If you are able to self quarantine yourself and family for that period great. But what happens when that period is over. You must now go out into your neighborhood, buy products, and services that probably will either not exist or now cost much more. Supply and demand will rule. People will not know what to do or expect and fear, uncertainty, and need will reign supreme. The virus will still be out there in a smaller degree, mutating and getting ready for another run. Now the whole world will be seeking the same things that you want. Remember supply and demand will rule.

Let us say your plan includes having items delivered to your residence. Good ideal but at what cost. Think a moment; people who are out delivering products to others will have a certain amount of risk. No one will know exactly when the second wave will start. In addition, know one wants to be out on the streets when an influenza wave is in full swing. If you time the situation, which by the way is an absolute must, and venture out into the neighborhood to buy products and services, your options will be very limited.

So now how do we prepare for something that could last for up to two years with say four waves lasting six to eight weeks each and months between with comparative calm. Face it this is the question that each of us must answer to protect our family and ourselves. Your plan will be personal to you and your family’s resources and creativity. Obviously, it is not an easy question to answer but our plans must account for the entire period.

Obviously, if you have the resources to buy what you need for 18 months now great do it. But, most people will not be able to prepare for 18 months completely. If you and your family are, living paycheck to pay check like 80% of the population, you must account for that. Is your job likely to flourish or be non-existent during the period? What kind of work can you do to limit your exposure? Ask yourself these kinds of questions. I will give you suggestions for each category later. You should focus on the absolute necessities first. I believe preparing for a Spartan existence for 18 months makes more sense than preparing for two luxurious months and leaving you open to extreme pain in the future. You might ask for example, how can I store 18 months of water? In the case of water and each product or service will have there own availability question. I would purchase as many large 55-gallon containers as necessary for my family. When water is available, I would fill my containers again to the rim. Remember everything starts and ends with water. If you do not have it, nothing else matters.

Hypothetically, let’s say the pandemic lasted for 18 months. If the virus cooperated, there would be about eight weeks of intense influenza activity followed by 10 weeks of relative calm before another influenza wave. Think about the regular flu episodes we experience every year. People get it and later they get it again. This will be the same pattern but longer and more intense. I do not suggest that anyone be in the streets at all during the six to eight weeks of intense influenza activity.

The 1918 Pandemic taught us that the only real technique that worked in preventing infection was a ruthless quarantine. Most will not be able to do this for 18 months. Therefore, the next best thing is planning what to do in those ten or so weeks in between the storm. On a daily basis, you will need to practice specific techniques to prevent infection during the influenza wave. But you will need to be even more precise during that 10-week period when you venture out into the neighborhood to work or buy products. Know one can predict when the next wave will hit. If you are one of the unlucky people and it, hits while you are practicing unsafe behavior you could easily take the virus back home to your family.

The amount of water you store will depend on your lifestyle and your resources. If you are for example the kind of person like me who loves to exercise, you are going to need additional water. Also, if money is not a major issue why take chances and run out. In addition, since, this pandemic could last 2 years I believe stockpiling a good; supply would be a smart move. I suggest at the very least no matter what your resources that you store six to eight weeks supply of fresh water. If you are wrong and you have stored too much, what do you lose? A few dollars but, if you are right and you have enough to cover the most dangerous periods. What have you saved? It could be your life or someone’s life close to you.

The government admits that essential services you depend on may be disrupted, which includes food and water supplies. Most businesses including municipalities do not stock more than a weeks worth of supplies because the cost of keeping there products available for longer is too high. In the case of water, enough workers will not be available to operate the pumps and other things needed for the water to be available. When the pandemic is in full swing many people will stop going to work to prevent getting the flu. The government predicts that as much as 30% or more of the work force will stay at home. Therefore, you can bet on having water and electricity shortages.

The human body can survive for weeks without food but only a few days without water. Therefore, any mistakes regarding the availability of water could be devastating. When deciding what items you should buy first, you should make a risk-reward and risk-penalty analysis. In other words if you decide correctly how much did it cost and how much did you gain as compared to how much will you lose if you are wrong. In the case of water if you guess wrong and pay less than is necessary what do you have to lose?

As the bare minimum, store 1 gallon of water per person per day. You need 2 quarts for drinking and about 2 quarts for food preparation/sanitation. I believe you should not take chances here. If you are wrong with your predictions, it easily can turn into a disaster. Water is cheap if you store it before a disaster. Again, I suggest you store at least six to eight weeks of fresh water. The only major cost is the 55-gallon containers and the waters free before the pandemic. Lets say there are four people in the family one gallon per day for four people is four gallons per day and 8 weeks or about 56 days times 4 would equal 224 gallons. If you bought four 55-gallon containers and filled then up with free water that would last you for about 8 weeks. Let us say you store only two weeks of water and the influenza wave last for two months, there are disruptions or maybe you lost the water some how through leakage, or whatever. What are you going to do with no water for weeks? What is the risk, your investment, compared to the penalty if you are wrong?

I believe it makes the most sense to buy the 55-gallon containers. In the end, it is much more economical than buying bottled water and compares the prices per gallon if you buy 5-gallon containers. You will need to purchase a water preserver and in case you use water from other sources like the lake, pool, your roof, et cetera; you will need to purchase a water filter and water purification tablets, as part of your preparation. When the pandemic arrives, you could fill up the containers with water and preservative and you are set. Once one barrel of water is used, put it outside to collect rain or melt down snow pack and fell the containers with water. Always make sure that you purify any non-tap water. Buy these containers at Nitro-Pak.

These 55-gallon barrels are by far the best solution economically and practically but you must be careful with where you place them. It does not take much water for a small child to drown and the barrels are very heavy. If you place a number of full barrels in the wrong location, you could have the floor crashing down on occupants below. Because they are very heavy, you should store them in a safe place, like the first floor or a basement. The garage would be a great place but only if you never opened the door and no one could see inside the garage. Why, you could lose it all because people needing water badly might try stealing it from you. Many of the Hurricane Katrina victims in the United States searched the area for miles and when they were lucky, enough to find some it was only for a small amount. Therefore, there will probably be some very desperate people out there. In addition, uncovered barrels placed outside to capture rainwater would be very enticing and dangerous to small children. Also, your pet or other animals could be trapped and drown in the barrels. Therefore, never use open containers to collect rainwater without precautions. It would be a good idea to use a fine screen over the top of the barrel to prevent mosquitoes from getting into and contaminating the water.

In an emergency, you can disinfectant water by adding a couple of drops of household bleach to make sure the water do not have bacteria. Do not use scented bleach; you want to use regular bleach. Obviously, this must be a last alternative because bleach leaves an aftertaste, and I would not want to drink bleach, even though you could filter it later.

Do not rely on the government to provide anything. When the pandemic hits it will affect so many people so quickly in mass that the only person or organization you can depend on is yourself and family.

If you live in a cold climate, do not put the water in a place where it could freeze because water expands and the expansion could rupture your containers. If you do decide to put the water in a cold place, do not fill the containers to the top and this will give the water expansion room. But, it could break the sides of the containers anyway. I suggest that you store the barrels somewhere in your home where the temperatures are warmer.

Learn a lesson from Hurricane Katrina. Imagine how the people of New Orleans felt after the hurricane hit their beautiful city. They had no water to drink initially and finally when it was available it was contaminated. They had to boil the water before they could drink it.

If you need to use water from any source other than tap water or commercial water, the easiest way to purify it is to boil it. Of course, there are many sources of water and many of which will need purification. In an emergency, consider using water from a swimming pool, river, lake, pond, creek, et cetera. First, strain the water in layers of coffee filters, paper towels, clean cloths or use your water filter. You need to boil the water for at least 5 to 10 minutes depending on your altitude. If you are at sea level, boil it for 5 minutes and add another minute for each 1,000 feet above sea level. Start timing when the water is boiling vigorously with large bubbles not a slow simmering. If it were me, I would boil it for 10 minutes anyway.

Use water purification tablets after you boil it because it will kill any other parasitic organism left in the water. Get two containers and pour the liquid back and forth between the two and it will improve the taste of the water. It will replace the oxygen lost due to boiling and if you are anything like me, drinking fresh clean water is a joy. This will also improve the taste of any stored water.

A very inexpensive way to purify your water is to throw a few pennies into the filled storage containers. You see the pennies are made from copper and copper is antibacterial. What happens is that some of the copper from the pennies will mix with the water and help prevent growth of the bacteria in the water. This does work and if for some reason, you are unable to buy the chemicals needed to purify your water this is a cheap solution. Use this information if you are for some reason unable to buy the inexpensive chemicals that are available.

When the lights go out and you do not have natural gas available, you might get the message from public officials that tap water is available but undrinkable unless you boil it. In this case, you will be up the creek unless you have camping equipment. Some campers use a piece of equipment called Steripen and it kills germs in water by way of ultraviolet light. You can also use grapefruit seed extract to kill the microbes but it will leave a nasty aftertaste, but it will kill the germs.

You will need to get a non-electric water filtration system. Economic and effective systems are available at local stores. You just pour a glass of water into the filter and presto you have drinkable water. This of course is much more convenient than boiling water. It’s smart to get a filtration system because water contamination can occur easily and you may need to get water from questionable sources. When you shop for these systems, it is important that people do not know you are planning for the pandemic. A good place to shop is a camping or out doors sporting goods store. Tell them you are interested in outdoors camping. You don't want the world to know you have supplies stored when the world becomes desperate for food and water.

Do you know what to do when no doctor is available? A person dying of thirst is no mystery but sense we are talking about water storage and its importance, let us also talk about the effects of dehydration. Dehydration is a dangerous lack of water in the body resulting from not drinking enough water or excessive loss through sweating, vomiting, or diarrhea. It simply happens when the body loses more water than it takes in. Did you know that dehydration caused by diarrhea is the biggest single killer of children in the world? You must keep your eye on a few danger signs or situations that can contribute to dehydration. Think about the effects of water leaving the body for whatever reason. This can occur when there is severe diarrhea and vomiting occurring together. It also may occur with people who are seriously ill, perhaps with the flu, and too sick to take much food or liquid. It is vital that everyone, especially mothers, notice the signs of dehydration. People of all ages can become dehydrated; however, dehydration happens sooner and is more dangerous in small children. It is important that you know how to prevent and treat it. Notice these signs of dehydration:

1. Thirst often is the first and early sign of dehydration

2. When a person has dry mouth

3. When a person’s eyes are dark and sunken

4. When a person’s urine is dark yellow with a strong odor

5. When the person has little or no urine

6. When a person has excessive fatigue

7. When a person has loss of skin elasticity

8. When a person has a trench line down the center of their tongue

9. When a person has sudden weight loss

10. When a person displays emotional instability.

There are some signs that are more important than others are and they need your immediate attention. If you notice that, a person has watery diarrhea, or the combination of vomiting and diarrhea, act as soon as possible. It’s like preventive maintenance. If you act quickly, you can prevent or treat dehydration by giving them much of the right liquids to drink or giving them a thin cereal, teas, soups, or even plain water. Keep giving the right kinds of food. As soon as the sick one will eat, give them many small amounts of foods they like which contain ample amounts of water. You want to give babies breast milk often and before other drinks. Give the dehydrated person sips of water every 5 minutes, night and day, until they begin to urinate normally. A large person will need more liquids a day. A smaller child usually needs about one glass for each watery stool. Maintain your procedure of giving the liquid often in small sips and even if the person vomits.

In cases where the person is too sick to eat, they should drink watery mush, chicken, meat, egg, or bean broth, or broth of rice, maize powder, rice water (with some mashed rice) or potato, Kool-Aid or similar sweetened drinks, breast milk.

Whenever a person is ready to eat give them along with the above listed liquids: a balanced selection of the following foods or similar ones: crackers, rice, oatmeal, ripe or cooked bananas or other well-cooked grain, fresh maize (well cooked and mashed), applesauce (cooked), potatoes, Papaya.

Most cases of diarrhea will require no medicines. Do not give sweetened fruit drinks, sweetened tea, coffee, some medicinal teas or infusions to those who are victims of dehydration and diarrhea: These fluids are potentially dangerous to people with diarrhea and dehydration.

What people will pay for something determines its worth and the price of that product can be drastically different depending on circumstances. If demand for a product is more than supply its price will raise compared to prices when demand is lower than supply. This in essence is the theory of supply and demand. People were paying as much as $20 for a gallon of water after Hurricane Katrina hit New Orleans. Sad but true there are people who will take advantage of you just because they can. Tap water right now is virtually free. The supply is something we take for granted even in times of drought. But, when there is virtually no water believe me, the price will go up substantially. People will have no choice. I saw a twilight zone episode where these criminals had stolen a large amount of gold, they were trying to make their get away in the desert, and one of the criminals lost his water. The other criminal charged the one who lost his water a bar of gold for every drink of water he would get. In an emergency when you are, dying from thirst you will pay $20 a gallon or more for water.

Do not put yourself and your family in that situation.
Click Nitro-Pak to order your water containers. 

The best time to go and get needed supplies or work is between waves of influenza activity. It does not mean that it will be safe during that period. People still will get the infection sporadically.

Therefore, the best plan is a ruthless quarantine for the entire duration of the pandemic. The virus will constantly mutate and it will happen unexpectedly. Let us say the pandemic last for 18 months. The last 6 months could be a much better time to mingle with other people than the first 12 months generally. It would depend on what is happening in your area. Therefore, when you make your plan consider the most secure things you could do realizing that the more you mingle with other people the greater your chances of catching the virus.

What is your plan? Will your plan be for the short run or the long run? If you are planning for the short run, you will need to go out into the streets between waves of Influenza activity and get supplies. Remember the supplies you get will be limited and more expensive. This will depend on your resources, but eventually you will consume the products that you buy so you should not waste money.

What kinds of food should we store? I believe that we should store normal food from our local grocery store or wholesale warehouse and survival food for different reasons. The normal food because we are accustom to eating these kinds of foods. However, for the people who can afford it buying normal food for a year or more will take up too much space, and will not last near that long. Remember you will not be able to replenish your stock once you go into self-quarantine. In addition, during that year there will probably be times of no electricity and no running water. The nonperishable food that you buy will get boring quickly due to lack of variety and electricity to prepare it. Therefore, given these circumstances it is imperative that you buy long lasting survival food as well as a supplement.

How long will normal groceries last? Look for “expiration dates” or “best if used by” dates to establish how long to keep store foods. If you cannot find a date, then use the stored food within a six-month period. You can do this by rotating the food so that it will not spoil because of non-use. Use the foods that you bought the longest time ago for regular meals and replace with the newest foods for later. This will keep all of your food supplies fresh and mean that you will not waste money preparing for this eventuality.

During this emergency, stock foods that are high in calories and nutrition. You do not want many salty foods, because they will make you thirsty and water will be at a premium. Also, do not purchase foods that are high in fat. Buy canned foods that do not  require cooking, are easy to store, and do not need water or special preparation. The problem with food in cans is the sodium content is usually high. If your budget can handle it, consider your families unique needs and tastes.

Select foods that require no refrigeration, preparation or cooking, and little or no water. Foods that are compact and lightweight are easy to store, carry and be sure to have a few manual can openers available. Try to eat salt-free crackers, whole grain cereals and canned food with high liquid content. Ready-to-eat canned meats, fish, fruits, vegetables, beans, and soups. Protein or fruit bars, dry cereal or granola, peanut butter or nuts, dried fruit, canned juices, canned or jarred baby food and formula, pet food, other nonperishable foods. Also, canned juices, milk and soup (if powdered, store extra water). Foods for the sweet tooth like cookies, hard candy, sweetened cereals, and candy bars. Also, buy Instant coffee and teabags for those who love it. Do not forget the little ones, so buy foods for infants, elderly persons or persons on special diets, if necessary. Consider dried foods but remember they can be nutritious and satisfying, but high in salt content.

Purchase some of these medical, health, and emergency supplies. They include prescribed medical supplies such as glucose and blood pressure monitoring equipment. Also, soap and water, or alcohol-based (70-90%) hand wash are essential to your success. Use a good quality of soap like Lava or a good anti bacteria based soap. Medicines to fight fever, aches, pain, and headaches like acetaminophen or ibuprofen. Also, purchase different assorted items like a thermometer, a flashlight, batteries, a portable radio, anti-diarrhea medication, vitamins, and liquids with electrolytes, garbage bags, tissues, toilet paper, and disposable diapers.

There is specific health information that can be useful during a time of emergency and it is important to think about health issues that could arise during an influenza pandemic. Let us say for example, vaccines became available in your area and your health history was an issue. You may need to provide some specific information. A good thing about preparing your family for this emergency is it also will help prepare you for other emergencies.

Avoid the following food: Whole grains, beans, pasta. Preparation could be complicated under the circumstances of a disaster.

Supplies you need to lower your risk of getting the disease   The CDC and WHO do not claim that N95 and N100 face mask are 100% effective in stopping a flu virus from entering your system. The mask do however reduce your chances of catching the virus from contamination in the air. Therefore, do not think you are superman or wonder women just because you have a mask on. Be conservative with your behavior and do not tolerate unsafe activity in your environment. When you buy these items remember that the mask can not be used more than once. Some of the pricing includes people wearing a mask for other purposes that is not flu related. Buy the mask and gloves realizing that you may need to change numerous times daily. This will depend on your activities during the day. I would suggest you buy large quantities of each at a lower price per unit instead of smaller quantities at a higher price per item. This would obviously depend on your budget. Click here to do one stop shopping for bird flu prevention items.

 

Vinyl Gloves
Your hands are like sponges; they pick up, hold and transfer almost everything that you contact. For this reason, they are perhaps the number one way of getting and transferring diseases.  Also, this is why you should wash your hands frequently. It is important that your hands are covered and protected any time you are at risk. I recommend vinyl, nitrile, or latex gloves to give you the greatest protection and they are available in boxes of 100. Purchase them at local drugstores, medical supply companies and over the internet.

As with all protective equipment make sure you get gloves that fit you and your family securely. Do not try to wear two sets of gloves at once. This may seem like you are getting double the protection but actually the gloves rub together causing friction. This weakening of the glove can cause rips or damage to the material leaving you at risk. 


Lab Coats and Eye Wear 
There is a good chance that someone in the family will need health care. This is especially so if a friend or relative works in a high probably of getting the virus environment. You need to have protective clothing. Lab coats are available at medical supply companies and over the internet. These items will protect you from body fluids penetrating your clothing and you can throw them away after use.

As mentioned earlier, the influenza virus is only 80 to 120 billionths of a meter in diameter. When a person sneezes or coughs the droplets can reach up to 150 feet a second. These organisms can float through the air and you can catch it through your eye. We must protect all mucous membrane entrances, which mean we need eye protection.

You need goggles that cover the entire eye area. This means the front, top, side, and bottom. Medical and science supply companies carry these items at an inexpensive cost. It is important that any protective equipment you buy such as theses fit you well.

Shoe Covering
You can catch the virus merely by walking down the street. The virus can be in the soil or the surface that you are walking on. Animal wastes carry the virus within and we must keep our shoes covered and not track the virus into our homes. These foot coverings are available at medical supply companies and over the internet.

Head Covering
Obviously since the virus is airborne, floating organisms, may settle in your hair. Many people scratch their scalp not realizing that they are exposing themselves to different kinds of infection. If you should have any kind of cut or scratch on your head, it is very important that you protect your head from an invasion of the virus. You can purchase surgeons' head and beard covers at the same locations mentioned above.

Hepa Air Purifiers for ISOLATION ROOM

Isolation at home or self-quarantine is by far the most effective way to avoid catching the virus. The only problem is this pandemic could last as long as two years. Let’s be practical only a very few will be able to stay isolated for that long. Therefore, an important key to survival is dealing with the time during and between influenza wave activities. The biggest challenge for everyone is not bringing the virus back home where it could decimate everyone.

In a perfect world where everyone prepares for a pandemic ahead of time, we should all have our isolation room evaluated by our physician, the health department or any professional specializing in creating this kind of thing. However, in the real world, many of us will need to improvise and make our isolation room the nearest thing to perfection.

The people who will stay in the isolation room include a sick person or the breadwinner who is out in the public daily. Also, anyone who wants to join your group but because even they may not know they are sick needs the acid test first before acceptance. The occupant should stay in isolation for at least a week after their last outing into the public. 
Buy recommended avian bird flu supplies here.

See chapter 11 in the guide explaining how to create an isolation room.

Other Safety equipment necessities
1. Water less hand washing lotion
2. Sanitization wipes
3. Self locking sandwich bags to hold the Sanitization wipes.

1. They are the next best tasting food to your normal grocery bought food. The reason is Mountain House cooks their freeze-dried foods with all the food components and seasonings together, just like you would when cooking at home. The fresh vegetables, meats, seasoning, and sauces simmer together. The benefit to you is that the taste is fresher and it retains virtually all their fresh-food taste and nutritional content. Freeze-drying removes the water, not the natural flavor, vitamins or nutrients.

2. Freeze-dried foods are easy to prepare all you need to do is just add hot water and wait 10 minutes and bang you‘re ready to eat! You can make fast & easy gourmet meals in minutes.

3. You can eat the foods even if there is not electric or heat source available, you can eat it at room temperature or they have some heat packs you can use to heat it.

4. These foods require much less fuel and water than most fresh, frozen or dehydrated foods

5. The food is super light weigh. Freeze dried foods have 98% of their water removed. This reduces the food's weight about 90%. Freeze dried foods are so lightweight and compact you can store the food in a variety of locations around the house. This would make it good for security in case someone would try to steal some of your food decreasing your vulnerability to theft.

6. This food has a 30-year shelf life so you do not have to worry about it spoiling.

7. You do not have to worry about dishes or clean up.

8. Last but definitely not least is there is a wide variety of selection keeping eating a joy. Click Nitro-Pak to buy freeze dried food products.

Buy the items first that are in high demand and pricing is increasing the longer you wait. Buy these items in this order.

1. 55-Gallon water containers

2. Long lasting survival food

3. Prescription drugs

4. Buy safety equipment like mask, gloves, disinfection wipes, et cetera.

5. HEPA filter air purification unit for your isolation room

6. Regular food

7. Medical Kit

8. Portable radio