Are you ready for a Coronavirus Pandemic?

I’m not saying it’s a problem.

Not yet.

But it will be.

And you don’t have to be an alarmist to see it.

China lied.

Their numbers are off by a factor of 15, if you only use the numbers coming from South Korea.

2000 dead x 15 = 30,000 dead.

Probably more.

Why?

There’s too much we don’t know. How many exposed? How many treated? How many died but it was attributed to someone else?

We don’t know anything.

Except what the government is telling us.

Which are lies.

Here’s what we do know.

They shut down a city.  So did Italy. South Korea is trying.

Iran is a hotbed right now.

The virus is on all continents.

It probably won’t kill you. Even though we don’t know the survivability rate.

You have to have real numbers to know that.

The government is declaring martial law. They are shutting down and locking down cities.

They are keeping people off the streets.

Which can happen here.

Which can happen to you.

So you need to stay safe and be prepared.

Today, go buy extra food.

Two weeks worth of dry goods.  Pasta noodles and sauce. Rice and beans.  Food that will last a long time.

Bread and milk ain’t gonna cut it.

Get canned veggies, canned soups.  Get meat if you have a freezer.

Build a communication plan.

You’ve come to rely on your cell network.  What happens if it goes down or gets shut off? You can’t leave your house to go check on people if the authority won’t let you on the street.

What do you do?

This is a tough one, because we are so used to cell phones and instant communication. We don’t have land lines anymore.

Start talking about it now.

You’ll need games when you’re locked in your house. Stuff to do.

Now is the time to make a list of things you want to get done around the house.  Those honey do projects and lists? You’ll be locked at home for up to five days.  Get your house in order.

Get a deck of cards. Learn card games. Break out the board games and dice to play Farkle.  Get paper and pencils and have a drawing contest.

The electricity and television won’t go out, unless this thing lasts more than two weeks.

I don’t think it will, because warm weather is coming, which kills the virus.  That’s why you don’t see flu epidemics in the summertime.

But get some flashlights, camping gear (stove and propane) and candles on a just in case basis.

I would also advise a few choice adult beverages, just to pass the time.

There’s no need to bug out for this one, but it’s a good chance to practice being prepared for a bigger emergency.

Again, it probably won’t happen, but none of these will hurt you to be ready and be safe.

Finally, the best thing you can do during down time is turn off the television after you get a few basic facts. (again, know that what you are hearing is filtered, so you’ll need a few different sources.)

With the tv off, use this as a chance to reconnect with your family and spend time together.

It’s also a great chance to get some reading done, so teach your children how important it is to build a lifelong reading habit by showing them.

Grab a few of your favorite authors and be ready to escape with them.

You can find some here, or check out the list below.