Quarantine Preparedness

The first time that I read about the U.S. plans for home quarantine I was living in Massachusetts. I told some friends about it while visiting teaching and we spent the rest of the time talking logistics. It just seemed so overwhelming—even impossible. I dedicate this post to them. We CAN do this!

Quarantines

And there shall be men standing in that generation, that shall not pass until they shall see an overflowing scourge; for a desolating sickness shall cover the land. But my disciples shall stand in holy places, and shall not be moved; but among the wicked, men shall lift up their voices and curse God and die. -D&C 45:31-32

Quarantines happen when there is a pandemic or other biohazard, airborne or otherwise, that is spreading rapidly and the government is trying to stop it. The U.S. systems in place include three levels of quarantine. Level one means everyone is requested to stay in their homes or on their property. All businesses, stores, and community buildings are closed. Electricity and plumbing still work until something breaks. This is for a designated period of time and is also usually "self-imposed" for the most part. Level two is more serious, requiring everyone to stay inside. This is also called "mandated" or "enforced" quarantine because people will be confined to the inside of their homes by force. The military and/or police will ensure that the quarantine is followed.  And level three calls for underground long-term sheltering. The government will issue specific instructions when the quarantine is announced, but here are some general things to be aware of and prepare for. (You can look up these plans for your home state and community. The federal plans are a PDF file and thus I can't go to exact pages so i'm not providing hyper links here.)

Ø  Since it is important in quarantines to create a routine and stick to it, especially when children are involved, here are some suggestions: Change your sleeping schedule to match the sunlight and darkness hours. Make designated family and personal alone time each day. Exercise daily. Solidify gospel routines (family prayer, scripture study, etc.) and plan the day around them. Create routines around mealtimes. Plan a different kind of activity for each day of the week to break up the monotony. Knowing what to expect gives everyone, especially children, a sense of security and control even in extremely trying situations.

Ø  Plan for one gallon of water per person per day. Also store fluids with electrolytes.

Ø  Use your three month food supply plan. In addition, you may want to store healthy food that can be easily prepared by any member of the family, just in case both parents are ill and cannot prepare meals. Also include foods high in antioxidants to build up your antibodies like dried blueberries or mangos. Foods rich in Vitamin C (for example, oranges) might actually work against you with some virus strains (H5N1 for example), so concentrate on storing antioxidant rich foods to build up immunity instead.

Ø  Teach your family now to have good sickness etiquette: stay home from work or school when you are sick, sneeze and cough into a tissue or your arm, wash your hands frequently and thoroughly, and do not touch your eyes, nose, mouth or ears with dirty fingers. Practice healthy personal hygiene and cleaning habits in your family and home now so it will be natural while quarantined when it could mean the difference between life and death.

Ø  Do not plan on having electricity or gas for light, heat, cooking, etc. Store wood for fires (or an ax to get some), gas for a camping stove or grill, coal for a Dutch Oven, flashlights and lamps with extra batteries, etc. Remember that candles and fires not only use oxygen to burn, but also present a hazard, so have camping lamps and battery operated lights to use until they run out.

During quarantines:

4  Stay at least 20 feet away from other people, animals, and standing water. If you live in a rural area this shouldn't be a problem and you will most likely be able to go outside your house into your yard for some sunshine each day. But if you live in the city, especially in an apartment building situation this will be a bigger challenge. Do not open your doors or windows when other people are closer than 20 feet. Close your vents if they are connected to ducts shared by other apartments in the building. Even though you can't go outside try to let in fresh air and sit in direct sunlight each day. 

4  Designate one room in your home for the care of sick persons, preferably one with a bathroom attached. The sick person should stay in this room at all times, and only the care giver should have contact with them. The caregiver needs to be shielded properly with a gown, mask, and gloves that are disposed of after each exposure. Have extra bedding, entertainment, eating utensils, etc. that are set apart for sick persons. Have a bell or whistle for the sick person to call for aid, as they may be too weak to shout or even speak. Store bleach and other disinfectants to clean with. Use your First Aid Kit and herbal remedies if you have them.

4  Use your Sanitation Kit.

4  If you can't go to church, your family becomes the branch. Keep the Sabbath.

4  Being home all day every day in close quarters can be trying. Store a variety of things to do that are not only fun but productive. Collect reference books so you can learn new skills you never had time for before! Use your home schooling kit.

4  Since you will be spending the majority of your time inside, the air in your home needs to be recycled. Have at least one plant in every room, and more if you can manage it. Depending on how close your neighbors are, you may or may not be able to open your windows to let in fresh air. But do not attempt to seal your windows or door shut as you will quickly be oxygen deprived.

4  Listen to the radio for updates on the situation or watch the news if you can. Take everything you hear with a grain of salt.

This past week I used my birthday money from my grandparents to buy these two new plants for our house:

natalie even painted the pot for the one we put in her room. i would tell you what kind of plant it is but the old asian guy at the nursery didn't know the name in english =o] but it is an air purifier, only needs to be watered once every two weeks, doesn't need direct sunlight and only needs to be repotted once every couple years. meet "greenie" as natalie lovingly calls it. we will be getting two more of these babies for the living room and our bedroom when the money comes up next in the budget...

 and this beautiful aloe vera plant!! i was going to put it in the kitchen, but it needs 3 hours of direct sunlight a day which doesn't happen, so it is currently loving life in caleb's room.

we made flyers for all our neighbors telling them about BASIC preparedness and pointing them in the direction of providentliving.org. do you know your neighbors? might be a good idea to meet them because in any disaster working with your community is essential for success!

i also filled up the water barrel i got for my birthday =o]

heads up for next week: pandemic flu prep! and then on to food (which is taking me a while to get ready!)