Updated: Prepping for an Ebola Lockdown

When I first wrote this article, Ebola was a distant threat in a few little countries on the other side of the globe. But, now it’s here, in America. Not only are there suspected cases and confirmed cases, there’s a note of hysteria in the news. Many of the supplies I originally recommended have been sold out. So I’ve updated this article with some new information and some new resources so that you can find the supplies you need. I have added multiple sources for as many things as possible. I urge you not to panic, and to prepare calmly and methodically. If you’re new to preparedness, this may feel very overwhelming. Pay special attention to the recommended books in that case, because they’ll guide you through this situation and many others. If you’ve been doing this for a while, realize you probably already have most of what you need. Your focus should be on topping up your supplies, and being watchful. The most important thing you can do is to remain focused and purposeful.

Are you prepared to go into lockdown mode if the Ebola virus begins to spread across the country?

With something that displays itself as gruesomely as Ebola, with seizures and uncontrollable bleeding from every orifice, it’s unrealistic to think that a cover-up can last long. If this continues to spread, there’s no way that the government can keep it under wraps. This is NOT going to be easy to contain....

So Kim Un has gone into hiding in North Korea. Who will be the next world leader to disappear?

Oh, new trash bags in giant trash cans can store a lot of clean water, fast. Just saying. Bath tubs work OK, too.

...and washing your hands frequently is probably a good idea for the near future. N95 surgical masks in car. Check. Latex gloves in car. Check, check.

*an Ebola quarantine would be expected to be home confinement for an area for 42 days, twice the incubation period, so you *must* have food+water stored for at least 42 days in case of martial law

I always keep extra water in my house. Never know when there’s a long power outage due to storms, ice, etc. Besides, Obama is playing at being ‘president’. Best be prepared.

Milk jugs are a higher bacteria risk than fruit juice or soda. And plastic deteriorates after a few months of being open.

It’s easiest to store water in GLASS containers. And you need to sanitize the containers and heat the water [as well as filter the water as much as you can stand], leaving a large enough air pocket that the bottles/jugs don’t crack.

Don’t forget to sanitize the caps as well.

I’ve read links and links from links, but it’s not clear how much of various disease-prevention supplies we might need if Ebola comes here. Does anyone have any thoughts?

How many N95 masks for a family of 4? Is a 10 pack (reused as needed) enough? A 40 pack? One hundred?

How many nitrile gloves, and should they be worn whenever out in public? Daily at home? As needed? Reused?

How many safety goggles, and exactly how would they be used other than the obvious - when around someone known to be sick?

Is a 12 pack of 8-ounce hand sanitizer enough, and how often would that be used?

How many sets of protective clothing, and again when would they be used?

Other thoughts?

“Oh, new trash bags in giant trash cans can store a lot of clean water, fast. Just saying. Bath tubs work OK, too.”

Bath tubs are iffy as they will slowly leak out (at least mine do). But there is a waterBob, which is a container that fits in a bathtub, and will work. I have one but haven’t tried it yet. But guess what - sold out at Amazon now.

The trash bag in large trash cans (20 to 30 gallon), are my primary means of storing water. I probably have 500 of the heavy duty Husky bags from Home Depot (they’re just really handy for many things). I also have at least 4 of the trash cans for them. What I do is use two bags (just in case) fill up about two thirds with water, and then seal each of the bags with a zip tie. Since you’re filling with clean water, life is good. We’ve done that several times for hurricane evacuations - to be sure we have clean water when we arrive home. In one case (after Hurricane Ike), we lived a full week off that water (for drinking and cooking only only) just to see what it would be like, even though we didn’t have to. Water was great, we opened the bags, scooped out what we needed, and then folded them closed (didn’t bother with the zip tie, since we would finish it in a week, at most, anyway).

Beyond that, assuming you’re not dumb enough to own a tankless water heater (LOL), you have a nice 40 gallons that can be accessed in an emergency. You also can always add bleach to questionable water, just to be sure, and that takes care of most of the health concerns (but not all).

So, my recommendation is to go out and buy one or large trash cans and 2 boxes of bags (if you don’t have that stuff already). If you think you may be storing the water for a long time, buy a bottle of PLAIN bleach (but keep in mind the 6 month shelf life of bleach) and eyedroppers to be able to apply it properly (cannot remember the concentration, but very little bleach is needed). That’s some of what I have done (I’ve actually done a lot more, but don’t want to type all day).

Uv lights to sanitize bathrooms.
Lots of bleach.
Sprayer.
Duct tape to seal your clothing and rooms.
A charcoal grill/ fire pit to burn things in.
Pressure cooker to sterilize cloth, bedding.
Did I mention lots and lots of bleach.

And if you are really paranoid, look up that HIV drug the doctor was using over in Africa. It dropped his fatality rate to about 13%. Might sound crazy, but it can be purchased. Desperate times and all that....

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