Important Preparedness Points at a Glance

Here is a very brief overview of the main preparedness points to remember and where to find them in this report.

Chemical attack or Anthrax attack preparedness

An attack involving chemical agents or anthrax is most likely to happen inside a building where sufficiently dangerous concentrations of the poison can be more easily reached.

How to recognize a chemical attack
The steps to take in the event of a chemical attack

Biological attack preparedness

An attack involving contagious diseases is likely to pass unnoticed until victims begin to display symptoms.

How to recognize a biological attack
The steps to take in the event of a biological attack

The things that everyone should do as basic preparedness:

• Prepare a safe room at home (and at work, if possible) with a minimum amount of food and water supplies.
• Include a survival kit in the safe room.
• Practice using the safe room with your family.
• Keep appropriate decontamination materials and medical products ready for emergency use.
• Make a list of emergency telephone numbers (doctor, hospital, ambulance, fire, emergency coordinator, police).
• Discuss emergency response issues with you work colleagues, with your child's school, with your doctor, with your local hospital and with your family.
• Prepare a list of the things you will need in the event of being forced to use your safe room. Carry out emergency drills with your family every 3 to 6 months.

Emergency supplies
This section contains an overview of those things that you may consider buying as part of your preparedness for a survival situation.

All the items featured here can be purchased over the Internet.

Food supplies for preparedness

Nitrogen-packed cans of dried or freeze dried food. Family packs are available. A very broad variety of products exists, including:

• Breakfast
  Western omelet, pre-cooked eggs with bacon, granola with blueberries and milk.

• Soup mixes
  Bean and rice soup mix, beef soup base, chicken soup base, green pea soup, stew blend, yellow pea chowder.

• Full meals
  Beef Stroganoff, beef Teriyaki with rice, chicken a la King, chicken stew, chicken Teriyaki with rice, chili macaroni, chili macaroni with beef, hearty stew with beef, lasagna with meat and sauce, long grain and wild rice, mushroom pilaf, noodles and chicken, oriental-style spicy chicken and veggies, pasta primavera (vegetarian), rice and chicken, seafood chowder, spaghetti in mushroom sauce, spaghetti with meat and sauce, sweet and sour pork with rice, turkey Tetrazzini, veggie stew with beef, wild thyme turkey.

• Meat
  Beef paties, boneless pork ribs in BBQ sauce, cooked diced ham, cooked diced beef, cooked diced chicken, cooked diced pork.

• Vegetables
  Carrot dices, chopped onions, great northern bean, green beans, green peas, garden peas, pinto beans, potato granules (mashed potatoes), tomato powder.

• Fruit
  Apple slices, banana chips, banana slices, fruit cocktail, mixed fruit, peaches, pears, pineapple, raisins.

• Deserts and snacks
  Blueberry cheese cake, chocolate pudding mix, nut chocolate, pilot crackers, raspberry crumble.

• Cereals/grains
  Cornmeal, cracked wheat, elbow macaroni, granola, hard red wheat, millet, oat groat, pearled barley, popcorn, rolled oats, rye, soybeans, sweet whole kernel corn, white rice, whole wheat flour, yellow corn.

• Various
  Apple sauce granules, baking yeast, butter, cheese blend powder, egg mix, honey, low-fat milk, margarine powder, peanut butter powder, salt, scrambling egg mix, whole egg solids, emergency food bars, emergency purified water, water purification drops.

• Drinks
  Apple drink, fruit punch, hot chocolate mix, lemonade drink, orange drink, orange breakfast.

• Power
  Electric generators, diesel generators, portable generators, solar-powered electric generating plants, power plant batteries, rechargeable batteries, DC to AC converters, portable solar panels, solar battery chargers, solar-powered appliances.

• Light
  Battery-powered florescent lights and emergency lamps, all-in-one lamp/radio/siren systems, kerosene lamps, emergency candles, long-burning candles, light sticks, emergency 'liquid candle' lamps, self-powered LED flashlights, wind-up flashlights, solar flashlights, dynamo flashlights, solar rechargeable lanterns, batteries, bulbs.

• Medicine, antiseptics
  Alcohol cleansing pads, antibiotic ointment, antiseptic cleansing wipes, antiseptic spray, burn relief gel, chlorine solution, colloidal silver generator, decongestant tablets, Iodine tablets, Ibuprofen tablets, non-aspirin tablets, pre-moistened towelettes, stabilized oxygen, soap towelettes.

• Injury treatment
  Butterfly wound closures, gauze sponges, instant cold compresses, reusable hot/cold compresses, triangular bandages, adhesive plastic bandages, fabric bandages.

• Dressings
  Adhesive pads and strips, adhesive tape, dust masks, elastic wrap, gauze dressing pads, gauze roll bandage, sterile eye pads, stretch rolls, trauma pads.

• Instruments
  Cotton tipped applicators, finger splint, latex gloves, scissors, tweezers, vinyl gloves.

• Hygiene
  Soap, bio-waste bags (for storage of infectious waste), feminine hygiene pads, paper towels, tissue packs, toothbrushes, toothpaste.

NOTE: Kits are available, that provide most of the medical supplies you should store. Some complete kits also combine medical supplies with water and food rations, light, shelter, heat, and personal hygiene supplies.

Miscellaneous preparedness supplies

• Detection
  Chemical warfare agents detectors for the identification of nerve, blood, choking and blister agents, chemical and electronic biological agent detector systems for the detection and identification of antigens (bacteria, viruses and toxins) associated with infectious disease and bio-warfare agents (anthrax, plague, salmonella, tularemia, SEB, Botulinum Toxins, Ricin, Venezuelan Equine Encephalitis (VEE), Brucella), chemical water testers.

• Cookware
  Dishes and utensils, stainless steel air-tight and water-tight containers with rubber seals and lock down lids, kerosene cookers, solar panel cookers, can-opener, and containers.

• Toilet
  Portable toilets, emergency toilet alternative disposable bags (blend of polymers and enzymes that instantly gel liquid and break down solid waste), toilet tissue rolls.

• Other survival equipment
  Solar- and dynamo-operated multi-band radios, emergency blankets, emergency ponchos, body warmer packs, long term food storage units, water storage containers, water filters & sanitation supplies, masks, banana oil fit test ampoules, (to check for proper fit of protective masks), protective mask wipes, goggles, protective suits, boots.