James Wesley Rawles is a former Army Intelligence officer who runs the popular disaster and emergency preparation website SurvivalBlog.com.
As an expert who has spent over a decades advising people on how to plan for a wide array of crises – including pandemics – we wanted to sit down asap with Jim to learn his practical recommendations for defending your home and family from the coronavirus threat.
In this interview, Jim and I get into the nitty-gritty of the “how to’s”, including:
Masks/Gloves/Eye Protection/other PPE: What kind to get? How often can you use them? Tips for disinfecting? What options are there when supplies run out?
Surfaces: What cleaners/sanitizers are best? How to disinfect? How to deal with package deliveries?
Disinfection: How to re-enter your home without contaminating it?
Food & Water: What supplies to have in case of quarantine/store closures/prolonged utilities outages?
Home Care: Which supplies -- like nebulizers and oxygen concentrators -- will be useful in helping sick family members cope?
Community support: How to help prepare your neighbors in advance of an outage in your area? How to support each other during a community quarantine?
You'll want to listen to this podcast soon, as many of the resources Jim recommends are fast disappearing from retail shelves. It's nearly too late to acquire certain PPE (like N95 masks) and Jim identifies which supplies are most in danger of disappearing next (he strongly urges getting bulk food supplies asap before the run on those begins in earnest)
Click the play button below to listen to my interview with James Wesley Rawles (65m:27s).
It will be a full time/24 hr. a day job to survive this if it kicks in as some are suspecting it will.
Nothing will be available for purchase…maybe at any price. Businesses will be closed. Who at this point really knows? You should be covertly figuring out who is an asset and quite possibly who isn’t in your neighborhood.
I hope you are all really listening to what JWR is saying. The cleanliness issues are going to be incredibly important…maybe impossible.
Getting an O2 concentrator, bottled oxygen, anything oxygen related is very difficult unless you have a doc’s prescription. That isn’t happening unless you have a medical need for it. Yes, you might luck into something on ebay or craigslist. One in a million, and then you have to wonder if it will work.
Sure looks like things are going to get tough. Best of luck.
Just went on a supply run and noticed all the little things that could be potentially cont-amiable.
Our car/house keys… what else? Let’s list some more that could go into a decontamination bag before we go inside. It might not be easy if you live in an apartment. Maybe section off the entry way (if it comes to that.)
I know there is a method of doing this correctly , I just took notice of how many things we touch and bring inside. Right now I’m only CONSIDERING these things, not doing anything about them, but people are still calling me paranoid for asking what their plans are for anything. Lets make an idea list.
A lot of us have the potential to be exposed. So really it’s just mitigating our RISK. Reduce your exposure, eat out less, go to the gym, yoga, rock climbing, cigar bar, axe throwing, out for a beer, shopping, movies, etc…LESS. Many of us still have school, we work with the public and go grocery shopping. But for every social activity we pass up we reduce our exposure, and our risk.
Thats what I am encouraging my grown children to do, “reduce your risk”. Maybe that won’t be enough, but what’s a Mom to do, their grown.
It’s a crap-shoot, be healthy. Mitigate risk.
AKGrannyWGrit
The results showed that SARS coronavirus in the testing condition could survive in serum, 1:20 diluted sputum and feces for at least 96 h, whereas it could remain alive in urine for at least 72 h with a low level of infectivity. The survival abilities on the surfaces of eight different materials and in water were quite comparable, revealing reduction of infectivity after 72 to 96 h exposure. Viruses stayed stable at 4 degrees C, at room temperature (20 degrees C) and at 37 degrees C for at least 2 h without remarkable change in the infectious ability in cells, but were converted to be non-infectious after 90-, 60- and 30-min exposure at 56 degrees C, at 67 degrees C and at 75 degrees C, respectively. Irradiation of UV for 60 min on the virus in culture medium resulted in the destruction of viral infectivity at an undetectable level.The survival ability of SARS coronavirus in human specimens and in environments seems to be relatively strong. Heating and UV irradiation can efficiently eliminate the viral infectivity.
The radiator by my apt door now has hooks to hang pants, shoes, hoodies, masks, etc so that they get the hot air rising up from it. This way the stuff can get 'roasted' -- hopefully without wearing out the various glues and materials, and -- hopefully hitting the temperature/time point at which a virus becomes ineffective.
I'm thinking about undressing in the hallway, washing/showering/changing in the bath and running the heat overnight (as long as its there blah blah blah) and would like to both offer the research/idea and get some feedback about whatever folks see wrong with it.
Just went on a supply run and noticed all the little things that could be potentially cont-amiable.
Our car/house keys… what else? Let’s list some more that could go into a decontamination bag before we go inside. It might not be easy if you live in an apartment. Maybe section off the entry way (if it comes to that.)
I know there is a method of doing this correctly , I just took notice of how many things we touch and bring inside. Right now I’m only CONSIDERING these things, not doing anything about them, but people are still calling me paranoid for asking what their plans are for anything. Lets make an idea list.
What about ozone I ordered a small generator to use with an aquarium with a cover to contain the gas. Now maybe I should have bought a room deorderizer generator and set up a closet in the garage or a tall tent put a pipe inside to hang clothing no and blow in ozone perhaps the garge like an air lock to the house the ozone would sterilize the room after you enter the house. set the timer and let it do its thing there would have to be rentry time before you can renter the garage to let the ozone deactivate or dissipate. this way you could keep as much contaminated material outside the house. thanks CCBW
There are videos on YT and manuals free from the US Government on dealing with biological and chemical weapons. Decontamination is the same. The protocols are the same.
Imagine (pretend! remember that childhood skill?) that Earth was hit with a Biological Warfare agent by aliens from Betelgeuse.
The response is the same.
Decontaminate everything going in. Bleach wash.soak, UV irradiation, clothes change. Wash/shower/spray just like in the movies.
Ozone will destroy electronics. Be careful with anything electrical / battery operated / rechargeable with ozone. (It will also destroy the ozone machine! Learned that the hard way!)
I am reconsidering what I wear out in the exterior world.
I just got back from the store and I was wearing a light zip up hoodie, over a long sleeve shirt. Blue jeans and heavy shoes. All things that would be hard to remove and to decontaminate when I enter my home.
BTW like the idea of hanging clothing above your radiator. For those that don’t have one, there are home oil filled radiator type heaters, you could buy and put under a clothing hanging area. There is research that says above 86F cuts the life of the virus down.
I’m thinking about going to the store and picking up a few cheap sets of sweats. Pants and hoodie top. Perhaps a couple of pair of slip on sneakers. My go out wear then would be underwear and a t-shirt. Then sweat pants and zippered top. Sneakers without socks. Probably a knit cap as opposed to my normal baseball cap. Then mask, gloves and googles.
You’d come in the door to the first stage. There put any goods you brought onto a shelf after being sprayed with disinfectant. Then remove shoes and put them in a shallow tote after spraying their soles heavy and their tops. Items you carried out, like cell phone or keys go into a uv sterilizer.
Then second stage, remove zipped hoodie, cap and pants. Put them into a garbage bag for later washing.
Then third stage, remove mask and googles. Set on shelf for later cleaning. Remember your gloves are contaminated. You could wear a pair of nitrate gloves under a cheap pair of food grade gloves though. Removing the cheap gloves as you remove the outer clothing.
Now you are down to underwear and t-shirt.
Fourth stage, wash and sanitize your arms and feet. Then sanitize your mask. Remove your nitrate gloves, put them in a bowl of sanitizer.
Now decontaminated, go take a hot show to clean hair and body.
You would want the floor to be covered in plastic sheeting, and as you progressed from stage to stage, you would spray the floor with disinfectant.
After your shower you could come back and grab your clothing for washing. After the uv sterilizer ran, cell phone and keys. After a predetermination time, grab the incoming supplies.
Suiting up to leave would be the opposite direction.
I’ll see if I can’t diagram they work flow tomorrow and post it.
ADDED: Just realized keeping the cats out of the decontamination area is going to be a b1tch, lol. Have to think of a way to lock them up while I’m out.
Some of his suggestions, by the time I need them living as I do in the suburb/urban area, like water filtration from roof top down spouts, I will probably be already attacked in my home and have my supplies looted. If electricity and city water go out for more than a week then I’m screwed. More appropriate for people with rural property.
I think its important to establish a level you are prepared to go, and focus on getting supplies for that level and not try to go the extreme route.
Good video though, very informative. Thanks Adam for having him on.
The name nitrile sounds so exotic. But we have all seen these things around and many of us use them. They might come in dark colors that distinguish them from medical latex gloves and they are a little thicker but not so thick as rubber gloves. In the workshop you would use them anytime you were mixing chemicals or certain glues that you need to keep off your skin. And they are cheap but not as cheap as sandwich gloves. Think 10 to 15 cents each versus 3 to 5 cents each. I am sticking with sandwich gloves since tossing them out after a single use makes me feel less guilty of waste. The nitrile gloves are pretty nice quality. Seems a shame to have to chuck out a pair after merely removing a mask.
About when to start preparing…good question. But I have started already if only to test how much effort is involved in keeping my hands clean. So I have been going step by step through the usual daily routines and very deliberately and consciously thinking about each component of contact and potential decontamination once reaching home.
And WOW! This is not going to be easy. It is not just doors and keys. You need to also realize you cannot put your shopping bags down on the ground where the bottoms might pick up viruses from prior people coughing or (Lord forbid) spitting. Or being conscious not to put your hands back in your pockets and touch non-contaminated items you are carrying after knowing that you have used an ATM and now need to wash up.
Like being out and not using your mobile phone to surf or having to avoid walking through areas where there are large congested groups of people. For example I was in an office to buy a service and there was a huge lineup. Just the time of month. Seems everyone shops right after payday. Well I already knew that but I never had to think of line ups as a health risk before.
So this is going to take a little more thinking to get accustomed to changing my on behavior but the dry runs are already paying off.
The results showed that SARS coronavirus in the testing condition could survive in serum, 1:20 diluted sputum and feces for at least 96 h, whereas it could remain alive in urine for at least 72 h with a low level of infectivity. The survival abilities on the surfaces of eight different materials and in water were quite comparable, revealing reduction of infectivity after 72 to 96 h exposure. Viruses stayed stable at 4 degrees C, at room temperature (20 degrees C) and at 37 degrees C for at least 2 h without remarkable change in the infectious ability in cells, but were converted to be non-infectious after 90-, 60- and 30-min exposure at 56 degrees C, at 67 degrees C and at 75 degrees C, respectively. Irradiation of UV for 60 min on the virus in culture medium resulted in the destruction of viral infectivity at an undetectable level.The survival ability of SARS coronavirus in human specimens and in environments seems to be relatively strong. Heating and UV irradiation can efficiently eliminate the viral infectivity.
Placed a high/low and a regular thermometer 3 ft above the radiator in my small entryway, where, heating only that room, temperatures reached a bit above 60 degC, leaving the room at 40 degC when I checked in the morning. (ordered an IoT datalogger thingie to learn more.)
If its hard to read the citation, it claims that 90 mins at 56 degC are enough to eliminate infectivity. Reading up on glues left me with the impression that such a 'personal hot-house' would not damage either shoes or my N95's. I'd love to see more lab reports on the topic. Please share if you have other links.
i would highly recommend a Lumin UV sterilizer…i have it for my CPAP mask…but great for everything, including i would think N95 masks…while supplies last!
I just ordered a Lumen UV sterilizer on cpap.com.
Is there a special version of the N95 mask that’s most effective? I see some online at Amazon, Home Depot, Sears, etc. Are they substandard? I also see a N99 mask. Is that even better? I’m going to buy whatever I can get right now.
If things really go to hell I think I’ll get mugged if I walk outside with a N99 on. They would be worth many times their weight in gold.
I was planning on flying up to the northwest to check out a house. That’s on hold after hearing about the 6 deaths in WA. The southwest is the last place you want to be when the grid goes down during a 110F day, even without the virus. Hyperthermia will kill you a lot faster. This just got me thinking about upgrading my 5kw photo-voltaic system. Right now I have an inverter that will only supply power if the grid is up. With a hybrid inverter I’ll get power as long as the sun is up. If the grid goes down I’ll max out the heat pump during the day.
Can someone explain why a nebulizer is good to have on hand?
“Nebulizer treatment works by atomizing liquid medicine into an inhalable gas form, which can then be easily breathed in by the patient as they wear a nebulizer mask.”
What medicine would you use with it? Anything OTC?
This may be of interest on the subject of “masks”.
An article dated February 28, 2020 by the CDC on the release of stockpiled “N95 facepiece respirators” past their shelf life. See link: https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/release-stockpiled-N95.html
These respirators are being released due to the urgent demand caused by the COVID-19 public health emergency. It states how the US Government believes,”that the respirators beyond their manufacturer-designated shelf life should provide greater respiratory protection than surgical masks (i.e., medical masks) alone, improvised mouth and nose covers (e.g., bandanas), or no protection at all.” Note: the bold and the underlining is my edit.
Obviously, the CDC and the US Government believes the respirators are very important and vital enough that they are releasing old respirators.
So this is interesting because officials are urging us to “stop buying masks” and a mask may increase the risk of getting the virus. And before I read the article above I felt anger at our government’s dishonest betrayal because the fact is the N95 is made to filter out particles such as a virus.
However maybe they are being honest and maybe they are only referring to the surgical mask which really is no protection against the virus. Or maybe are they purposely playing with words to make us assume the respirators were considered as masks in order to slow down the panic buying? Hmmm.
But one thing for sure this article indicates the CDC does place great importance on the N95 Facepiece respirator and do consider it a deterrent.