What if Ebola Struck in the US? – Putting Together Your Pandemic Kit

Did you know that last month there was an Ebola scare in Sweden?  A man showed up at a hospital in the town of Enkoping, Sweden vomiting blood.  He was quickly transferred to the Uppsala University hospital.

It’s easy to brush this off.  I mean, it was only in Europe, right?  And fortunately, it turned out that the guy didn’t have Ebola after all!  But let’s think through this.  The man who was suspected of having Ebola had spent three weeks in the African country of Burundi which borders the Democratic Republic of Congo – where last year many cases had been reported.

Plausible Scenario

Ebola takes up to three weeks for symptoms to present, and you aren’t contagious until a patient becomes symptomatic.  If this person had traveled back to Sweden while these symptoms started to show, he could have infected everyone on those planes to Sweden.  Then those people could go on their merry way for three weeks before exhibiting symptoms of their own.  The pattern could continue spreading Ebola across the world in a matter of months.

If something like that happened, what would you do?  Could you be prepared?  Would you be prepared with what you have in your home right now.  I guarantee you that if we saw even one case of Ebola in the US, medical interventions, items that regular people could buy in the attempts to prevent the dreaded sickness would quickly fly off of shelves – both real and virtual.  Don’t get caught unprepared.

Even in my time, I remember SARS (Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome) and the swine flu scares, and while these were not pandemics, they were spreading epidemics.

So how do we put our families in the best way of preparing for a pandemic?  We make sure that we are set and have a Pandemic Kit Ready.

(1)  Food Storage

Okay, pick your jaws up off the floor, and no, food storage isn’t the answer to all problems, but it is an important part to the answer of what you’ll need to prepare for an epidemic or pandemic.  And there is a good reason why.

When an epidemic or pandemic comes to town, your best way to keep yourself and your family safe is by not going out.  You have to hunker down.  I’ve about one expert who says that when a pandemic gets to within 100 miles of her town, her family will have a “No one in, no one out policy.”  That means no more trips to the store.  That means that you have to be self-sufficient with what you already have in your home and that means FOOD STORAGE.

Remember that food storage includes items like water, sanitation items like soap, pads, shampoo, toilet paper, etc.

(2) Bleach 

There are a couple of types of bleach.  Chlorine bleach is well known for taking care of germs and disinfecting surfaces.  The downside of chlorine bleach is that it expires and loses its effectiveness.  Within six months of opening, they lose their effectiveness.  Even before opening bleach can lose its efficacy.

Another way to handle bleach is to purchase powdered bleach.  This is much more effective long-term and you can dilute it to use as a disinfectant agent.

(3) Gloves, coveralls, masks, and goggles

If someone comes to your home and wants in, you CANNOT let them in.  If you have a segregated part of your house (perhaps a garage) or you could put a tent up.  That person will need to stay in that area for THREE weeks (if it’s ebola) if it’s another pandemic or epidemic, you’ll find out how long the incubation period is.  The person who comes to your house will have to remain in that other space for the longest duration of the incubation period.

So why do you need gloves, coveralls, masks, and goggles?  If you have someone staying in that other area, you won’t be able to have direct contact with them.  And if, by some horrible happenstance the person in that tent or separate part of the room gets sick, you’ll need protective gear even if you just take food out to them.

(4) Disposable plates, napkins, silverware

I can still see people shaking their heads.  Why?  What’s so important about having disposable items from which to eat meals?  If there is a person in that quarantined area of your home or in a tent in your yard, they will need to eat on something that can be thrown away in case they do develop the illness, epidemic, or pandemic that you are trying to keep your family safe from.

(5) Heavy Duty Garbage Bags

You will need these to keep anything disposable in these to be disposed of.  These should be able to keep germs in as securely as possible.

While these may not be a part of your pandemic kit, make sure that you have plenty of sanity savers ready for a prolonged isolation.

What About You?

Are there any other items that you would add to a pandemic kit?  Share then with us so we are all better prepared in the event of a catastrophic medical epidemic.

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