Hi! I am GulfCoastMama. I have NEVER posted here before, so I am starting with an introduction.
I have been following bf (thru another site) for approx. one year now. I am fairly well prepped but look forward to gaining new insight into pandemic planning through the members of this site.
I first became interested in bf after Katrina. I live Near Waveland Mississippi, where the eye of Katrina passed over. I had 5 feet of water in my house and lived through a harrowing 3 weeks of primitivism: breakdown in civil society with no protection, lack of food and water, no electricity, no medical care, etc. I know everyone knows the stories. But you cannot imagine the impact it has on a person to actually live it. I got a little taste of what things may be like should a pandemic occur. It immediately occured to me after researching bf that my Katrina experience was just the tip of the iceburg. We will all be on our own for this one, folks. As I have no medical/scientific background, I hope that my experience with surviving the storm will be the one ‘knowledge’ contribution I can make to this site.
I will be glad to get to know you all and hopefully we can share some good prepping ideas and dissect the news as it happens.
Welcome GulfCoastMama. Having survived a disaster, I’m sure you will have a lot of good prepping advice.
First of all, what did you learn from your experience that you have applied to your prepping for a potential pandemic? If you were prepared for Katrina, what things worked, and what didn’t, and what are you doing differently now?
GulfCoastMama – at 12:13 “Welcome aboard” pun intended… board/forum….. maybe everyone gets it.
tjclaw1 has some good questions and I look forward to reading your answers & hearing what all you’re doing to prep for this any differently than you were for Katrina!
Rose
GulfCoastMama, I made my first Fluwikie post today, as well; and also live near the Gulf, in Semmes, AL. Last year’s hurricanes didn’t do an significant damage to our home, but the possibility of a hit did encourage better and hopefully more effective preparation.
Welcome
Hi GulfCoastMama - welcome! We had some gulf coasters in my neighborhood for the year after Katrina. Almost all were good people. Survivors. It makes sense for you, having survived that, to be here, making sure you’ll survive again. I’d be very interested to hear about civil disruption/self protection issues that arose for you. How did you stay safe?
Hi GulfCoastMama! I’m in Meridian; glad you’ve joined us! I have family in Pass Christian and have a good idea of what you went through. My town took a pretty hard beating from Katrina, too. The knowledge that we will be “on our own” during a pandemic scares me to death!
Welcome GulfCoastMama, from another mama up in Canada!
Welcome, and please, jump right in and share, share, share:)
GulfCoastMama -
Question…
Do you feel it wise to have weapons during a pandemic? Would you use them if your preps were threatened? If your family or best friends showed up at your door, after they ignored your pleas to prep, would you turn them away? If they were desperate and got agressive, what would you do?
These are heavy on my mind.
Hi GulfCoastMaMa, Gulf Coast MS. here also (Jackson county)Welcome.We really don’t need anything like this after what we just went thruuu.If ya need anything just give a yell.Hey swann how ya been? Be good and stay safe……Later yall
Hey everybody! Thanks for the warm welcome. It is nice to hear of some MS people here!
Well, I could go on and on about the storm and how it has changed me. Before katrina, I was never prepped for anything (y2k, etc.). AFter the storm hit, we were completely on our own for five days (the help arrived only after Bush did his infamous flyover). We left for the storm but returned the next morning to find our home under 5 ft. of water. Thankfully we were able to live off of some canned goods we cleaned with bleach until the MRE’e arrived. The traumatic thing for me about the storm was not the damage to my home.
The trauma for me was the 3 weeks of living in fear, as it was clear there was no police protection for my neighborhood, no 9–1−1, no electricity, etc. I live in a really nice upper middle class community about 1 hour from new orleans. Although there was no violent crime here, looting was rampant and many neighbors could be seen patrollling their properties brandishing shotguns. Every 5th house had words spray painted on the garage door saying ‘you loot, we shoot’ or ‘we will shoot you’.I am convinced that the crime was not worse here only because so many were armed. I was not. In fact, I was anti-gun ownership until Katrina. Now that I am armed and prepared, I feel so stupid for putting my family in that kind of danger - it will never happen again. So, I guess the first lesson is that most people are kind, helpful and giving. But there is that 1% who will try to take advantage of people. I have no doubt that across the U.S. when the pandemic hits and people’s kids are starving, they will resort to all kinds of violence. No doubt in my mind. If these events happened here in my upper-middle class neighborhood (not a ghetto, etc.) that you can all be sure that during a pandemic, it will happen in yours. Here in Mississippi a brother shooting his sister in the head over a bag of ice. What do you all think will happen during a pandemic??
There are so many little details and lessons I can’t recount here about surviving with only essentials (I will write on these as the subjects come up). But suffice it to say that it is an enormous shock to realize how different life must have been for our ancestors, before electricity. We had to wake up and go to sleep with the sun, hand wash clothes, etc. My pregnant neighbor cried every day about having to use her yard as a toilet. Our great great grandparents didn’t know anything BUT using their yards as toilets! To take a bath (maybe every 3 days) we’d set a gallon of water outside to warm it for awhile and then sponge off. When we had cold water delivered to the neighborhood from fema, we’d hold the bottles against the back of our neck for an hour before drinking to bring our body temps down. It was amazing the physical risks we engaged in without any 9–1−1 service, as we begun the necessary task of gutting our home in 100 degree weather before the mold set in, alone with two little kids. We took so many risks. Neither my husband orI had tetanus shots untnil after the house was done (duh). During a pandemic, we would not do such things. We had to get up all night, every time we heard a sound. We had no walls on the house to enclose us, we had no firearm, and we had helicopters shining light into our house overhead all night as they did search and rescue. It was like a cheesy made for tv movie, only happening to us. When the aid groups arrived, I actually saw people complain if they didn’t have enough food on their plate, or if the supplies were not the ones they needed. I saw a guy steal a big box of brand new levi jeans from a church group and run off. Right in front of everybody, with no shame. I guess he was going to sell them on ebay.
I guess you could say the big lesson I learned is that the world really is divided into two camps - the givers, and the takers. So many people were kind and loving - most of them. But I was also shocked at the ‘takers’ - and felt afraid. In a pandemic, I cannot imagine this not being 100 times worse, as there will be NO AID showing up 5 days later, or 50, or 100. SO BE READY! Our family is not of the ‘givers’ or ‘takers’ group. We have developed a real self sufficiency in all phases of our life due to the storm. We truly have a live and let live attitude, the only one that will work during a pandemic.
On another site I used to go to, they were always talking about little preppin things like ‘who will cut our hair during a pandemic?’ and ‘what craft ideas should we plan for with our kids?’. Not to demean anybody, but i wanted to shout ‘have you lived without electricity, running water, medical care and police? Do you think in a pandemic we will be thinking about what our hair looks like? Do you think people in the sudan are concerned with what their hair looks like, or are the worried about burying their relatives and staying alive?’ In a sense, I learned to not sweat the small stuff. Just do away NOW with the idea that life will even come close to resembling your current situation. Sorry to be so depressing, but that was my experience . . . I did not comb my hair more than 3 times in 3 weeks. I did not shave my legs or worry about crafts. I was trying to stay alive, save my posessions, and insulate my kids from trauma. Our forefathers spent sun-up from sundown just maintaining life. If the worst case scenario happens, that is what we will be doing. If the worst does not happen, it may be different . . . but my newfound lack of faith in our government leads me to believe that once this thing happens, we will be unprepared. How can we keep the country afloat and nip a pandemic in the bud when we can’t even get people bussed out of the superdome?? Of course during a pandemic our homes will be intact - but will the rest of our infrastructure? will there be fuel (every gas tank around here had been siphoned after the storm)? Will there be medical help? Do you want to risk exposure to get that lame medical help? Will you be able to stand the isolation of SIP? How will you deal with the ethics of helping family memebrs when it puts you at risk? How do you survive when there are no MRE’s being delivered in 5 days?
Sorry to go on so long about this, but it has profoundly changed me, and that is why I am here. It may take a month, or a year, or 5 years for a pandemic, but I am pretty ready now ( can we ever REALLY be fully prepped?). I have a rifle and a revolver, I have the ocean and its bounty to keep us going after our food is gone, I have the knowledge now that I can withstand more than I thought, as we have been severely tested. I would love to think that none of this will ever happen. With what is going on in North Korea, it behooves us all to consider the myriad reasons why we should prep.
GulfCoastMama – at 09:22 I’m so sorry that you had to suffer all the trauma you did getting along after Katrina hit. I’m sure you were a pillar of strength for your kids & they’ll never forget what you had to buckle down and do.
And I’m glad you found this place to share your feelings and stories. There’s a specific thread for folks from Miss. that you might be interested in reading and you can meet some other of your neighbors there.
I hope you’ll continue to give us your thoughts on what you went through — it helps us all to be aware of and know we need to prepare for dangers we would rather not think about.
Thank you, GulfCoastMama.
(That would sure make good voice-over for some sort of internet/tv/radio PSA; know any tech-savvy people who could set you up? Wish your hard-earned wisdom and attitude could be heard; might save some lives.)
Thanks, workin’. I’ll look for that thread.
Actually, it is funny because when we talk about Katrina my 6 year old always says ‘I loved the storm.’ When we press him to explain, he says things like ‘it was fun tearing up the house and re-building it’ or ‘Papa was home from work for two whole months’ or ‘I loved the cool MRE’s’ or ‘it was like a big camping trip inside’. I think this is a helpful lesson to parents in regards to a pandemic, war, or anything traumatic. We were not all ‘woe is me’ around our kids. We tried to be positive. Not fake, they are too smart for that. Just focus on the good things. We talked about the good things, and let them have a role in everything, so they felt empowered. Thanks for noticing that part of my post.
Here, here, GulfCoastMama. Your story is inspiring and I am glad you made it through. You have confirmed that all the time and money I have spent prepping has been sooooo worth it.
Gulf Coast Mama, I was in Biloxi right after the storm. My sister’s house was trashed with no windows and most of the walls washed out. We camped in the yard in a tent for two weeks. The smell of rotting meat in peoples washed out refridgerators was nauseating. It was HOT! She and I had a pistol and I am glad for it. At night there would be an occasional car come cruising down the street that did not belong there. It was very dark without any streetlights. Very stressful time and affected me deeply. We had Charlie come right over our house here in fla but the devestation for us was nothing like what my sister had. My parents house was completely washed away. They lived right on the gulf. Nothing left but the porch slab.
GulfCoastMama: What a tremendous post. Now you are a leader.
Wouldn’t you all love to see GulfCoastMama join Osterholm on his speaking tours to talk about living the reality of what he hypothesizes?
Imagine the impact on viewers of having her join Osterholm when/if he next appears on the Oprah show.
GulfCoastMama’s personal story might be just the kind of thing that could move people from theory to action.
Mojo, you truly understand then. I am so sorry about your parents and sister. We are fortunate that we only had the flooding, and there were a lot of memories to save from this place. We are lucky to have been rebuilt by christmas, the first ones around here. I hope your family is recovering well. You know how it can totally change who you are to see those things. I guess it is a form of post-traumatic stress disorder. Whatever it is, I will never be unprepared again.
Pixie, my story is not unique at all. There are hundreds of thousands more like me. But how many learned the lessons I did? I talk to people who lost their homes in the storm about bf and they just stare blankly back at me or laugh. I guess it is not everybody who was as receptive to katrina’s message.
As an aside,Pixie, I remember your name from that ‘other’ bf website. Was that you? I was kicked out of the forum because I was erroneously accused of being a member of some other forum (huh??) when I had never joined any other bf site, including this one, til yesterday. I guess they feel threatened by people being exposed to different views or something, don’t understand it. I like this site better, as their is no fascist regime involved looking to stifle speech.
You know, we have several people who experienced the aftermath of one or the other of those storms that hit the Gulf, GulfCoastMama why don’t you start a thread calling all Hurricane Survivors together & share some of your stories — copy what you wrote above as your first post! Something one of you says will remind someone else of something!
GCM - thank you for sharing your experiences with all of us. I am sorry that you had to experience any of that. I wouldn’t wish it on anyone and I had two dear friends loose everything in NOLA as well. But your sharing your experiences helps all of us learn how to prep better and show others just how bad things could get.
Welcome to the forum!
GulfCoastMama – at 10:03 You’re a great example of how to raise a family with a “glass half full” point of view — that’s so rare — and it’s such a blessing to see.
Hey, GulfcoastMamma, WELCOME! You and I have conversed on the other forum, how is the canning coming? We are taking a break from Homeschooling this am, just surfing the net and reading. You will love this forum, lots of information and very friendly people.
Welcome, HermitToa, I also am in your area, in fact we are next door neighbors, I live in Wilmer. It is so nice to know that there is at least 3 of us in lower alabama. Check on the thread of other preppers in alabama. You also will love the info here and the warm family feeling that you will get. Everyone, have a great blessed day and I am going to get my blueberry muffins out of the oven and my hot cup of coffee and get back to teaching my son how to shell purple hull peas and how to make home made bread (Friday in our homeschool is everyday maintanence and sometimes historical or national geographic movies) take care and talk to ya’ll later.
Hi GulfCoastMama - yes, I was a co-founder/co-owner of a forum that began in Feb. but I ended my association with that site in April due to serious disagreements about ethical issues. Of course, they are free to disagree and they have proceeded as they desired (and their approach appeals to many people who do agree with them as they do have many members).
Many forums out there do sometimes share the same types of problems. For me, personally, I do not believe in restricting speech (beyond obscenity), I do not believe in banning or suspending anyone, in engendering fear of men-in-black government conspiracies (“we have to control speech before they control us…” nonsense), or in any intellectual appropriation. I do believe in valuing all members equally (as you never know where a great insight will come from and all should be equally encouraged and the discussion of H5N1 is too serious for a sorority atmosphere), allowing & listening to a wide variety of opinons (some of them sharp because this is a sharp issue), that the privacy of any member should never be violated, that the discussion of H5N1 as a political problem needs to be addressed (as that is the reality), that a flu forum should preferably stay on focus and not try to be all things to all diseases, and that the issue of any money-making attempts is a dangerous one as it can make people question whether a site is promoting H5N1 for that purpose. But those are just my views and others do disagree, and they are free to.
I will say in defense of the site I was affiliated with that I have never heard of them banning someone for participating in another forum so the forum you speak of may not be them - we may have different forums in mind.
Welcome, GulfCoastMama - we live in Virginia and were without power for four days after Isabel came through in 2003. I can’t imagine what it must have been like to be flooded out AND without not only electricity but all other services as well. Our very minor experience really brought home to us the necessity of prepping for any disaster. And, as has been said in this thread already, there are many reasons in the world to prep, not just BF. We’re glad you found FluWiki and I look forward to your posting again.
GulfCoastMama - Welcome aboard! I’m about 80 miles north of you. Like you, Katrina helped open my eyes to better preparing for catasrophy. We differ in that I’ve been somewhat prepping all of my adult life. Prepping has been racheted up expotentially. I learned that we must expect that for which we’ve not planned. And, have back-up plans for contingency plans. (How could I have guessed that the shed housing my generator would be crushed under a huge fallen tree?)
Post-Katrina I witnessed actions by some of the most selfless, generous people imaginable, neighbors and strangers alike. These, fortunately, were a large majority. Your 1% “taking advantage” estimate is probably accurate here, too.
Goju – at 23:20 - I found significant comfort in (legally) having my .45 as my constant, hidden companion post-Katrina. I never felt the need to display it. But, co-workers found that showing the willingness to aggressively defend one’s family and possessions thwarted what may have been nasty situatons. When I watched from my den window as looters scattered when police arrived at an independent neighborhood pharmacy, I was prepared to protect family and home if needed. A 12 gauge shotgun in hand and a resolute attitude can bring peace of mind.
Further, Goju, I’ve made some preparations to assist others; friends, family, or stranger. That’s just taking ‘The Golden Rule’ seriously. But you mentioned desparation and aggresiveness by others. That’s a different story. My first responsibilty is to take care of those for whom I am immediately responsible. And, desparate aggressivness must be responded to firmly and perhaps powerfully, stranger, friend, or family. That is very difficult to think about. Now is the time to consider consequences of possible future actions. Resolve resulting from decisions made in calm deliberate thinking will allow you to act more rationally in a crisis situation.
captain1 – at 16:49
You must be fairly close to me. We lost power for 4 days after isabel too. We are in Cumberland County.
Thank you all again for your warm welcome and input.
Pixie, I agree with everything you wrote, that is why I am now here. I think, however, that the site you were affiliated with is not the one I was active with. the one i was active with is the one that is moderated by Albert (I don’t want to mention the name here). THey have just begun selling advertising, and I am sure some of the posts may inadvertently contradict the interests of the advertisers. Maybe I unknowingly did that?? I was booted for some ambiguous reason of ‘joining other forums’. I didn’t know people were not allowed to surf the net freely,and what kind of spy program does the mod have to follow my internet activity? or why this would be a condition of posting at the site - strange indeed. Funny thing is, I never did go to any other bf forums at all. That is why I think it was simply to stifle my speech for some unknown reason. The moderator has come up with this ‘going to other forums’ bs as a phony excuse for exclusion of ideas he does not like. That is the only thing I can come up with (or am I being naive, and he really is spying on my internet activity somehow??)I guess it is all neither here nor there now - I am simply happy to be now posting on here.
Frankie, your name is familiar, but I don’t do canning. You may have mixed me up with mississippi mama (from that other site). But nice to meet you!
Sorry about that GulfCoastMamma, I thought you and I had discussed canning on the forum that you mentioned above. See the wierd part is, I have always belonged to this forum and the one run by Albert, and I have never been reprimanded and taken off of the forum. Well, you will really like this forum, very friendly, informative, and caring people here. Talk to ya’ll soon, going to check out the other stuff.LOL
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