Makes a perfect Valentine's Day gift!
"Nothin' says lovin' like Roentgens from the Oven!"
Posted on 02/14/2003 1:10:16 PM PST by Dubya
Some area residents aren't taking any chances
At $39.95, gas masks aren't cheap. But what price peace of mind? asked Brooks Strickland, the owner of Strickland's Surplus on Carolina Beach Road. "That's only taking two people out to eat," said Mr. Strickland, who sold 18 of the masks Wednesday. With the government raising the state of alert Feb. 7, such purchases can seem more practical than paranoid. But New Hanover County's emergency management director cautioned against using the masks, which need to be properly fitted and may not have filters appropriate to the threat. Instead, Dan Summers, the director, echoed recent federal recommendations, saying families should keep duct tape and plastic sheeting on hand, as well as three days' worth of food and water, to create a home shelter. In case of a biological or chemical attack, families should turn off their heating and cooling systems, retreat to a small room, preferably without windows, and create a sealed shelter, he said. A battery-powered radio or television would help notify when it was OK to come out, he said. "You're not trying to live in a plastic bag," Mr. Summers said. "You're sealing drafts." The Cape Fear's regular ocean breeze would help disperse toxic substances, he said. The message was out in Leland where the local Ace hardware store reported high trade in plastic and duct tape. Batteries and flashlights were also selling more briskly than normal, said Shannon Barker, the store manager. But not everybody's a believer. "Let's be real," said Barbara Jones of Wilmington, who was grocery shopping. "You're going to need more than plastic. Please." Experts disagreed on the merits of the plastic/duct tape combination. "I'm not saying it's totally worthless," said Eric Qaulkenbush, director of the Center for Terrorism Preparedness at the University of Findlay in Ohio and a former director of training for the CIA. "I'm just saying it's not the best strategy. I think the best strategy is to be aware and evacuate the area." The stealth with which such attacks come could prevent people from putting anything up until it was too late, some said. But Michael Greenberger, director of the Center for Health and Homeland Security at the University of Maryland, said the duct tape-and-plastic approach is realistic. "To the extent that you keep some of the pathogens out," he said, it "would be of some protection to you." With a fatalist's view of things, Ms. Jones had no time for the debate. "If you're going to die, you're going to die," she said, her shopping cart full of non-survival goods. Sam Scott: 343-2370
Makes a perfect Valentine's Day gift!
"Nothin' says lovin' like Roentgens from the Oven!"
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