Tag Archives: hurricanes
AND MAN SHALL FALL! West Nile cases rising; 66 dead
(CNN) — Sixty-six people have died from West Nile virus infections this year, and the number of human cases has grown to 1,590, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said Wednesday.
That’s the highest case count through the last week of August since the virus was first detected in the United States in 1999.
Nearly half of all the infections have occurred in Texas, where officials said later Wednesday that 894 cases have been reported along with 34 deaths.
“Those numbers are going to go up,” said Dr. David Lakey, commissioner for the Texas Department of State Health Services.
Lakey said it looks like 2012 will be the worst year so far when it comes to West Nile virus cases. In 2003, Texas reported 40 deaths because of the virus, and health officials believe they will surpass that number this year.
All lower 48 states are now reporting West Nile activity, and 43 states have reported at least one person infected with the virus.
More than 70% of all West Nile virus cases in the United States are found in six states: Texas, South Dakota, Mississippi, Oklahoma, Louisiana and Michigan, according to the CDC.
While the CDC said these are the highest number of cases reported by the last week in August since the disease was first recorded in 1999, it’s not the highest number the country has seen. In 2003, the United States had 9,862 reported cases of West Nile virus, and in 2002 there were more than 4,100 cases and 284 fatalities.
In more than half the current nationwide cases, West Nile has led to neuroinvasive disease — serious illnesses like meningitis, encephalitis or virus-associated paralysis. About 10% of these cases can be fatal, according to the CDC, and a high proportion of those who survive can be left with longstanding neurological problems.
Older people are more vulnerable to severe illness from West Nile. So far, the median age among those with neuroinvasive disease this year is 58. In Texas, nearly two-thirds of all cases are in people older than 50.
Health officials do not yet know why there are more cases this year than in recent years.
Based on previous experiences with floods and hurricanes, health officials do not believe Hurricane Isaac will have a major impact on this year’s outbreak.
Mosquitoes that spread the virus breed in small nutrient-rich pools of water, such as the water found in old tires, so a large rainfall event or flooding usually washes out those small pools and eliminates breeding sites, said Dr. Lyle Petersen, who heads the CDC’s Division of Vector-Borne Infections.
But after the water recedes, there’s always the possibility that new small pools of water will form.
Petersen urged the public to take proper precautions to prevent getting sick regardless of whether they live in a state with high or low case counts.
To reduce your risk of exposure to mosquitoes and to prevent their breeding sites:
— Drain all standing water from flower pots, old tires, clogged rain gutters, etc., where mosquitoes breed.
— Use an insect repellant that contains DEET, picaridin or oil of lemon eucalyptus.
— Also wear long sleeves and long pants to protect your skin when you’re outside.
— Stay indoors at dusk and dawn because that’s when mosquitoes are most active.
‘Zombie apocalypse’ trending as bad news spreads quickly
The term “zombie apocalypse” has been lighting up the internet all week and has been among the top Google trends Friday morning.
On the Web’s Urban Dictionary, here’s definition No. 4 of zombie apocalypse: “The End of the World, when people who have died rise again in rotten corpses searching for blood and brains to strengthen them.”
While we’re certain the dead are not rising, the past week has seen some of the most disturbing instances of human behavior imaginable.
A man in Miami happens upon a homeless man on the sidewalk and chews off 75% of his face in an 18-minute attack. The attacker’s mother later says her son is not a zombie as portrayed in the media.
Authorities in Canada have launched a massive manhunt for a suspect after a severed hand was sent to Canada’s Liberal Party, a foot to the Conservatives and a torso was stuffed in a suitcase and tossed in the trash of the Montreal apartment building where he lived.
A Maryland man admits to killing his housemate, cutting him up, then eating his heart and part of his brain.
A New Jersey man rips his torso open and throws bits of his intestines at police,according to the Bergen Record.
There have been other equally grisly crimes, but there’s no need to dwell on them.
Fact is, horrible crimes happen all the time.
“This is all nothing new,” said Scott Talan, professor of public communication at American University, with a long work history in public relations and the media.
Bad news attracts attention, he said, and when it happens in bunches, people like to attach a name to it, hence, “zombie apocalypse.”
People also like to see others in bigger trouble than they have themselves, Talan said.
“No matter how your life’s going, someone’s got it worse,” he said.
We like to think, “I’m better off than these people,” he said.
And that’s nothing new, Talan said, pointing out that ancient Roman philosophers used to lament that citizens felt little for the gladiators and what happened in their gruesome contests.
But he said while these stories catch fire quickly in our wired world, they flame out quickly, too.
Unless there’s another gruesome crime today, expect the zombie apocalypse to be done by next week, he said.
Even if that’s the case, there may be some good that can come of the attention zombie apocalypse has drawn on the Web.
A year ago, when zombie movies were the rage, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said if it could convince the public to prepare for the zombie apocalypse, maybe they’d be better prepared for disasters more likely to affect their lives, like earthquakes, hurricanes and tornadoes, or a major pandemic.
Or maybe the Mayan apocalypse. Talan points out that it isn’t real, it’s just a name like zombie apocalypse.
But then again, that isn’t supposed to happen until December. There’s still time for that go viral again.
Zombie Survival Kit and Preps
Emergency Survival Kit
An emergency survival kit is a collection of supplies which have been prepared to aid in the survival of a disaster or emergency situation such as hurricanes, earthquakes, and other natural disasters. A good emergency survival kit contains tools to provide the basic survival necessities such as shelter, food, water, and first aid. It this case we want to prepare a kit specialized for a zombie encounter.
There a few types of survival kits; stashes, mini-kits and bug-out kit. A stash is a large collection of horded food and supplies usually set up for long term use under siege situations. Mini kits hold basic supplies and are designed to fit in small places such as a motor vehicle. Bug-out kits are portable survival kits also known as “Personal Emergency Relocation Kits”; these are used for quick escape and survival for a few days. Bug-out kits usually also contain tools that aid in gathering resources for more prolonged times after limited supplies run out.
Before creating an emergency zombie survival kit or kits you must ask yourself a few questions: What type of kit should I make? How many people will I be providing for? Where should I keep my kit? How much food and water do need? Where would I go under extreme conditions? ECT… Look at your surroundings. If a zombie outbreak were to happen right now are you in a safe location. This is a great deciding factor for preparing your kit. Think of any situation that could happen and consider preparation for the most probable dangers. What will you need in your kit? Every situation is different for everyone and kits can be modified for specific purposes.
Location matters, it might be smart to keep smaller emergency survival kits in your car or at work. Also you might want to keep different styles of kits depending on your location, for example: If you live in the mountains away from large populations in a fairly zombie proof home you might consider keeping a long term stash. On the other hand if you live in an inner city location in a not so zombie proof home you might want to rely more on a light bug-out kit to get you to a safer location.
Basic Tools and Supplies
Before specializing in any type of zombie survival kit for emergency situations it is important to know what items are needed for basic survival. To set up a good survival kit foundation you should know what the most fundamental items needed in almost all disaster situations are. There is a list from the homeland security website;
Recommended Items to Include in a Basic Emergency Supply Kits:
-Water, one gallon of water per person per day for at least three days, for drinking and sanitation
-Food, at least a three-day supply of non-perishable food
-Battery-powered or hand crank radio and a NOAA Weather Radio with tone alert and extra batteries for both
-Flashlight and extra batteries
-First aid kit
-Whistle to signal for help
-Dust mask, to help filter contaminated air and plastic sheeting and duct tape to shelter-in-place
-Moist towelettes, garbage bags and plastic ties for personal sanitation
-Wrench or pliers to turn off utilities
-Can opener for food (if kit contains canned food)
-Local maps
Additional Items to Consider Adding to an Emergency Supply Kit:
-Prescription medications and glasses
-Infant formula and diapers
-Pet food and extra water for your pet
-Important family documents such as copies of insurance policies, identification and bank account records in a waterproof, portable container
-Cash or traveler’s checks and change
-Emergency reference material such as a first aid book survival manuals
-Sleeping bag or warm blanket for each person. Consider additional bedding if you live in a cold-weather climate.
-Complete change of clothing including a long sleeved shirt, long pants and sturdy shoes. Consider additional clothing if you live in a cold-weather climate.
-Household chlorine bleach and medicine dropper – When diluted nine parts water to one part bleach, bleach can be used as a disinfectant. Or in an emergency, you can use it to treat water by using 16 drops of regular household liquid bleach per gallon of water. Do not use scented, color safe or bleaches with added cleaners.
-Fire Extinguisher
-Matches in a waterproof container
-Feminine supplies and personal hygiene items
-Mess kits, paper cups, plates and plastic utensils, paper towels-Paper and pencil
-Books, games, puzzles or other activities for children
These items are great for a basic kit. Creating an emergency survival with these supplies would be great for smaller S 1 or maybe even S 2 zombie emergencies. These are usually caused by a low grade zombie and everything is usually controlled and back to normal after a few days. Just board up your windows and doors and wait it out.
In larger zombie outbreaks or outbreaks caused by higher grade zombies, the situation gets dramatically worse. It is unlikely that a small survival kit is enough to handle a large zombie up rising. A larger stash would allow you to last quite a bit longer check out the under siege section for more details. Most likely unless you have a self sustaining fortress you will need to Transport to a safer location.
Zombie Survival Kit
Unlike most disasters the biggest difference is that in almost any zombie emergency situation some degree of combat is involved. In order to have the advantage in zombie combat, it is important to have some kind of weapon in your emergency zombie survival kit. As stated before every situation is different and additions to the basic kit should follow the specific situation.
Bug out kits should be kept light considering that some of the time on foot might involve running away from hordes of zombies. If additional clothes are in the kit they should be tight fitting and hair should be short or tied down to prevent being snagged by undead fingernails.
Do research on different types of items and see what is best for your particular situation. Try to get items that are useful in more that one situation. For example an axe is great for chopping wood but it is also good at chopping zombie flesh. A crowbar is a good weapon but can also be used to pull out nails or “jimmy” doors, or even aid in climbing.