SAFETY TIPS FOR FLOODS

Flooding is rated first in the United States for weather related deaths. Flood conditions contribute to the deaths of an average of 140 people annually. Vehicle deaths account for 3/4ths of that total.

Nature is not the enemy in a flood and realizing this can contribute to your chances to survive. Flood conditions occur often enough that much information on survival techniques has been gathered.

Rivers that overflow their banks account for the primary form of flooding. Though there has been no rainfall in an immediate area, it is possible to experience flooding. Upriver storms and rain can cause the waters to rise in areas that haven't even detected a cloud. Extended rainfall over a period of weeks or days can culminate in flooding downstream. Two important pieces of information are your risk for flooding and the topography of the land in your area.

Restraining your pets or placing them on a leash indoors is one precaution you can take in time of flooding. Livestock should be moved to high ground. Tune your radio to the local weather station for updates and warnings. Time is of the essence when a flood warning is issued -- a flash flood warning may give you even less time to act. Escape may be measured in seconds. Swollen waterways will dispense their overflow onto the lowest level. Quickly the streams, creeks and streets will fill. Seek out higher ground rather than trying to outrun floodwaters. Don't try to drive out of a flash flood. A car cannot accelerate as quickly as a flash flood.

For those that have time to prepare, furniture and treasured items can be relocated to a higher level. Fill a variety of containers, even your bathtub, with clean water. If you have a family disaster plan, use it now.

If you see water covering an area, DON'T DRIVE into it. That water may be hiding hazards. The area isn't safe no matter how well you know it. The ground surface could have been compromised by water and objects. Toxic chemicals, downed power lines or an assortment of other debris can be mixed with the floodwater. Stop your vehicle, turn it around and find an alternate route.

Don't walk through standing water. The pull of floodwaters is deceptively strong. As little as a half-of a foot of water can be sufficient to set a child or an adult off their feet, carrying them away. Boiling water advisories may be issued so you'll want to listen to your radio for those. Take special note of any small openings in your home's exterior. Snakes, rats and neighbors' pets will be seeking shelter too, and may choose your home as a refuge.

Walk around the exterior of your house when you return after a flood to check for damage and places where animals may have entered. If you see foundation damage, it's best to hire a professional to inspect the safety of the premises. Wear protective clothing when cleaning up after a flood. Remember to wear a dust mask, long-sleeves, long pants, rubber gloves and waterproof boots. There will be a lot of silt, debris and mud swept into a flooded home. Bring enough clothing to change as your work garments get soiled. The sludge contains bacteria that could cause sickness.

 

 

There was an impressive flood in Cane Creek, TN earlier this year. <media 1838 - external-link-new-window>No Greater Joy's July-August issue</media> carried articles about the aftermath. Bestselling author Debi Pearl contributed an article entitled "The Biggest Cane Creek Flood on Record" and illustrated with color photos. Gabriel Pearl, Debi's son, also wrote about the event in "Cane Creek Flood." Read No Greater Joy Magazine online or add your name to their free subscription list.

LIFE BENEATH THE SURFACE

If you ever visit Havre Montanna, you may think that there isn’t much to see other than Norman’s Ranch and Sportswear store. While Norman’s is a fine establishment, there’s much more to Havre than meets the eye. In addition to the railroad museum and other interesting sites, Havre boasts a unique attraction called ‘Beneath the Streets.’ A novelty today for tourists, this feature was once an underground business community. Over 100 years ago, it was a place that ranch-hands and cowboys descended to spend their money gambling, drinking, at the opium den and in the bordello.

 

 

 

 

While Havre may have been one of the first to have this idea, it hasn’t been the last. In Sweetwater, Tennessee an extensive cave system boasts a place called Craighead Caverns. During the 1930s and 40s, the horses at Fort Oglethorpe offered a ready supply of manure which was used to operate a mushroom farm in a spacious section of the cave. Not far from those mushroom beds, a dance floor was built for a nightclub known as the Cavern Tavern.

While uncommon, it isn’t THAT outlandish an idea to imagine that caves could be used to provide shelter. It’s been done before. The difficulty is to imagine that entire communities could not only be housed in caves, but that it would be possible to live there for extended time without returning to the surface for food, clean air or water.

Then again, maybe it isn’t such an outlandish idea.

 

 

As long ago as the 1970s the USSR sponsored research into the nutrient value of several types of algae. Today, that research is the foundation for techniques that are being used to produce some brands of nutritional supplements. In order to have a large area that is climate controlled, some companies utilize underground caves. Additionally, several niche businesses have begun to spring up which produce both fish and vegetables in a self-sustaining system. These methods utilize the filtered water from the fish to provide nutrients to the vegetables which are grown in trays of irrigated pea gravel. Solar energy provides full spectrum growing lights for both the plants and fish, which are fed automatically. And, yes, it is conceivable that these techniques could be used to provide food, clean air and water within a cave environment.

The possibility that human and animal life could be sustained within a cave system isn’t the only surprise.

An imaginative writer from rural Tennessee managed to put all of these pieces together and use it as one of the elements in her new book, The Vision. Debi Pearl and her husband Michael Pearl reside in an area where many of these caves exist. Together, they operate a ministry known as No Greater Joy. Already an accomplished writer of books and magazine articles, this is Debi’s first venture into fiction. Rather than a wild, fanciful flight of imagination, Debi Pearl’s The Vision takes the reader along many dramatic twists and turns – much like the caves of Tennessee – which leave the reader gasping and wondering if this could really happen.

 

 

Debi delivers on her promise to both entertain and inform in The Vision, the first in a series. Order your copy of Debi Pearl’s The Vision today.

 

 

The Vision by Debi Pearl -- Fiction set in Reality

PURCHASE FROM BARNES & NOBLE FOR BONUSES
NOVEMBER 3RD & 4TH 2009

Order THE VISION by Debi Pearl from BarnesandNoble.com on November 3rd or 4th, 2009 (offer good on these days only) and you will receive coupon codes from the following companies offering 25% discounts from their webstores. Discounts cannot be combined with other discounts.

1. www.ancienthealingoils.com
2. www.bulkherbstore.com
3. www.collegeplus.org
4. www.morethanalive.com
5. www.nogreaterjoy.org
6. www.themissionball.org

 

You will also receive free downloadable ebooks and bonus gifts from Gary D. Foster and others at http://www.garydfoster.com/

 

Here's How To Order:
On November 3rd or 4th...
1. Visit http://www.debipearl.com/pages/buy
2. Click the Barnes & Noble link to place your order.
3. Email your receipt immediately to Mel Cohen to receive your coupon codes.
Coupon codes expire on 11/9/09.

Debi Pearl's latest literary work is entitled The Vision (ISBN: 978-0-9819737-0-8). A dramatic work of fiction, The Vision follows its main characters as they devote themselves to a controversial mission amid community disruption, political upheaval and environmental concerns.

 

The largest environmental concern is a probable eruption of Yellowstone. Some may think that asking readers to accept this possibility may be asking too much. This thinking is corrected when one realizes that Yellowstone is classified as a super volcano and may be due for an eruption.

 

The US Yellowstone National Park is located on a caldera. A bowl-shaped depression in the earth, calderas cover molten lava near the surface of the earth. Roughly three miles below the surface of Yellowstone's caldera, earthquakes are focused.

 

Yellowstone's size and its dormancy qualify it as a super volcano.

 

According to Bill McGuire of the Benfield Greig Hazard Research Centre, a professor at the University of London, a super eruption is "a volcanic explosion big enough to dwarf all others and with a reach great enough to affect everyone on the planet."

 

Exploding every second, it would take 1,000 atomic bombs to equal the force of a super-volcano's eruption. The volcanic crater of Yellowstone is so large that Tokyo (the world's largest city) could fit inside.

 

According to geologists, an eruption takes place every 600,000 to 700,000 years. By their calculations, the last massive eruption took place six hundred and forty thousand years ago. Said differently, Yellowstone could erupt any time within a few thousand years.

 

Estimations are that within a six hundred mile radius, there would be widespread death to both humans and animals (90%) if Yellowstone blew. Deadly ash, inhaled by survivors, would turn to mud in lungs, claiming lives of many throughout the United States. Not only humans, but livestock would succumb, leading to food shortages.

 

Transportation would screech to a halt. While temporary, planes would be grounded and railroads halted along with other means of travel.

 

Particulate matter would be spewed into the atmosphere with the force of the blast. There they would become sharp, jagged bits of rock and glass. An immediate result of this cloud of matter would be that day would turn to twilight or thick darkness. Lightening would flash while thunder sounded and an odor of sulfur would permeate for hundreds of miles. Sounds would be muffled while the thunder rumbled across an unnaturally quieted area. For the next twelve to sixty hours, ash would continue to fall heavily. On average, the weight of a foot of firmly packed ash could cause rooftops to collapse.

 

Clouds seeded by volcanic material would yield unseasonable rains, creating a slimy residue on all surfaces. This rainfall would produce dangerous mudflows. Contamination would plague drinking water. Roadways would become slick and clogged engines would fail. Electric power would likely be interrupted as power-stations also deal with engine failures.

 

 

For several weeks or even years, the layer of ash that had settled could be stirred up by human activity. Masks would be required to prevent the inhalation of ash into air passages. The diminished air quality would lead to compromised health among the surviving population. There would be widespread crop failure and depletion of vegetation.

 

Sunshine would be muted because of the matter in the upper atmosphere. Europe's skies would be red within days of the eruption. Two to three weeks later, Yellowstone's sulfuric acid cloud would blanket the earth. There would be a global cooling of the climate resulting from the sulfur released into the atmosphere. Normal temps might not begin to return for six years to a decade later.

 

Scientists also believe that the monsoons would not occur because of changes in the temperature in the southern hemisphere. This lack of rain would result in widespread food shortages for Asia.

 

Yellowstone National Park scientists believe that there will be plenty of warning -- weeks or even years -- before such an event. "If the park were poised for a major eruption, the signs wouldn't be subtle," stated Hank Heasler, park geologist.

 

The Vision, by Debi Pearl, is a fictional account. Yet, regarding the super-volcano of Yellowstone, there is some unsettling reality.

 

 

Activated Charcoal Around the House

Learn to use Activated Charcoal to increase your harvest, neutralize offending odors, filter your water and air.

 

GARDEN SOIL IMPROVEMENT:

If you use compost and organic fertilizers to enrich your soil, using charcoal in your garden can help retain valuable nutrients. Amazingly, everything you need to make the charcoal is already in your garden. Once harvest is over and the plants have dried or gone to seed, dig a shallow trench in your garden bed and pile garden brush into the trench.

 

When you set fire to the brush, watch the smoke. Initially, the smoke will be white. As resins and sugars begin to burn, the smoke will yellow. When the smoke thins and changes to a grayish blue, cover the burning debris with about an inch of soil, cutting off oxygen, and leave it until the coals cool.

Once cool, you will have charcoal. Incorporating this charcoal into organically enriched soil gives microorganisms a friendly environment. Charcoal will slow the loss of nutrients and help the soil retain its richness. [http://www.motherearthnews.com/Organic-Gardening/Make-Biochar-To-Improve-Your-Soil.aspx]

 

 

WATER FILTRATION:
There are two steps to making water safe to drink. The first step is to fil ter the water. The second step is to disinfect the water. Charcoal is a valuable ingredient in water filtration.

To make a simple charcoal water filter, select a clean container with a hole in the bottom. Place a single thickness, clean cotton cloth in the bottom of the container and then add a layer of fine gravel (or coarse sand). On top of this, alternate layers of charcoal and sand until the bucket is 2/3 full. Place a larger piece of thin cloth over the top of the container and secure it as a strainer to keep large particles out of your filter when water is poured through it.

Select another wide-mouthed clean container. Fit it with a lid that has a hole matching the one on the bottom of your filter. Set your homemade filter on the lid of your bottom container, which will hold the filtered water. Pour water into the filter and wait for it to drip into the lower container. The resulting water is filtered, but bacteria may still be present. You will need to disinfect your filtered water by boiling, adding chlorine, using the sun, or some other method. If boiling is used, the water should be boiled for ten minutes.

A variation of this method can be utilized for household filtration using a disinfected watertight drum. Washed gravel is placed on the bottom, followed by a layer of fine cloth and alternating layers of clean sand and charcoal topped with another layer of fine cloth. Water is poured through an opening in the lid of the barrel and collected after it passes through all of the layers. An old dinner plate can be placed on top of the sand just below the opening in the lid to stop erosion. An example of such a drum is shown. See this site for more detailed instructions:
http://www.hesperian.info/assets/EHB/06_Chapter6.pdf

NOTE: To produce activated charcoal in quantities for such uses, you would likely need to employ the use of an in-ground oven or kiln similar to the one shown at the beginning of this article.

Filtering dirty water will remove debris, but it won't make contaminated water safe.

• * The water has a chemical smell or foam deposits
• * There are dead plants and animals in or near it
• * The water looks stagnant. Bulrushes are a sign of this - those are the tall plants with the thick brown sausage-shaped heads
• * Lots of algae is growing in the water
• notesonsurvival.info/node/136

 

AIR FILTRATION
Home air filters can be made using a shallow cardboard box, small fan, thin (breathable) cloth, activated charcoal and duct tape. The shape of the fan is cut into one of the flat sides of the box. The box is secured to the fan with duct tape so that it blows AWAY FROM the box. The other side of the box is also cut open and a fine cloth taped over the opening from inside the box. This must be a fine enough mesh to hold the charcoal inside. You may also want to use some of the screening material to place over the fan (on the inside of the box). This will keep powder out of the fan's housing and machinery. Fill the box with charcoal powder/bits. When the fan is turned on, it will move air through the charcoal in the box.

FILTERED FACE MASK
A quick fix if you are wishing to avoid odors, smoke etc. is to use a bra cup and insert Activated Charcoal into the lining. This can be used as a face mask.

DEODORIZER
Charcoal sprinkled liberally around pets, barns, etc. can help tame odors. Place Activated charcoal powder into an old sock that is tied shut. Place the sock inside shoes overnight or in a closet, drawer, box, etc. of items to keep help trap bacteria that may make things smelly.

 

 

• You will need:
• * Aluminum foil
• * Activated Charcoal
• * salt, water, a bowl
• * paper towel
• * two clip leads
• * a DC motor, masking tape
• * optional, an electric meter capable of measuring 1 volt and 1 amp.
• For pictures and instructions: www.exo.net/~pauld/activities/AlAirBattery/alairbattery.html

Why Keep Activated Charcoal?

 

The average person thinks of charcoal briquettes manufactured for use in barbecue grills when asked if charcoal is in the home. Those briquettes have chemical additives that help them hold their shape and burn evenly. . . NOT something useful for filtration, purification or medicinal purposes!

 

In contrast, Activated Charcoal is used widely in hospitals, clinics rural and urban settings. Because of it's versatility and availability, charcoal is an invaluable substance to have on hand for daily remedies and for disaster preparedness. [http://www.charcoalremedies.com/why_charcoal]

 

For more than 3,000 years Activated Charcoal has been used without adverse side effects.

 

---

---

 

How is this black powder used? When taken by mouth, Activated Charcoal can keep poisons from being digested and help them pass through the body without being absorbed. [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Activated_carbon] Topically, a poultice of this powder can help relieve skin irritations, infections, abscesses and gangrene. It is a deodorant and purifier of water, air and food. [http://www.charcoalremedies.com/why_charcoal]

 

WHAT IS ACTIVATED CHARCOAL AND HOW DOES IT WORK?

 

 

Activated Charcoal is made from coal. Coal is made by removing water and other impurities from organic matter (usually wood) by slow heating without oxygen. [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charcoal] One method of producing Activated Charcoal is by heating charcoal in the absence of oxygen to temperatures of at least 482 degrees Fahrenheit (250 degrees Celsius). [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Activated_charcoal]

 

When viewed under a microscope, the surface of Activated Charcoal is seen to contain many tiny pockets. If laid out flat, the surface area of 1 teaspoon of this powder would equal that of a football field.[http://www.charcoalremedies.com] Those tiny pockets have the ability to trap toxins and poisons through adsorption. To adsorb something means that materials will stick to the surface of the activated charcoal and form a film. Because so many substances bond with activated charcoal, a few pellets or grains can go a long way. [http://www.wisegeek.com/what-is-activated-charcoal.htm]

 

 

HOW TO MAKE CHARCOAL

While most local pharmacies carry Activated Charcoal, it is also possible to make your own.

---

 

Click play to view video featuring Dr. Agatha Thrash speaking about recommended home remedies with activated charcoal. Learn how to make activated charcoal. Available free for personal use, recorded and distributed by owners of vegemedia.net with permission from producer 3ABN TV. 30 minutes.

---

 

 

• Discarded grill lid or other heat-resistant cover
• Long-handled shovel
• Fire pit
• Cloth bag (an old pillow case will do)
• Hammer
• Old Junk Blender (one you won't be using in the kitchen again)
• Untreated hardwood, well seasoned and dry*

* Old pallets work well for this application. They are very dry and unpainted. Businesses that deal in large shipments are often glad to be rid of them.

 

Break up your wood into pieces small enough to fit into your fire pit. Get your fire going well. When the coals are hot, use your shovel to flatten the mound of coals for more even burning. Cover them with the old top from a grill, or some other air-tight metal dome. Use your shovel to pile dirt around the bottom, creating an air-tight seal. Let the coals sit in their own heat. This will burn away any impurities and increase the porousness of the resulting coal. When the coals have cooled, remove them and place them into a cloth bag. Use the flat side of your hammer to pound the coals into peanut-sized chunks. Using your blender (outdoors!) grate these chunks into a fine powder, 2 cups at a time. This method can produce about 1 gallon of charcoal at a time. [http://www.buyactivatedcharcoal.com/making_charcoal]