Preppers, what do you prep for?

[Kampfer]

Global pandemic is not something our current technology can predict nor prevent, nor eliminate quickly when it started, like you said the high speed transportation actually help the virus spread quickly throughout the world. 

Look up 1918 flu pandemic.

The death toll of the 1918 flu was more a result of WW1 and as a consequence poor health / nourishment of the population. We see a very similar pattern in the 2009 Mexican flu outbreak.

Here is why we don't need to fear a global pandemic that wipes out a good part of humanity:
- Fear of a pandemic is mostly media related. In the US the 2009 Mexican flu was no more serious than the seasonal flu, yet it was big in the media... (SOURCE)
- 2009 Mexican flu killed less than 15000 people world wide, considering that every two and a half hours over 15000 people die world-wide that is nothing.
- 2014 Ebola outbreak killed 11310 people world wide, considering that every two hours over 12000 people die world-wide that is nothing.
- As a result of 2009, many countries improved their quarantine stations, reducing risk of a dangerous pandemic.
- The 2009 pandemic also showed how easily the spread of a virus can be stopped by simple hand-washing protocols.

So, crossing a road is far more dangerous and most people don't work on that:
- Don't wear black, wear bright color that are well visible.
- have a light on your person to increase your visibility at night (like a running light)

Makes you wonder whether it didn't kill as many people BECAUSE of the media?!? So that people actually took precautions...

That is one way to look at it.

[Etherealicer]

Once the world kicked into full panic mode the result would far more devastating than the outbreak itself.

So, best way to prepare for a pandemic is to educate people, so they don't get scared silly.

Also, in that case you don't have to prepare for a pandemic but for riots... bio-hazard suits are poor at stopping a thrown stone (or worse).

Just those outbreaks didn't do a lot damage / stopped quickly doesn't mean that will be the case for ALL outbreaks.

For me it is about odds and realism.

As a scientist I don't deal in absolutes, but a I can tell you that hell will freeze over (there is no empiric evidence that this can't happen, so I'm good) before a pandemic kills enough people to significantly affect life as we know it. The media and scared people will be more damaging than the pandemic.

So, crossing a road is far more dangerous and most people don't work on that:
- Don't wear black, wear bright color that are well visible.
- have a light on your person to increase your visibility at night (like a running light)

Basically, it is a question about priorities. There are many security- / safety- risks that have to be addressed before you should even start thinking about pandemic contingencies.

[Etherealicer]

Global pandemic is not something our current technology can predict nor prevent, nor eliminate quickly when it started, like you said the high speed transportation actually help the virus spread quickly throughout the world. 

Look up 1918 flu pandemic.

The death toll of the 1918 flu was more a result of WW1 and as a consequence poor health / nourishment of the population. We see a very similar pattern in the 2009 Mexican flu outbreak.

Here is why we don't need to fear a global pandemic that wipes out a good part of humanity:
- Fear of a pandemic is mostly media related. In the US the 2009 Mexican flu was no more serious than the seasonal flu, yet it was big in the media... (SOURCE)
- 2009 Mexican flu killed less than 15000 people world wide, considering that every two and a half hours over 15000 people die world-wide that is nothing.
- 2014 Ebola outbreak killed 11310 people world wide, considering that every two hours over 12000 people die world-wide that is nothing.
- As a result of 2009, many countries improved their quarantine stations, reducing risk of a dangerous pandemic.
- The 2009 pandemic also showed how easily the spread of a virus can be stopped by simple hand-washing protocols.

So, crossing a road is far more dangerous and most people don't work on that:
- Don't wear black, wear bright color that are well visible.
- have a light on your person to increase your visibility at night (like a running light)

Makes you wonder whether it didn't kill as many people BECAUSE of the media?!? So that people actually took precautions...

Personally, I think the precaution have stopped the spread and the media scare has certainly had a big influence there. However, the media never even tried to calm the people and tell them it was not that bad, so now people live in fear from a sneeze. Also, scaring people into doing something is kinda the wrong approach.

However, the biggest thing was, that the flu was not nearly as deadly as the media made it out to be and that is the main reason not many people died, at the end of the day, it was just another influenza wave nothing different from the one we have every year (no more lethal, no more contagious... sure it was only 3 mutations away from the Spanish flu, whatever that means == Nothing!!!).

[Etherealicer]

So, best way to prepare for a pandemic is to educate people, so they don't get scared silly.

When/if that ever happens, let me know

I know, right?
So sad that with the humongous budget that is sunk into pandemic prevention they don't find a couple of dollars to further knowledge. No, they leave that part of education to the media and movies.

I recently watched TV (I think it was Criminal Minds) and they had an Anthrax attack on a mall. Immediately, people started to drop dead and I was like... THAT IS NOT HOW IT WORKS

[firiki]

So, best way to prepare for a pandemic is to educate people, so they don't get scared silly.

We also should get a way to make media responsable for chaos created by them (wishful thinking).

Thank you for your insight, Etherealicer

Education certainly is the key to a better world and a better future. I'm afraid humanity as a whole is moving away from that direction.

As for the media... In no way am I in favour of censorship, I do feel heads must roll, though

I remember the outburst of attention the swine flu and H1N1 bird flu subtypes got from the media here -television mostly, naturlich,naturlich. Many people were scared crazy, the state even made a huge, bulk buy of vaccines, enough for almost the entire population if I remember correctly, when speSmurfpillsts said that we actually needed about 2% of that quantity. Guess what? Some pharmaceuticals company got a smurfload of money for nothing and nobody had to anwer for spreading false information and hysteria mongering. 

[Fortytwo]

So, best way to prepare for a pandemic is to educate people, so they don't get scared silly.

We also should get a way to make media responsable for chaos created by them (wishful thinking).

Thank you for your insight, Etherealicer

Education certainly is the key to a better world and a better future. I'm afraid humanity as a whole is moving away from that direction.

As for the media... In no way am I in favour of censorship, I do feel heads must roll, though

I remember the outburst of attention the swine flu and H1N1 bird flu subtypes got from the media here -television mostly, naturlich,naturlich. Many people were scared crazy, the state even made a huge, bulk buy of vaccines, enough for almost the entire population if I remember correctly, when speSmurfpillsts said that we actually needed about 2% of that quantity. Guess what? Some pharmaceuticals company got a smurfload of money for nothing and nobody had to anwer for spreading false information and hysteria mongering. 

It could have been worse, Sweden too bought plenty of vaccines for that wave and used them with a couple of hundred cases of narcolepsy as the result.
A bad case of fear combined with hastily invented vaccines.

Other than that I think the Ebola outbreak kind of shows what happens once developed world countries intervenes. It grew exponentially and then doctors were sent and in no time it was stopped.

[Etherealicer]

So, best way to prepare for a pandemic is to educate people, so they don't get scared silly.

We also should get a way to make media responsable for chaos created by them (wishful thinking).

Thank you for your insight, Etherealicer

Education certainly is the key to a better world and a better future. I'm afraid humanity as a whole is moving away from that direction.

As for the media... In no way am I in favour of censorship, I do feel heads must roll, though

I remember the outburst of attention the swine flu and H1N1 bird flu subtypes got from the media here -television mostly, naturlich,naturlich. Many people were scared crazy, the state even made a huge, bulk buy of vaccines, enough for almost the entire population if I remember correctly, when speSmurfpillsts said that we actually needed about 2% of that quantity. Guess what? Some pharmaceuticals company got a smurfload of money for nothing and nobody had to anwer for spreading false information and hysteria mongering. 

It could have been worse, Sweden too bought plenty of vaccines for that wave and used them with a couple of hundred cases of narcolepsy as the result.
A bad case of fear combined with hastily invented vaccines.

Other than that I think the Ebola outbreak kind of shows what happens once developed world countries intervenes. It grew exponentially and then doctors were sent and in no time it was stopped.

Sadly, that was a loose-loose situation for the Gouvernement...
Don't buy then they get bad-mouthed for not doing anything and if they buy vaccine they get bad-mouthed for buying to early.

There is still room for improvement but yeah, the Ebola case showed that pandemics can be battled pretty well.

[tattoosteve99]

I prep for global takeover from the government. Not gonna say more about that.

I try to educate myself on native plants and animals so I can just survive. I have no plans for a bunker or the like. I say education is the key as supplies will run out but knowledge you can count on.

[raistlin65]

So, best way to prepare for a pandemic is to educate people, so they don't get scared silly.

When/if that ever happens, let me know

I know, right?
So sad that with the humongous budget that is sunk into pandemic prevention they don't find a couple of dollars to further knowledge. No, they leave that part of education to the media and movies.

I recently watched TV (I think it was Criminal Minds) and they had an Anthrax attack on a mall. Immediately, people started to drop dead and I was like... THAT IS NOT HOW IT WORKS

I think it will cost a lot more than you think to educate the public as the public often doesn't want to be educated and resists.

But darn right about the problem with television and movie education. Hope no one pays attention to CPR on TV where if the person doesn't start breathing in one minute, the CPR stops and they pronounce the person dead. LOL

[Kampfer]

This is a very interesting film on this subject.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Contagion_(film)

The film presents examples of crowd psychology and collective behavior which can lead to mass hysteria and the loss of social order. The bafflement, outrage, and helplessness associated with the lack of information, combined with new media such as blogs, allow conspiracy theorists to spread disinformation and fear, which become dangerous contagions themselves.

[Subterranean]

I don't consider myself a classic "prepper", but I started preparing for 1) floods (we had them), 2) earthquakes (they occur more and more often here ) and 3) possible incident in a local nuclear power plant.

And of course, you have to take care of the usual transient water supply shortages etc.

[kkokkolis]

We are going to Istanbul in three weeks. 18 terrorist attacks during the last 5 years (300 dead, 800 wounded, mostly inoccent civilians), 4 in 2016, all in places we will visit. Statistically an incident there is more probable than any other we talked about in this thread (with the exception of Zombie Apocalypse perhaps).
Who could suggest the way we should prepare?  I would really like to prepare, but for what and how?
Maybe an insurance and last will would be better here than axes and food supplies.

[SAK Guy]

I don't consider myself a classic "prepper", but I started preparing for 1) floods (we had them), 2) earthquakes (they occur more and more often here ) and 3) possible incident in a local nuclear power plant.

And of course, you have to take care of the usual transients.   

Fixed it for you!   

[Kampfer]

We are going to Istanbul in three weeks. 18 terrorist attacks during the last 5 years (300 dead, 800 wounded, mostly inoccent civilians), 4 in 2016, all in places we will visit. Statistically an incident there is more probable than any other we talked about in this thread (with the exception of Zombie Apocalypse perhaps).
Who could suggest the way we should prepare?  I would really like to prepare, but for what and how?
Maybe an insurance and last will would be better here than axes and food supplies.

Aside from EDC some gadgets, be aware of the surrounding, look out for suspicious person, avoid overly crowded places if possible, there isn't a whole lot more you can do. Good luck and have a safe trip.

[kkokkolis]

If I could spot the suspects, police would be able to do it also. They aren't. And all places we would like to visit will be visited by many others too.
I guess we'll rely on your wishes and a dose of good luck.

[Kampfer]

If I could spot the suspects, police would be able to do it also. They aren't. And all places we would like to visit will be visited by many others too.
I guess we'll rely on your wishes and a dose of good luck.

Depend on the scenario, it is possible you notice something before the police can (your service in special force), you can choose to fight them on spot or retreat and report.

[kkokkolis]

That's an unlikely scenario. Anyway, what I say to my wife is that this is our chance to die together, as we always wished. It wouldn't hurt to happen 40-50 years from now though.

[Kampfer]

http://www.cnn.com/2015/08/21/europe/france-train-shooting/

[Subterranean]

I don't consider myself a classic "prepper", but I started preparing for 1) floods (we had them), 2) earthquakes (they occur more and more often here ) and 3) possible incident in a local nuclear power plant.

And of course, you have to take care of the usual transients.   

Fixed it for you!   

  

[ironraven]

First, I wasn't saying anyone here angered me- I think the term "prepper", just like every other "bad word", is "bad" because of how it is used predominantly. Remove the shaming component which the media likes to throw onto the word, it is perfectly valid word and not terribly inaccurate. Which is why one of my life goals is to make an alternative term, but "gearaholic" sounds as bad as "prepper". I mean, every person here qualifies for the diagnosis of "general anxiety disorder". People who don't know our way of thinking find the way of life most of us here practice intimidating- on no, we carry knives! There must be something wrong with us. And we carry tools and flashlights like we think something is going to break, obviously we must want something to break so we can show off. And we don't like being without our tools, its an inadequacy thing. And spend time that could be better spent watching television like good little mindless slugs and buying STUFF rather than learning how to do things for ourselves- that's down right antisocial. We must have something very wrong with us.

If I could spot the suspects, police would be able to do it also. They aren't. And all places we would like to visit will be visited by many others too.
I guess we'll rely on your wishes and a dose of good luck.

As I recall, you've had the situational awareness thing drilled into you at one point. Bring your brain with you, keep it on- you're in a place that could be interesting but probably won't. Mapping the ins and outs of a location should just be happening for everyone no matter where they are- the world is full of under spec and over loaded wiring. Carry a light and a multi or SAK, two or three bandaids, a hanky, something to write on and with, a some cordage and maybe a little duct tape. Everyone has their ID/passport on them, carries a map of the area with the nearest embassy/consulate, hospital and police station marked, cash, and a charged phone. Wear decent shoes, watch for blisters and hot spots, dress for the weather, hydrate, and don't over eat. Someone should have a bag with stuff like a FAK for the party. If anyone has a medical issue, they should have a doctor's note and a list of scripts, both in your native language and the local language. Have a plan that if you get seperated and you can't reach out by phone, when and where to meet

Wait! Other than the map and the translation of the doctor's note, that's kind of like a normal EDC! 

[Sea Monster]

And spend time that could be better spent watching television like good little mindless slugs and buying STUFF rather than learning how to do things for ourselves- that's down right antisocial. We must have something very wrong with us.

I'd say we do our fair share of consuming both media and product, as long as it relates to our fetish of choice.

all the other stuff he said

I don't disagree, per se, but my "travel" EDC is basically cash and a smile.
So far, I've been more likely to get delayed and harrassed by cranky bureaucrats than have to protect a roomful of executives from the likes of Hans Gruber.

[kkokkolis]

Yes, that's what I always do and carry, but no knives inside an airport of course.
Well, any kind of preparation might late death but eventually none of us will avoid it.
I think we all have the same bug here. One prepares much, the other collects many knives he'll never use, the other sticks his attention on knives' and multitools' that he'll never buy pics and reviews etc. Nobody can laugh against the other, we all are on the same boat. We just like to tease one another, no harm from that.

[pfrsantos]

Yes, that's what I always do and carry, but no knives inside an airport of course.
Well, any kind of preparation might late death but eventually none of us will avoid it.
I think we all have the same bug here. One prepares much, the other collects many knives he'll never use, the other sticks his attention on knives' and multitools' that he'll never buy pics and reviews etc. Nobody can laugh against the other, we all are on the same boat. We just like to tease one another, no harm from that.

[kkokkolis]

[pfrsantos]

(Image removed from quote.)

No, to the Uber guy...

 

[Gerhard Gerber]

There is an easy two stage plan to fight pandemics.
During pandemics: Wash your hands often, especially when entering your home. Get a bit paranoid about your hygiene.
Off pandemics: Eat some food that you dropped on the floor. Don't use sanitizers...

Never heard it expressed that way, but I understand what you mean.....brilliant 

[dks]

[kkokkolis]

That's a nice breakfast dks, were are the lunch and dinner of the first day?

[dks]

just a snack

[firiki]