J O U R N A L O F

CivilDEFENSEV O L U M E 4 3 I S S U E 1 | 2 0 1 0

The Societal Impact of a GEOMAGNETIC STORM

WHY BUILD A SHELTER?

Utah Shelter Systemswww.UtahShelterSystems.compseyfried@utahsheltersystems.comspacker@utahsheltersystems.com

BECAUSE YOUR FAMILY IS YOUR HIGHEST PRIORITY!

Our website is designed to help you find protection from the many threats that exist inAmerica today. It includes important information about what you, your family and friendscan do to protect yourselves from these disasters.

BOARD OF DIRECTORS

William David Perkins, President

Dr. Mary Pernicone, Vice President

Kylene Jones, Secretary

Dr. Gary Sandquist, Treasurer

Dr. Gerald Looney

Bronius Cikotas

Jonathan Jones

Jay Whimpey, PE

Dr. Arthur Robinson

ADVISORS

Paul Seyfried

Chuck Fenwick

Rex Estes

Dr. Jane Orient

Michael G. Bazinet

Dr. Landon Beales

Dr. Dane Dickson

Sid Ogden

Kirk Paradise

OFFICE DIRECTORS

Sharon Packer

(Executive Director/Editor)

Polly Wood

(Office Manager/Associate Editor)

TACDA

11576 South State Street, Suite 502

Draper, UT 84020

www.tacda.org

info@tacda.org

Office: (800) 425-5397

Fax: (888) 425-5339

ISSN# 0740-5537

JOURNAL OF CivilDEFENSE

I S S U E 1 , 2 0 1 0 2 0 1 0 • 1

I N T H I S I S S U E

3 Societal Impact of an Extreme Geomagnetic StormBy Bronius Cikotas, Member TACDA Board of DirectorsA geomagnetic storm could affect our power grid in much the same way as a high altitude nuclear EMP.

5 Requirements for a Functional SocietyBy Bronius CikotasSustainment of life will be critical after a wide spread, long duration power grid failure.

10 Definition of TermsBy TACDA StaffAn explanation of the terms used in association with solar activity and geomagnetic storms.

11 Geomagnetic Storm of 1859Our country would be reduced to a third world status if this storm were to be repeated today.

13 Where Was Moses When the Lights Went Out?By Chuck Fenwick, TACDA AdvisorPreparing to “see” when the power grid goes down.

15 Preparing for an EMP or Extreme Geomagnetic StormBy Chuck Fenwick and Sharon PackerThe loss of power could come with no advance notice. Are you prepared for what comes next?

19 Duck & Cover or Triangle of Life?A comparison of two divergent earthquake survival methods.

20 Hospital Emergency RoomsBy John FarnamCan you afford to wait?

2 • I S S U E 1 , 2 0 1 0

PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE

I recently read a new book by Dr. William R. Forstchen. It is

called One Second After. The book describes what happens to

a family in a small rural town after an EMP. What happens to this

family and community is not pleasant. However, the story should serve as a wake

up call to all of us. It points out how unprepared most people really are. I recom-

mend the book to everyone.If we should have a large EMP or an extreme geomagnetic storm, the world

as we know it would be changed for years. The average community would soonrun out of food and medicine. Casualty rates would continue to grow over time.As conditions deteriorate, we should expect wide spread civil disorder, especiallyin larger cities.

We, at TACDA hope these last two issues will help to educate our membersto the consequences of an EMP and extreme geomagnetic storms. Our goal is tohelp you understand how to prepare for and mitigate the effects of many typesof disasters. Don’t forget to check out the TACDA Academy on our web site. It isa gold mine of information.

Stay abreast of the problems posed by the current world wide economicissues. There are riots in Greece and their economy is in crisis. If Greece shouldgo into default there is likely to be a domino effect across Europe. This will affectthe U.S. markets significantly. Stay vigilant.

The staff has done a great job updating our web site. We hope to have theupgrades online within the next few weeks.

William David PerkinsPresident, TACDAEmail: kd4fjl@aol.com

FROM THE EDITOR

I have had concern, for manyyears, of the potential for a ter-

rorist EMP. Each new defense sys-tem brings comfort and hope for acontinuation of our society, as wenow know it.

In our August 2009 TACDAconference, Bron Cikotas (TACDAboard member) spoke of the threatposed from a massive geomagneticstorm. Never had I considered thisas a potential disaster. Unlike EMP,we might receive as much as a twodays’ warning of such an event.Preparation of our power grid,however, would take years to com-plete. The two days’ warning (ifthe government should choose togive it) would give us very littletime for personal preparedness. Ifwe are not prepared before handwe will be caught in a third worldcountry, with only third worldcapabilities. We hope the contentsof this journal will give you pauseto consider your ongoing prepara-tions in light of this new informa-tion.

The potential for natural disas-ters is a current and constant con-cern. The devastating earthquakein Haiti has driven numerousrequests for information on the“Triangle of Life” concept for pro-tective actions that should be takenduring an earthquake. We have,therefore, re-printed that particulararticle for this journal.

We are happy to report thatour new website will go live nextmonth. We appreciate the input weare receiving from our members.Please let us know of your con-cerns, and email your requests forsubject matter for the journal.

Best Regards,

Sharon PackerEditor, Journal of Civil Defense

I S S U E 1 , 2 0 1 0 • 3

Societal Impact of an Extreme Geomagnetic Storm

EBy Bronius Cikotas

Member TACDA Board of Directors

E very 50 to 100 years we experiencean extreme geomagnetic storm that

would affect our power grid in muchthe same way as a continent wide highaltitude nuclear electromagnetic pulse(HEMP). The geomagnetic storminduced ground currents and the

effects on our infrastructures would beabout the same as those produced bythe late time E3 (essentially dc) portionof HEMP produced by a high altitudenuclear detonation. In both cases thearea covered can be continent wide butthe duration of geomagnetic storminduced currents is significantly longerand in both cases are likely to result ina near complete shut down of the US

and Canadian power grids.In the event of an extreme geo-

mantic storm, the power grid recoveryprocess would be very complex andextremely lengthy. Comprehensiveeconomic recovery may, in fact, takeyears to even decades due to the signif-icant amount of damage to the extrahigh voltage (EHV) transformers andthe worldwide transformer manufac-

4 • I S S U E 1 , 2 0 1 0

turing capacity limitations. The extended recovery period

would in turn lead to a shut down ofvirtually all industries, commerce, andday to day business operations.

“. . . infrastructures quicklybecome unavailable in the event of a wide spread power

failure . . . which would lead to widespread riots, mayhem,

illness, lawlessness, anarchyand death.”

Today, while we can predict someof the consequences that we wouldface as a society, the true complexity ofthe situation as it relates to cross-industry and infrastructure inter-dependence and its effects in societyand life sustainment warrants muchfurther examination of consequencesand options for addressing this threat.

THE ESSENCE OF THE PROBLEM:Today our inter-related and inter-dependent infrastructures pro-vide the necessary services tomeet our societal dependenciesin a highly efficient and reliablemanner. Consequently the gen-eral population is able to livequite comfortably in very dense-ly populated areas that in mostcases are a considerable distanceaway from the source of theirrequired survival resources.

Clearly, the continuous

availability of electricity is at the epi-center of sustaining industry, com-merce and life. In essence, all aspectsof our infrastructure have complexinterdependencies, many of whichhave not been adequately mapped tofully understand and appreciate thespeed at which societal structureswould begin to fail.

As a practical example, trans-portation requires enormous quanti-ties of fuel. However, at the sametime, fuel generation and distributiondepends heavily upon transportation.

Water, renewable food supplies,and other essential life-sustainingresources that are routinely providedby complex and energy dependent“distribution” infrastructures quicklybecome unavailable in the event of awide spread power failure. The resultof which would lead to widespreadriots, mayhem, illness, lawlessness,anarchy and death.

Furthermore, power productionrequires both transportation and fuelwhile the functioning of societyrequires a constant supply and easyaccessibility of transportation, fuel,power, food, water, communications,etc … for individuals and the survivalof a functioning work force.

The situation addressed here isunprecedented in modern society, as itwould very likely throw our quality oflife back into the late nineteenth centu-ry. This is due to the fact that despiteall of our vast modern technologybased infrastructures, we would notbe able to use them without a working,electrical generation and distributionsystem. •

Got Batteries?

by John Farnam TACDA Contributor

A friend of mine recently sharedthis story with me: I was atthe movies yesterday and

found it necessary to use my smallflashlight to find something I haddropped. It is a tube-light, andpowered by two, #123 lithium bat-teries. They were many monthsold and on their last legs. Thelight kept going dim.At home, later in the evening, Iheard what sounded like a smallexplosion in the kitchen. Myflashlight, which I had left on thecounter with the intention ofreplacing the batteries, was still inits belt-holder. When I picked itup, it was so hot I was forced todrop it! The light had explodedwith enough force to blow out thelens in front, and the push-buttonin the back. The batteries werecorroded and leaking.

I cleaned up the mess,replaced the batteries with newones, reassembled the light, and itnow, once again, works normally.”

Comment: While unusual,this happens now and then. Weall have, and may carry, flash-lights. Check your batteries nowand then. Corroded and leakingbatteries need to be replacedimmediately. After severalmonths, all batteries should bereplaced, just to insure your lightis up to par when you need it.Don’t neglect your critical equip-ment! •

Areas of probablepower system

collapse

SOCIETAL IMPACT, continued

Cycle 24 Sunspot Number Prediction

1995 2000 2005 2010 2015 2020

250

200

150

100

50

0

JOURNAL OF CivilDEFENSE

I S S U E 1 , 2 0 1 0 • 5

By Bronius CikotasMember of TACDA Board of Directors

he content of this article pertainsto an area generally overlookedby emergency and disaster man-agers in their planning process.Specifically, the critical issue of

continued sustainment of life across thework force and the broader population inthe event of a wide spread, long durationnational power grid failure.

WHAT IS REQUIRED?Life sustainment in a modern societyrequires:

• Power• Water• Food• Sanitation• Fuel• Transportation• Medical and Heath Services• Communications• Government – (national security,

emergency services, law enforce-ment)

• Financial Services, includingInsurance

• Work Force

Society must meet these life-sustain-ing needs on a continuing basis in orderto survive.

POWERFrom a societal perspective, power is ourmost critical infrastructure, as all otherinfrastructures are dependent upon it.The loss of our power gird would quick-ly lead to the cascading collapse of all

Requirements for a

Functional Society

T

6 • I S S U E 1 , 2 0 1 0

dependent infrastructures. As anotherexample, the power grid needs a com-munications infrastructure to operate,and communication networks obvi-ously need power. As a result, neithercan operate over a prolonged period oftime independent of the other. Whenpreparing to meet this scenario wemust consider both the consequencesof the infrastructure failure and thebroader societal impacts that willresult from the subsequent failures.

At the onset of a geomagneticstorm of this scale, we would likelylose a large percentage of our spaceassets, which support GPS, communi-cations, media, military preparedness,national security, weather, and othersocietal services.

WATER

I n a present day society, potablewater is essential for life sustain-ment. It is, therefore, of grave con-

cern that in the event of a power gridfailure the ongoing purification ofwater will not be possible.

In order to achieve redundancyacross their electrical systems, majormetropolitan water plants use multiplepower feeds from the grid and gener-ally do not have independent back uppower supplies to keep their opera-tions running in instances of powerloss. This is not a matter of ineffectiveplanning or oversight. A water plantmay use 100 megawatts of power thatis distributed over its service area. It issimply not practical to generate thatlevel of power and distribute it inde-pendently.

It is crucial that the fragile interde-pendencies of power availability andwater processing be addressed; andeven then, we must realize that contin-ued operations is affected by access toa variety of resources including treat-ment chemicals, water delivery mech-anisms, fuel availability and workforceavailability.

In the event of water plant shutdown, there would be a limitedamount of processed water availablein the system (tanks and pipes). Thissupply would drain by gravity over 6-12 hours, depending on the elevations

of the source, draw sites and draw rate,and would be available for only a lim-ited time.

On its web site, FEMA instructsthe public that in an emergency, peopleshould use the water in hot watertanks as a potable water reserve. Theunanswered questions for people inlarge metropolitan areas are the loca-tion of the hot water tanks in apart-ment and office buildings, how toaccess the water most effectively, andultimately who controls it.

“. . . if water supplies run dry, people will

quickly become sick due to the consumption of non-potable water, the consequences of which would lead to death.”

In reality, much potable water willbe lost in the interest of modern con-veniences and non-survival needs.Unfortunately, unless the public fullyunderstands the extent of the emer-gency and the length of time requiredfor full recovery, they will not take therequired steps to preserve water effec-tively as a survival resource, nor willthey make preparations before hand topurify foraged water.

While it is possible to live on lessthan one gallon of water per day thepublic has no experience in getting byon such a small amount. Under theseconditions the New York metropolitanarea would need roughly 17 milliongallons of potable water per day just tosustain its population.

If the public were made aware ofthe seriousness of the situation andconservation was effectively imple-mented, there would be exponentialincreases in the amount of time thatthe water reserves would last.Unfortunately, the ability to communi-cate the problem to the masses is alsotied to the power grid.

With stringent conservation therewould be enough potable water inmetropolitan areas to last for a week or

more, allowing the public time to seekother alternative sources. Adversely, ifwater supplies run dry, people willquickly become sick due to the con-sumption of non-potable water, theconsequences of which would lead todeath.

Some will, no doubt, attempt toboil water in order to disinfect it, usingany available means for fuel, includingfurniture - accidentally starting fireswithin their homes and apartments inthe process. As a result, there wouldbe a significant increase in the numberof accidental fires, and without water,the fires would quickly spread, wreak-ing havoc and causing significant lossof property and life in the process.

The government has pre-posi-tioned water purification tablets forpublic use in emergencies, but manycity residents simply are not in a geo-graphic location where they can accessthe tablets or have any reasonableaccess to water sources where thetablets would be of any value.

New York City pumps 13 milliongallons of water per day out of its sub-way system and tunnels. In a powergrid failure scenario this water wouldcontinue to accumulate at the samerate and inadvertently flood the sub-ways and tunnels. The local popula-tion could possibly access and sterilizethis source, but it is likely that thiswater would soon be contaminatedwith sewage through the use of uncon-ventional toilet facilities.

FOOD

A person can survive withoutfood for about 30 days, butcannot survive without water

for more than three days. Food that isrefrigerated or frozen will start to spoilin just days to a week.

Out of necessity people willquickly begin to loot stores and restau-rants, along with other places wherefood might be available, includinghomes and apartments in their ownneighborhood.

Typically cities are likely to have athree days’ to a week’s supply of food(among supermarkets, stores, restau-rants and what people have in their

REQUIREMENTS FOR A FUNCTIONAL SOCIETY, continued

JOURNAL OF CivilDEFENSE

I S S U E 1 , 2 0 1 0 • 7

houses or apartments.) Supermarketsand restaurants will empty first and asthe situation worsens, fighting willerupt among the looters. Lootingquickly broke out in New Orleans fol-lowing Hurricane Katrina and surpris-ingly, much of it was not for food.Looters took TV's and other high valuegoods as well. Riots, fights, deaths, andeventually, anarchy will likely accom-pany looting. Hopefully people willevaluate their predicament logicallyand rationally, and will organize andwork together to share and protecttheir resources. It is likely that both ofthese situations will occur on somescale.

Although we have food resourcesto keep the population alive for a pro-longed period of time, most of the foodsupplies are typically separated byconsiderable distance from the popula-tion that needs them. Add to this thefact that the supporting, processingtransportation and distribution infra-structures will be non-functional, withno way to bridge the gap for the largequantities of food needed to sustainthe population in the cities.

“Body disposal will becomea major sanitation issue.Garbage disposal will cease from day one.”

SANITATION

Sanitation will be a major issue,assewage systems are not designedto flow without water. When

people attempt to use their toilets andsinks, sewage systems will becomeclogged. Sewage will accumulate inthe lower levels of high-rise apartmentbuildings and in low-lying sections ofcities and towns, forcing people toleave their apartments and homes.Sewage plants will shut down due tolack of electricity and water.

Recently a 15-story apartmentbuilding in Halifax , Nova Scotia ,Canada , lost power, and before thepower was restored the basementfilled with 3-4 feet of raw sewage. (BethJohnson, “Sewage floods apartment build-

ing again,” The Daily News (Halifax,NS), Feb. 3, 2008).

Body disposal will become amajor sanitation issue. Garbage dis-posal will cease from day one.

FUEL

T here will be no new fuel supplies(gasoline, diesel, natural gas)processed or delivered. In win-

ter people will have difficulty surviv-ing without heat in their homes andapartments. They will not have fuel tocook their food. Gas station pumpswill not operate without electricity.Vehicles will quickly run out of gas.Many people who are stranded in theircars without access to food and waterwill die where they are.

TRANSPORTATION

I nitially, when power is lost peoplewill tend to stay in place waiting forthe power to return, while trying to

get news of the situation. Where theweather is pleasant they will tend to gooutside and mill around or take a walkwaiting for the power to be turnedback on. In the cities, as long as peopleexpect the power to return, they willtend not to drive, because of the trafficlights and other energy-related prob-lems. For those at work, when it comestime to go home, some will becomeimpatient and attempt to drive home.Without traffic lights, city streets willbecome clogged with traffic. Somecars will run out of gas and create totalgridlock. Matters would be evenworse during a winter storm, with thelack of snow removal capabilities andthe accompanying cold temperatures.Those who use electric powered trans-portation, unless they can get a ridehome by other means, may be stuck atwork for days, weeks, or the remainderof their short lives in the event thatthey live a significant distance awayfrom their work place.

It will be easier if the power lossoccurs at night; when most people areat home and may decide not to go towork. Under these circumstances,people will be stuck at home ratherthan at work. As the loss of power con-tinues, living in the city will become

intolerable, and many will use anymeans to leave, not taking into accountthat there is no infrastructure outsidethe cities to better their situation.Refugees will become stuck in trafficand will be left without reasonablesafety and security, or the resources tosustain life. They, and their familieswill die in their cars or in an attempt towalk out, as they fall victim to rovinggangs and vigilantes. With significantnumbers of people attempting to leavethe city and the accompanying trafficgridlocks, all roads out of the city willbecome one way, preventing attemptsat re-supply or public safety response.

Attempts may later be made toclear the gridlock; but until that time,military flights, air drops, diesel trainsand waterways may be the only way tore-supply cities or to relocate peopleinto temporary holding camps. It islikely, however, that re-supply will bemostly unmet, resulting in great loss oflife and property.

MEDICAL AND HEALTH SERVICES

Medical and health services willquickly become inaccessibleand will soon cease to exist.

The only medication available will bethose on hand or those that are lootedfrom pharmacies and hospitals. Thereare a significant number of people inthe U.S. who need medical care ormedication several times a day, includ-ing:

• Homecare: 1.36 millionAmericans need continuoushomecare.

• Hospice care: 105,000 Americansare in hospice care.

• Intensive care units (ICUs) inhospitals: 4.4 million patientsare admitted each year because ofshock, trauma, or other life-threatening conditions thatrequire intensified, comprehen-sive observation and care.

• Diabetes: Affects 20 millionAmericans who need medica-tionsClearly, the total number of ‘at

risk’ people is likely to be higher thanthe numbers shown above for otherreasons, including the following:

• The numbers above do notaccount for outpatients whoneed regular visits for alreadydiagnosed illnesses.

• There is no estimate above of thenumber of lives that would belost without timely vaccinations(e.g. flu, tetanus, childhood vac-cines).

These statistics do not provideestimates of the number of patientswho would routinely be diagnosedand successfully sent for treatment tonon-ICU facilities. With no medica-tions or medical and health services,these people will be at the greatest riskof being the first ones to die from a 50-100 year geomagnetic storm.

COMMUNICATIONS

S ociety cannot and will not func-tion without communications.Initially landline telecommunica-

tion services will remain on backuppower, which will last for three-fivedays. Wireless systems, also known ascellular, systems will have a shorter lifeonce the cell centers or systems run outof fuel. None of this assumes that thepublic will have ready access to usablecommunications, as the demand willbe so heavy that the wireless networkswill be overloaded and collapse (asthey did during Hurricane Katrina and9-11). Also, cell phones themselveswill quickly lose power and cannot bere-charged except through batterysources, such as those found in vehi-cles. Further, as shown in the 1989Loma Prieta earthquake, landlineusage will be so great that getting adial tone will be nearly impossible.

Similarly, the Internet and theWorld Wide Web will cease to func-tion, because of lack of power for net-works as well as for access by theusers. However, the Governmentwide Emergency TelecommunicationsSystem (GETS) will work for a while,until the telecommunications switch-ing centers shut down and the satelliteground stations run out of power.Initially the government will use theFEMA PEP public radio stations tobroadcast emergency warnings, infor-mation and directions to the public.

8 • I S S U E 1 , 2 0 1 0

REQUIREMENTS FOR A FUNCTIONAL SOCIETY, continued

I S S U E 1 , 2 0 1 0 • 9

JOURNAL OF CivilDEFENSE

Unless the government develops aplan that can be easily and quicklyimplemented and understood by thepublic, spur of the moment or panicmoves on the part of Government (aswas the case in the aftermath ofHurricane Katrina), will further under-mine its sinking credibility and couldsignificantly worsen the situation.

To summarize, it will be virtuallyimpossible to mitigate the catastrophiceffects or begin reconstitution of thecountry without an effective, interop-erable communications system.

GOVERNMENT

M any of the National Guard,law enforcement and otheremergency response person-

nel are likely to abandon their posts tolook after their, and their own family’ssurvival. Those who remain may betoo few to maintain order. It is a mat-ter of fact that many law enforcementofficers abandoned their posts in NewOrleans after Hurricane Katrina.

Most likely, Martial Law will beimposed, but with so much area tocover and the associated transport andresource difficulties, the troops toenforce it will be too sparse to maintainorder. The troops will likely be usedonly in prioritized recovery opera-tions.

Lack of government planning formitigation and recovery resources,including the hardening of the powergrid and the reallocation and distribu-tion of life sustaining supplies, will sig-nificantly affect the impact of thethreat, survival rates and recoverytime.

BANKING AND FINANCE

E lectronic banking, includingcredit cards and checks, willcease to exist. Banks will close.

The limited cash on hand will work fora short time, but prices will skyrocketand eventually cash will lose its value.Society likely will revert to abarter/exchange system of trade for aprolonged period of time.

The stock market, pension plans,bank savings accounts, and credit rat-ings will cease to exist or become

meaningless, as will many forms ofinsurance.

WORK FORCE

T he work force in the affectedareas that keep our infrastruc-tures and society functioning,

will in many cases, disappear. Mostpublic works will be inoperable, andthe employees will see no need toreport to duty. Primarily, everyone thatis capable will be expending their timein helping their families, friends andneighbors to survive. There will be lit-tle time or resources to devote to any-thing else. Hopefully, people will pooltheir remaining resources and worktogether on their survival issues.

SUMMARY

I n the event of a 50-100 year extremegeomagnetic storm, apartments andhouses will have no electricity, no

running water, no operating toilets, norefrigeration, no way to cook or purifywater and no way to heat or cool theirhomes. Many residences will befouled by raw sewage.

“Death rates in the cities will rise dramatically, and there will be no

means of body disposal.”Medical supplies and services to

treat the sick and prevent the spread ofdiseases will be unavailable, and therewill be no emergency response servic-es. Death rates in the cities will risedramatically, and there will be nomeans of body disposal.

In addition to deaths from lack ofsanitation, food and water, there willbe deaths stemming from fights, loot-ing, riots, and anarchy as people fightfor the diminishing resources that maystill be available, as well as weatherand disease related deaths. Thesephysical effects on our society wouldbe compounded by psychological trau-ma, fear, uncertainty, hopelessness andan inability to cope.

Hope that our friends and allieswould come to our aid may just be

wishful thinking. The same geomag-netic storm that affects North Americacould affect Asia, and Europe as well.Depending on the duration and extentof the power loss and other infrastruc-ture recovery timelines, we could losemillions and potentially many tens ofmillions of lives in the U.S. , alone.

WHAT CAN BE DONE?

E ach individual industry normallycreates their own independentdisaster recovery and contin-

gency planning solutions respective totheir unique industry requirements.

The planning process is, in manycases, proprietary and confidential soas to provide for a layer of added secu-rity in not making industry specific‘continuity of operation planning’ pub-lic information. Practically speakingthere is no sense in highlighting indus-try specific risk, vulnerabilities, redun-dancy or weaknesses in the publicdomain to educate competitors or ter-rorists.

Based on the research by JohnKappenman and Dr. William A.Radasky of Metatech, there are reason-able solutions to the power grid failureproblem that can significantly reducethe impact of an extreme geomagneticstorm on the nation. For about twohundred million dollars, resistorscould be installed on the neutrals atselected power grid distribution pointsto significantly reduce the damagepotential to all of our nation’s HighVoltage Transformers. The replace-ment of the damaged High VoltageTransformers is the primary cause forthe extended 10-year power restora-tion duration. The projected cost of$200 million is hardly noticeable intoday’s trillion-dollar budget and thegovernment should be pressed toresolve this critical problem withoutdelay.

It is hard to imagine the devastat-ing effects that an extreme geomagnet-ic storm would have on our country.The potential for this scenario is real.The consequences are unthinkable.Needless to say, personal and govern-ment preparedness are of the utmostimportance and urgency. •

1 0 • I S S U E 1 , 2 0 1 0

TACDA Staff

The following definitions brieflyexplain some of the terms associatedwith solar activity and geomagneticstorms that are found in this Journalof Civil Defense.

T he earth is very much like amagnet and has a mag-netic field. The

earth’s magnetic fieldis referred to as thegeomagnetic field.The geomagneticfield surrounds theearth and has botha southern andnorthern pole. Theearth is, therefore,said to be dipolar.The geomagnetic fieldextends tens of thou-sands of miles into space. Itis interesting to note that scientistsbelieve the strength of the geomagnet-ic field has been decreasing for the past2,000 years, and that there hasbeen a general 10%decrease in the strengthof the field in the lastcentury.

The sun, also,has a magneticfield. This fieldencompasses theentire solar system,and is called theinterplanetary magnet-ic field (IMF). As thesun’s magnetic fieldinteracts with the geo-mag-netic field, it forms a bulletshaped area around the earth calledthe magnetosphere. This bubble of mag-netism protects the earth from cosmicrays (high speed particles, most of whichoriginate outside the solar system) andfrom the solar wind flowing from thesun.

A solar wind constantly streams off

of the sun at speeds of about one mil-lion miles per hour. The solar windconsists chiefly of protons, electronsand helium nuclei (alpha particles) and isaccelerated by forces within the sun’shot corona (outermost layer of the sun’satmosphere). The wind is always direct-ed away from the sun, but the speed of

the wind is not uniform. Thesewind variations buffet the

earth’s magnetic field;and depending on the

energy and mass ofthe charged parti-cles within thewind, can producestorms in theearth’s magnetos-phere.

Sunspots aredark, cool areas that

occur in the photosphere(innermost layer of the

sun’s atmosphere). Theyalways appear in pairs. Some sci-

entists believe that sunspot pairs occurat the point that the sun’s magnetic

field comes in and out of thephotosphere.

Sometimes groupsof sunspots abrupt

into violent explo-sions called solarflares.

Solar flares areaccompanied bythe release of gas,

electrons, visiblelight, ultraviolet light

and x-rays. As thesolar wind carries this

radiation and these parti-cles into the earth's magnetic

field, they interact with the magneticfield at the poles to produce the polarauroras (luminous displays of variousforms and colors seen in the night sky)

Approximately every 11 years, thesun goes through a cycle of low to highactivity. Some 11-year cycles havemore sunspots than others. Our cur-

rent cycle (cycle #24) has been extreme-ly mild. A graph of the sunspot cyclelooks like a roller coaster, with thehighest number of sunspots at the topof the graph, and the lowest number atthe bottom of the graph. Between theyears 1645 and 1715, records indicatethat there were very few sunspots.The earth was quite cold and experi-enced a “little ice age”.

At the beginning of each cycle, thesun experiences a magnetic pole shift.The sun, itself, does not turn upsidedown, but the sun’s magnetic fieldchanges direction. The earth also expe-riences magnetic pole shifts. Scientistsbelieve the last pole shift occurredabout 780,000 years ago but that attimes, the shifts had occurred in as lit-tle as 1,000 year sequences.

Coronal Mass Ejections (CMEs) aregreat bubbles of plasma containing bil-lions of tons of charged particles andstrong geomagnetic fields that the sunsporadically spews into space during asolar flare. Scientist cannot “see” theseejections, but they can now infer thesize and location of the CMEs frominstruments that read fluctuations tothe natural background radio emis-sions coming from outer space. Theincoming information is combined incomputers to form a three dimensionalpicture of the region which shows theintensity and direction of the storm.CMEs usually reach earth in about fourdays, but can reach earth in as little as18 hours. If the CME is directedtowards the earth, it attacks the earth’smagnetosphere, sometimes withenough ferocity to cause severe geo-magnetic storms in the earth’s magne-tosphere. Extreme geomagnetic stormscan cause devastating damage to satel-lites, space craft and power girds.

Space Weather Swiss Reins.pdfhttp://solarscience.msfc.nasa.govhttp://www.answers.comhttp://science.howstuffworks.com

Definition of TERMS

I S S U E 1 , 2 0 1 0 • 1 1

One hundred fifty years ago, on Sept. 1st1859, scientists in Europe, Australia andAmerica observed a geomagnetic distur-

bance of unusual violence and wide extent. Instrumentswere available, at that early date, to provide a continuousphotographic register of the earth’s magnetic force field.

On the same day, two English amateur astronomers,Richard Carrington and Richard Hodgson, independentlymade an observation of a huge solar flare. In a communica-tion to the Royal Astronomical Society, it was reported:“September 1, a little before noon, Mr. R.C. Carrington hap-pened to be observing, by means of a telescope, a large spotwhich might then be seen on the surface of our luminary,

when a remarkable appearance presented itself”. Just after midnight on Sept. second, 17 hours and 45

minutes after the observance of the solar flare, anothermomentous geomagnetic storm abruptly occurred simulta-neously in both the southern and northern hemisphere.Telegraph wires in both the United States and Europe spon-taneously shorted out, causing numerous fires. Auroral dis-plays, similar to the Northern lights seen near the earth’sNorth Pole, were documented as far south as Rome, Hawaiiand the South Pole. It was said that the lights over the RockyMountains were so bright that the glow awakened gold min-ers, who began preparing breakfast because they thought itwas morning. It wasn’t until some time later that a proven

JOURNAL OF CivilDEFENSE

GeomagneticSTORM

of 1859

The American Civil Defense Association is createdto educate, empower and equip individuals, fami-lies and communities for emergency preparedness.

Become a member now and receive informationand resources to better understand current threatsand practical solutions for handling emergencies.The full TACDA™ membership offers basic educa-tional and technical needs for those who have aninterest in learning about civil defense and disasterpreparedness concepts, strategies and techniques.

TACDA members and gift membership holdersreceive a full year of:• Subscription to The Journal of Civil Defense,

a quarterly publication• Member discounts on products and services

through the TACDA Store• Voting privileges at member meetings• Access to the Journal of Civil Defense archivesbeginning with edition number 1, May, 1968

www.tacda.orgTACDA™, is a registered 501(C)3 non-profit,

non-political organization. All memberships and contributions are tax-deductible.

connection was made between sunspots and geomagnetic distur-bances.

Recent conclusions from the recorded information of thatevent indicate that this was a “perfect storm”.

That sunspot has since been named the “Carrington SuperFlare”, and the associated magnetic storm was the largest everrecorded in modern history. It occurred during an extremely quite11-year cycle, similar to the current cycle we are now experienc-ing.

It has been estimated by NASA scientists, that a storm of thisintensity could occur every 100 years or so. They estimate itwould cause up to $2 trillion in damage, and that recovery wouldtake four to ten years.

Other significant storms have occurred since 1858, but noneof this intensity.

On March 9, 1989, an intense storm struck the Quebec area.Auroras were seen as far south as Texas. Within 90 seconds, cir-cuit breakers were tripped in the Hydro-Quebec’s power grid,causing a massive 9-hour blackout in Quebec. The burst causedshort-wave radio interference, and ‘Radio Free Europe’ intoRussia was jammed leading many to believe that the Kremlin hadpurposely jammed it. Some satellites in polar orbits temporarilylost control. The fuel cells of the Space Shuttle, Discover, showedunusual readings, which returned to normal when the storm sub-sided.

In August of 1989, another storm, this time affectingmicrochips, lead to the halt of all trading on Toronto’s stock mar-ket.

On January 20, 1994, two Canadian satellites were disabledfor several hours, resulting in loss of transmission to newspaper,radio, television and data service clients. The failure was estimat-ed to have cost between $50 and $70 million dollars in recoverycosts and lost business.

Significant but less damaging storms struck the earth in 2000and 2003.

Between January 15th and 20th of 2005, there were five pow-erful solar flares. Normally protons take hours or even days toreach the earth. The flare of January 20th produced a protonstorm that arrived in a surprisingly short time. “We’ve been hit bystrong proton storms before, but [never so quickly],” says solarphysicist Robert Lin of UC Berkeley. “Proton storms normallydevelop hours or even days after a flare.” This one began in min-utes.

In the late summer of 2005, just before the series of hurricanes(that included Hurricane Katrina), there was a swarm of intensesolar flares. Many highly respected scientists believe our weath-er (to include global warming) is greatly influenced by the weath-er on the sun.

It appears to us that these geomagnetic storms will continueto repeat at various levels of intensity. It is only a matter of timebefore another 1859 event occurs. •http://science.nasa.gov/headlines/y2003/23oct_superstorm.htm

http://www.space.com/scienceastronomy/090902-1859-solar-storm.html

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Balfour_Stewart

Just $36 buys you

PEACE OF MIND

I S S U E 1 , 2 0 1 0 • 1 3

The power grid is down …maybe forever

By Chuck Fenwick

here are hundreds of sce-narios that can cause theloss of electrical gridpower. These includeeverything from a faultyrelay to a strategic EMP

strike that would precede a full-scale

nuclear war. There are, however, sev-eral inexpensive purchases and prepa-rations that could make the differencebetween life and death. Beforeexplaining “exactly what to do”, thereare a few simple rules to keep in mind.

1) If you die, it’s your fault.2) If you don’t have the gear, you

will probably need it.3) Be flexible … no battle plan sur-

vives first contact.

My wife and I live on 40 acres inS.E. Ohio near the border of West

Virginia. Our nearest neighbor is amile away so being prepared for emer-gencies comes with the territory. Eventhough we have incoming electricityfrom rural electric, it is not to be count-ed on and is notoriously intermittent.From the beginning we installed solarpanels, batteries and a generator as aprimary energy source with the co-opbeing the backup. Recently I took thesolar panels and inverters off line toupgrade the system. The job took aweek, and sure enough the co-op gridwent down.

Continues

Where WasMoses Whenthe Lights Went Out?

T

1 4 • I S S U E 1 , 2 0 1 0

WHERE WAS MOSES? continued

I decided it was a good time to testout my emergency lighting by firingup a kerosene lamp. I have propanelanterns, but I wanted to use the lampsto see how well they functioned. Ifilled the lamp with some spiffy bluefuel and lit the wick. After a few min-utes the wick turned to ash. I looked atthe label of the spiffy blue odorlesslamp oil and found that it was odorlessbecause it was not kerosene. It wasparaffin. I tried several different thingsto make it “wick” properly, but eventu-ally the wick would burn up. Great,my spiffy blue fuel didn’t work. Doomon you Wal-Mart.

Well, I had flashlights and thosepropane lanterns, but I wanted to usesomething cheap, like a candle. That’sright, no candles. Doom on youChuck.

Finally the electricity came backon and I turned off my propane lanternand made a shopping list. I boughtreal K1 kerosene and 244 count 15-hour votive candles with more match-es and a package of butane lighters. Ieven tested the 15-hour candles andthey really burn for 15 hours so I nowhave 3,645 hours of votive candlelightleft.

CANDLESBuy some. Thenbuy some more.Store them withmatches and/orbutane lighters.Any candle willdo; however,votive candlesare cheap whenbought in boxes

of 12 or more. You can even cook withthem and they do provide a little heat.

The good. Candles are cheap, andwith a little effort a low-tech societycan make them, they won’t tip themover and spill fuel, their shelf-life isindefinite, they are the most portableof all lights, and they are EMP proof.

The bad. Their light (lumens) islow; they are useless in wind and rainunless they are confined. Stored indampness, they are not waterproof

because the wick can absorb moisture.

KEROSENE LANTERNS AND LAMPS Lamps are the next step up from can-dles and should be in everyone’shome. Most have a ribbon-like wick and some havetwo wicks. Others have ashaped burner, which willgreatly magnify the burn sur-face, producing more light. Theyhave been used successfully for overa hundred years and some, like theAladdin, are quite decorative and burnbrightly.

Kerosene (K1). A lamp uses fuel. Thebetter fuel is Kerosene. Pure kerosenehas a strong odor, but refined kerosenelike K1 has less of an odor and stillwicks properly and burns brightly.Another fuel is the odorless paraffinlamp fuel. It does not wick (climb thewick from the reservoir) properlyunless the reservoir is at least half full.

The good. Kerosene lamps are anexcellent reading light compared to acandle. They are fairly portabledepending on the way they aredesigned, and are reasonably inexpen-sive to operate. They are EMP proof.

The bad. Most are quite fragilebecause of the glass used in making theglobe or chimney. They can also spilltheir fuel, creating a fire hazard.

LANTERNSLanterns burn brightly because theyhave a mantle (something akin to a lit-tle silk sock) which when lit produces abright white light. Used mainly forcamping they are either powered bywhite gas or unleaded gas. Anothertype uses propane gas that comes in ascrew-on cylinder. The Coleman NorthStar has a much longer mantle, whichproduces more light and uses less fuel.It is a good idea to have at least one ofeach type of lantern.

The good. They are extremelybright, efficient and inexpensive. Theyare EMP proof.

The bad. The liquid fuel has a lim-ited shelf life and if spilled is danger-

ous. The propane fuel is explosive if itleaks. The lanterns are quite noisy,making an escaping air sound.

FLASHLIGHTSThe importance of flashlights, incan-descent bulbs and a good supply ofbatteries cannot be over emphasized.

They can be accessed easily andwill provide light at the

flip of a switch.LED flashlights,however, thatprovide wonder-ful light at very

little power con-sumption may not

be EMP proof. Electriclanterns with solid-state circuitry mayalso fail the initial pulse.

Flashlights come in numeroussizes, shapes and brightness. Some canbe recharged from an outlet, and somerequire replacement batteries. Thereare even wind-up and shake-up pow-ered flashlights. A flashlight isabsolutely essential for the home, caror when camping. Two notable hand-held lights are the Mag-Lite and theSurefire. The Mag-Lite most oftenused is the one like a policeman car-ries. It has a large adjustable beamand the Mag-Lite bulb has a long life-span. The Surefire comes in severalsizes too, but the Surefire L2 DigitalLumaMax LED is surprisingly bright.The L2 uses lithium batteries, whichhave a shelf-life of several years.

The good. Flashlights are a time-tested lifesaver.

The bad. Good flashlights can beexpensive and battery replacement canbe costly. The LumaMax is not EMPproof.

There are dozens of different typesof flashlights. There are headlampsand lights that attach to the belt. Someare made for mounting on the barrel ofa gun and others for under water useby divers. There are stores on theInternet that specialize in flashlights.Do some research and choose a coupleof different types that would suit youand your lifestyle. •

By Chuck Fenwick & Sharon Packer

The loss of power could comewith absolutely no notice.One moment we would beliving in a modern societyand the next in a third

world country-a country that most ofus are not prepared to deal with.

As a matter of habit, we shouldregularly consider how we wouldfunction without the use of our mod-ern-day appliances and technologies.Many of us are old enough to have hadthe experience of hanging our laundryoutside to dry, typing on manual type-writers, darning our socks and sewingon a treadle sewing machine. Many ofour great-grandparents did not havethe use of automobiles and traveled inhorse and buggy. It’s not been that

long ago, and it could happen again. We are disadvantaged, because we

have no experience in that world. Theadvantage we do have, however, isthat we still have the knowledge andthe skills to re-develop some of ourcurrent technology.

Play the game of “What If” withyour families and prepare accordingly.

These are some of the things weshould consider in our preparations:

POWER

P urchase banks of batteries, and usesolar panels and generators to keep

them charged. Improperly maintainedbatteries have a very short life. Yourbatteries will not be vulnerable to theEMP; however, your chargers andinverters will need protection in a fara-day cage. Purchase duplicate sets of

these items, as they constitute a criticalcomponent of your electronic equip-ment. These extra items should bestored in separate EMP proof contain-ers (faraday cages). Always leave atleast one of these items inside the fara-day cage while the other one is in use.Assume any electronic equipment thatis in constant use will be lost to EMP.The amount of money and effort itwould take to harden ‘in use’ electron-ic devices against EMP might well sur-pass the amount of money it wouldtake to just buy a back-up piece ofequipment.

After an EMP, energy that we pro-duce will most likely be 12 volt DC. Ifsome of the AC appliances do manageto survive then they can be poweredwith smaller inverters. The smallerinverters are cheaper and quite easy to

I S S U E 1 , 2 0 1 0 • 1 5

JOURNAL OF CivilDEFENSE

Preparing for an EMP or Extreme Geomagnetic Storm

1 6 • I S S U E 1 , 2 0 1 0

put into EMP storage. Granted, ourpost survival home-grid will be 12-voltpowered, but we will still need tocharge smaller batteries (such as AA orC), and battery chargers are usuallyAC.

You may want to consider the useof 12-volt appliances. These appli-ances are in common use by the truck-ing industry for their long-haul trucks,and are readily available for purchase.A 12-volt system is mentioned forbackup because 12-volt batteries canbe harvested from your non-workingvehicles.

Choose yourlights carefully.Your incandescentbulbs will survive,but your compactfluorescents maynot. If your backupsystem consists of a12-volt system, we recommend thatyou protect your 12-volt compact fluo-rescent bulbs for use after the dangerof another EMP attack has passed.

Generators are extremely valuablefor short-term crisis, but a high attitudeEMP could cause years of power lossand the fuel will not be replenishable.

Make sure your generator is sizedproperly.

We recommend having at least onegenerator of smaller size, to extendyour fuel storage.

If possible, purchase brush typegenerators as they are not as vulnera-ble to EMP as the brushless type. It isdifficult to find EMP hardened genera-tors in America . For those desiring along lasting, heavy duty gen-set, oneshould go to a company specializing incommercial/industrial generators.The customer can work with the sup-plier, specifying what motor and alter-nator will best satisfy the requirement.We recommend, for most applications,an output of approximately five KWand a liquid cooled diesel engine suchas Yanmar, Isusu, Petters, or othername brand.

We often use batteries in conjunc-tion with our generators placed insidethe generator room. This gives aredundant source of power that is notconnected to your shelter battery sys-tem. It also conserves fuel as you onlyneed to run a generator a couple ofhours a day to keep the batteriescharged, depending on battery banksize and demand. Do not allow batter-ies to fall below recommended dis-charge levels as this could drasticallyshorten battery life.

Exercise your generator monthly,under load.

Propane has a specific gravity of1.6, which means it is heavier thanair. Propane generators should bewell vented and should not beused in underground shelterrooms.

Use one large bottle Sta-Bil foreach 85 gallons gasoline or diesel.PRI-G or PRI-D fuel stabilizer cantreat up to 500 gallons of fuel andseems to do a better job than Sta-

Bil. Also add an algaecide to the dieselfuel.

FOOD & WATER

D epending on the city, there may besignificant amounts of non-

processed water in ponds and streamsthat is available and accessible to thepublic. Purchase a good water filter,and become familiar with emergency

water purifying methods.Store as much clean water as pos-

sible. Review the Summer, 2008 JCDissue.

Food from the refrigerator shouldbe eaten first, then from the freezer,and finally from the shelves. Store aminimum of a year’s supply of foodfor yourself and family. Use creativeways to disguise its location.

SANITATION

I f you live in a home with a yard,store supplies, tools and materials to

construct an ‘outhouse’. If living in acity, store chemical toilets and disinfec-tants. Learn the concepts of separatingrubbish from garbage. Make friendswith someone living outside city limitsand pre-position supplies with them.

COMMUNICATIONS

C ommunications is a security con-cern. A set of walkie-talkies can be

a lifesaver. Start with low wattagecommunicators for local radio contact.The lowly CB radio is also a good com-municator and is in common use bymany people. Larger, more powerfulshortwave radios are critical to yoursurvival, as they will reach outside ofthe Continental United States(CONUS) and may be your only realsource of contact with the outsideworld. Refer to the Summer, 2009Journal of Civil Defense, for ideas forprotecting electronic equipment. Payspecial attention to the “layering”aspect. Remember, we have only onechance to get it right!

GOVERNMENT

National security, emergency servic-es and law enforcement will have

an extremely short existence after anEMP. Prepare to protect your own.Looting will be rampant. After such adisaster, there may be wisdom in mak-ing your home and yard appear tohave ‘already been recently looted’.Don’t run your generator unless youare well out of ‘hearing’ distance.Power announces the fact that youhave other capabilities. Keep a candlein your window to make it appear the

PREPARING FOR AN EMP, continued

“We should regularly consider how we would

function without the use of our modern-day

appliances and technologies.”

home is occupied, but that you are notwell prepared with alternative powersources.

MEDICAL

Store antibiotics and ‘over the count-er’ type medicines. Learn first aid

skills and take emergency medicineclasses. Purchase basic dental tools.Make friends with medical people.

If you are on monthly medicationsyou will need a large extra supply. Asudden withdrawal of medications(like blood pressure tablets) can belethal. Consider the problem of painmedication withdrawal, for those whohave become dependent on pain med-ications. You may need other medica-tions to help with these symptoms.For instance, if you are on Fentanylpain patches, the withdrawal can besevere and may take several weeks. Alesser pain killer like Darvocet N canhelp. Darvocet (propoxyphene) is kinto Methadone and has been used totreat withdrawal.

POST EVENT SURVIVAL

Make preparations ahead of timeto utilize and share the various

talents and capabilities found ingroups of like-minded people. Thefriendship of a good doctor or nursewill be invaluable. You will needskilled carpenters, electricians andplumbers to re-build your community.Purchase “How To” books for yourself,and schoolbooks for your children.

Start accumulating such items aswashtubs, scrub boards, clothespins,cloth diapers, safety pins, needles andtreadle sewing machines. Becomeacquainted with the Lehman’sCatalog.

We highly recommend the book,Self-Sufficient Life and How to Live It,by John Seymour. He has suggestedthat we purchase hand tools for vari-ous trades. Consider assigning thefamilies in your group to each pur-chase a different set of tools such as:

• Basic carpentry tools for woodworking, including a felling ax,draw knife, wedge, two handedcross cut saw, froe and sledgehammer.

• Grain harvesting tools such asscythes, flails, rakes, pitchfork,sickles, baskets, grain scoops and

winnowing trays.· Hand powered oil press and but-

ter churner. • Cement and bricklayer’s tools

such as bricklayer’s trowel, bol-ster, spot board pointing troweland floats.

If you don’t know what these toolsare and how they are used, we encour-age you to research them on the web,or purchase his book.

Mr. Seymour has included manychapters on farming techniques-howto slaughter and prepare a chicken orrabbit; how to carve a pig or beef; howto make butter and cheese; and manyother valuable skills.

We have a great deal to do. Theremay be very little time. Spend yourtime wisely. •

JOURNAL OF CivilDEFENSE

Image by iStockphoto

JOURNAL OF CivilDEFENSE

I S S U E 1 , 2 0 1 0• 1 9

Re-write by Popular Request

Earthquakes in third worldcountries have resulted inmassive numbers of fatali-ties. Most of these fatalitieswere a direct result from cat-

astrophic building collapse. In theUnited States , however, most build-ings are built to strict building codesthat resist catastrophic collapse. Mostof our homes are framed with wood.Wood is flexible and moves with theforce of the earthquake. If the woodenbuilding does collapse, large survivalvoids are created. Also, a woodenbuilding has less concentrated, crush-ing weight. Un-reinforced brick build-ings will break into individual bricksand cause many injuries. Concreteslabs are the most dangerous type ofconstruction for earthquake survival.

For many years, the FederalGovernment has advised that the“Duck and Cover” survival strategybe used during an earthquake.Recently, a new survival techniquecalled “The Triangle of Life” hasemerged.

The Structural EngineersAssociation of California (SEAPC)supports the “Duck and Cover” sur-vival technique. They maintain thatthe greatest danger from earthquakesin the United States is from injury offalling hazards; such as bookshelves,filing cabinets, chimneys, and por-tions of ceilings, exterior facades, andwindow glass; not from overall build-

ing collapse. They believe the“Triangle of Life” method puts peopleat greater risk for the more probabletypes of injuries.

On the other hand, Doug Copp,Rescue chief and Disaster Manager ofthe American Rescue TeamInternational (ARTI), remains firm inhis belief that the safest place to takerefuge during an earthquake is in atriangular shaped area next to a large,compact object. The following is asummary of Mr. Copp’s suggestions.

Most everyone who simply“ducks and covers” when buildingscollapse are crushed.

In areas next to bulky objects,there is nearly always a small triangleof safety formed by falling walls.Look for objects that will compressslightly and curl up into a tight ballnext to the object. Desks and tablesare not heavy enough to carry theweight of falling walls, ceilings andother heavy objects.

If you are in bed during the nightand an earthquake occurs, simply rolloff the bed. A safe void will existaround the bed. Hotels can achieve amuch greater survival rate in earth-quakes, simply by posting a sign onthe back of the door of every roomtelling occupants to lie down on thefloor, next to the bottom of the bedduring an earthquake.

Doorways are not safe. If youstand under a doorway and the door-jamb falls forward or backward youwill be crushed by the ceiling above.Earthquakes can also cause the doorsto slam against your hands.

Never go to the stairs. The stairshave a different “moment of frequen-cy” (they swing separately from themain part of the building). The stairsand remainder of the building contin-uously bump into each other untilstructural failure of the stairs takesplace.

Move near the outer walls ofbuildings, if possible. The closer youare to the outside wall, the greater theprobability becomes that you will berescued or that you can escape onyour own. Search out good locations

in your home before an earthquakeoccurs.

The victims of the San Franciscoearthquake all stayed inside theirvehicles and were killed. They couldpossibly have survived by getting outand sitting or lying next to their vehi-cles. Most all the crushed cars formeda void three feet high in an areaaround the vehicle.

From 1990 to 2006, approximately230,000 people have died in earth-quakes in third world countries.During that same period, only 68 peo-ple have died in earthquakes in theUnited States . Statistical informationfrom the International Data Basehttp://www.em-dat.net verifies thisinformation.

TACDA’s ConclusionAfter researching the number andtypes of deaths in the United Statesfrom earthquakes in the last 10 years,we suggest that both the “Duck andCover” and “The Triangle of Life” phi-losophy be carefully considered whenteaching earthquake survival tech-niques. Sixty of the 68 deaths report-ed in the United States in the last 12years occurred in the California earth-quake of 1994. Most of these victimswere crushed inside their cars duringthe collapse of the Nimitz Freeway.Many of these crushed vehiclesformed a “Triangle of Life” area.Some of the victims may have sur-vived if they had exited their vehiclesand taken cover within that area. Onthe other hand, many of the injuredinside buildings may have ultimatelybeen more severely injured or evenkilled if they had not taken the “Duckand Cover” approach.

Many buildings and homesthroughout the United States have notyet been retrofitted to the standardsset by the (SEAOC) CaliforniaEngineers. Every person shouldlearn about the materials and con-struction methods used in their indi-vidual homes and work places.

Each situation must be carefullyanalyzed. Study, Think, Observe andPrepare accordingly. •

DUCK &COVER

orTRIANGLEof LIFE?

N

2 0 • I S S U E 1 , 2 0 1 0

HospitalEmergency

RoomsBy John Farnam

Image by iStockphoto

N

I S S U E 1 , 2 0 1 0• 2 1

Nearly all MDs, EMTs, nurses, andmedical bureaucrats seem to agreethat, when going to the ER, you are farbetter off arriving in an ambulancethan you will be walking in, or arrivingin a private car.

When arriving via ambulance,escorted by uniformed EMTs, you willlikely be ushered past receptionistsand other disinterested gate-keepers,going directly to a treatment room andinto the presence of an MD or someoneelse who has at least some capacity foractually helping you.

Hospital ERs, by law, cannot out-right reject anyone. So, most ERs havebecome little more than overcrowded,walk-in clinics. Few of these walk-inseven remotely qualify as an emer-gency, but they have the effect of clog-ging the system to the point where realemergencies can’t get through.

If you have a real emergency, theinvestment in an ambulance ride (usu-ally covered by your insurance) willoffer you the best chance of breakingthrough the congestion and quicklygetting the emergency treatment youso badly need.

Another issue: Visit your nearbyhospitals and ask your neighborsabout their ER experiences. Not allERs are created equal.

This from a friend: “Early Sundaymorning, my wife experienced asevere allergic attack. Her tongue had

suddenly swollen to the point whereshe was having difficulty breathing.She has had similar reactions before,but never this severe.

I grabbed an Epi-Pen (epinephrineinjector) in an attempt to give her aninjection. It failed mechanically. Theneedle never deployed. I discarded itand grabbed a second Epi-Pen. Thiscopy functioned normally.

The nearest hospital ER is less thana mile away, so we drove there imme-diately. Upon arriving, I noticed the ERwas nearly empty. Yet, the receptionistthere told us to sit and wait! Iexplained to her that my wife’s tonguewas swollen, and that she was at riskof suffocating. The obviously boredreceptionist couldn’t have cared less!She just rolled her eyes, sighed, andexplained that we would have to sitdown and wait.

When I asked how long, she, witha simultaneous yawn and sneer, indi-cated she had no idea and couldn’tprovide any more information.

Without another word, we dashedback to the car and departed immedi-ately, driving several miles to a secondhospital. That ER was infinitely supe-rior! They immediately recognized theproblem and had her with a residentwithin minutes. She spent the night atthe hospital and was discharged thenext day, none the worse for ware!”

Emergencies don’t make appoint-

ments, and no one is excluded!When a can of worms suddenly

lands in your lap, you’re on center-stage, ready or not!

Let us reiterate:1. Be prepared! We can’t specifical-

ly prepare for all conceivableemergencies, but we can makereasonable preparations for themost likely. That is why the pru-dent among us have guns, fireextinguishers, and trauma kits, etal!

2. Have a plan, but don’t fall in lovewith your plan. Be flexible, asparts of your plan will inevitablyfail.

3. Expect equipment malfunctions.Have sufficient redundancy onhand so you can work aroundequipment issues. No matterhow elaborate or well main-tained, all machines have the irri-tating habit of breaking at incon-venient times.

4. Don’t relax too soon. Don’t relaxat all! Keep your head up, and inthe game.

5. Find a way to win! Keep think-ing ahead. Have alternativesalways in mind.

Operators can’t be oblivious todangers inherent to this indifferentplanet. Lives (maybe yours) dependupon your preparedness and ability toact quickly, decisively, and correctly. •

JOURNAL OF CivilDEFENSE

TACDA11576 S. State St.Suite 502Draper, UT 84020

www.tacda.orginfo@tacda.orgOffice: (800) 425-5397Fax: (888) 425-5339

ISSN# 0740-5537

Protecting your family,

your possessions, and your confidentiality is our #1 priority

• Custom built shelters• Gun safes and vaults• Articles and videos• Hidden passageways

• Safe rooms• Panic rooms• Wine cellars• Nuclear bomb shelters

• Emergency supplies• Fire proof

• Custom designed

NWSSN O R T H W E S TSHELTER SYSTEMS

Articles, videos and more atnorthwestsheltersystems.com

1 (208) 263-6027Questions? Ask an expert.sales@northwestsheltersystems.com