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  • Neighborhood Strategy

    "The best defense is a good offense?.

    The offense would be, in this case, social responsibility.<?xml:namespace prefix = o ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office" /><o:p></o:p>
    <o:p></o:p>
    By protecting our society we are protecting ourselves. It is time for all of us to step out of our protective shells. I have, for months, given out my real name to many in the quest of helping to lessen morbidity and mortality in a potential pandemic. Dr. Thornton (Christian Rivers) has too. Many of us are now known. We must be real life examples to those here on this site and to those around us in our personal lives. We must reach out in our neighborhoods and communities as known entities, as experts in the H5N1 discussion, as mothers and fathers, as concerned citizens. <o:p></o:p>
    <o:p></o:p>
    First, organize your neighborhood. Give out your name. Distribute materials from this site. Put your reputation ?on the line?. The fastest way to organize your neighborhood is to start or participate in a neighborhood watch program. These are sponsored by the local police and can be set up very quickly. You will get to know the ?cops on your beat?. Have the first meeting at your home, or schedule a meeting if there is already a neighborhood watch in existence. This will provide a quick framework for a neighborhood organization. You can use this group to make a presentation about H5N1. This will also serve to organize neighborhood preparations and a distribution network. Of course, this will also provide a security zone, if needed.<o:p></o:p>
    <o:p></o:p>
    Second, go to your local emergency management official. Give them your name and phone number. Give them a deadline for contacting you. Find out what they are doing to ensure adequate water and food deliveries to the area if a pandemic occurs. Do not take no for an answer. With your real name and phone number they will not be able to ignore you for long.<o:p></o:p>
    <o:p></o:p>
    Third, contact neighborhood watch groups that are close to you. Help them get organized. Make an informal agreement to cooperate on preparations and distributions. Establish and distribute a list of duties and those responsible for each. <o:p></o:p>
    <o:p></o:p>
    Only by cooperating with each other, by establishing a strong community, can we overcome this threat. Throughout history humans have cohabited to survive. It is our nature. It is our past. It is our future.<o:p></o:p>
    <o:p></o:p>
    <?xml:namespace prefix = st1 ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags" /><st1:City><st1:place>Sharon Sanders</st1:place></st1:City><o:p></o:p>

  • #2
    Re: Psychosocial aspects of pandemic flu and building resiliency

    There is a way to "prep for the neighborhood". Its the rice and beans method.

    4 parts rice, one part beans. Mix together, then pour into container. Used soada bottles work really well (clean and DRY before use, of course!) In the nexk of the soda bottle, you should be able to shove down one or two bouillion cubes, still in their little wrappers. Add a couple of 2 liter bottle of water, and theres a meal for several- makes about 5-6 cups of food. The bouillon adds salt and flavor. Oh, and make sure you use small beans, like adzukis or lentils or split peas, that cook in about 20 mins, and dont need presoaking. Use plastic bags if you dont have the leftover soda bottles or someone to save them for you.

    Oatmeal is cheap and stores well also, in the same type of setup. Wanna make it easy? Mix the quick oatmeal with some sugar, and powdered milk, spices if you like. Voila! instant oatmeal. I have the stuff to do it, but wont mix it up until the time is right- figure it will keep better unmixed, in case its a couple of years...easier to rotate it out if its unmixed. Put 3/4 cup of the mix in clean, dry yogurt cups (the type with snap lids) and hot water is all that you need to add.

    Use the same yougurt cup idea with bouillion cube, about 1/4 cup dried veggie of choice, and some small noodles. Add a tbs of texturized veggie protein to get fancy. or mix it all up, and put in small plastic bags before giving it out. again, I wouldnt mix until needed.

    You can feed a lot of people with 50 lbs of wheat, and 5 lbs sugar, and some dried milk. Cheap and easy, too.

    Some stores sell bouillion in bulk, thats a great way to stretch lots of thing. Soup can stretch almost anything, too. A pound of pasta goes pretty far when made into soup. chicken soup base or bouilion, canned chicken, and pasta-great giveaways.

    Think of some soups as "Rice toppers" cheap canned soup, made thick, with a can or some dried veggies, maybe some canned meat added- you can take a quart of that, and put on top of rice and feed darn near the neighborhood.
    TVP is a good addition.

    my "last minute list" has a lot of this stuff on it- for not much money, I can help a lot of people....
    Upon this gifted age, in its dark hour,
    Rains from the sky a meteoric shower
    Of facts....They lie unquestioned, uncombined.
    Wisdom enough to leech us of our ill
    Is daily spun, but there exists no loom
    To weave it into fabric..
    Edna St. Vincent Millay "Huntsman, What Quarry"
    All my posts to this forum are for fair use and educational purposes only.

    Comment


    • #3
      Re: Psychosocial aspects of pandemic flu and building resiliency

      We are moving in the right direction.
      I fully agree with the plan posted by Florida1 that the best defense is a good offense. Goju, for all your angst you are making great progress to be in position to protect your family and your neighbors. ( I like the mass feeding idea. Food builds fellowship, community and coherent action.)

      Changing our own behavior is tough. Changing someone else's behavior is tougher. Remember the vast majority of people are just trying to make it to the end of the day. For those of us looking at tomorrow we have to meet them where they are. One of the functions of this forum is we have the opportunity to think through some of these issues so that when the time comes is is easier to select among the many competing options.
      Some additional specific steps in line with Florida1 outline.

      1. Prepare to your comfort level. Mine is to avoid the lines in the first rush (a couple of weeks).
      2. An structural avenue to the official responses is through the Citizens Corps
      (http://www.citizencorps.gov) or the Medical Reserve Corps (www.medicalreservecorps.gov).
      3. Obtain the credentials for participating in the emergency response by participating in the training offered by the Citizens Corps. eg CERT.
      4. Take basic training in NIMS (national Incident Management System).
      This can be done on-line through the FEMA web site. The specific course is called IS-700. It takes a few hours if it is new to you. You get a certificate.

      Remember - the real value in the above steps is not that you are trained specifically for panflu, nor does the Citizens Corps have the perfect plan. The reason is to become a contributing member to a team that can work together to solve very important problems as they occur in real time.

      The process outlined above is inherently frustrating but is a necessary part of developing credibility. Earn trust by listening to the group at it's current level of function and then as they see that you are committed and will be there, they are more likely to listen and respond to your suggestions.

      Please post any barriers that arise in the above course of action and we can figure a way to navigate through them.
      CR

      Comment


      • #4
        Re: Neighborhood Strategy

        How to deal with unwilling neighbours?
        One option might be to put planning to paper and wait for things to go pearshaped, then hand out the pamphlets. You don't have to do this alone, if there's only one family in the street that think likewise, you've already got yourself a team.
        It could be the moment WHO announce that limited H2H is happening and raises the alert to phase 4. On paper could be which supermarket is wiling to sell in bulk, where water can be found, how to protect yourself from infection, what to do if you suspect someone is infected etc. These are all things that can be done in advance to plan for a larger group.
        In the meantime, building community-spirit is the way to go. Like others have written above me, try to establish rapport between the neighbourhood and yourself, keep an eye out for talents amongst the people, connect with authorities and make yourself known as someone with the ability to think levelheaded. Do not however let anyone know you have a pantry filled to the brim while others have no food or water. That would make a dangerous situation for all parties involved.
        Where-ever possible, try to establish a feeling where people feel responsible for eachother. This could easily be implemented already by keeping an eye on elderly and infirm. Encouraging people to do shopping for the elderly, go over for a talk, organise perhaps a streetfest. Things as these make it easier for people to connect and they might remember they are actually a community instead of merely living in this street.
        It would be part of the deal to see who are able bodied men and women and who would be better in organising. The emphasis should not be on arming yourself to the teeth but pulling the load together. This might require physically fit men and women to can stand their ground and have selfcontrol.
        Try to find out who's been in the militairy, who has been with the scouts, who loves fishing, which people know about entertaining etc. Imagine being quarantined for some time. Besides privacy it would make good sense to realise people need uplifting of spirits as well. It might be an idea to have schoolmaterial at hand to children could still receive education while quarantined. If normal life could continue to a degree it will reduce PTSD a great deal, both for children and for parents. A structured schedule will benefit the entire community.

        Comment


        • #5
          One Coastal Community May Develop a Template for Others

          It's just in its infancy, but may pick up speed quickly. I have already published an article on Dr. W. Douglas Skelton, the Director of Public Health for the 8-county coastal Georgia district, who carried a very dog-eared copy of Barry's The Great Influenza around with him wherever he goes:



          On Friday, Oct. 13, the CDC's Dr. M. Blake Caldwell ( MD, MPH) gave a presentation to the Skidaway Community Institute entitled " Planning for a Severe Influenza Pandemic: Implications for the Community."

          This was a kind of kick-off meeting to galvanize community leaders to put together a pandemic planning model for use in other coastal communities in our district. So far this is looking very promising. Our island community has an estimated 10,000 people, so it's important that we do actually accomplish what we're setting out to do.
          Absence of evidence is not evidence of absence

          Comment


          • #6
            Re: Neighborhood Strategy

            BUMP

            After we've taken care of our family and friends and our immediate needs, we'll need to consider assisting our neighborhoods. That is, if they'll let us. At least that's my personal plan.

            I've often thought, "What would be the best strategy?". I've attached an excellent document which gives extremely practical guidance in the aftermath. The biggest issue that I can see is that we won't have enough personal protective equipment (PPE), and visiting other neighbors will always pose a threat to first responders. The second is that we may become targets of angry mobs due to our level of preparedness.

            Ultimately, all of our preparedness will fail. No one can store enough food, water, and other supplies. We need each other to not only survive, but to prosper. We'll have to risk helping each other at some point. This manual describes most of the major problems along with some simple solutions to help our neighbors make it.

            You might consider finding like minded people in your neighborhood, and think of their skill sets. Some people have medical, educational, or counseling training. Some people are simply well liked and hence have more influence. Almost everyone in our neighborhoods can help us recreate our community after the dark days of the pandemic. Perhaps we can make it better than it is today?


            LEWISTON - NEZ PERCE COUNTY OFFICE OF
            EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT
            P.O. BOX 896 NEZ PERCE COUNTY COURTHOUSE LEWISTON, IDAHO 83501 (208) 799-3084
            June 12, 2008
            The duration of traditional disasters (fire, flood, tornado, etc.) is typically 3 days and is
            managed using local resources and assistance from unaffected areas. In contrast, an
            ‘event of national significance,’ such as severe pandemic flu, has the potential to be both
            long-lasting and may affect the entire country. Locally available resources will run out over
            time, and outside assistance may be unavailable. In this environment, maintaining civil
            order emerges as a challenge. Where a prolonged and dire emergency undermines
            essential services and puts lives in jeopardy, the right tools, resources, strategies and
            personnel must be deployed to address human needs and to shift the societal condition
            towards stability.
            The “Neighborhood Emergency Teams” (NET) guidebook which follows is one tool for your
            consideration. We think of it as an essential fallback resource in the hierarchy of plans.
            Most jurisdictions have an “Emergency Operations Plan.” Some jurisdictions have
            departmental contingency plans to continue operations when business is disrupted for an
            extended period. The NET guidebook is a backup to contingency plans.
            As designed, the booklet is used after a disaster declaration, by paired teams (city/county
            employee and a volunteer) who visit residents in a pre-designated area to address basic
            needs. This is public safety directly at the individual, family and neighborhood level. The
            NET guidebook is an all-hazards document, for use as needed in an event of national
            significance.
            The NET guidebook can also be used pre-disaster both to help families prepare and to build
            community resilience. This is an excellent opportunity for emergency management to
            partner with other agencies, such as public health, for pre-pandemic community outreach.
            Candidate volunteers may be from Community Emergency Response Teams (CERT) and
            Medical Reserve Corps (MRC).
            This manual is free for non-commercial use (Creative Commons license attached).
            We encourage you to reproduce and modify this booklet for your jurisdiction. If
            you would like a MS Word version, please email request to NCPA@co.nezperce.id.us
            Melvin Johnson,
            Attached Files

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