Don't laugh at duct tape; it saves lives

Houston Chronicle ^ | February 23, 2003 | ERIC MAY

[Cincinatus' Wife]

As we poise to attack Iraq, our military leaders worry that our forces will have to survive and function on the "dirty battlefield" of chemical and biological contaminants. They are preparing for that worst-case scenario, which is the best thing to do.

Here at home, on the other hand, I'm afraid that too many of us are expecting the best-case scenario -- that we will be untouched -- which is the worst thing to do. We are negligent in our civil defense.

Take the duct tape squabble as an example. Earlier this month, the Bush administration heightened the nation's alert status, and gave the specific advice that citizens have emergency supplies, including duct tape and plastic sheeting, in the event of possible chemical or biological attacks on American soil.

Senate Minority Leader Tom Daschle, more concerned with the war for the presidency in 2004 than the war for Iraq in 2003, mocked the administration's ineptitude, saying that it would have to do better than duct tape to protect the American people.

Daschle is wrong. One of the first tricks of survival in a contaminated environment is to seal up a room with duct tape and plastic, breathing the ample inside air until the wind-borne contaminants outside have dissipated.

Dismissing Daschle's argument, I went down to a local hardware store to get supplies a few days ago, only to learn that he had already influenced many shoppers. Duct tape and plastic sheets in hand, I asked the checkout clerk how many people were stocking up on the items. "Not many," she replied. "Duct tape won't work."

From the back of the checkout line I explained why duct tape would work. To most of the shoppers in earshot, this seemed to be welcome news. Several of them went back to the shelves for their supplies. The hardware store made a handful of dollars in profit, and a handful of people made purchases that could save their lives.

Now is the time for all wise people to come to the aid of themselves. Civil defense, like all forms of self-defense, is an unpleasant concept. It demands that we accept our own stated reason for going to war: There are evil people in the world who hate and seek to harm us with weapons of mass destruction. We are in a war with terrorists -- and terrorists are in a war with us. Not just with our service personnel, intelligence agencies and police forces; not just with citizens of our political and financial capitals, but with all of us. Terrorists deal in terrifying deeds. They know that a thousand civilian casualties in America are more devastating to the nation's morale than a thousand U.S. military casualties in Iraq, and may well be easier to inflict.

The Houston area is unquestionably among the top homeland targets for agents of evil. Consider:

·We are the nation's fourth most populous city.

·We're the home of the Johnson Space Center.

·Several members of the Bush family, hated throughout the Middle East, live here.

· Our petrochemicals/refinery complex is the nation's largest.

·Our climate is conducive to maximizing the effects of a chemical attack.

When I was a general staff officer we routinely envisioned worst-case scenarios to test our preparedness. Let's use one for ourselves:

Early one morning there is a massive explosion in the petrochemical belt along our Ship Channel. Lethal gases, similar to the ones released in the catastrophe of Bhopal, India, erupt into the atmosphere. An early morning inversion temperature gradient -- our climatic norm -- keeps the toxic clouds on the ground, while gentle southeasterly breezes blow it northwest into the area inside Loop 610, where our population is most dense. It may reach beyond that. In any case, the toxins would not dissipate until the afternoon, when our atmospheric conditions usually cause ground air to rise.

If anyone thinks that my scenario may give the bad guys ideas they haven't already had, think again. Terrorists like the ones who simultaneously hijacked four planes and turned them into missiles are smart enough to think of blowing up toxic factories in populous areas.

They are constantly thinking of the bad things they can do to us, and we'd better start thinking about them ourselves. Oh, and don't snicker about duct tape. It could save your life.

May, a Houston-based writer, is a former Army Chemical Corps instructor of nuclear, biological and chemical warfare.

[Cincinatus' Wife]

That's quite a pile of tape. Going into business?

[Judith Anne]

Interestingly, Fox and Friends are having a duct-tape use discussion right now...also a T-shirt gas mask, and soap and water decontamination...

[Cincinatus' Wife]

I just saw that. The doubled up t-shirt ripped to tie across your face seems easy enough and better fitting than a home depot dust mask.

Here's the govt. site for homeland security. Ready.gov

[Judith Anne]

About decontamination--our hospital has a decontamination room just inside the first set of ER doors--it has a shower and drain (which I have never seen anyone notice as they come in) that was built in specifically for decontamination. The scenario will be: strip, soapy shower, then be admitted.

[muggs]

Duct Tape Man says: Duct Tape can fix ANYTHING!

Funny picture.

I have to wonder about people that need to rush out and buy duct tape. Since it is so useful I would hope that most people would already have had a roll or two or three. If they don't have duct tape they probably don't have any basic provisions for any emergency.

If you are going to need to put plastic over the windows and doors it might be hard to do if you are alone. Thumbtacks might be a good thing to add to your emergency supplies.

[Quix]

Long live Duck tape and the Ducks who make it.

Oh, ducT tape.

Ah well, ditto.

Great stuff.

Used to ask for care packages of the stuff in China and Taiwan.

[Quix]

Dashdull could use a case of it where the sun doesn't shine AND in the other end. Or, perhaps, wrapped round and round as the Senate mummy always whining for his mummy.

[Niagara]

The value of duct tape is well known as any viewer of the "Red Green Show" can testify.
http://www.ioweb.com/redgreen/

[Niagara]

And this: http://www.ioweb.com/redgreen/tapeideas.html

[csvset]

[Cincinatus' Wife]

Let's roll ....out the duck tape!

[knuthom]

Duct tape and plastic are cheap and it certainly never hurts to have them on hand.

Down here in the Ozarks, we always have duct tape on hand. And many of us put plastic over the windows when it gets cold. Who would have ever thought we would be ahead of the curve on anything?

[muggs]

I noticed one of my new neighbors has plastic over her windows. I'm pretty sure it's to keep the cold out. We've done that in the past as our balcony window is especially drafty. When it's real cold and windy now we put duct tape around the window frame and the door opening. Of course, I have to rip it off and reapply it everytime the cat wants in or out.

[George W. Bush]

I'm not worried about the libs and Hollyweird making fun of civil defense.

This duct tape issue might actually be setting the stage for Darwin to do some survival-of-the-fittest work in some Democrat voting bases, the large cities. As usual, rightwingers are the ones who are prepared for the nastiness of the real world. So, if they want to be laughing lemmings, they've been warned.

[codder too]

Saw the "Duct Tape Guys" do there two man show last year at a home show. VERY funny stuff. The have published several books too.

[Cincinatus' Wife]

Bump!

[jedwardtremlett]

Well, maybe it'll work and maybe it won't. Maybe it'll be needed and maybe it won't.

But whatever you do... ONLY DUCT-TAPE ~(ONE)~ ROOM OF YOUR HOUSE - not the entire thing.

Houses need to breathe, and so do you. If you completely cut off all oxygen sources to your house, you'll suffocate like a fish in stale water.

Do up one room, keep the doors open, and if something goes sideways then run on in, close the doors and bring your battery-operated radio with you.

Also - remember your MANUAL (non-electric) can opener ; )

J

[Cincinatus' Wife]

Good advice. Also, keep some water, blankets and a cell ph in that room.

[CalvaryJohn]

I got a roll of what I believe is the best cloth tape you can buy. It's made by Nashua and it is a professional plumber's tape. The cloth is heavy with a tight weave and the adhesive will stick to anything. It's about eight bucks a roll, and I found it in the plumbing department a Home Depot.
An interesting bit of tape lore: We in Southeast CT were very fond of the Electric Boat Shipyard and all the sundry hardware items it provided. Among these was an incredible version of duct tape known commonly as "E.B. Green". Dark green, flexible, and the stickiest stuff you've ever seen. It was said that half the cars in Groton were held together with the stuff. I've seen it last twenty years outside. You didn't want to get it stuck to your skin, and if it stuck to itself even a little, forget it. Throw the piece away. They stopped making it a while back and replaced it with a cheaper version. Ah, the good old days! Having said that, the eight dollar roll is a fine second choice. Buy some.

[T Minus Four]

Well, I figure a few rolls could come in handy. You could use them to gag and tie up folks who try to steal your supplies. That is after you have subdued them at gunpoint, of course.