A Fine Mess

   As Oliver Hardy used to say to Stanley, "This is another fine mess you've gotten us into." And just like Stanley, it wasn't Japans fault they are in the horrible situation they are in. Earthquakes happen without warning. What is most unfortunate is there are 56 nuclear power plants on this tiny stretch of land. The second one just exploded yesterday with other plants showing signs of doing the same. Add to that, a volcano blows its top on a nearby island. Now I just read where a third plant just blew due to over heating. Good lord, what's next, locusts?
  All these events bring me to ask, are you prepared? Are you prepared for flood, fire, earthquake, or severe weather? How about an economic collapse or a highly contagious disease? These things happen suddenly and you have no time to get your stuff together at the last minute and head for the hills or wherever. Have a well thought out plan and leave it open to modify as you wish.
   Here are some tips as to what I've done. Start at home, stockpiling canned goods and jugs of water, flashlight, and portable radio with spare batteries. Buy a couple of folding multi-tools. I liked my Leatherman so much I bought one for Christy as well. Small first-aid kits and extra medication if your on it as well as extra soap and toiletries. Plenty of pet food, don't forget your furry friends! I bought a portable generator years ago and, though rarely used, it gives me a sense of security knowing I can have electricity in the event of a loss of power. Always keep at least 10 gallons of gas in your garage or stored somewhere. I use mine for the snow blower but always try to keep them topped off. Lots of blankets and lots of candles.
    Next is your car. You can throw together a little box of things that won't take up much room in your trunk but could be really helpful in the advent of your finding yourself in a compromising situation. A plastic tarp, a blanket, large bottle of water, first aid kit, your tools, and some snacks like energy bars and jerky which have a long shelf life.
   I don't mean to come off as sounding all paranoid, I'm just saying its easy to do these things and it could really could make a difference if you find yourself in a bad way. We are also working on our "to go boxes". These are Rubber Maid plastic totes, kinda like half a garbage can with a snap on lid. In these we will stash food , first aid , water, and all the other stuff so if we have to leave in a hurry we can throw these in the truck and go to wherever.
   The other day, after the first nuclear explosion, a friend said, "Oh, that radiation will never get here, we're to far away." I'll tell you this, several years ago there was a light yellowish tinge to the sky. At first I thought it was smoke from a forest fire but I couldn't smell smoke. It turned out what was overhead was dust from a wind storm in Africa and these little particles had traveled around the world. Japan is not all that far away in the grand scope of things . BE PREPARED!!  

Bob (the boy scout who never was one), cub scout for a half a year