Anyone in Oregon prepping yet?
I am here in Oregon and have been following the Bird Flu evolving crisis since last September. I am close to finishing my preps. Here is where I am at: -3 months food stored and growing (Am going to revive my canning of veg and fruits this summer to add to a constantly revolving food storage program) -300 masks, 1200 gloves (looking for disposable body suits)4 gallons of hand sanitizer -Various types of Antibiotics -Whole family just got Pneumonia vaccinations -Water distiller(works off whatever form of heat is available, elec, woodheat, campstove etc.) for purifying springwater from back of property -Generator along with 315 amp battery storage bank -100 gallons of gasoline storage capacity(will fill when H2H breaks out) -Woodstove with one year’s worth of wood already split and stacked…will be storing more wood this summer -650 gallons of fuel oil tank (#2 diesel)used to use for home oil heating now for Mercedes 240d Diesel car, looking at adding a special generator to Mercedes for generating electricity for home -6 hurricane oil lamps with gallons of smokeless paraffin oil -12 gauge with 300 rounds, .32 Tomcat pistol with 200 rounds -Solar greenhouse and multiple raised hotbeds. Lots of seed -Solar and woodheated supplemental hotwater heating system -Just acquired a propane refrigerator from an old Camp trailer and hooked up in my barn with a propane tank for refrigeration without electricity -Have recorded several hundred movies and have small library of books I and my family have been wanting to read but have not had the time -Looking for old shortwave radio, have walkie-talkies My get-a-way kit should my home situation become too risky is a 17 foot self-contained camp trailer that is fully stocked and could be pulled up into remote wilderness on a moment’s notice.
I really believe that the time is now for being prepped…I wake up every morning and review the Newsnow website for a possible H2H breakout..this could happen anytime…
Hi, PacificNorthwest. Currently in the Willamette Valley myself, and I suppose I am as ‘prepped’ as I am going to get. My family has been prepared for problems for several years—remember, the whole preparedness/survival issue first gained national prominence with Mel and Nancy right here in Oregon—and I have done my best to point others in the same direction.
Lets hope that all our efforts have been a total waste of time, and that we never have to live through what we’ve planned for . . .
I hope too that I have over prepped, but my intuition says to be in a “ready” state.
We have so many other potential reasons to be prepped hear in the Northwest…earthquakes…weather extremes…that I feel that my preps are good cheap insurance for a variety of potential calamities.
My family looks at this more as a challenge than a fear-provoking possibility. Maybe our years of camping experience has helped to give us a mindset that preparation is important to make the experience both more comfortable and survivable. I was taught as a child to always be prepared when heading out into deep woods in case for some reason we were unable to get back to “civilization”…car breakdown…weather etc.
I think that Americans especially have gotten too comfortable with not being self-sufficient…the depression was not that long ago…most of our grandparents knew what it was like to be hungry..
My biggest concern now is getting local agencies to wake up to the Pandemic possibility…if this happens tomorrow..each Oregonian will be totally on their own…
we are in portland and have also tried to prepare ouselves for a possible outbreak. our most important prep has been to inform our friends, family and neighbors. after all I can’t prepare to support everyone I know but I can help them to prepare for themselves. if H5N1 really gets out we will need each other. hey pacificnorthwest can we stay with you ;)
We’re down in the mid Willamette valley out in the country. We are pretty much prepped and just adding “fun” supplimental things now along with a few wish list things as we go. Just watching and waiting and trying to keep life as normal as possible. Still haven’t been able to get the dr. to give my husband and I the pneumovax vaccine. Kind of stuck on that one. Got to go out and clean some more 50 gal poly drums while the sun is shining.
Protective mother..I found pneumovax shots for all of my family thru flushot.com, a local flu shot clinic provider…they may or may not have more shots avail this year…$30 for each shot
katherine…I know what you mean about informing others…it will be emotionally difficult to deal with neighbors and other acquantenances when H2H hits Oregon…most all people that I have tried to inform will not allow themselves to believe that this is a real threat…
I have added a new antivirus product to my stash…Dupont Virkon S….this is a virus disinfecting product that is being used by WHO teams when they disinfect Avian Flu Outbreaks. Will work great for dog foot dips and disinfection of outside and inside areas.
Have also added another freezer and a vacuum packing system to start storing seasonal fruits and vegetables and prepared meals.
I think we are getting close to sustained H2H…prep today before one morning when we all wake up and it is announced that Avain Flu is now a Human Flu and the panic begins.
Hi all, I live outside of Portland in the Columbia River Gorge. Have taken BF seriously for a long time but ‘FORGOT’ to take any serious steps toward preparation until the Indonesian cluster got my attention in May. De-Nile is a river that is deep and wide…
Now am prepping seriously, have made a big dent in the to-do list (nothing on the scale of PacificNortwest’s awesome job). It it hits today we’ll probably be okay for 6+ months but it won’t be too comfortable after the first few. Still have a ‘problems to be solved’ list and an ‘additional purchases’ list. The more prepared I get, the better I can sleep at night.
Fluwikie is wonderful. I don’t think we’ll know until it’s spread worldwide, and then WHO will take a month to confirm. That said, a pandemic could be months or decades away. I agree that being prepared is essential because there are multiple other things that could happen. Thanks fluwikians for contributing to my wake-up call!
I am glad to see this post a bit more active. :~) I thought I would introduce myself as well. I live in the Portland area and have been prepping for 2 months. I am at about 12 months of basic foods, but I need to go back and fill in the wholes. My kids will NOT eat beans and rice 3 or 4 times a week unless I start getting way more creative with it! I also need to work on staying warm. Does anybody know how much wood I should store for the winter? I know I am already a bit late with this…
NW Watcher, keeping warm is a concern of mine as well. Are you planning to heat with wood all winter? Do you have a woodstove?
I have a gas furnace and a fireplace w/ enclosure to keep all the heat from going up the chimney, and this topic is an entry in my ‘problems to be solved’. I’m also looking into a propane heater suitable for indoors such as Mr Heater Portable Buddy - says it’s safe to use indoors with the 1-lb cannisters (not the 20-lb tank), for short-term use if we’re too sick or tired to deal with tending the fire.
I’m not going to get a generator, for various reasons. Am interested in solar power, but don’t know if it’ll work here in the winter.
Thanks ricewiki for starting this thread.
Adding my name to the list of Oregon preppers! My husband and I live in the Portland area. We expect our three twentysomething kids to SIP with us if the need arises.
Currently, we have about a year’s worth of preps in food and medicine. Have several light sources: oil lamps, crank powered flashlights, solar lanterns. I am also wondering about heat sources. Interested in hearing more about the potential for solar power here in the dreary northwest winters.
My husband is a manager for a large global company located here. He was pleased to see a pandemic plan on their corporate website and has been telling his employees to check this plan and to also feel free to discuss questions with him. I have discussed the possibility of a pandemic with our friends and relatives and am finding more and more of them are moving ahead with planning and stockpiling food and supplies.
Thanks for this Wiki and all the invaluable posts.
Ann
I really am not sure how to keep warm this winter. I live in a suburb, so my options are a bit limited. Our heater is gas, but the fan is electric, so it will not work if the power is out. I think out best option is wood, but our fireplace is in the living room, not the family room—which connects to the kitchen. Plus both of these rooms are vaulted…. The good news is that it seldom gets really, really cold here. I have thought of putting a tent next to the fireplace. I really do not have any good ideas on this….help anyone????
I do not think solar would work here for heat—it is way too cloudy in the winter. Thanks too for the idea of an alternative heat source if we are sick…I had not thought of that!
We don’t have independent heat source either. However we do have full body snow suits-we just moved here from Ottawa. Our children could play outside in these even when it was very cold outside-cold enough that we were ice skating on the canals. will it be depressing to be sitting around in our coats all winter? without a doubt yes! But until we have an independent heat source it is all we have. We have purchased some large thermos to keep foods hot. we will do the tent thing too. WE are just hoping the weather isn’t too cold here in portland.
another antiviral to consider is sambucol an elderberry extract. it runs about $5 a bottle and can shorten the duration of regular influenza. this can be found at most healthfood stores and can be taken daily.
Northwest Watcher…the amount of wood you need depends on your woodstove/fireplace..
I burned 5 cord last winter and it was the only heat source we used all winter in a 2000 sq ft 2 story old farmhouse (Closed off some rooms when it got freezing or below outside). We are using a very efficient woodstove that on a single load can go 10 hours..
Factors are:
-Are you planning for the wood heat to be your sole heat source -How many sq feet will be heated? Can you shut off less used rooms of the house on colder days? -What type of wood? Look up BTU heat values on the web to see differences with various types of woods…different woods provide varying amounts of heat for comparable volumes of wood -How efficient is your woodstove? Is it airtight? Does it have multiple burning chambers to squeeze out more heat? -How aged and dry is the wood…the wetter the less heat it will put out.
These factors determine how much wood you would need for a winter..better to have too much than too little..
Well, I am not sure if I should buy a portable woodstove or try to find something for my fireplace. I would like to have the heat in my family room as it connects to my kitchen and has a lot of solar gain anyway, but I really do not want a permanant wood stove in this room—I don’t think it would look right. My brother-in-law has a portable woodstove for camping and I was wondering if I could do something like that if TSHTF. Maybe punch a hole in the wall or vent out a window??? My husband is an engineer and pretty handy. Is this a crazy plan? :~)
I would definately shut the house down and live just in the kitchen and Family room—probably about 500 sq. ft.
Hey I like heat as much as the next person but as I understand it we will have disruptions in service not a complete loss of power for weeks on end. Do you really need a woodstove? don’t the homeless guys around here make it all winter? Buy what you want but I don’t know if heat is really an emergency in portland.
I think I am planning on a disruption for weeks on end. Right before we first moved into our house, we had an ice storm that had the power out in this neighborhood for 6 days. I guess I could easily see that happening again and with people sick and no one to repair lines, etc, it could be a long time before power was restored. Same with wind storms or any other problems.
I know that we will not freeze to death in Portland. I am from the Chicago area so winters here are very mild to me. I guess I am looking for *some* normalcy in our daily life. :~) By the way, I loved the idea of full body snow suits—I remember those! :~)
I didn’t mean to sound harsh about the whole heat issue. we put in a gas insert into our fireplace and there has a pellet stove already here. yes I know neither is an independent heat source but we all pick our battles.
now onto other things……my husband and I are trying to put together a training program in the portland area, to train non medical types on how to provide supportive care for an individual sick with bird flu. we will use the gratt woodson model with a triage section thrown in. this will not be a history of BF class or a what to buy to prep class although we would provide handouts on shopping lists if people are interested.
Joe, my husband, will not be able to help much as he is busy with the pandemic plans at his hospital. What I am looking for is other people in the portland area who would like to help. either to put together materials or help or to be the medical person at these talks.
I believe if we make portland as prepared as possible then we will also be making portland as safe as we can if/when a pandemic comes.
Hi there…another Oregon prepper here, S. Willamette Valley. I haven’t visited this site for awhile…nice to see Oregon preppers. I have a growing stock of food and supplies, some meds, and I do have a generator. I am concerned about heating w/o power, as I have a pellet stove for heat. Also after reading other threads about the noise of generators and a little concern for being several miles out of town. Is anyone concerned about the chaos that might errupt? I don’t think many people are aware of this threat or are prepping.
One other warmth thing to consider is a solar blanket, or a few of them. I’ll have to check out the Mr. Heater portable buddy.
<<katherine – at 11:05 said: I didn’t mean to sound harsh about the whole heat issue.>>>
I didn’t think you did! :~) I thought you brought up a good point, which is that none of will freeze to death here—we can wear lots of layers and probably be just fine!
“Homes or apartments that are not heated enough, even with a temperature of 60° F to 65° F, can lead to illness.” http://tinyurl.com/py7xd
We had no heat one year through November and it was pretty bad. Maybe it’s me, but it’s NO FUN having your house temp in the 50′s (or below).
The thing I worry about is if anyone is sick, and there’s no heat so I’m looking into firewood and propane heater suitable for indoors as a backup.
My husband and I are trying to put together a program to train caregivers.
We are just at the point of calling the community centers to arrange dates. Joe, my husband, is an ER doc and has been giving an Avian Flu talk at medical conferences for a year or so. He will give some brief version of that talk, demo how to care for sick individuals, answer questions. we will have handouts on items to prep, web site addresses for more info, books to read, and may have gratt woodsons book on hand to sell if he gives us the okay or will just direct people to this site.
I would hope the majority of time would be the demo and answering questions.
If the community center allows it, we would like the class to be free and for the community center to have daycare.
anyone in the portland area who would like to help??
I wanted to pass this along:
The Multnomah County bird flu presentation is this Tuesday evening, June 6th at 6:00 p.m. It is being held at the East Precinct which is located at 737 SE 106th Ave.
A representative from the Multnomah County Health Department is speaking. She is the director for public outreach for the Avian Flu.
anyone from this site planning on going??
I’ve tried to confirm the talk this evening. Do you have a name and phone number for us? When I called the East Precint at that address, they said they aren’t having an avian flu talk tonight.
Hmmm…well I could not go, but my friend did, so I think you got some bad info on that. Sorry that I did not see your post until now…
Anyway, my friend said that it was basically the same info that is on pandemicflu.gov. Stock up for 2 weeks, expect disruptions, and prepare for social distancing, etc. Nothing new for us. It was all low key, not to panic anyone…
Jessica Guernsey Camargo is the lady that did the presentation. She is a representative of the Multnomah County Health Department. Hope that helps. Again, I am sorry that I missed your question yesterday…
Hey Oregon preppers,
Our neighbor gave us a big blue rain barrel. We are moving and can’t take it with us. Would anyone like it. I can send a picture if you like. It is light blue-same as the 55 gallon drum we purchased to store water. It has two openings on the lid and one round opening at the base of the barrel where a hose would fit in-I imagine you would need some silicone type glue to put around this hole to prevent leaking. On the side it says NOT FOR DRINKING WATER. However according to the neighbors it was purchased new. Maybe the warning is just to warn people not to drink roof water. If you want it please respond. we are moving in the new few weeks and I know my husband wants it gone sooner rather than later.
going once
Anyone go to the pandemic conference at the convention center in Portland last week?
I had a very disappointing conversation with someone from the Beaverton CERT program today. When I questioned him about what was being done to prepare for a possible pandemic, he reported that the city and county had done flu vaccine distribution drills. I asked what was being done to prepare in case there was no effective vaccine, and what was being done to educate citizens about the need for family preparedness. He said that they were “following the lead of the public health department”, and that they [the health department folks] weren’t sounding the alarm yet.
He also asserted his belief that the main risk of bird flu entering the country is in Alaska and British Columbia becuase of the migratory bird routes. I suggested that the risk was much more likely from the “silver birds” coming from areas of the world where people live in close contact with domestic birds, and where there are active bird-to-human (and possibly H-2-H) cases. He said that the “checks the news” every morning when he gets to work to assess risks. Swell. The Beaverton community preparedness department is relying on CNN to assess threats.
Has anyone had any luck in talking with local officials anywhere in Oregon about stepping up public education on pandemic planning?
AlohaOR Was this CERT connected with Tualatin Valley Fire & Rescue? If I were still in the Fire Marshals Office, I certainly would be pushing to put on classes for this, along with earthquake safety that they did when I was there.
Gary Near Death Valley — The person with whom I spoke is not directly connected with TVF&R, but works in conjunction with them. He teaches CERT classes. I have heard that the Lake Oswego fire department offered a community seminar on bird flu, but haven’t seen anything similar through TVF&R . The closest they come is their “Take Five to Survive” message, which is also offered by the City of Beaverton:
TAKE 5 TO PREPARE
If you find it difficult to set aside time to prepare for emergencies, you’re not alone. Public surveys list “lack of time” as the primary reason people cite for not taking steps to prepare themselves and their families for a major emergency.
Rather than viewing emergency preparedness as an insurmountable task, consider what you could accomplish in just 5 minutes. Below is a list of recommendations from our Take 5 to Survive project list. (…)
5 MINUTE PROJECTS
That’s it.
Well seems basically the same most areas, and it is rare for a gov agency or emergency service to come out and say much beyond the short scope type things. Although I did attend a meeting (gee 12 of us were there) 35 miles out in the desert at a place called Tecopa, CA (do a search to see somepictures there), and the meeting was put on by the Inyo County Health Officer. Basically he is saying the same thing that we are saying on fluwikie (not if but when), and it will be BAD, and so bad that he told us there that not to expect much in the way of food deliverys, gasoline, trucking, and even the possibility that electricity will be affected with lack of proper employees. The meeting was on the bird flu, how it will come most likely, and some of the problems that are expected. He will be putting on another class down the road, on actually prepping for home use and I plan to attend that one also. I am about as prepped as a person can be, will be able to SIP, for at least 2 years, but I still go to any meeting that is put on. Unfortuneately Nye County, (Pahrump, NV) where I live, is about 30 years behind even in fire service management, and nothing will be done out here at all. I was hoping that TVF&R would at least begin to do something. I had emailed the office a number of months back (admin office) to do something etc, but sounds like same-o, same-0 and rare for TPTB to do much.
Husband went to pandemic conference at convention center. sorry we missed your post but we moved last week and then were out of town for the last 2 weeks. just getting back to fluwikie. Husband will be attending a medical confernece in new oreleans and something in DC in Oct both will cover Avian Flu. He will also give a talk at Oregon ACEP in Bend in Jan or Feb. He has been studing influenza for the past 2 years and is the guy who saw the link between probenicid and tamiflu. Now if we can just convince our new neighbors….