Pandemic Now

Survivor's Guide 

Surviving the coming Pandemic 

2008 -2012 A.D.

"not if, but when" c. Medclinician 2006-2012

Dedicated to my son Skye and his mother Bluebird

                                                                                                                                      William Ross Wallace 1865

 INTRODUCTION

>> PANDEMIC SURVIVOR’S GUIDE <<

H.G. Wells was a rather famous science fiction writer and wrote such memorable titles as War of the Worlds, The Invisible Man, and The Time Machine. In a closing scene, in the movie version of the Time Machine, after telling of his incredible adventures in the future, he returns to his machine deciding to voyage one last time into the future. Filby, his life long friend returns, but in one movie version you see the flicker of lights and hum of the device, and his friend is gone. . The housekeeper, Mrs. Watchett notes that he took three books with him. Filby asks her which books she thought he might have taken. Perhaps as you journey into the future of a coming Pandemic, this book will be one you choose to take with you.

The network, the media, and even some bookstores have volumes of information on preparing for the coming Pandemic. Actually there may be three waves, or Pandemics. And in the midst of these may be war and economic chaos. In addition to the primary strain which may sweep like a fire across a hot dry fired [citation-Suzanne Vega]  It is  likely to be accompanied by multiple serious disease epidemics such as Cholera, Typhoid, and other opportunistic infections that thrive when there is poor sanitation and a lot of unburied bodies.

This book was not written to be read cover to cover as a novel, although it can be.  For one, there is nothing in it that is fiction. The closest things to fiction are extrapolations of events and the reactions to those events by the behavior of the world population in response to a pandemic.  It is divided into sections which can be read in whatever order you wish , depending what you may find interesting or useful.

The book begins with history, background and medical and disease information. Some may choose to skip this section entirely. One might find yourself petty bored sitting in place, waiting for the sequence of events to play themselves out. One might be curious how it all came to be. Over thousands of years, a Pandemic  which could threaten the existence of the human race. 

Many will die while some will survive the First Wave of infection.  Sixty percent or more is the actual number given by WHO as the official fatality rate for those who catch Avian Flu. Since we have seen it above 80% in Indonesia, there is chilling possibility it may prove far more deadly than the Plague or Black Death of the middle ages where only about 1/3 of the population died.

Some of those who make it through will be the survival of the fittest. They will have natural immunity, or catch it, fight it off, and develop immunity. As per the numbers given above, the odds are not in our favor. And since we really don’t have an effective vaccine, and even if we did, we do not even have it in the quantities to protect our infrastructure (those who run and protect our country) it is a moot point. If we had the formula the day the outbreak started in mostly likely China, India, Indonesia, or Hong Kong, we may never have the people or factories to make it or the gasoline to put in the vehicles to get it to the people.

So a book on surviving must take into account a few harsh realities. These are fiercely debated but plainly stated on the Internet.

1)      The government may declare a disaster and quickly move from a democracy to a police state where the militia is really combat troops and laws are quickly changed to shred the veil of protection we have against such things. Weapons may be confiscated. Families may be pulled apart and individuals may be put a gun point under mandatory concentration camp like quarantine sites. When asked to surrender weapons people may refuse and fire them. When asked to go quietly into the jaws of death of a quarantine camp, many, as happened in Vietnam, nurses as well, go running down the road in a hail of bullets.

2)      People are not going to react as most of us predict they will. I am working with psychologists and health professionals as I write this book, to determine what the average American will do when faced with a Pandemic. Imagine a PMS population for 6-18 months and there will not be a lot of happy happy joy joy persons around. Many will be armed. Many will be crazy. They will be hungry, afraid, desperate, paranoid, and most will lose trust in the any type of federal authority. No matter what words are given in reassurance or patronizing speeches by radio or by leaders, people are going to freak. I saw this in the large earthquake at the end of the 20^th century. Some people were just quiet and numb and scared, and some where hyper and getting into fights, and some were smashing glass and stealing things. By one executive order [citation] or law it is illegal to stockpile or hoard food. In the event of a disaster your food will be taken from you and distributed to others who did not prepare. You won’t have Prep rights. There are no such laws.  Not only will friends and relatives be trying to take your supplies, the government may just walk in and take them without even considering if you will have enough to survive.

3)      Real solutions and a pragmatic approach to dealing with the 3 waves of Pandemics, which are very very likely, require real facts. The massive amount of information on the Internet, on sites, and in the media is not accurate. It is loaded with spin.  [citation]  When the first and lethal outbreak of Avian hits North America, the government already has in place a) a plan  b) propaganda and very specifically crafted data to put out there and c) the intent of flooding all information sources with what they want the people to believe, the truth will be swallowed alive.

4)      That is why it is absolutely essential that the data in this book be absolutely accurate. When we must extrapolate (guess) then we must do so with extreme caution and use the most grounded generated data which is the most likely to be true. People are not going to be happy. And after grumbling and mumbling at the government for decades it will considered, not matter what reasons are given, it was their fault. It will be resented to the highest outrage the fact that the survival of the Infrastructure is considered more important than the survival of the peoples lives. All plans exist to primarily ensure that the Infrastructure, the politicians, military, medical, and scientists are first on the list.

5)      Who is expendable? The old people and anyone who is going to use a lot of supplies, vaccine, and where one person surviving could result in the death of ten others from no food, medicine, or shelter. People will be left to die. In our report we are preparing, as part of the book and will be sent to the CDC, NIH, and the highest offices in the government, we will earnestly try to convey the necessity of a compromise between cold hearted triage and humanity.

So, with all that having been said, what do we need to give you in this book to help you survive?

Since this is not written for entertainment, nothing that is not useful in someway belongs in the book. Every page, beyond this introduction must be informative.

Then why a big history section and a lot of verbose details about disease and so forth. Because you need to understand, we need to fill in the blanks with a broad background on disease, health, and how we have got to where we are.

We have existed as humanoids for perhaps three million years. We could be wiped out as a species in three years and six billion people could die and humankind would be a memory.

Looking back through history, how many species have been terminated by nature or disaster?

[Major citation and insert]  Consider this.

For one we don’t even know how many species there are now. Even more so, we don’t know how many species have existed. But we can take a shot at how many have vanished in the last 500 years and even last 20 years. Human kind, however developed their brain and however vain they are concerning their superiority over all others, could be wiped out. The different between us and the dinosaurs when the earth was hit by a comet and perhaps the axis shifted and suddenly cold-blooded creatures where stomping through snow, is that we can anticipate the danger and try and prepare for something which might wipe out the human race. Animals have no concept of disease, except for the possible smell of something dead or disease. My dogs certainly don’t have any natural fear of dead things. One of them likes to roll in grotesque and disgusting things, a dead squirrel being one of them.

But we also have the higher brain function of choice to ignore our awareness of impending disaster. Currently 1% of America is concerned enough about the coming Pandemics to store food, medicine, or water.

How about psychologically? For the most part, many are challenged just getting through their everyday lives by conditions in the U.S. which are less than optimal. Death of a child, a loved one, dead bodies in the streets, violent angry types raping, pillaging, and burning, even torturing or killing family or groups could present a real problem for someone who never imagined the world of the Pandemic. A world in which all the comforts and safeties we have become addicted to are gone in several weeks.

So, in briefer terms the book includes, a section for prepping and also living during a pandemic. It includes information on Avian, diseases, First Aid, and more mundane things like digging a latrine or how waste and other sanitation problems can be dealt with.

What frequency will .gov be broadcasting on. If INet (a communication network built and designed by Medclinician Foundation is working) how can you log on? Will we end up like the movie “The Postman” where the mail system on horses has to be completely restarted?

How do you conduct a town meeting? How can you reach a consensus from a group to function in an alternate society, or system of communal living, until normal government is restored? What is meant by the SIP phase, the emergence phase, and the restoration phase?

What are the plusses and minuses of city dwelling versus country as per population density? Are you organized as far as keeping track of your food and supplies?

How about an MC survivor pack for men, women, or families? The dead will have to be handled and interred or stored using specific methods to limit the spread of the Pandemic. Clothes, articles, and bedding will need to be burned. Would it be best t keep the family unit together or should we live in large quarters, some for many men, some for many men.  Should every able bodied person be required to work to be part of the community or do something to contribute in some way? The Indians and some Amazonian tribes use  lodges for houses, and women handle child raising and traditional women roles. Can we accommodate gender benders in a basic tribal or communal unit or will they need to set up separate communities?

How do you secure an area, a city, a county, using natural boundaries and limited personnel? What do you do about the crazy people running around shooting each other, higher than high on crack and drugs and capable of the most grisly acts, now unchecked by no visible law enforcement or government protection?

Survival is not an art, it is a science. It is the prime motivator of the human species and it would be the focus in the event of a Pandemic. One can do nothing of value or worth, neither artistically, culturally, or spiritually in this world unless they and their family can survive.

This book was written by not one person, but by utilizing the combined resources, thinking, and contributions of hundreds of people. Those of us who care enough, want to help and give you something you can hold in your hands and utilize. Something  useful; all you need is a little sunshine by day and a candle by night to read and written in many parts where a 12 year old child could pick it up and use it, even if both his or parents had died from the disease, and work with the next generation, those who will endure and build the foundation for a society after the Great Pandemic is only a sad and distant memory.  A lot of questions have been brought up in this introduction. Now it is time to answer them.