When people start coming to us, what can we do to help?
This is definitely something we should brainstorm, so I'll start the ball rolling.
First, people will be in various stages of shock, panic and/or apathy. So, be prepared to effectively deal with it. It starts with you first. Make sure you are mental, physically, mentally prepared so you can help others. Then creature comforts will be very effective in starting them on the path of recovery...food, water, treating minor wounds, a kind word, calmness, hygiene.
On mass feeding, one thing I'm doing is making charity packs to give out to people. It consists of ziploc bags with rice, boullion cube (two if a larger bag), and some freeze dried vegetables. Kind of like a homemade cup of noodles. Just add hot water and it's a meal. It's not much but it is warm, filling, and cheap, thus I can feed more people.
Stock up on rubbing alcohol, hydrogen peroxide, Betadine...cheap infection cleaners to treat scrapes and scratches and wounds, as well as band-aids and gauze.
A way to heat water that would be located away from your house but there to be used by the community and passer-bys (safer would be to do it at a church so people won't be attracted to your personal location, never let strangers into your house for no reason). Perhaps a dutch oven on a tripod over a campfire. This is how they can get hot water to fix the rice packets.
Know how to build an outhouse and place it well away from your house and downwind. People will have to go to the bathroom. It's rough, but better than nothing. It will make hygiene more manageable, otherwise when nature calls, they could be going all around your area. Without proper disposition, it will attract flies and animals that will spread disease. You will need to stock a lot of wood ash or lyme or some other disease/odor control. Sawdust absorbs odor, but you'd need to pre-stock it, keep it dry, etc.
We need to be prepared to manage our local areas, not only for the purpose of helping people, but to also control our own environment because we will not be able to control mass migrations. If people are helped they will be less desperate to steal or get violent. Not a 100% guarantee, but better than nothing.
More than this would probably go way beyond most people's ability and resources, but this is reasonably doable. After six months, many will die or move on so you'd be looking at needing about a six-month supply.
What else could we do that is economical and/or otherwise feasible to help people?
Comments
Get a copy, either via the 'Net, or a hard copy of the USGS map for your area. Look for things like buried gasoline pipelines.They usally follow along side a rail line, but not always.
Keep them for futher reference, should you one day have to borrow some fuel. (But learn how to do it safley)
Some links about CERT:
http://www.citizencorps.gov/cert/
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Community_Emergency_Response_Team
http://www.fema.gov/news/newsrelease.fema?id=9646
Cheryl, I've been taking a closer look at the links you provided here, there is some good information here. We dont have a local CERT team here, but I've discovered some good training material links and videos in the actual CERT site.
http://www.citizencorps.gov/cert/training_mat.shtm
http://www.citizencorps.gov/cert/videos/
The biggest concern I have ever had about the FEMA programs was what may be in the small print about how people may become "activated" in times of national, or regional emergencies. I knew someone who did progressions back in the 90's. Dozens of people we knew locally joined in these progressions. Essentially every nurse in these group found that they had been drafted by the government and deployed into disaster areas during the times of earth changes. I remember one woman found herself in Alaska. She had been separated from her family and was very unhappy about the situation.
I feel that each of us has worked out a plan with our spiritual family, guides and counsel before we were born, about how we are going to navigate these earth changers event. I find that if someone feels led from within to take a certain action, I want to encourage them to trust that inner wisdom. We all have unique plans.
I love this CERT training, but I think people may want to weigh in on how they may be activated when the disasters start overwhelming the Madrid area, the West Coast, and so on, and make sure you're okay with being sent into these places. I'm not saying saying this will happen, but I am saying it could happen.
I'm gonna try to take advantage of what is offered online at CERT and self-educate with the learning materials there. Thanks Skye and Cheryl for posting this information.
The safest location is subject to sinkholes, flooding, high winds, earthquakes, incoming bolides, and firestorms, not to mention refugee migration. Safer locations are away from volcanoes, coastlines, and large bodies of water. I think "safer location" is better than "safe location," because "safe location" gives one the false impression they will be safe there. They won't. They might be safer, but with everything else going on that will be relative.
I would opt for multiple caches, spread out because of the above reasons. I would also be ready to go at a moment's notice if you have to run. So both should be considered and planned for.
And, yes, duct tape and WD40 are two tools that should be in your bag. If it moves and shouldn't, use duct tape. If it should move and it doesn't, use WD40.
Crackers is a good idea but would be subject to breakage, so think about that. It might be a situation where the packets are being handed out to many people at once, thrown perhaps, or handled roughly. Maybe have crackers separate and if the situation works, hand them out?
Coffee, definitely. There's going to be strong withdrawals going on. If the weather warrants, and the cost isn't prohibitive, maybe hot chocolate too. Those little packets of Swiss Miss only need hot water.
Cigarettes. I don't smoke but I know smokers and they start going absolutely frantic without them. Another addiction and withdrawal to consider.
I would also have the three C's available for barter too: coffee, cigarettes, and chocolate.
Jim Rawles' book "Patriots" is a fictional look at a societal meltdown and is worth the read because it is survival information dressed as fiction. His scenario is an economic meltdown so you would have to factor in earth changes on top of everything he addresses, but it is a good basic look at society disintegrating and how people can act and how people can respond. Available at http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0452295831?ie=UTF8&tag=surviva.... Another good one from Jim is "How To Survive TEOTWAWKI at http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/156975599X?ie=UTF8&tag=surviva....
And, be sure to check out his entire amazing bookshelf at http://www.survivalblog.com/bookshelf.html.
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