Hundreds of children have been sent home from summer camps across Southern California in recent weeks with flu-like symptoms, and camp counselors and directors are taking precautions to prevent the spread of the H1N1, or swine flu, virus….
UC campuses are stockpiling supplies, from paper masks and hand sanitizer to food and water. Officials are going over worst-case scenarios ….
Ironically some summer camps choose to send the children suffering from mild flu symtoms home thus taking a concentrated infection group and spreading it out.
Swine flu has not had much of a serious impact yet, other than imminent shortages of flu vaccine this fall.
Small scale disasters happen often affecting many but usually in a small geographic area. A pandemic is a global threat that occurs irregularly and severity is variable. It will take a rare course of events to make the type of global impact you need to take diasater food preparation for.
Depending on where you live there are usually several types of disasters that you need to food prepare for. But what are the chances any of these disasters will occur in your lifetime? Did it happen to your parents or grandparents or previous generations who have lived in your area?
What is the chance of a disaster happening this year? This month? In 10 minutes?
The probability gets smaller and smaller. So why devote continuous and significant effort to be food prepared?
And if you are like most people who get concerned by a disaster threat and react by buying some bulk staples, what happens to the food when the laws of probability play out and nothing happens? The food rots and gets thrown out.
Why not be food prepared for 25-30 years with a one time action? The probability of a disaster occurring in that time frame is much higher than in one or 2 years, so if your goal is to be prepared whenever, you will be.