Pandemic - How do you know when to SIP?

[Vashti]

I've been thinking a lot about protecting my family from illness lately. We don't watch TV, don't have cable and don't really follow the news regularly, even online. I realized that I need a way to be informed about things like this if I'm going to know when to pull the older kids out of school and to shelter in place. Does anyone have a method or plan for keeping track of illness spreading in the U.S.? Do you have a plan in place for your family for when to circle the wagons?

[liftsboxes]

I'm guessing by your presence here on the forums that you do listen to podcasts.  There are several news podcasts that you can set up to download automatically to your computer / mp3 player daily.

Not specifically related to pandemics, but what I do is listen to the news summaries from CNN, NPR, FOX, BBC, and STRATFOR.  If a story catches my attention, I look into it further.  It is pretty interesting to listen to which stories the different outlet position first, and how they slant the coverage.

You can also look here:

http://www2c.cdc.gov/podcasts/rss.asp

just remember the source.

[grog]

We do alot of monitoring, including news radio/internet and the like.

Since you are not using cable, I would suggest if possible, get in touch with others that you trust and ask around.

Some sort of monitoring should be in use. Small do it yourself kits for making am/sw radio receivers can be made. While not great, this will allow you to monitor some things, but not every thing.

Pandemics are sort of difficult to track when reports are weekly and regional , not local.

Large number of school closures might be an indicator, however not perfect as by then folks are exposed to what ever the new bug is.

As to when to do so, first look at a few things. First, do you have kids, especially kids in schools?

If so what are the schools plans for such things, and how does this impact you? ( Would you have to leave work early to get the kids from school/daycare, etc)

Second are you prepared for extended isolation (two to five weeks or more, but most likely under 90 days).

http://www.tallyredcross.org/library/HomeCareForPandemicInfluenza.pdf

may give some information for your planning.

As to what I will do, I have some supplies, but not as much as I would like (setting up "airlocks" for entry ways and surface decontamination as an example)

Without monitoring you may have a bit of a lag as to when to SIP.

[The.Mond]

Not that Goolge is completely evil free, but it does have some tools that might help to monitor this, such as Google Flu Trends  www.google.org/flutrends/ & Google Email Alerts www.google.com/alerts.

[madcap1one]

FREE resource - and for more than just pandemics!!!

Sign up for just the top link at:http://hisz.rsoe.hu/alertmap/read/index.php?pageid=services_index which summarizes all the other email service links on that page.

You might wish to subscribe to the RSOE alerts that are sent to your email inbox (requiring no downloading or going to a specific website - its just delivered to you.)

RSOE EDIS comes from the Hungarian National Association of Radio Distress-Signalling and Infocommunications that sends alerts (mostly as a batch once a day - more often depending on urgency) on things going on around the world. While news sources offer explanation and commentary, RSOE is meant specifically for information dissemination, and always clearly states when something is fact, conjecture, or commentary. Stratfor is great, but is meant specifically as analysis, whereas, when the quakes hit Chile and Haiti, my email started pinging minutes later giving me the heads up that something was going on somewhere (I actually called family in Hawaii to warn of tsunami BEFORE the sirens started going off locally - all because the email came through on my Blackberry.)

A note of warning, RSOE can be a bit overwhelming to your email inbox, averaging 20 or so alerts a day.

They offer real time global maps of their alert system at: http://hisz.rsoe.hu/alertmap/index2.php

They offer a pandemic specific email service that can be subscribed to at: http://levlista.rsoe.hu/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/pandemic-alert

Email inbox headers look like:
RSOE RSOE EDIS: India - Climate Change - 2008.10.20 4:17 AM 13KB
Unread RSOE RSOE EDIS: Indonesia - Flash Flood - 2008.10.20 4:02 AM 10KB
Unread RSOE RSOE EDIS - Situation Update No. 2 : Vietnam - Flash Flood 3:20 AM 9KB
Unread RSOE RSOE EDIS: China - Biological Hazard - 2008.10.20 2:07 AM 9KB
Unread RSOE RSOE EDIS: China - Epidemic Hazard - 2008.10.20 Sun, 10/19/08 9KB
Unread RSOE RSOE EDIS: Venezuela - Power Outage - 2008.10.20 Sun, 10/19/08 10KB
Unread RSOE RSOE EDIS: USA - HAZMAT - 2008.10.20 Sun, 10/19/08 11KB
Unread RSOE RSOE EDIS - Situation Update No. 1 : Australia - Biological Hazard Sun, 10/19/08 9KB
Unread RSOE RSOE EDIS: USA - Vehicle Accident - 2008.10.20 Sun, 10/19/08 8KB
Unread RSOE RSOE EDIS - Situation Update No. 1 : Vietnam - Flash Flood Sun, 10/19/08 9KB
Unread RSOE RSOE EDIS - Situation Update No. 2 : India - Technological Disaster Sun, 10/19/08 10KB
Unread RSOE RSOE EDIS: France - Vehicle Accident - 2008.10.19 Sun, 10/19/08 8KB
Unread RSOE RSOE EDIS: South Africa - Power Outage - 2008.10.19 Sun, 10/19/08 8KB
Unread RSOE RSOE EDIS: Russia - Vehicle Accident - 2008.10.19 Sun, 10/19/08 9KB
Unread RSOE RSOE EDIS - Situation Update No. 1 : India - Technological Disaster Sun, 10/19/08 11KB
Unread RSOE RSOE EDIS: United Kingdom - Fire - 2008.10.19 Sun, 10/19/08 10KB
Unread RSOE RSOE EDIS: China - HAZMAT - 2008.10.19 Sun, 10/19/08 9KB
Unread RSOE RSOE EDIS: India - Technological Disaster - 2008.10.19 Sun, 10/19/08 10KB
Unread RSOE RSOE EDIS: Vietnam - Flash Flood - 2008.10.19 Sun, 10/19/08 8KB

From their "about" page"

Dear Visitors,

Let me introduce our services. The Hungarian National Association of Radio Distress-Signalling and Infocommunications (RSOE) operates Emergency and Disaster Information Service (EDIS) within the frame of its own website which has the objective to monitor and document all the events on the Earth which may cause disaster or emergency. Our service is using the speed and the data spectrum of the internet to gather information. We are monitoring and processing several foreign organisation's data to get quick and certified information.

The EDIS website operated together by the General-Directorate of National Disaster Management (OKF) and RSOE, in co-operation with the Crisis Management Centre of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, provides useful information regarding emergency situations and their prevention. Extraordinary events happening in Hungary, Europe and other areas of the World are being monitored in 24 hours per day. All events processed by RSOE EDIS are displayed near real time - for the sake of international compatibility - according to the CAP protocol on a secure website (https://hisz.rsoe.hu). To ensure clear transparency all events are categorized separately in the RSS,XML, CAP directory (e.g. earthquake, fire, flood, landslide, nuclear event, tornado, vulcano). RSOE EDIS also contributes in dissemination of the CAP protocol in Hungary.

Beside the official information, with the help of special programs nearly 9-1000 internet press publications will be monitored and the publication containing predefined keywords will be processed. However, these "news" cannot be considered as official and reliable information, but many times we have learnt critical information from the internet press. We are screening the incoming information and storing in a central database sorted by category.

Zsolt Boszormenyi - Head of RSOE EDIS
The site developer and manager:
Zsolt B??sz??rm?Šnyi
Head of RSOE EDIS
zsolt.boszormenyi@rsoe.hu

[MaddoginMass]

You could try this one too.....

http://www.emergencyemail.org/

[Roknrandy]

I've been thinking a lot about protecting my family from illness lately. We don't watch TV, don't have cable and don't really follow the news regularly, even online. I realized that I need a way to be informed about things like this if I'm going to know when to pull the older kids out of school and to shelter in place. Does anyone have a method or plan for keeping track of illness spreading in the U.S.? Do you have a plan in place for your family for when to circle the wagons?

There are several large flu related forums and boards to look at and watch for information about whats going on around the world

http://www.singtomeohmuse.com/viewforum.php?f=1

http://www.emergencyhomepreparation.org/

You need to use your computer to watch the different news sites (NBC,CBS,ABC,CNN) and so on to see what information is being announced and even watch your local area news stations. Now we are in between seasons so you wont see much.

I have a plan worked out and it is updated every 6 months. It includes SIP and leaving. Do some research here and at other sites and you will get an idea of whats involved in the planning

[Vashti]

Thank you all for responding...a lot of information here I'll have to go through it a little at a time, and then work to prepare my families emergency plan.