Wednesday, March 16, 2011

Protecting Yourself from Airborne Contaminants

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Experts say that we in the US are safe from radiation leaking out of the reactors undergoing meltdown in Japan. I take everything the government says with a grain of salt.

Fukushima reactors 2011The best way to survive an emergency

is to prepare before it happens.

  • Identify outdoor items that should be brought inside an those which should be secured outdoors.
  • Ensure that all dead, diseased or damaged branches are removed from trees. Cut all branches reaching over your house, whether healthy or diseased.
  • Purchase 5/8″ plywood, have it cut to size to cover your windows and doors (see step 3). Starting from your front door and counting clockwise, number your windows. Mark each piece of plywood with number. Have some pieces cut to brace your garage door (see step 4) and cover roof vent holes (see page 6).
  • Purchase nail gun, nails (for plywood) and enough duct tape for securing plastic (below).
  • Purchase 2-4 mil. thick plastic sheeting. Cut plastic to cover windows and doors from the inside (see step 8). Use waterproof marker to mark each piece of plastic with number or room name. See diagram above for proper placement. Save enough plastic for securing your air conditioning unit (see step 7).

cover your windows with plastic and duct tape

When You are Warned that Contaminants are Imminent

  1. Secure outdoor items identified above or move them inside.
  2. Remove window and door screens and store them inside.
  3. Secure windows and doors by closing and locking each one. Cover windows and doors from the outside with 5/8″ plywood.
  4. Strengthen/brace garage doors from the inside with 5/8″ plywood.
  5. Remove outside antennas.
  6. Remove roof turbines and install 5/8″ plywood over the hole. Or cover the turbine with plastic and tie down. Leave plumbing vents uncovered..
  7. If you think its necessary, you may want to seal your windows and doors from the inside with plastic (see picture above). This WILL NOT keep water out. It is to be used if you need to keep dust, ash or contamination out.
This is a reprint/rewrite from one of the Texas RV Travel Blog series on Preparing for Disaster. Wood and plastic will stop everything but the gamma rays. Concrete will stop gamma rays, so if you have a concrete block building, you may want to secure that building and stay there until danger is over.

Japan: Trouble Ahead,Trouble Behind

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Design of G.E.’s Mark 1 Nuclear Reactors Shows Weaknesses - NYTimes.com
The warnings were stark and issued repeatedly as far back as 1972: If the cooling systems ever failed at a “Mark 1” nuclear reactor, the primary containment vessel surrounding the reactor would probably burst as the fuel rods inside overheated. Dangerous radiation would spew into the environment.
All six of the nuclear reactors in Japan are Mark 1 Nuclear Reactors by G.E. ("we bring good things to life.")

Union of Concerned Scientists have posted a Fact Sheet entitled Nuclear Accident ABCs. This is a good place to start to learn about the technology. Download the PDF here.

There are six reactors at the Fukushima plant in Japan. Units 1, 2 and 3 were operating last week, but shut down automatically when the quake hit. Since then, these three units have been the site of several explosions.

Units 4, 5 and 6 were offline at the time of the quake, but even offline reactors have nuclear fuel either inside the reactors or in storage ponds that need to be kept cool. Tuesday, a fire broke out in Unit 4's fuel storage pond, releasing radioactivity into the atmosphere.

Yesterday, Tuesday, April 15, the Japanese were forced to walk away from the problem. The radioactivity is too high. In fact, the workers at the plant probably are probablyd already walking dead due to exposure.

Everyone seems mystified by the disaster and the consequences that are coming. Japan will have another generation afflicted by radioactivity and the horror will be passed to future generations as was the horror of Hiroshima and Nagasaki.

Tuesday, March 08, 2011

Prayer of the Woods

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I came across this sign in a park in Florida. Trees are essential to our existence. Not as baby diapers, legal pads, paper towels, newpapers, magazines and toilet paper, but as a place where many of us go to find peace.


Harm me not. Excellent advice.

When we cut the trees down, we lose the top soil, which takes out the ground cover. The Earth is then unprotected and runoff is magnified one-hundred times. Hence, the terrible mud slides in California and flooding in many areas of the USA.

If you live in a forested area, make sure that controlled burns take care of scrub. Maintain a perimeter and keep trees away from your home. You can save your home from a forest fire if you have planned for it.


Friday, March 04, 2011

State of the Gulf: Climate of Changes

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This is just one video about the State of the Gulf from Texas Parks and Wildlife. I chose this video because it contains a concise explanation of sea rise, as well as migration northward of fish and flora in Texas. The data is from routine samplings conducted by Texas Parks and Wildlife since 1974.



The entire series of videos are available for viewing at Texas : State of Water and YouTube. The entire film may be viewed on PBS.

It is a grand, interconnected water body that spans five states and portions of three countries. In the one-hour documentary, The State of the Gulf – America's Sea, the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department dives right in to explore this vast body of water.

The Gulf of Mexico is much more than the simple sum of the parts along the shoreline of five states.


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