How to Handle a Huge Hurricane

The Atlantic Ocean is a wonder of Creation...except when it is lifted from its usual seabed to surge and rage against the shore because a hurricane named Irene is throwing it around.Below are some links to websites that will help you cope with it, along with a few practical tips for how to survive it. (Note: Mike Smith of Meteorological Musings is always way ahead on these things.)
When the Religious Education Director from my local parish, St. Michael the Archangel in Poplar Springs, MD, spoke two days before Irene hit, she asked me asked if she should send out a blast email to the parish about how to handle Irene.
I said, "That would be good. Please post and send the following notification."
She sent this information and these links to 1400 families in our 4 counties in Mt. Airy, MD. I post in here in hopes it may help you as well.

Prepare spiritually and physically. Pray. Pray always, and if you don't, an earthquake and major hurricane within one weeks should make you begin. Here is how you may prepare physically.
Hurricane Irene updated strike path information and situation...
http://www.emergencyemail.org/newsemergency/anmviewer.asp?a=1352&z=1

MEMA Maryland
http://www.mema.state.md.us/MEMA/index.jsp

http://www.vuetoo.com/vue1/SituationPageNews.asp?sit=7565&ref=anm

http://www.accuweather.com/blogs/news/story/54158/hurricane-irenes-impacts-on-ea.asp

http://meteorologicalmusings.blogspot.com/

http://knol.google.com/k/bruce-curley/emergency-volunteer-mobilization-center/3clwy51bsigcu/8#

http://knol.google.com/k/bruce-curley/template-for-a-church-emergency/3clwy51bsigcu/9#

http://knol.google.com/k/copy-of-how-to-create-a-church-safety-plan

Hurricane Irene is forecast to impact the State of Maryland this weekend. Although there are still uncertainties in the final track of the storm, we urge all residents to begin to prepare now.  Please remember that this is a large and powerful storm and it will not need to pass directly over Carroll County to cause heavy rainfall and high winds.
You can receive up to date information on Hurricane Irene directly from the National Hurricane Center at http://www.nhc.noaa.gov and your local National Weather Service office at: http://www.erh.noaa.gov/phi/. Additional information can also be found at. 

https://www.facebook.com/notes/cecil-county-department-of-emergency-services/hurricane-irene/266632026697500.

Please consider the following items as you prepare for Hurricane Irene.Make sure your family, friends and other important phone numbers are available.

Know where your family, friends and neighbors are in case you need them or they need you.Have emergency supplies ready BEFORE the storm.
Check your emergency kit. Learn more about what to keep in your kit at http://www.ready.gov
Ensure that insurance information is current and stored in a safe location.

• Secure any outdoor items.
• Check and clear rain gutters and drains.
• Check the serviceability of sump pumps if your home has one.
• If you must leave your home, do not cross flooded roadways.
• Ensure that you are registered to receive emergency notifications from the Department of Emergency Services at http://www.ccdes.org

The National Weather Service has placed Montgomery County under a Tropical Storm Warning as a result of approaching Hurricane Irene.  The current forecast calls for Montgomery County to begin seeing wind and rain on Saturday with gusts around 30mph in early evening.  In the later evening and early Sunday morning hours, winds will continue to increase with gusts up to 50mph possible.  Rain at this time is forecast at only 1 to 3 inches, but Montgomery County is is on the edge of a tight gradient meaning any shift in the storm either west may change the rain amounts significantly. 
 
Below is important information you and your family can use to stay prepared before, during and after the storm.  You will also find important phone numbers for utilities if your service is disrupted at the bottom of this message.  Just a reminder; Use 911 for emergencies only.  For information about county services or to report trees down after the storm, call 311: 
Before a Storm 
• Put copies of important documents in a safe place, preferably a waterproof container. Important documents can include passports, birth certificates, insurance policies or anything else that might be needed immediately or cannot be easily replaced. 
• Have enough cash for a few days – ATM’s may not work during power outages and stores might not be able to take debit and credit cards. 
• Make sure vehicle gas tanks are full. 
• Secure or bring inside exterior items that might become windborne, such as lawn furniture, toys and garden tools. 
• Fill prescriptions that might be needed and stock up on any necessary medical supplies. 
• Keep flashlights and battery-powered radios with extra batteries on hand, along with a basic first aid kit, emergency food and water, and a non-electric can opener. Have enough non-perishable food and water for at least 72 hours. 
• Listen to the radio or television for hurricane progress reports. 
• Clean out gutters. 
• Turn the refrigerator and freezer to the coldest setting in anticipation of a power outage. Open the doors only when necessary and close quickly. 
• Refrain from putting out trash cans the night before the regular pickup. 
 
During a Storm 
• Avoid using candles for lighting. Use a battery-powered flashlight. 
• Never use a candle when fueling equipment such as a kerosene heater or lantern, since the candle flame can ignite fumes from the fuel. 
• Try to stay in an interior room or away from windows. 
• Stay calm and do not call 911 unless it is an emergency. 
• If flooding occurs, turn off electricity at the main breaker. 
• During a power outage, turn off major appliances. This will minimize losing power again through a power surge and protect the equipment when power returns. 
• Do not go outside. Flying debris from high winds is a danger. As the eye of the storm passes, there will be a short period of calm followed by rapid wind speed increases to hurricane force that will come from the opposite direction. 
After a Storm 
• Do not touch fallen or low-hanging wires of any kind under any circumstances. Stay away from puddles with wires in or near them. Do not touch trees or other objects in contact with power lines. 
•  Call police or your utility companies immediately to report hazards such as downed power lines, broken gas or water mains or overturned gas tanks. 
• Avoid areas subject to flooding, including low spots, canals and streams. Do not attempt to drive on a flooded road –you can be stranded or trapped. The depth of the water and the condition of the road is not always obvious. 
• Be especially cautious at night when it is harder to recognize flood dangers, downed wires and other hazards. 
• For downed trees on public property, call 3-1-1 (or 240-777-0311 from outside the County or from a cell phone) or go to http://www.montgomerycountymd.gov/311 at any time to report the problem. If live wires are involved, the tree is blocking a roadway, the tree is on a structure, or if persons are trapped under the fallen tree, call 9-1-1. 
• Trees that have fallen on private property are the responsibility of the property owner. The County’s Office of Consumer Protection advises homeowners to deal with established businesses only, and to call Consumer Protection first to check a business’ complaint record. Consumer Protection can be reached at 240-777-3636. 
• For non-emergency police assistance, call the police non-emergency number, 301-279-8000. 
• If case of a power outage, residents are urged to take steps to ensure that food left in the refrigerator and freezer is safe. According to the United States Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Food Safety and Inspection Service, meat, poultry, fish and eggs should be refrigerated at 40° F and frozen food at or below 0° F, which may be difficult with a prolonged power outage. Keep the refrigerator and freezer doors closed as much as possible to maintain the cold temperature. A refrigerator will only keep food safely cold for about four hours if it is unopened. Food such as meat, poultry, fish, eggs, milk, soft cheeses, butter and leftover cooked meats, casseroles and pizza should be thrown out if they have been held above 40° F for over two hours. A full freezer will hold the temperature for approximately 48 hours (24 hours if it is half full) if the door remains closed. To be sure a particular food is cold enough; take its temperature with a food thermometer. Never taste food to determine its safety. 
• Do not operate charcoal grills, propane camping stoves or generators indoors. 
All utility companies serving our county are monitoring weather conditions and positioning crews to respond in the event of outages.  When system wide-outages occur, restoration efforts begin with facilities that are essential for the protection of public health and safety such as hospitals, law enforcement and fire departments.  After that, the areas with the largest number of outages are restored. 
Important Utility Numbers: 
o Pepco: 1-877-737-2662 
o BG&E: 1-877-778-2222 or 1-800-685-0123 

o Potomac Edison (Allegheny Power): 1-800-255-3443 
o Washington Gas: 800-752-7520 
o WSSC: 1-800-828-4002

Sent by Montgomery County to Montgomery County Emergency Alert (E-mail accounts, Pagers, cell phones) through Alert Gaithersburg - Powered by the Roam Secure Alert Network
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- You received this message because you are registered on Alert Gaithersburg. Update your account or authenticate this alert by going to http://alert.gaithersburgmd.gov/myalertlog.php?s_alert_id=1918

- Tell others about Alert Gaithersburg! by forwarding this message to them and encouraging them go to http://alert.gaithersburgmd.gov to register for this free service.

Extra bonus tips for Earthquakes:
Do not call 911 for information about the earthquake, only to report an emergency. 
If you smell gas or suspect a gas leak: 
Leave the area immediately and go to a location where you no longer smell gas, and report the leak by calling 911 (If Fire Rescue is not already on the scene). 
In any event: Do Not:

• Light matches or smoke. Avoid use of all open flames. 
• Try to locate the source of the gas leak. 
• Use any electrical device, including cellular phone, I-pods etc. 
• Turn light switches On and Off. 
• Re-enter the building or return to the area until it has been declared safe to do so by Fire Rescue P

And when Irene is all over, enjoy those phenomenal sunsets that God gives us afterwards. Pour yourself a microbrew Hook and Ladder micro brewery, owned by volunteer fire fighters in Silver Spring, MD gives to burn units so why not try them?) sit a spell, take a deep breath, hold up your glass, and say, "Thank you God sparing me and my family...again!!!"

Using Social Media for when Disaster Strikes

When Disaster Strikes

Consider that feeling in your gut as you try to instant message, text or call your children to know if they are okay, or to notify them that you are okay...but none of your social media platforms work.

Is there a worse  feeling than being in a disaster and not being able to contact your loved ones?
As minutes pass and you cannot reach them, ideas that you would have never entertained just moments before start to enter your subconscious and rise to your conscious mind.

This is the case in a catastrophic disaster, such as an F5 tornado, when every necessity and comfort you normally enjoy is gone.

No food. No water. No electricity. No shelter. No transportation.

With power down, you cannot even use your cell phone to find out if your family or friends are safe or to notify them that you are safe.

The new reality is that everything you took for granted just hours before no longer exists. And it is anyone’s guess as to when everything will return to normal.

The purpose of this piece is to offer you strategies and tools to avoid being in that situation and to cope with it if it does happen to you and your loved ones.

I know because I have been there.

Let’s examine a brief history of this technology and capability.

Historical Evidence of Social Media Helping Cope with a Disaster

For all that is wrong with social media, the flip side is that it can be a life-saver and a comfort when you can use it to stay in touch with family members before and after a disaster.

One of the best examples of social media reconnecting families was after an E5 tornado struck  Joplin, Missouri on May 11, 2011. (For a complete discussion of this event, see https://poetslife.blogspot.com/2012/05/social-media-lessons-from-joplin.html.)

The F5 tornado spanned more than a mile wide tore through Joplin, MO, and killed over 120 people and leveled the the city. The mother and daughter team of Rebecca and Genevieve Williams immediately created a Facebook page to provide accurate information during the response to the disaster.
Using social media, they squelched rumors, answered questions, and directed people to help, including water, food, shelter, and tetanus shots. (See: https://www.facebook.com/joplintornadoinfo

As in the Joplin event, knowing how to post on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram to contact family members and friends is now essential. Answers to please like this, “...lookin for scott morris, chris miller, stormy miller, and chris elseworth. anyone that knows them from my joplin friends needs to help me find them“ were posted by thousands.
The answers to those pleas can be life savers.

Whereas in the past we relied on the authorities to update us on conditions, what to do, or the fate of survivors, now we can conduct Social media is particularly good at rapidly sending such pleas for help and locating family and friends via a wide audience.

Remember, to access social media in a disaster, out of area contacts are critical. When family members are unable to contact each other who are geographically close to each other they can often contact relatives far away. These relatives, because they have power, can oftentimes contact other family members.

The following warning from a Joplin tornado survivor applies to the aftermath of all disasters. “After recently going through ths, please be careful where you donate money. Unfortunately, there are many who are not honest and will take advantage of this tragedy.“

WARNING: Grifters, criminals, and quick buck artists know that social media donation solicitations are unregulated. Vet and be certain of anyone or organization that is raising money after any disaster before donating.

In contrast, multiple legitimate organizations will solicit over social media to raise relief funds and to organize volunteers. Here is one such example from Joplin. “You can sign up as a volunteer on United Way.”

Avoid the grifters and support the honest recovery caregivers on social media.

Connecting with Family after a Disaster

Let’s examine ways to connect with your family using social media during and after a disaster strikes.

Each individual and family is unique and so is their social media use. For disaster response and management, what is most important is not the social media platform you and your family choose, but that everyone know how to use it when they need to use it. Act now to ensure you have the social media platforms downloaded, used, tested and ready for the next disaster.

Instant messaging (Facebook Messenger, Google Hangouts, the one included with your cell phone) is particularly useful for immediate responses during and immediately after a disaster. Skype enables a group chat.At first LinkedIn may not appear to be that useful, but it is for unique disaster needs. 

For example, in many disasters mobility is at a stand still until trees, debris and objects are removed from the roadway. How does that? Skilled construction workers and tree removal experts. Where do you find them when you need them?Yes, you can use search engines, but LinkedIn may be the better choice to find one who is not overwhelmed, busy, or not the right one for you. LinkedIn will provide details on such critical service contacts.

When my house burned down, we had great difficulty finding a builder to do the job. And we were only one job. After a disaster, it is often hard to find contractors as they have already committed to other jobs. So using another nontraditional search engine such as LinkedIn can help identify and hire skilled professionals.

Always include a few contacts who are out of your area or state. In a disaster environment, your local lines my be jammed or not working, but you can often reach someone out of your area. Also, due to the strength of how they are built, cell towers for 911 will often work when all other lines do not.

Best Social Media Platforms for Disaster Communications

The best social media and apps for you to use during and after a disaster are the ones you currently use with your family. You know them well, and in the heightened stress of a disaster you do not need another thing to worry about.

Below are additional social media and Internet platforms options.

Apps: You may want to research other Apps that may be better for your needs. The best way is to enter a search term,  Emergency apps, preparedness, disasters“ in a Google Play or the App Store. You can then identify, download and test apps that may be best suited to you.

Browsers: Download and use less used browsers like Brave and Firefox. Like most people, you use Google, Bing, or Chrome but there are numerous social media platforms you can use for disaster communications. By downloading and using multiple social media platforms, you ensure you have more choices available during and after a disaster.

Blogs: Many blogs have excellent tips, procedures, and useful disaster advice. Blogger (Blogger Help )  and WordPress (https://wordpress.org/) are two of the better known platforms you can use. 

Do not overlook corporate (https://blog.constellation.com/disaster-preparedness/) or government blogs (https://www.usda.gov/media/blog/2018/04/10/when-disasters-hit-help-close-your-usda-service-center).

As weather impacts EVERYTHING and especially disasters, follow meteorologist Mike Smith’s science-based weather blog: http://www.mikesmithenterprisesblog.com/.

Search Engines: DuckDuckGo, DogPile, Gibiru, Search Encrypt, StartPage and other less known search engines do not invade your privacy like Google. They do not keeps logs, sell data, track you with cookies, and do not bring up similar ads to what you search to buy. Try them. I know you will enjoy all they offer...such as privacy.

Social Media Search Engines: Remember that social media platforms such as Twitter, Instagram, and LinkedIn are also search engines. They can be used to identify people, products and services just like traditional search engines. Since Captain Scully landed his plane on the Hudson River and it was on Twitter an hour before the New York media, Twitter has provided real-time information on disasters in advance of traditional media every time.

Podcasts: You can listen to podcasts while driving your car or doing yard work. Search for relevant podcasts by going to Stitcher (https://www.stitcher.com/) or Podcasts (https://tunein.com/podcasts/) to find disaster podcasts. Here are a few natural disaster podcasts: https://civildefenseradio.com/category/podcast/episode/

https://player.fm/series/natural-disasters-2538998

https://player.fm/series/disaster-podcast

Securing Social Media to Maintain Privacy and Security

To use your social media when you need it, you must set them up and maintain them to protect your privacy and security. Be aware that hackers and other criminals are always probing your social media devices (cell phones, computers, tablets) to corrupt, steal and sell your data.

You must also have a multi-layered strategy to protect your data and privacy. This is a big topic, but here are three simple rules to follow to maintain your privacy and security.

·            Use difficult passwords

·            Keep software, apps, accounts updated

·            Set privacy settings to limit access to your accounts to family and friends

When Disaster Strikes — Implementing Your Social Media Connections

The key to implementing your social media connections when a disaster strikes is to create, test, and use them BEFORE a disaster strikes.

That sounds more simple than it is.

In this day of remarkable cell phones when you download an app for every need, the ability to use both your cell phone and it’s apps when disaster strikes is assumed.

But everything changes in a disaster.

I know this because I have been through disasters. And no disaster is worse than one that hits you and your family.

I have known the humiliation of standing in front of my now destroyed house as my burned wife was taken by a medical helicopter to a burn unit.

I only realized that I was doing so in my underwear when a neighbor said, "Do you want a pair of my pants.“

When I asked why he replied, ‶Look down.“

Only then did I realize I didn’t even have a pair of pants on after I fled our house fire after I got my wife and sons out. 
(For more information see https://tacda.org/journal/journal-of-civil-defense-2014-vol-47-no-2-treating-infection-without-a-doctor/)

When you are in a disaster, please don’t be like me standing there with no clothes on wondering if you wife will recover and where your kids will eat and sleep next.

Take these simple and easy measures now to ensure that such a fate is not in your future. Here are a few steps that may help.

Simple and Easy Social Media Steps to Take

Most people by now are familiar with how to use social media. 

However, they do not understand how dramatically social media access and use can change during and after a disaster.

 As with any area in life, forewarned is forearmed.

In a disaster, everything changes. Events unfold at a pace you cannot imagine. 

Hyper stress hits and decisions that were easy a few minutes ago are very difficult to make. 

Where just an hour ago you knew what to do, now you may not have any of the information you need to help you decide what to do.

During and after a disaster people reach out to friends and family to find help securing food, water, shelter, medical care and transportation. 

 Social media tools enable people to share this information immediately and effectively.

Social media is now vital to recovery efforts after disasters, when infrastructure must be rebuilt and stress management is critical.

The extensive reach of social networks allows people who are recovering from disasters to rapidly connect with needed resources. This enables survivors to connect, talk, and share recovery resources.

Especially in large-scale disasters, when thousands are displaced from their homes and many have fled the disaster zone, people use social media to contact family and friends, post photos, share stories, and to give and get help.

Social media, through the internet, search engines, apps, instant messaging, social networking and photo sharing websites, provide readily available and efficient ways for family members to keep in touch and impart critical disaster related information.

Remember you only need one communication app (your phone instant message app) and one essential search engine (StartPage for example) and one backup (DogPile). 

Master it.

In the stress of a disaster, it is best to stick to the basic apps and social media platforms you know and use.

NOTE: All cell phones, apps, networks, servers, computers, tablets, etc. depend on ELECTRICITY. Natural disaster often disrupt the supply of electricity and therefore the ability to use this technology.

So, purchase external portable battery charging devices NOW. Include a solar version so you can use the sun to recharge them if power is out. Car battery jump starter devices now include three USB ports to charge phones, tablets and computers. Example: NEW Stanley J5c09 Jumpit Jump Starter.

Accessing Social Media Sites During and After a Disaster

First, do you have electric power? 
Do you have sufficient power to transmit your message, data, photos and other communication? Every device you have will power down quickly when not recharged. Therefore, you must have the ability to charge your devices outside of the electrical system you take for granted.

Ideally, you always have an Internet connection. Unfortunately, that is not the reality in during of after a disaster.

There are other places where you can get a connection when you don’t have a connection at home. There are many locations where you can access an Internet connection, especially now that so much of that connection has shifted to cell phones and tablets.

If due to a disaster you do not have power and access to the Internet, there are other places where you can get that access to use social media. Here are a places where you can access the Internet via a WiFi connection:

·            Your car

·            Coffee Shop

·            Hotel Lobby

·            Library

·            Church

·            Work

·            Gyms

·            Stores

·            Shopping Centers

·            Community Centers

·            Government Buildings

Conclusion

Social media has made our world easier but it creates it’s own set of issues. 

For example, in any disaster, rumors run rampant. 

And yet you have to act based on little or no data or facts but you may only have rumors.

To help you and your family to prepare to handle the disruptions disasters cause, take care to have your social media platforms, apps, and devices in place, up to date (latest patches, software, operating system), tested and ready. 
The suggestions above are a start.

Social media awareness may save your dignity, your life, your possessions and of your loved ones during and after a disaster.

Start now to make that possible.

Useful Emergency Communication Tools

Click here: for the complete article on the tacda.org website.

Ask yourself, “How would I communicate with my loved ones if something really bad happens?
Most likely, you will use emergency communication tools, some that you have already, and others you could benefit from, such as those below.
What are emergency communication tools? They are hardware and software that connect you to your family, friends, colleagues and community as well as with first responders, support systems, and other family members.
Plan for what emergency communication tools you need BEFORE the event to be able to communicate and it will make your response faster, better, and more effective. Learning and using these tools will give you a higher chance of successfully dealing with an emergency.

Have a Plan

Your circumstances and emergency communication tool needs are as unique as you and your family, so think now about how you would communicate with your family in an emergency. Identify the communications tools you would need to be able to reach them in an emergency and make a plan for how to set those up.
Part of that plan must be to learn the communication tools that are the most useful for you and your family. Many of the ones listed below should be useful to you. If so, set up an account and begin to learn how to use them. That way you know how to use it, have exercised it, and are more likely to use it successfully before, during and after an emergency.
No one tool below is used by everyone, so use all or most of them to make sure you cover all the emergency threat matrix.

To Begin — Establish who you need to contact during an emergency. Make a list of them and distribute that list to all parties.
List phone number, social media addresses, email addresses, for everyone on your list. Make sure one or two contacts are out of state. Also make sure everyone on the list knows they are on it.
Identify a primary point of contact with whom you will work. Make sure they know your plan. Another option is a “call tree.” One person calls two more who call two more and so on. It lessons the burden on one person being responsible for making all the calls.

Emergency Communication with Local Officials — Local emergency management officials (police, fire fighters, emergency operations centers, public safety offices, emergency operations centers, and more) use all, some, or a mix of the emergency communications tools. Investigate those in your area and connect with them. Here are a few local ones I use.
https://www.facebook.com/MountAiryPD/ Mt. Airy, MD Police Department Facebook
https://twitter.com/MDMEMA Maryland Emergency Management Agency Twitter
https://twitter.com/MDSP Maryland State Police Twitter
https://www.facebook.com/CarrCoMDPubSafe/ Carroll County DPS Facebook

Cell Phones

Cell phones are obvious as we use them every day to communicate. Most of us have our loved ones and their telephone numbers in our cell phones. But cell phones require additional items in an emergency.
For example, have an extra power cable in your house and car. Keep a charging adapter in your car cigarette lighter outlet. If electricity is cut off you may need to use the battery in your car to charge up your phone. If power is out you may need to use your car to charge your call phone. A solar phone charger is another option for a power outage.
Instant Message
WhatsApp, Skype, ezTalks, Viber, Meebo+, Google Hangout, Kik, WeChat, and Messenger are examples of instant message apps and services. These and other instant message apps are available for both Android and iOS. They are useful and a basic tool for communicating normally and during an emergency.

Social Media

For sending loved one’s emergency messages and getting updates on their status, social media is useful. When cell phones do not work or the telecommunications networks are overwhelmed preventing calling and texting, social media apps offer an alternative way to communicate. Below are some ways.
Text Message — Text messaging is a mobile phone service offered by phone companies (Verizon, T-Mobile, etc.) that usually have a 160 character limit. Android and
Twitter — Twitter offers instant updates about what is happening during an emergency. This makes it easier to know what is going on and to monitor developments. It provides timely information you and your family can act on. As such, it is invaluable. When you have a Twitter account already in place, it's just a matter of using the existing media during an actual emergency
To follow your tweets on your phone, you may want to text "Follow [Twitter handle]" Twitter's FastFollow has other options, like just getting the most recent tweet for a given Twitter feed. And you may want to have several emergency Twitter accounts, maybe one for alerts and one for information.
Use Twitter’s hashtag (#) feature to follow information that you may want to monitor (#civildefense, #emergecymaryland) so Twitter keywords are flagged with a # in the tweet.
NOTE: Twitter’s strength, instant information, can also be its weakness, incorrect instant information. Always compare what various people and sources are saying to best determine what is really going on.
Instagram — Half of the users of Instagram now use it as a Messaging App. Instagram allows you to private message other users on the platform using the feature called Direct Message. This feature lets you send messages to one or multiple people (a group). It is a good option to communicate using Instagram during an emergency.
Facebook — In addition to your existing Facebook account and your instant links to family and friends, Facebook offers a new feature useful to emergency communications. Called Local Alerts (https://www.facebook.com/help/publisher/572490746512593), it allows you to send a Facebook notification to page followers who live in your area, whether they have opted into that notification or not. They are used for urgent or emergency information.
Currently, Facebook Live is the only other post type on Facebook that sends out a notification. Local alerts are a valuable tool in emergency communications, one that should only be used to relay urgent information.

Emergency Communications Apps

There are a wide variety of emergency communication apps available you can download to your cell phone. Here are a few examples
Bugle — Helps your friends and family find you in case you have an emergency.
Life 360 — Establishes an immediate connection with your friends and family via text, email or voice call. It notifies them about your current location and comes with a panic alert feature.
First Aid by American Red Cross — Offers users basic first aid lessons, help instructions, and a red button to contact 911, disaster preparedness check-lists, and other American Red cross resources.
SirenGPS — Creates a collaborative network of emergency management and responses where the entire community stays connected to first responders.
Patronus – Shares your location with mobile 911 service dispatchers who can access your location.
ICE — The In Case of Emergency (ICE) stores crucial information about you for responders and hospital personnel. Lists your contact information so responders know who to contact.
Red Panic Button — It sparks off an early warning and vulnerability alert system, one-to-many communication the moment you push the red panic button.
Amateur Radio
Amateur Radio (also known as ham radio) is used to communicate without the Internet or cell phones. Therefore, it is an excellent way to communicate when other communications tools are not operating. Also, you can take radio wherever you go! In times of disaster. Ham radios have reliably assisted communications in emergencies for over a hundred years. When other communications tools fail, amateur radio is an excellent option.
Two Way Radio (Walkie-Talkie)
A two way radio is a portable, hand-held device that can transmit and receive radio communication. Even when cell phones are not working or the power grid is down, two way radios operate and convey critical emergency information. They are an excellent first use or backup emergency communication tool.
With their push-to-talk functionality for instant communication, they are much faster than cell phones. They come with extreme ease of use, just the push of a button can transmit your message to an entire group of people. And, they can withstand harsh environmental conditions like heavy rain and dust.
Two-way radios can send and receive text messages for quick and discreet communication. Lastly, the fact that two-way radios don’t rely on cell phone networks is a huge benefit in widespread emergencies, where reception may be congested or even stop altogether.
Drone with a Camera
This may seem like an unusual tool to include with the others here, but it has proven invaluable in emergency events communicating the extent of the damage. For example, when a tornado hit my own town of Mt. Airy, MD, (https://poetslife.blogspot.com/2018/11/ef-1-tornado-lessons-from-mt-airy-md.html), the video taken by a drone was invaluable to recording the damage done so homeowners and farmers could quickly file insurance claims.

Get Started Now

All these suggestions offer advantages as communication tools. It is important to set them up, use them, and know them before an emergency. I pray that for the health, safety and survival of you and your loved ones you take advantage of them. A small investment of time now will yield large dividends in safety, health and security when you experience an emergency.

Texas Deep Freeze Manmade Natural Disaster What PTSI Vets Can Teach Us

Natural disasters, and manmade natural disasters especially, teach us the importance of the art of civil defense to teaches us, once again, the importance for Americans to stockpile water, food, medical supplies, survival gear, and prayers.

Manmade Natural Disasters are Everywhere

The Texas Deep Freeze is an excellent example of how it became a catastrophe due to a manmade disaster making a natural disaster a horrific experience for millions of Texans starting on Valentine's Day, February 14, 2021.

Note: For a quick review of how to protect yourself and your family in a Deep Freeze, see my civil defense live stream on Periscope here.

It also teaches you that you and your family are on their own. The corporate media and White House barely covered it. Senator Cruz went to Cancun, Mexico to party with his college age daughters. 

That should tell you all you need to know about who you can count in in a manmade natural disaster.

For good tips for how to survive extreme cold weather, see here.

Even when I taught at the Emergency Management Institute back in the 1980's, the division of disasters into two categories, manmade and natural, struck me as odd. Most disasters combine elements of manmade and natural disasters and we must train accordingly.

Rather than exchanging the love of St. Valentine that day, they were the victims of Communist Chinese Party Climate Change Organizations (CCPCCO's) and their Federal and Texas government allies.

Before you think this has nothing to do with you or your family, know that this pattern of spending billions of your tax dollars on solar and wind turbine energy sources rather than nuclear, oil, and gas energy sources is also grinding ahead in your state and neighborhood. Just look at California.

For decades, the CCPCCO's have worked methodically to gain control over the Federal and State agencies that control energy. They have put their ideology in place in the decision making process and the automatic payments of federal, state, and local tax money in an effort to eliminate nuclear and fossil fuel sources of energy and to favor solar and wind turbines.

Why is this dangerous?

Look at the Texas Valentine's Day energy source massacre.

Millions of American citizens (children, grandchildren, grandfather's and grandmothers, the disabled, the meek, the poor and everyone else) were left freezing in the cold. They quickly exhausted their basic survival resources: water, food and medicine.

As a Christian, I cannot abide this kind of evil, even if the corporate media is complicit in this evil by their silence and their silencing of accurate information and analysis that will help the American people deal with this Deep Freeze and other manmade natural disasters.

What PTSI Vets Can Teach Us about How to Handle Manmade Natural Disasters

Everything  you need to know is here.

Manmade natural disasters can result in Post Trauma Delayed Stress Injury (PTSI). Unfortunately, it is not always visible...but it's end in suicide is.

Please never use the term Post Trauma Delayed Stress Disorder (PTSD) to describe this condition. It is not a disorder. It is an injury. This is a critical difference to know if you ever deal with anyone who has it from combat in war, rape, or as the victim of pedophiles or criminal predators. Here is why.

A disorder assumes the person who has it is responsible for the disorder. An injury is outside the control of the person who has it. You recover from an injury. You have a very difficult life if you have a disorder. 

The great NSA analyst, author, and patriot Tom Glenn explains it better than I can.

"I mentioned in an earlier post that I suffer from Post-Traumatic Stress. I’ve been pushing as hard as I can to change the nomenclature from Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) to Post-Traumatic Stress Injury (PTSI). My point is that the disease is not an internal system gone awry but an externally inflicted wound. The “disorder” label reinforces the notion that strong and brave men don’t suffer from it; only the weak and cowardly do. I find a strong strain among the military who dismiss PTSI as cowardice. It’s obvious to me that it is as much a wound (Ron Capps calls it a wound to the soul) as any physical laceration. The difference is, it never heals."

I say this from experience, my own, and the many Vets I have worked with over the years.

When I was in my Thirties, I had a friend who had fought in Vietnam. He was having trouble making the transition from military to civilian life. When I met him, he was writing down numbers of radio's for a telecommunications company...in a storage closet.

One day I heard him speaking Vietnamese on the phone, then French, then Russian. I asked him where he learned those languages. 

He answered, "When I was in the Special Forces."

My interest was peaked. "What was your job before here?"

"I worked in the White House Communications Office" he replied.

"Why are you writing down numbers when you have so much experience?" I had to ask.

"Because I can't write a resume. I keep getting rejections because I don't seem to be able to write one the civilian employers like."

"Maybe I can help" I volunteered. "I'm a writer and I can take a whack at it."

"Sure, Dude, knock yourself out."

He gave me his resume and I knew why he was not getting any call backs or replies. Everything was still in military speak. I joked with him and asked if he wore his standard issue white sox when he went to interviews.

I interviewed him about his skill stack, rewrote his resume to be contemporary and reflect his remarkable skill stack, high IQ, adaptability, deep knowledge of humans, multiple language skills, leadership experience, etc.

He got a new job at three times the salary in just one month.

Since that time, I have written many resumes for many Vets. Many of them have PTSI. They also have remarkable, God-given, skills, resilience, leadership ability, high IQ, emotional maturity, good listening and story telling skills, maturity, adaptability...and most are devout Christians as they have had their brush with immortality and want to be ready for the next time if they check out.

What does this have to do with the Americans in Texas in the Valentine's Day Deep Freeze massacre?

Most of them do not know it, in varying degrees, they all have PTSI from that experience. Their leadership failed them. Their government failed them. Their religious leaders failed them. For some, their loved ones failed them. In a real if different way, they are experiencing what the Vietnam Vets I have worked with over the years experienced when they came home from that terrible war.

My PTSI Story

Raising a house ladder while painting a house in Ambler, PA at 15, an arc of electricity jumped out and grabbed the ladder. I felt the electricity burn my hands as I was holding the rope to raise it. "Man, did you guys feel that?" I asked.

A young athlete, Jimmy, holding one side of the ladder and the older black owner of the painting company that I worked for at the time, Andy, held either side as the electrical current shot through their brains and bodies. 

All I heard in response was BUZZING and BANGING. So much electricity was being conducted through them and the ladder their bodies and the ladder were being bounced off the concrete.

I saw blood and spittle pouring out of their mouths, the whites of their eyes as the they were rolled back into their heads, saw the electricity exiting in bright flashes out of their hands and feet, and looked down to see Andy's feet melted into the sidewalk.

"LET GO!!! LET GO, ANDY!!! LET GO, JIMMY!!!" I screamed, not realizing that they could not hear a word I was screaming in hopes of saving their lives.

My brother was painting the back of the house. He heard the noise and me screaming and came out front. Thinking quickly, he grabbed a painters quilt off Andy's truck and threw it at them.

Nothing.

They continued to burn and bounce off the concrete as they were live conductors of the electrical current exiting the live Philadelphia Electric Company power line through their mostly water bodies.

Eventually, Jimmy collapsed onto the concrete to my right. The ladder then fell onto his leg. Andy collapsed next and kept repeating, "Oh, Lord, what happened? Oh, Lord, don't let me die."

Jimmy died of heart attack failure the second the electricity shot through him. Andy had his feet burned off, but he was breathing and saying, "Oh, Lord, what happened? Oh, Lord, don't let me die."

I witnessed this event in Ambler, PA . Philadelphia Electric Company had a troubleshooter at the grisly scene half an hour before the Ambler Fire Company, only three blocks away, arrived.

Although I have never been in combat, I can tell you that burning flesh has a unique odor that you never forget. The scent goes deep into your olfactory centers, hits your brain immediately, and makes you want to vomit. I know because I experienced that sensation that day.

So, although I cannot ever relate to what combat is like, I can relate to what burning human flesh smells like. It is one more reason I loved Vets and will do anything to keep them alive.

I can also understand repressed memory because I repressed that memory for 10 years to be able to function each day.

To survive, I buried that memory and the next year was awarded a loan and scholarship to attend the University of Pennsylvania. When I graduated from Penn in 1977, there were no jobs in Philadelphia and we were in the midst of a major "recession."

What I did not now then, what I do know now (thanks to USAF retired Lieutenant General Rob Spaulding) is that American and international corporations had pulled their money, factories and jobs out of Philadelphia and the American industrial heartland and transferred them to China. Result? No jobs for Americans like me.

As my parents stated very clearly to me the third night I returned from Penn, "We can't afford to support you so you need to find a job fast." 

Fortunately, the next day I was offered a job for a management consulting company with a contract with the Economic Development Administration. I travelled to areas impacted by the globalist/CCP devastation of our nation, saw up close the decline in housing prices and jobs in Bisbee Arizona, Dalton Georgia, Grants-Milan New Mexico, Minot North Dakota and other American cities.

Eventually, I met a woman who was getting an MBA and law degree. We fell in love, talked of marriage, and had a long distance relationship for three years. It ended horribly and in a timeless tradition for men, I went into the United States Air Force to get over her, because I loved this nation, and because my MIA Uncle Frank J. Curley was my hero.

I excelled at the USAF Officer Training School (OTS). Then when home between OTS and my first AWACS training, a Philadelphia lawyer showed up at my mother's front door. 

"I've kept him away for years, Bruce. He came when you were a student in Paris. But he is here now and I think you have to talk to him or he will subpoena you because the trial starts tomorrow in Norristown."

Philadelphia lawyers have the reputation for being bright, tough, legally gifted, and ruthless while pretending to be your friend. This Philadelphia Electric Company lawyer was all that and then some.

He produced photos of the accident, huge photos, and kept insisting that I was wrong when I said we never hit the wire that day but argued, forcefully, that we touched the wire and caused the death of Jimmy and the dismemberment of Andy.

After two hours of his badgering in my mother's kitchen, I said matter-of-factly, "Sir, you can give your version, but you were not there. I was the only witness. I made sure we were at least six to nine feet from that power line. I was never comfortable with the aluminum ladders Andy used and always insisted we stay far from any power lines as we raised it. I was on the grass behind the bush that separated me from them. They were away from the power lines when I pulled that rope. It was an extremely humid day and the power jumped from that line to the ladder. That is what I will testify tomorrow no matter how many times you rephrase your line of questioning to get me to change my story."

The next day I dressed in my Air Force blues and was walking out the door to drive to Norristown to testify in an hour when the phone rang.

"It's for you" my Mom said. 

"Lieutenant Curley, the trial was called off and we will settle with the parties. [I was not one of the parties as I did not sue.] You no longer have to be a witness."

It was over for them. They moved on. I, however, had memories revived I had suppressed for 10 years. My bad luck it was between OTS and AWACS training when the photos triggered memories, but more importantly, sights, sounds, tastes, scents, feelings, and tactile sensations I had, or thought I had, buried a decade ago.

Result? I froze for several minutes in the training room when I heard a buzzing coming from the power lines in the room. It was noted, and several months later after appearing before a USAF medical advisory board, they separated me with a 10% disability rating after I said I wanted nothing. They originally offered me a 30% disability rating but when I argued I did not want the stigma of a disability rating when searching for employment, the MAB reduced it to 10%.

It took me years to recover from the pain of that event. Eventually, I learned what every Vet with less than a sterling performance has to learn...you only repair, move on and contribute by helping other Vets in their pain. My way has been to write resumes for many Vets over the years and to counsel suicidal Vets.

In the course of their describing their qualifications for their resumes, often it triggers other memories...PTSI memories. We talk. I share how I survived and emphasize I am not them but maybe a few things I have learned the hard way may help them.

Things like civil defense. So what does this have to do with the Texas Valentine's Day Deep Freeze manmade natural disaster? 

Everything.

Due to the misguided federal and state policy of pushing CCP solar panels and wind turbines, the electric grid of Texas almost experienced total failure.

To prevent this, the authorities cut off power to millions of Texans who froze for days without energy.

Many of the people who went through this will experience PTSI on top of the PTSI they have from the CCP virus impacts on them and their families. They don't know it yet, but they will. And they need to take steps to get better.

No one gets past PTSI. Instead, you learn to live with it, see it as a gift rather than a curse, and then get busy helping many others get past their their grief. 

The beautiful knives, canes, axes and other military gear you see in the photos here are from Creations by Silver Eagle owned by Dave Kline 261 South Sheridan Street, Wilkesbarre, PA 18702, 570 817 4832, kline_777.msn.com. He sells the handicraft of PTSI Vets at gun shows. 

I met him at the 2021 York, PA show. Once Vets get comfortable with their PTSI and master it's impact on their lives, they are incredibly productive as they tap the resources, resilience and spirit that made them young warriors now that they have an adult's maturity.

My way of helping Vets and my fellow Americans is to master the art of civil defense to help parents and grandparents educate their children and grandchildren how to use it to save their lives and property.

My gift is not your gift. Everyone's happiness is the same while everyone's misery is unique.

Life is good. Live it well. Help others to know that secret.

Texans need help. They have given so much to this country. We must help them.

The first step is for those who went through the Valentine's Day Deep Freeze Manmade Natural Disaster with no help from their federal, state or local governments' (other than the heroic work of the first responders) is to admit that they just went through a massive catastrophic event, bigger than Katrina, that will impact their lives for years to come as they get their energy sources straightened out.

The second step for them is to realize they are on their own. Here are some resources to help them train up themselves and their families. Go to the right side of my blog and there are hundreds of blog posts to help you as well.

The first step is to promote nuclear, coal, gas and oil as dependable energy sources over wind turbines and solar panels that enrich the CCP while destroying American jobs, families, and the American Dream.

We the People, like the Founding Fathers who gave us our magnificent American Constitution, need to reclaim local control of energy under the guiding principal of subsidiarity.