the progression. Show them how different things can be if you multiply by 1.9 instead of by 2.0, so every bit counts.
Do we have information on how far food does travel?
I think your intention to keep things simple and let them reach the implications and the what-to-do’s is great.
Is your email somewhere? Can I contact you through the mods?
Thanks. We’re with you. 24×7 throughout the World. Thank you!
wiltonresident1@yahoo.com
we are in this till the end… i appreciate all the help
One lost round in the fight - the UN will not send me a letter of support. They said if they do it for one town, they have to do it for every town in the world and they just cant do that. They have a global view and mission… dont know if i shouldn’t talk no for an answer. We may need them later so badgering them now… may not be a good idea.
Goju – at 20:11 Recommend you invite the Public Works Director and the CEO of your local Power Company. Maybe one or two of the area managers for Grocery Stores. Play up the social effect more than a medical effect with the understanding that if it is “very mild” Hosiptials can handle, if not who knows.
I do not want to push too hard - i am surprised at the response already - that is for the next meeting along with the school board. I will find out on Sat if the major tv network will come onboard fully. If they do… oh boy! watch goju go.
Go, Goju, go! Wish you all the best.
You at least will have a clear conscience.
I am watching and I am so very proud of you, Goju.
I will try to work harder now because of the outstanding example of leadership for your community you set for us. An excellent role model is a great teacher.
I forwarded this to my local school district. Goju, you might take a look at this information. Good luck.
http://www.cchealth.org/topics/pandemic_flu/school_action_kit/
This plan calls for the school to alert the health dept when they have 10% of the students out with flu.
This is a death sentence for the kids if H5N1 is the pandemic strain and does not reduce CFR dramatically.
I saw this from my school system. It is not good.
My kids wont be in school when it hits because of fluwikie, but its a start. It can be enhanced for sure.
Goju “I am compelled by my knowledge, the Conference, my one on one with Nabarro and all of your heartfelt thanks and thoughts”
I’ve been away for a while - which conference and conversation with Nabarro is Goju talking about? Is there further info on a discussion thread?
Thanks
Lyra, it’s here
Goju,
I wish you luck. Our town is planning for mass vaccination. I told one of TPTB that we need education first cause there will be no one to vaccinate if we don’t educate.
Also, Our state government has passed a law saying they can comadear a building that is contaminated. I am not sure if we are using our high school for a sick ward but if we did the state might destriy it when this is over.
Something else to think about
Birde - call your town official - tell them you have information that there is no vacinne and you’d like to meet with them to discuss what you have learned. Use my info as a door opener - tell them you know a guy who met with Dr. nabarro of the UN… and attended the big Biz meeting at NBC studios in NYC - bring my notes and review them. They very well may listen. Do not alarm… inform… offer to help.
We cannot shut our doors. We cannot shoot hungry people, we cannot turn our relatives and friends away when they are hungry - so teach them… you are as prepped as the houses around you. If they are not prepped then neither are you - have courage. Be the one to lead the way.
Fantastic!
I find when presenting a complex problem to a new audience “boiling the premise” to a 10–20 word phrase that can be repeated often is very useful in a 20–25 minute presentation with approximately 30 slides.
If you are appealing to the media…a 20 word “sound bite is crucial” for a media formatted presentation to the masses. Think of how the politicians are campagining. They stay on point and repeat that point over and over.
Define your goal. To my mind at this stage of the game is simple:
1) Awareness of the problem. 2) Potential impact of problem. 3) Preparation for the problem.
I see your purpose as developing an ongoing communication rather than hitting a home run, where everyone leaves the building and drives to Costco!
You have indepth knowledge. This is an advantage to give credibility to your story when discussing Pandemic Flu with an educated source such as Dr. Nabarro. This can be a disadvantage when dealing with an audience who has NO knowledge.
When you were a kid and asked your dad a question…did he give you an hour long lecture…and you still didn’t know what answer the question you asked? Or was this just my dad!
The KISS principle…Keep It Simple Stupid…is crucial. Explain it like they are 6 year olds. I think addressing Pandemic Flu rather than bird flu gives you a verifiable platform to begin with.
Somewhere it was posted on FW that in the past 300 years the “longest” time between pandemics was 42 years and we are at 30 something(?) since the last one. That is a real eye opener. I am at FW all the time and I went WOW when I saw this factoid.
It also helps connect you with the prevailing “not if, but when” discussion occurring nationally, giving you credibility with those audience members that may have heard “something”. Confirming what they already know.
I have some other thoughts, but too many cooks in the kitchen…are overwhelming. Good Luck in you efforts.
Goju, thanks, what you have provided to me is so valuable. I have tried with my local officials. They are well aware that I can help. They are using and all hazards approach. There was actually an article in our local paper today from the Em. Dir. He said they cannot plan for everything so they are doing all hazards. His excuse for no pandemic plan was they don’t have the manpower or time to do it. I feel like screaming! Hello, do you know anyone in town who knows all about planning for avian flu? Maybe you could ask them to do the plan.
Unfortunately I have burnt some bridges and he might be one of them.
I plan on using that Montgomery plan and trying to tailor it to our town and then sending it to him. I think if he rejects me again I will call it quits. I am trying to call it quits now as this is so frustrating to me but I just can’t do it.
Go Birdie, Go Birdie, Go Birdie…Try to include some humor as Goju has done to make the concept a bit more palatable.
Remember that there are a lot of fish in the sea. There are many local organizations looking for speakers. Who are major business, religious, recreational players in your locale? Call - volunteer to speak at group meetings.
Love your energy.
i made a blog - Pixie made me do it! She evn set it up for me and added my links. Let me know what you think? I have no idea what i am doing. here is the address.
Goju - You light the way for others. Keep up the good work!!
Awesome job Goju - it looks great!
Back from Newspaper meeting.
Cub reporter - the editor sent him to scope me out. He knew something about BF… has seen stories before… not well informed from them BUT he read my Wilton site and my new Blog (inspired by Pixie baby)
i did my town presentation for him - he told me the selectman didnt need all the history.. just state the problem and give a solution.
he said they would do an article. I told him it wasnt good enough… please join me in this mission to get all of our residents prepared - give me a weekly prep column. He obviously could not do that - only the editor could.
I left him my handouts for tomorrow.
i do not know what to expect - i asked him to let me comment on the story they run. I asked him to slant the story toward prep as the only thing we can do.
he asked a few good questions - why is it so deadly (cytokine storm)
What should the police & fire dept do. And a couple of other questions… etc.
They will cover any event I want to do… but i want more.
After tomorrows town meeting I will approach the editor directly (if all goes well and i am not in jail LOL)
At least i can say i have the support of the local paper and a bit more comfortable with the presentation.
Goju, As a former assigning newspaper editor, you got a lot. Now you just have to keep all your fingers and toes crossed that Cub doesn’t muck up the story on first draft and that the copyeditor doesn’t butcher the edit and headline writing on deadline.
Keep pushing, and they probably will let you at least write a response to their article.
As far as facing the selectman, I can write a storm, but I hate public speaking. My voice shakes, my mind races, and I lose my train of thoughts.
Use index cards to cue yourself, and use your nerves as a way to endear yourself to the selectmen. Tell them how nervous you are, but that you are forcing yourself to speak with them because of the gravity of the situation. You will come across as much more sincere—because you will be. Remember, you’re not addressing Congress.
Put your materials aside, go out for a nice dinner, and get a good night’s sleep. You are as ready as you’ll ever be for your meeting.
Chewing fingers off…. hummmm is that a prep idea?
And remember, you had a coherent, productive conversation with David Nabarro. Surely you can handle your selectmen, eh?
We’re with ya.
Good luck tomorrow Goju! Let us know how it went!
The skill to succeed in this job will be knowledge. You should turn some heads and the word will spread. Best to you! MW42
Goju – at 15:32 Stay calm stay focused, Had the chance to show the Indo maps to 10 co-workers from other States. (At a small conference) Once they say the maps lots of questions followed, answered what I could referred them to the Wikie for others. Was suppose to be a 1 hour lunch, ended up taking almost three hours. Would have gone longer but folks (including me had to catch planes). You’ll do well,
Goju—Good Luck. You have already accomplished much. Am impressed with your blog, have sent it to many on my email list.
Goju,
What would Miyagi tell you about inner calm? Keep it ‘just the facts’. The risk probability is unknown and the impact is high. Most people do not know how to handle this, and it takes time for them to process.
Miyagi would say “One Punch Kill”
Then he would say “try harder”.
Then use this ONE meeting to verbally PUNCH through your findings to KILL apathy and indifference. If the first few minutes are not completely successful, TRY HARDER.
i love it will.
Sanchin at its best.
Goju at his best.
OH MY GOD!!!!!!!!
We have been “invited” to start the Pandemic planning commitee to begin educating the residents of Wilton, Westport & Weston. They were VERY excited to have us there and were totally open to what we had to say - a bit of fisticuffs w/ health guy - he challenged my limited H2H and someone from New Canneen backed me up.
It was amazing!!!!!!!!!!!
15 people in the room - i had the floor for 20 minutes… handouts worked great.
i took no notes. sorry. One guy 3/4 way in said i was preaching to the choir. It was just before i wrapped up with my main agenda - to get every home prepped. - they all agreed it was what was needed now. Enough planning. what we need is action.
They want to start with 4 weeks SIP and work up to 8–12!
Yahoooooo.
Now the work begins. They are still under the impression that they have some time. I didnt push that issue too hard but will now start balls rolling in several directions.
Goju – at 11:16, great work Goju!
Way to go Goju!
I’m working with the local health dept. Emergency Preparedness Coordinator. Our local newspaper interviewed her for an article that is supposed to appear in our newspaper tonight. The reporter was supposed to call me to get a “volunteer’s” point of view, but I haven’t heard from her yet and I assume her deadline is fast approaching. I was planning on plugging fluwikie.com.
The residents of Wilton, Westport & Weston can Thank Goju they are at least going to get clued in now.
Just telling the public they missed the memos 11 months ago; the WHO’s first 9 things, and the US govt checklists, would be an eye-opener for most and many might be willing to get paying attention and get preparing.
Also if the public knows, then the over-due community conversations and cross-training/contingency planning can get going as each locale figures out how they can cope without state/fed/”mutual” help.
The public can’t make good choices if they don’t know what the scientists are saying is actually happening now, and what a severe influenza pandemic actually means in this day and age. It is more ethical to tell them now, and deal with adjustment reactions now.
Goju,
are you able to post your presentation? It would be helpful to those who want to take this route.
TIA
Congratulations Goju, You are so very lucky to live in an area where people are willing to think beyond their white picket fence world. I asked in my town about pandemic planning and was looked at like I had 2 heads. “that type of thing doesn’t happen around here” “that’s all over in the far east” “ nothing to worry about here” I was disgusted. My town, and the next one that I am clode to, haven’t a clue nor do they care.
Cinda - just keep saying: “bird flu will not come here easily - pandemic flu will - know the difference?” Help them see the difference. Only then can you start unfolding the rest of the “revelation” (it unfolded as a revelation to me anyway): why disruption, why prepare.
Meeting with Chamber of Commerce tomorrow…
next week - Pastor at local church and Town Health Dept.
Assembling names and contact info for managers of food markets, hardware stores, pahrmacies, and regional food supplier - plan to get all together to discuss surge capacity. Inc Police dept if possible.
Will be recording a radio PSA next week too.
Got the area radio station onboard…
moving at lightening speed here.
he thought BF had “gone away”.
We will be “onair” soon.
Good for you Goju. You are doing the right thing!
Dang! Thank you! Thank goodness that radio station person listened to you!
We have got to keep trying, but it is so discouraging sometimes.
(If I couldn’t come here and hear about all the other people out trying to do the right things I might have cracked long ago.)
Come on, Radio PSA’s !
OK… here’s what i am thinking…
and it is interesting that this may be what TPTB are struggling with…
Say i am successful at my Panflu education and prepping campaign… lets say that the newspaper, tv, radio and live events are effective.
And 15% of the residents go out to prep for 2–4 weeks or more of stuff. The manager of the Stop & Shop told me 100 families shopping for 2 weeks of stuff would empty the store in 10 minutes. There would be panic as items dissapeared. Empty shelves give the impression of SHORTAGE… shortage = panic.
so do i have to:
1 - temper the message so people dont feak and go running to the stores?
2 - shorten the time needed for preps to say no more that 2 weeks of stuff?
3 - tell the god awful truth and let the people decide if they want to freak out and rampage through the streets?
is this what is going on behind closed doors? Is that why we are not hearing it on MSM? or is it too far away or not sexy enough?
Any thoughts about the message i should be giving?
The problem is that nothing is going on behind closed doors. Realize that even the National Intel. Report was leaked and the press was all over it. If there were such plans and talks the media would be fighting to scoop each other. Again there are few conspiracies but a lot of incompetence in the world.
There is no calvalry to save us. We are on our own.
First, Goju, I don’t think TPTB are struggling with these issues. There are other “pressing” issues that they are dealing with. A possible pandemic is not particularly on their grid right now. THAT vital information needs to be part of your plan, which is to wake them all up in the process of alerting others in thecommunity. I think that this emerging gift of yours is evolving as we watch it in this format.
Be yourself. Say what you think you need to say. Be responsible. Deal with facts and try to not stretch truth to alarm. Most people like to hear fact presented in a non-emotional way and then come to their own conclusion. The facts of bird flu and the possiblity of a looming pandemic should be enough to have individuals rattling in their shoes. I would imagine that you will run into alot of apathy. Some people just have difficulty “going there in their minds”.
Suppose there is a stampede to Stop and Shop? At least 100 families of the population in your area will be stocked up.
I feel encouraged by what you are doing.
Ange D - i am just prepping my home….. outside my property line…
Goju;
People won’t rampage through the streets if their local food source is out of stock. They’ll yell at the store manager to restock, and he will. So then the next “horde” will clean him out again. He’ll be happy as Larry (sorry, an Australianism)to be selling so much stuff, and a few more families will have food. Expect several cycles of this. This is a GOOD THING!!!
When the pandemic hits, the restocking of the shop will not happen, and then you WILL see panic.
Goju: go with #3, but try not to sound like a fanatic. Be cold, be precise, and just let it hang out there like dirty secrets in the family closet. People attend meetings to get the scoop—the glossy version is on the MSM.
Goju - you need to go with number 3 but ‘temper’ it a bit with the idea that families may not be able to afford to generate the necessary preps in one go - spread their shopping with their normal shopping to spread the cost. Get the local store manager to attend the meeting and offer him the chance to explain how much stock he can hold and how long it will take him to restock - he might be prepared to sell directly from trucks in his parking lot for carton lots of supplies?
People rampaging in Westport? lol? They’ll just call Peapod delivery or throw money at the situation. Now, if the PSA goes to Bridgeport and th Stop&Shop on Main Street runs out, that’s a different story. Have you talked with S&S and Shaw’s? Since they are teh two biggest in the area they should be on board.
But seriously, if something is worded porperly, to encourage action without provoking fear, you’ll have acehived your goal.
going to the Chamber of Commerce this morning.
Trying to get a meeting w/ managers of all food, pharma and hardware stores AND their suppliers in one place to talk surge capacity and logistics
oh… this talk i keep hearing of “well heeled communities” acting differently in a crisis i think is a fantasy. People are people and when they are hungry and scared… we are all the same.
Gojo 08: I think you need to do a little of all three. People in the midwest never really went through a crisis that didn’t last more than a day or so. Maybe electricity out for a week with an ice storm. ( I suspect those people have alot of batteries.) But most were able to get food and water in a few days if they didn’t have it. We don’t know from empty store shelves. This whole thing is a fiction novel to most people. Even after Katrina which should have been a wake up call, still, the comments are, it’s far away from us, the government will come up with something, I have too many other things to think about. I try (few are listening) to tell people to just stock up on every grocery trip. If you need 1 box of cereal buy three, 2 cans of beans for chili, but 6. A little extra each time. Maybe we need to tell people how to do it, so it doesn’t take thinking on their part. I applaud your efforts, I’m still trying to get my friends to prep.
back from Chamber of Commerce meeting… gave similar presentation as to town but with more of a biz slant.
Still came down to CFR, Ages, no vax… answer SIP, need to supply homes. How? awareness.
We have their support. they are thinking about what to do… and i bet they’re going to costco tomorrow.
Last weekend I met a neighbor who worked at WTNH - (ABC) Affiliate in hartford CT. - news division.
We talked for over an hour over brisket and wine. I told him what was happeneing and gave him this and other web resources.
He called yesterday.
They are covering the Pandemic story.
Will be shooting next Friday.
I asked him what kind of story he wants to tell… he said we need to alert people to what is coming and show them how they can prepare their homes.
i am doing the best I can folks….. more to come.
I’d say…go with #4- be honest, but stress that education, handwashing, handwashing, handwashing…and then…wash your hands again, and preparations as best as one can do are huge steps to prepare not only for panflu, but seasonal flu, colds, and other emergencies more likely to occur in your area.
If people can relate to more common local emergencies and think about prepping for them, it should lower the chance of a ‘freak-out’ reaction. IMHO.
That is how Marina wants to portray it. All hazards..
IMHO all hazards is bunk. I would scare the dickens out of everyone. 3 months!!!
we shall see. A balanced approach probably would be best.
She will put it out there in a way other Mom’s can hear and understand.
OK - Update -
1 - The Local ABCTV affiliate aired a good story on pandemic Flu preparedness. Score one for Goju!
2 - Just watched our First Selectman first “State of The Town” report on cable TV… 3rd topic out of 10 was emergency preparedness. Part 2 of Emergency preparedness was … Pandemic Flu. He explained the seriousness of the threat. He said the town supported personal preparedness and recommended strongly that residents begin preparing immediately. He put the towns and fed gov’s panflu website onscreen and kept it there for a good long time. He said guidelines were in at those sites and in the towns emergency booklet that was mailed to all residents and is available online.
I am very pleased with his coverage of Panflu in his state of the town message. Bill… you did good!
Thanks - I just found this thread. I have been thinking of what I can do for my little valley. I will study up and see what I can do. If for no other reason - if my neighbors are prepared, it makes life better for me too! Of course, that would not be my primary reason at all (very rural area here) but others will see that line of reasoing too.
Here’s an interesting note: A friend in Oz who is trying to raise awareness in a group of like minded people who live in various countries emailed me yesterday that people (that she knows) in Romania and Hungary are well prepared, and people she knows in Australia are not. Being prepared has nothing to do with finances, everything to do with awarenes and attitude.
People in Eastern Europe have seen or heard directly from the previous generations about severe disruptions and hardships and take things more seriously. My DH is from Eastern Europe - escaped from Communism as a refugee, had a relative in a German slave labor camp, grew up with horror stories (all true) of German and Russion occupations and all that that entails. He is more serious about prepping than I am. And we don’t even qualify as middle class financially.
You go Goju! I am trying to get my county moving. They were suppose to be, but when I call to follow up, nobody will return my call. My husbands grandmother lives in Milford. She’s laughed it off (even though her grandparents died in the 1918 pandemic)but I can’t say the woman has ever prepared for anything besides a date in her life. We try to tell her what’s going on, but she has the other ignorant four grandkids telling her we’re just crazy. I hope she is close enough to get your ABC affiliate. Thank you for trying. We hope to get her down here in the earliest day/s of a pandemic. I’ve included her in our plans. We’ll bring her, her important papers, and every bite of food she has in the house. The rest will have to fend for themselves.