FLOOD SAFETY

The number one weather-related killer in the United States each year is flooding. On average, 140 deaths are caused annually due to flood conditions. Of that number, three quarters die in vehicles.

The best way to survive a flood is to understand that nature is not the enemy. Flooding occurs often enough to give us lots of information on how best to deal with these conditions.

The primary type of flooding is river flooding. This can occur even if there has been no rainfall in your immediate area. A heavy rain event far upstream can cause river levels to rise even though you haven’t seen storm clouds. These conditions can have a cumulative effect over days or weeks. It is important to know the topography of the land around you and whether or not you are at risk for flooding.

Some precautions that you can take include keeping pets restrained or on a leash and indoors. Secure livestock on high ground. Listen to your local weather station. When a flood warning is issued – ESPECIALLY a flash flood warning, understand that there isn’t much time to move. You may only have seconds to escape. Remember that the water will seek low lying areas. Streets, streams and creeks will fill rapidly. Rather than attempting to outrun the waters, seek higher ground. Never attempt to outdrive a flash flood. Flash floods move faster than a car could travel.

If there IS time to prepare, then move your furnishings and valuables to an upper level. Stock up on clean water, filling various containers, including bathtubs. Implement your family disaster plan.

NEVER DRIVE in flood waters. Water covering the road could be covering hidden dangers. Just because you are familiar with the ground surface, doesn’t mean it is safe. The lay of the land may well have been changed by the swirling water. The waters may contain runoff toxic chemicals, downed power lines or other debris. Stop, turn around and go another way.

Avoid walking in floodwaters. The currents in floodwaters are strong. As little as 6 inches of water can sweep an adult or a child off their feet and carry them away. Listen to public health warnings regarding boiling water advisories. Take time to become aware of the entry points of your home. Neighbor’s pets or other wildlife such as snakes or rats may try to take refuge in your house.

If you return home after a flood, examine the exterior of your home, checking for damage and places where critters may have entered. If the foundation appears damaged, hire a professional to inspect the residence to see if it’s safe to enter. Wear protective clothing – dust mask, rubber gloves, long pants, boots, and long-sleeved shirts – as you clean your property. Floods cause a lot of mud, silt and other debris to enter your home. Be prepared to change garments as they become soiled. The soil contains bacteria that could make you ill.

Earlier this year, the Cane Creek community in Tennessee experienced localized flooding. The July-August 2009 issue of No Greater Joy Magazine includes two personal accounts of the event. Impressive photos are included along with an article by bestselling author Debi Pearl entitled: "The Biggest Cane Creek Flood on Record.” Her son, Gabriel Pearl wrote of his adventures in the article entitled: “Cane Creek Flood.” You can read both articles free online or sign up for a free subscription to No Greater Joy Magazine and have it delivered to your home.

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SUSTAINING LIFE IN A CAVE

Norman’s Ranch and Sportswear Store can be found in a little town called Havre, Montana. Norman’s is a thriving enterprise, but that’s not all there is to see in Havre. Beyond the rail museum and other highlights you will find ‘Beneath the Streets.’ Today, this is a novel stop on a tour, but at one time it was a bustling business zone. One hundred years ago, cowboys and ranch workers would find their way here to be relieved of their pay by gambling, drinking, visiting the opium den and keeping company with enterprising females.

Havre might have been one of the early pioneers of below-ground businesses but it wasn’t the last town to try it. Craighead Caverns is part of a massive system of caves in a place called Sweetwater, Tennessee. About 70 years ago, Fort Oglethorpe utilized horses. The manure from those horses was used as fertilizer for a mushroom farm begun in a large cavern. Those mushroom beds were located near a dance floor that became a nightclub called the Cavern Tavern.

Caves aren’t normally sought after as permanent shelter, but it’s not really a bizarre idea. This has been tried previously. The real sticking point is to try and conceive of how entire groups of people could be housed AND find a viable source of clean food, air and water within a cave for great lengths of time.

When studied, however, this may not be such a strange idea.

About 40 years ago, Soviet scientists were testing several types of algae to determine their nutrient content. Techniques perfected during that research are being used today to create nutritional supplements. Because it is necessary to secure a large climate-controlled growing environment, some manufacturers are utilizing caves. Systems are being marketed today which grow fish and vegetables using limited resources. This is accomplished by using water filtered from the fish container to feed nutrients to the plants which are grown in trays with peat moss and pea gravel. Along with automated feeding, both the fish and the plants receive artificial sunlight via solar powered growing lights. As you may have already surmised, it is possible to utilize this technology to create a livable environment inside a cave.

However, the idea that both humans and animals could live for extended periods inside of a cave without returning to the surface for supplies is not the only surprising revelation.

Rural Tennessee has produced a writer that has used these pieces of information to create a suspense-filled story in her newest book, The Vision. Near a labyrinth of caves reside Debi Pearl and her husband, Mike. Together, they serve as administrators of No Greater Joy Ministries. ~ There, they also oversee No Greater Joy Ministries. While Debi Pearl is well known for her writing, this is her first work of fiction. Debi’s newest work, The Vision is not unlike the caves of Tennessee; taking the reader around surprising twists and turns that raise questions about whether these things might actually occur.

The first in a series, The Vision delivers on its promise to both entertain and inform. Get your copy of The Vision by Debi Pearl today.

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PREDATORS PREY ON RUNAWAYS

Survival skill training can be one way to help your child avoid becoming a victim. The ability to find food and shelter until rescued will shield a child from many dangers. One of the most important ways a parent can protect children from abusers is to work to provide a safe, secure home environment where a child knows he is loved and wanted.

Criminals know that runaways are easy prey; that’s why they target them. The Vision is a new book by Debi Pearl that touches on the reality of the victimization of runaways in this country.

Rates of runaways soar as more and more families are disintegrating. Over two and a half million children run away from home each year according to the United States Department of Justice. A large number of runaways are lured into illegal solicitation. A majority of these children are indentured into service by abusers. Many of these go unnoticed because their disappearance is never reported to authorities by their malfunctioning family.

Federal agents in a nationwide sweep broke up more than 12 child prostitution rings in October 2008 that used children as young as 13 up to age 17. Metropolitan areas were not the only places these businesses thrived. Many of these operations are able to thrive in areas that are suburban or rural.

Criminal hunters study the mental and emotional makeup of their targets. They realize that these children are in search of a secure and safe place. Whatever the child lacked at home – food, clothing, money, attention, shelter – all of that is promised by the abuser. The control of the children is additionally secured by physical force and the threat of violence.

The response of local law enforcement is often to give a criminal record to these children. While a child must be 17 in most states in order to qualify as a consenting adult, there is no age limit on how young a child must be to escape prostitution charges. While the law states that an underage child cannot consentually agree to intercourse, those same laws can be used to level criminal charges against a child engaged in that activity.

Hundreds Nabbed in Prostitution Bust
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These youngsters lack family members that are willing to take them in, or rather, no family with whom they would want to live. It is not common to find safe houses with counseling services, medical treatment, and crisis management. Although released from jail or juvenile services, these children often have no other option but to return to the same bondage they escaped.

The Vision contains a story of several people that encounter a hopeless, young runaway. Endurance, faith and patience are put to the test as an angry, untrusting soul is at stake. This is just one of the strands that is woven into the tapestry of The Vision. Find out what happens! Don’t wait to purchase your copy of The Vision by Debi Pearl.

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THE VISION by Debi Pearl -- A Fictional Tale with Realistic Elements

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Debi Pearl has written a new book, The Vision (ISBN: 978-0-9819737-0-8). The main characters of The Vision find themselves embroiled in controversy over their mission while their community faces unrest, politics swirl and the environment becomes increasingly hostile.

Throughout the book, Yellowstone threatens to erupt. Readers may suppose that the writer has used her creative license overmuch. However, Yellowstone is classified as a super-volcano, and geologists predict that this super-volcano could erupt.

A massive caldera is the site of Yellowstone National Park. Calderas are bowl shaped geographical areas that cap stores of molten rock. Yellowstone's caldera is shaken by quakes centered three miles beneath its surface.

Both Yellowstone's size and dormancy gain it notice as a super volcano.

"A super-eruption is the world's biggest bang. It's a volcanic explosion big enough to dwarf all others and with a reach great enough to affect everyone on the planet," is the description given by Bill McGuire of the Benfield Greig Hazard Research Center with a professorship at London's University.




The force of such an eruption would require a thousand atomic explosions each second to equal it. The world's largest city, Tokyo, could fit inside Yellowstone's caldera because it's so massive.

Geologists estimate that every six to seven hundred thousand years there is a volcanic eruption at this location. They go on to estimate that it was 640,000 years ago when the last major eruption occurred. Give or take a few thousand years, this means that Yellowstone may be overdue to erupt.

In the event of a volcanic eruption at Yellowstone, predictions are that there would be a 90% loss of life (animal and human) within a 600 mile radius of the blast. Ash spewed into the air would become deadly when inhaled by survivors across the United States. Farm animals would also experience massive casualties, interrupting food supplies.

Travelers would be stranded as transportation stopped. Short term, airplanes would be prevented from flying while rail and other motorized conveyance would be stopped as well.

A great volume of the explosion would be projected into the air where, cooling, it would turn into bits of sharp, jagged rocks and glass. A grayish or black haze would immediately darken the sky because of the matter suspended in the air. A noticeable sulfuric odor, thunder and lightning would assail the senses.

With thunder rolling, the immediate disaster area would become blanketed in a muffled quiet. The first 12-60 hours would be characterized by a heavy ash fall. Structural damage to buildings would come about because of the weight of firmly packed ash. A foot's depth of ash would weigh enough to collapse a roof.

Rain would fall out of season as a result of the particles in the air. Water mixed with ash would coat everything with slime. Mudslides would soon follow the rain. Contaminates would be found in water supplies. Air filters on automobiles would become clogged, and roads would become too slippery to navigate. Electric companies would also encounter engine failures, resulting in uncertain availability of electricity.

Clouds of residual ash could be worked back into the air by human activity for weeks or even years after the ash had settled. To prevent breathing in ash particles, it would be necessary to don facial masks. Survivors would have to contend with limited clean air, resulting in widespread health concerns. Worldwide, there would be crop failures and loss of vegetation.

A hazy light would characterize the daytime as diffused light tried to penetrate the suspended particles in the atmosphere. Within days of the volcanic blast, the skies over Europe would be reddened. Two to three weeks later, Yellowstone's sulfuric acid cloud would blanket the earth. The upper atmosphere would be infused with sulfur creating a planetary climatic cooling effect as great as 10 degrees. Six to ten years could pass before normal temperatures started returning.

Scientists predict that because of temperature changes south of the equator, there will be failure of the monsoon season. Asia would experience monumental food shortages as a result of this reduced rainfall.

Weeks or even years prior to an eruption, Yellowstone National Park service scientists predict that there will be measurable warning signs. Hank Heasler, Yellowstone park geologist, stated that, "If the park were poised for a major eruption, the signs wouldn't be subtle."

Debi Pearl has authored a fictitious volume in The Vision. Nevertheless, there is an uncomfortable realness in regard to Yellowstone's super volcano.

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SIGNALS FOR RESCUE

Before you need to signal for help, one of the best ways to be sure you are found is by taking the time to plan to be found. When you travel, leave an itinerary of your trip with a responsible, trusted person at home. Include times that you expect to be at certain locations. Write down where you are going, your route, and when you are due. If your itinerary changes, let your contact person know right away. List any possible alterations to your route. Have pre-arranged meeting places for members of your party if you become separated. This will enable rescuers will know where to search if you are missing. Other helpful information to include in your itinerary are the health and general condition of members of your party, including any medications, a list of your gear including amount of food, water, clothing and shelter materials, and emergency contact information (family members and doctors' telephone numbers, etc.)

I have never been lost,
but I will admit to being confused for several weeks.
~ Daniel Boone ~

If you find yourself "confused" and in need of rescue there are a variety of ways to let your rescuers know your location.

You can utilize a variety of materials to signal for help including fire, smoke, flashlights, brightly colored clothing, reflective mirrors, whistles, or electronic devices. Remaining calm can enable you to use your imagination to plan a creative way to signal potential help. Knowing your options can save your life by keeping you from making a deadly mistake.

At the moment you realize you are lost, create a marker to designate your spot. Pile some rocks together, bend some branches, or create some other easily recognizable sign so that you will know the spot. This will be your base. If you decide to try and make your way out, this is where you will return for another try if your first attempts fail. This will also be the place you wait for rescuers.

If you choose to move away from your base, leave a note at the marker. Tell your plans and your direction of travel. As you travel mark the way at regular intervals with a pile of stones, a broken branch, or some other easily identifiable clue as to where you have been. This will help rescuers find you.

Electronic devices can be invaluable tools in an emergency. However, the potential for abuse is great.
Personal Locator Beacons (PLB's), avalanche beacons, satellite phones and other electronic safety devices can be used in the outdoors. Additional location devices that can be used to signal rescuers include Emergency Locator Transmitters (ELTs) used by pilots and Emergency Position-Indicating Radio Beacons (EPIRB) used by mariners.

While these are considered safety tools, they may also tempt those who carry them to feel they can engage in risky behavior. The belief that rescue from mistakes is just the press of a button away can turn your cell phone, GPS unit or other locator device into a personal body locator.

Be aware that electronic devices do not always function even in ideal conditions. Rugged mountainous areas and rural areas often have spotty reception, if any at all. Damage, battery life, and user incapacitation can all compromise the effectiveness of these devices.

It is always prudent to bring extra survival gear and depend upon survival training and good judgment should something unplanned occur. Be aware of your own personal limitations, the limitations of your equipment and other conditions. That will eliminate the need for search and rescue services, and PLBs.

Flares are highly visible but not long-lasting. Don't waste them. Lights can't be seen during the day unless the rescue party is close. These are more easily seen from great distances at night.

Survival whistles are compact, lightweight and easy to use. These whistles can get you noticed. The human ear can track the direction from which the whistling originates. In contrast, the sound of a human voice shouting can be dissipated by thick vegetation. Vocal chords will quickly give out and the effort will leave you winded. Whistles can be blown almost indefinitely, even when used by a weak or injured person.

Three blasts is the universal signal for distress. This applies to gunshots as well as whistles. Two blasts mean "All is well." Under the right conditions, a rescue whistle can be heard up to 5 miles away.

The survival whistle is also useful in urban environments. It can be used for defense by drawing attention to the situation. Children can carry a small survival whistle on a string around their neck.

Metal whistles are not recommended. Wet flesh will freeze to metal when cold. If you plan to wear a whistle or keep it in your pocket, a plastic whistle with a flat shape may be best.

The ACR WW3 (ResQ Whistle) is a flat plastic whistle with a dual chamber that can be had for less than $3. It was developed for the U.S. Navy. Plastic storm safety whistles are a favorite of life guards. These are so loud that they can even be heard underwater. Storm whistles run around $5 each.

Mirrors can make you visible to rescuers, but you must know how to use them. When aimed correctly, the brilliant flash from an emergency signal mirror cannot be ignored. It will reveal your position in the densest of vegetation or in the most rugged mountainous landscape from an average distance of 10 miles or more.

Commercially available signal mirrors are shatter resistant, lightweight, small and some have holes for hanging from a lanyard worn at the neck or belt. These mirrors also have an aiming hole in the center. Using this aiming hole, the viewer can point the mirror towards rescuers on the ground or in the air and see where the reflected beam is hitting, making adjustments to direct the beam more accurately.

If no signal mirror is available, other reflective materials can be used. A rear view mirror off of a vehicle, a magnetic compass mirror, a shiny CD, a mirror from a purse, aluminum foil, metal cans, or any other polished metal will do.

Two methods that can be used to aim the reflected light are the stick method and the hand method.

To use the hand method, extend your hand and form a "V" with two fingers. Position this "V" so that the object you wish to flash (an airplane for example) can be sighted between the two fingers. Tilt the mirror slightly to move the reflected light beam across your hand towards the center of the "V." This will allow your light beam to come in contact with your target.

Another way to direct your signal is to find a stick that is chest or head high. Position yourself so that the top of the stick and your mirror are in line with the object you wish to signal. Move the mirror so that the reflected light hits the top of the stick.

Scan the horizon regularly with your signal mirror. You may not be able to see rescuers, but they might see you. Also, once you've alerted your target, don't continue to flash them. The flash from your signal mirror is so bright as to be blinding.

The time to practice aiming your mirror is before you ever need to use it.
For a demonstration of signal mirror use, watch the video below:




There are a variety of symbols that signal a need for help. These can be placed on horizontal or vertical surfaces to be seen at a distance by rescuers. The shape of a triangle is a signal with three sides. Three is a universal signal for help. Spell the word "HELP" in large, all capital letters. The letter "V" lets rescuers know you need immediate assistance. The letters "SOS" are a call for help. The letter "X" means that you need immediate medical assistance.

You can stamp these symbols out or use tree limbs, rocks, vegetation or brush to make the signal more visible. If you are in a sandy or flat area, try scraping the symbol into the dirt. You can place signal fires (or flares) in the shape of a triangle, positioning the flames at each corner.

If you have a vehicle, make it more visible from the air and from a distance by clearing vegetation, using a cloth for a flag, or use some other creative solution. Use fuel and oil to start signal fires and feed them with material from the car that creates smoke. Place as many symbols as possible around your location to make your position most visible.

Once help has been spotted, wave. Be sure to wave with two hands and arms. This signals distress. Waving with one arm indicates all is well. It is best NOT to get these confused.

If you feel that the chance for a quick rescue is great and it takes little energy for you to signal, then signaling for rescue should be high on the list of priorities of someone who needs rescuing.

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