Economic Disintegration is Almost Here

The disintegration of an economy and a society can take two courses. One course is like rust. It is slow and barely perceptible. The other is a sudden collapse. The first course, if left untended, eventually  turns into the second.

The US economy is now rusting away. Arguably it has been for decades. For anyone interested in looking, the signs are there. They will soon become unavoidable for even the most disinterested of our citizens.

Dan Amoss correctly described what is happening as a result of Washington's overbearing involvement in the economy:

All government-directed economic activity grows at the expense of the private sector. And the election suggests that government coercion will drive even more U.S. economic activity in the future. This is a shame, because freely adjusting prices, competition, and innovation elevate living standards. Mandates, price controls, and subsidies - coercive actions - depress living standards. Quality falls. Shortages develop and persist.

Mr. Amoss is correct but does not forcefully convey the reality of a dying economy. These effects are beginning to appear.

Many businessmen hung on, hoping for a change in the madness that passes for economic leadership and policy. These hopes were dashed with the re-election of the ideologue driving the madness. Obama won the electoral college, but not the confidence of business. They are just beginning to cast their votes and it does not bode well for the future. Here is a partial list of the business reactions to the outcome of the election:

Layoffs Announced Since Election:

• 1. Abbott Labs 700
• 2. Activision 30
• 3. Adventist Health 48
• 4. Airlines SAS 6000
• 5. AMD 400
• 6. American Cotton Growers 110
• 7. ArcelorMittal 20
• 8. American Independence Museum 4
• 9. Ameridose 790
• 10. American Airlines 4400 + 800 leaving voluntarily
• 11. American Coal 54
• 12. Atlantic Lottery Corporation 16
• 13. Assc Milk Producers 130
• 14. Aveo Oncology 45
• 15. ATI 172
• 16. Bankia 5000
• 17. Bechtel Power Corp 277
• 18. Bigpoint Games 47
• 19. Boston Scientific 1200
• 20. Brake Parts LLC 75
• 21. Brattleboro Retreat 31
• 22. Bristol Myers 500
• 23. Career Education 900 + Closing 23 Campuses
• 24. Cigna 1300
• 25. Citigroup 100
• 26. Commerzbank 6000
• 27. Consol Energy in W.V. 145
• 28. Covidien 595
• 29. Crouse Hospital Syracuse NY 70
• 30. Cummins 150
• 31. CVPH 27
• 32. DEP in Tallahassee FL 15
• 33. DuPont, Co. 64
• 34. Eagle-Tribune, Andover 21
• 35. Emanuel Medical Cente 24
• 36. Energizer Holdings 1500
• 37. Ericsson 1550
• 38. Exide Tech, Laureldale 150
• 39. City of Findlay, OH 39
• 40. First Energy 400
• 41. Gameforge Berlin 20
• 42. Gamesa Energy 92
• 43. GenOn Energy Inc 33
• 44. Glen Falls Hospital 29
• 45. Groupon 80
• 46. GT Advanced Tech 165
• 47. Harris' Broadcast 17
• 48. Hawker Beechcraft 400 + Facilities closing
• 49. Hill Rom 200
• 50. Hills Holdings 300
• 51. HMX Group 567
• 52. Hostess 627
• 53. Iberia Airlines 4500
• 54. ICM of Colwich 25
• 55. ING 2350
• 56. Judson University 21
• 57. Juniper Networks 500
• 58. Kaiser Permanente 84
• 59. Kinetic Concepts 427
• 60. Kratos Defense Security 125
• 61. Lackawanna County PA 11
• 62. Lightyear Network Solutions 12+
• 63. Lonza 500
• 64. Majestic Star Casino/hotel 80
• 65. Major Wind Company 3000
• 66. Martha Stewart Living 70
• 67. Medtronic 1000
• 68. Mills Manufacturing NC 68
• 69. Momentive, Inc. 150
• 70. Monitor Group 235
• 71. Montco Behavioral Health/Dev 58
• 72. NBC 500
• 73. Nebraska Medical Center 38
• 74. Neovia Logistics Services 52
• 75. New Energy 40
• 76. Ormet 200
• 77. Panasonic 10000
• 78. PayPal 320
• 79. Penn Refrigeration 40
• 80. Penske Logistics 50
• 81. Pepsi 4000
• 82. Philips Electronics 218
• 83. Pierce Mfg 325
• 84. Pratt & Whitney Rocketdyne 100
• 85. Research in Motion 200
• 86. Rheem Manufacturing 50
• 87. Sentry Foods 70
• 88. Shaw's Supermarket 700
• 89. Shawano foundry WI 90
• 90. Smith & Nephew 770
• 91. Smithfield Packing Co. 125
• 92. Solel Solar Systems 140
• 93. Southeastern Container 15
• 94. SpaceX 100
• 95. SRA Intl Inc 222
• 96. St. Jude Medical 300
• 97. Stryker 1170
• 98. Sulake 60
• 99. Sun Media 500
• 100. TE Connectivity 620
• 101. TECO Coal Corporation 90
• 102. Texas Instruments 1700
• 103. The Providence Journal Co 23
• 104. TMX Group Ltd. 100
• 105. Turbocare 220
• 106. Turkey Point Nuclear Plant 277
• 107. Oce North America, Inc. 135
• 108. Turbocare OCE 220
• 109. UBS 10000
• 110. US Cellular 980
• 111. UtahAmerican Energy Inc 102
• 112. Volvo Trucks Pulaski County 300
• 113. Wake Forest Baptist Medical 950
• 114. Welch Allyn 275
• 115. West Ridge Mine 102
• 116. Westinghouse 50
• 117. World Media Enterprises Inc 105
• 118. WPS Health Insurance 600
• 119. Wright Patterson AFB 115
• 120. Wyodak Coal Mine 11
• 121. Xerox 2500
• 122. Yakima Reg Med Ctr Washington 10+

Announced Business Closures Since Election:

• 1. Bakers Footwear closing 150 stores nationwide, including 21 in California
• 2. The SCA plant in Barton - Plans Staff Reductions
• 3. Handy Hardware to close its 2-year-old Meridian, Miss. warehouse
• 4. Caterpillar Inc. will close its plant in Owatonna Minn.
• 5. Waltz Pharmacy in Waldoboro Maine
• 6. Zac's Place in Hinsdale IL
• 7. Lone Star Steakhouse at 70th and O streets and Ruby Tuesday at 56th Street in
• 8. Lincoln NE
• 9. Career Education Corp - Closing 23 Campuses - 900 Jobs Lost
• 10. Handy Hardware to close its 2-year-old Meridian, Miss. warehouse
• 11. Shamrock Bar at Payne City's Rose Avenue. in GA
• 12. Monitor Company Group LP
• 13. ThinkEquity LLC
• 14. Homer City Funding LLC
• 15. Caterpillar Inc. will close its plant in Owatonna Minn.
• 16. Mount Pleasant's Albrecht Sentry Foods
• 17. The Target store at Manassas Mall Va.
• 18. Millennium Academy in Wake Forest NC
• 19. Target Closing Kissimmee FL Location
• 20. Calgary's iconic Rideau Music store ( International )
• 21. The Andover Gift Shop in Andover MA
• 22. Grand Union Family Markets Closing Storrs Location CT
• 23. Movie Scene Milford Location NH
• 24. Update: TE Connectivity Closing Greensboro Plant - 620 Layoffs Expected
• 25. Gomer's Fried Chicken in South Kansas City
• 26. Kmart in Homer Glen
• 27. Fresh Market on Pine Street in Burlington
• 28. AGC Glass North America to permanently close its Blue Ridge Plant in Kingsport Tenn.
• 29. The Target store at Platte and Academy in Colorado Springs
• 30. Island Colors - A Carolina Beach Clothing Store
• 31. The Roses store on Reynold Road in Winston-Salem NC
• 32. Meanders Kitchen losing its West Seattle location at 6032 California Ave
• 33. Bost Harley-Davidson at 46th Avenue North and Delaware Ave. in West Nashville TN
• 34. Townsend Booksellers in Oakland
• 35. The Kmart store in Parkway Plaza off University Drive in Durham NC - 79 Jobs Lost
• 36. Guarantee Shoe Store in Beaumont Texas
• 37. Associated Milk Producers Inc. Closing manufacturing facility in Dawson Minn. - 130
• 38. Jobs Lost
• 39. FacadeTek Inc Closes Whitestown Facility - 72 Jobs Lost
• 40. Comet Market in Punxsutawney Pa.
• 41. JC Penney store in Miracle City Mall Titusville FL
• 42. TurboCare Inc Closing Manchester CT Facility - 88
• 43. The United Colors of Benetton store on Armitage Avenue IL
• 44. Update: Bicycle shop Ten 27 Cycles 1027 Davis St. in Evanston IL
• 45. Two Sears Product Rebuild Centers in The Woodlands Texas
• 46. FesslerUSA Clothing Maker Closing in PA
• 47. Ralph Lauren's plans to close its 14 stand-alone Rugby locations
• 48. Nashville Sash & Door Co. Inc Tenn.
• 49. First Portuguese church in North America in Bedford Mass Closing?
• 50. International Fashions in Carbondale's University Mall IL
• 51. Harper's Old Army Surplus Store in West Monroe La
• 52. Nova Financial Holdings
• 53. The Party Warehouse in West Springfield Mass.
• 54. TLC Wine and Liquor at 1205 W. Main St in Kent Ohio?
• 55. The HAPPY Place 1042 N Coast Hwy, Laguna Beach, CA
• 56. Air Carrier Accessory Services - Chapter 7
• 57. SOW Inc. shelter on South Broad Street GA?
• 58. Systemax Inc., Closing Miami County Ohio Computer Plant - 120 Jobs Lost
• 59. Textbook publisher McGraw-Hill Cos. Closing 2 Distribution Centers - 166 Layoffs
• 60. First Place Financial Corp
• 61. Nash Finch Closing Cedar Rapids Iowa Food Distribution Center
• 62. Johnnie's Foodmaster MA Closing all 10 Locations
• 63. Rainbow Foods will be closing its Forest Lake location MN - 59 Layoffs
• 64. Berry's Camera Shop Inc. in Downtown Lafayette
• 65. Schreiber Foods to close their food packaging plant in Ravenna - 70 Jobs Lost
• 66. Kmart store at 5300 Salem Ave. Trotwood Ohio
• 67. Mr.Christie plant in Toronto ( International ) 2013 - 550 Jobs Lost
• 68. Coffee with T cafe in Stevenson Village business MD
• 69. Minas Basin Pulp and Power are closing a mill in Hantsport ( International ) - 135

Actual Layoffs:

• 1. The Colonial Country Shoppe on Park Street in Adams MA
• 2. Vestas Wind Systems Closing R&D; Office in Louisville - 60 Jobs Lost
• 3. Dollar Castle in downtown Ferndale MI
• 4. Bistro One West in St Charles IL
• 5. Sun Dog Diner in Neptune Beach FL
• 6. Jim's Builders Hardware in Wichita, Kansas
• 7. Madeleines Bakehouse in Fort Wayne Indiana
• 8. Barnes & Noble plans to close its doors in Union Station Dec. 31
• 9. The Semiahmoo Hotel in Blaine Washington
• 10. Highland Curves CA
• 11. The Salem Sport Shop in Salem Ohio
• 12. Navistar International Corp. to Close truck assembly plant in Garland, Texas - 900
• 13. Jobs Lost
• 14. Divine Mercy Catholic Books & Gifts Denton Texas
• 15. Singer Mental Health Center in Rockford IL
• 16. Garelick Farms Ends Production at Bangor Maine Facility
• 17. Fashion Tech Window Coverings in Portland?
• 18. Custom House Tavern Chicago IL.
• 19. Jim's Builders Hardware in Delano
• 20. Lone Star Steakhouse at 1801 22nd St. in West Des Moines
• 21. Sears to Close Woodlands Product Rebuild Center - 117 Jobs Lost
• 22. Whitehead Inc Rockford Real Estate Company
• 23. Robert's Mens Shop in Downtown New Philadelphia Ohio
• 24. Fort Tecumseh Olde Fashun Store in Ohio
• 25. Lakewood Beginnings Child Development Center in Lakewood Ohio
• 26. Green Fields Seed & Feed in Grand Junction Colo.
• 27. The Army and Navy Store in Melrose Mass.
• 28. Vitalistic Therapeutic charter school PA
• 29. Diamond Foods Inc Closing a plant in Fishers Indiana
• 30. Old Town Alehouse 5233 Ballard Ave in Seattle
• 31. Space Aliens restaurants in Minot and Grand Forks ND
• 32. DeWaay Financial Network LLC
• 33. Sears at Quail Springs Mall Oklahoma City OK.
• 34. Fashion Bug in O'Fallon MO is closing in January
• 35. Kmart Store in Oak Hill W. Va
• 36. Update: Jett & Hall men's clothing store in Richmond KY
• 37. D.C. school List of Possible Schools Closing to Be released Later today
• 38. Dunkin' Donuts in Holly Hill FL
• 39. Hostess Brands Inc Permanently Closing 3 Bakeries Following a Nationwide Strike
• 40. Philips Electronics subsidiary Lightolier will close its local fluorescent light
• 41. fixture manufacturing plant in Willington
• 42. Smithfield Packing Co. will close in 2013, laying off a total of 400 employees
• 43. SuperFresh outlets in Marlton and Westmont NJ
• 44. The Bagel Shoppe in Katonah NY
• 45. Ben Franklin and Homestead House Gifts in the Kimball Ridge Center in Waterloo IA
• 46. Several West Virginia Suzuki dealerships Being Forced to Close
• 47. Kowalski Cos Closing All 4 of its Metro Detroit Delis but to Continue Food
• 48. Production
• 49. Three Memphis charter schools and one in Nashville Tenn. Could Close Due to Poor
• 50. Test Scores
• 51. The Custer School District SD - Closing 2 Rural Schools
• 52. The Dressing Room, on North Lincoln Avenue IL
• 53. The Utica Office Of Ibope Ny

Bankruptcies:

• 1. AMF Bowling Worldwide Inc
• 2. Aletheia Research & Management Inc
• 3. Omtron USA
• 4. Helmkampf Construction in Olivette
• 5. Clear Light Publishers
• 6. Monitor Company Group LP
• 7. ThinkEquity LLC
• 8. Homer City Funding LLC
• 9. US Suzuki Distributor - Chapter 11
• 10. Revolt Technology

This list should frighten every thinking American. It is a huge warning regarding what lies ahead. These changes are coming to an economy that is already unable to provide jobs or sustain living standards.

Decline is a slow process, until it becomes fast. It is not easy to see at first. It should be obvious to most that our economy is approaching a critical stage. When you have destroyed the trust and confidence of business, there will be no job creation.

Some parting words are in order for those responsible for the decisions reflected above. Shutting down and giving up is anathema to the spirit that built this country and is now only found among our entrepreneurial class. It goes against the very fiber that drives success. It is a last resort for entrepreneurs.

The decision to quit is lonely, involves guilt, self-doubt and remorse. It is the last act for someone that has tried everything to avoid it. Giving up and withdrawing is not an act of retribution. People do not willingly choose to go to Galt's figurative gulch. They are forced there.

While the masses exult in the continuation of their  food stamps, cell phones and other booty, the real story of this election is yet to be told. The nation is about to find out that policies and elections have consequences more important than free stuff.

The war against private enterprise can no longer be denied. President Obama's re-election ensures that it will continue and likely accelerate. The makers are beginning to give up. The takers don't have a clue. Soon the country is going to get a real-life lesson in economics. TANSTAAFL (There ain't no such thing as a free lunch) is about to be learned.

Read more: http://www.americanthinker.com/2012/11/economic_disintegration_is_almost_here.html#ixzz2Cp6YFqGB
Source :2012 Glorious Hope - Soli Deo Gloria: Economic Disintegration is Almost Here:

10 Signs We Live in a False Economy

It’s time to admit that we live in a false economy. Smoke and mirrors are used to make us believe the economy is real, but it’s all an elaborate illusion.

Out of one side of the establishment’s mouth we hear excitement about “green shoots”, and out of the other side comes breathless warnings of fiscal cliffs and the urgent need for unlimited bailouts by the Fed.

We hear the people begging for jobs and the politicians promising them, but politicians can’t create jobs. We see people camped out to buy stuff on Black Friday indicating the consumer economy is seemingly thriving, only to find out everything was bought on credit.

The corporate media does their best to distract us from seeing anything real. We see the media glorify Kim Kardashian who got rich by being famous, and became famous merely by being rich. She got front page coverage on Huffington Post this week because her cat died.  Enough said.

Meanwhile the financial media makes the economy seem complicated and they ban anyone who speaks truthfully about the economy from their airwaves.

Is it any wonder why people are angry and confused about the economy?

Well, hopefully these signs that we live in a false economy will help clear up some of that confusion.

1. Fake Jobs: It’s not just that the “official” unemployment numbers are a fraud, the actual jobs are fake as well. Ask yourself how many professions actually produce something of value? 80% of jobs could disappear tomorrow and it wouldn’t affect basic human survival or happiness in the least. Yes, in our society we need money to survive – and jobs equal money – but that doesn’t mean a “job” has any actual benefit to society.  More on this in the next point…

2. Problems Create Jobs, Not Solutions: We can’t fix real problems, because it would destroy more fake jobs. We can’t end the wars and bring all of the personnel home when the jobless rate is already suffering. We can’t end the War on Drugs because where would the DEA agents, prison guards, the court system, parole officers, and the rest of their support staff work. We can’t simplify the tax code because the bookkeepers, CPAs, accounting professors, and tax attorneys would be unemployed. We cannot reduce the bureaucracy of government or streamline healthcare because paper pushers have few other notable skills. We can’t stop spying on Americans because it now employs millions of people. We can’t restrict the Wall Street casino, or hardly anyone will be left with a job. Finally, what will happen to university jobs when people either realize their product is not worth the cost or they discover they can get the same education online for nearly free? In other words, we need these manufactured problems to create phony employment.

3. Money Has No Value:  Money is the biggest illusion of all. Our money is loaned into existence with arbitrary interest rates by a private monopoly. It is an IOU. It only has value because a law says it has value, and that value fluctuates based on how much supply is in the economy which, again, is controlled by a for-profit monopoly. It’s actual value is zero since it is just a piece of paper with fancy ink on it. The only things with real value to humans are skills (labor), tools and materials, food and water, and energy. 

4. The Fed Now Buys 90% of the Nation’s Debt: Speaking of money, the Federal Reserve loans money to the US government who issues bonds to cover their spending. Those bonds are sold on the open market through auctions to investors who believe in the ability of the United States to make good on those bonds. Apparently, the US has no more investors because the Fed is now buying 90% of new Treasury bonds. This is called monetizing debt, or, essentially, monetizing money. That’s what a Ponzi scheme does. This acts to keep interest rates artificially low because they’d have to raise them to attract outside “investors”.  In layman terms, our whole monetary system is a paper tiger, a house of cards, or whatever metaphor you want to use for fake.

5. What is the Value of Anything?  The price discovery mechanism, or the process to determine the value of an asset in the marketplace, has become so convoluted that determining the genuine value of anything has become nearly impossible. Between government subsidizes for things like food, fuel, education, housing, insurance and even cars; taxes, regulations and laws; the manipulation of the value of money and interest rates; Wall Street gambling on commodities; what is the real value of something? For example, why does an ounce of marijuana (a weed that can grow anywhere) cost up to $500?  Is that the real value based on labor and materials, and supply and demand? Of course not. Its value is inflated mainly due to laws and regulations.

6. Failure is Rewarded:  You know we live in a false economy when failure is rewarded and success is penalized. Citizens everywhere are being told they need to tighten their belts, work harder so we can bailout the failed government, banks, insurance companies and even car companies. And when we work harder and achieve some success, they tax it heavily to indefinitely pay for these fraudulent institutions. Yet this infinite money creation and taxation is light years from solving the root cause of the problem. The reality is that the banks’ solutions are the problem, enriching the investor class at the expense of the middle class. Global bankers are playing with taxpayer money – and the money of many future generations – in a global casino royale that is destined to fail so they can take the people’s assets. They are all-in; but their money is fake, and our assets put at risk are real.

7. Corporate entities have the same rights as humans, but not the same punishments:  When the Supreme Court ruled that corporations have free-speech rights of people, it was one of the final nails in the coffin of the republic. Monied interests can now openly finance elections and buy the legislation they need to operate with impunity. Corporations may be comprised of humans, but they are not subjected to the same standard of humanity. It was profoundly argued in the article What if BP Were a Human Being? that judged by common standards of morality, decency, and previously agreed-upon definitions of criminality, BP would be judged a psychopathic killer … and immortal. Ditto for the rest leading the predatory corporate pack; the most obvious being defense contractors.  And since these corporations are now joined at the hip with government itself, what does that make government? By changing definitions, they are attempting to change reality. But that still doesn’t make it the truth.

8. People buy things they don’t need with money they don’t have: In a type of trickle-down debt whirlpool, the government’s rampant spending without sufficient assets to back it up is mirrored in the behavior of the American consumer. Despite inflation, rising unemployment, and a continued collapse in real estate, it hasn’t stopped credit spending. The Associated Press just reported that for the month of October:

Americans swiped their credit cards more often in October and borrowed more to attend school and buy cars. The increases drove U.S. consumer debt to an all-time high. 

The Federal Reserve said Friday that consumers increased their borrowing by $14.2 billion in October from September. Total borrowing rose to a record $2.75 trillion.

Borrowing in the category that covers autos and student loans increased by $10.8 billion. Borrowing on credit cards rose by $3.4 billion, only the second monthly increase in the past five months. (Source)

Most troubling is the type of borrowing highlighted. The worst possible borrowing would be these negative-return investments such as student loans, credit cards, and cars. It is magical thinking taken to the highest degree.

9. Entrepreneurs are punished: It has become nearly impossible to make a simple living on your own. America has become a land filled with bureaucratic red tape that actively thwarts small business creation and criminalizes independence. There is perhaps no better example of this than the attacks waged against the ultimate entrepreneurial endeavor of self-reliance: the family farm. Through collectivist models such as Agenda 21, long-running family farms are being shut down and supplanted with “protected zones.” In the most recent case, a family oyster farm was shut down based on provably false scientific data that aimed to demonstrate negative environmental and economic impacts. It was completely fake, ending an 80-year local business that generated 50,000 tourists per year and employed 30 full-time local residents. In many of these cases the federally stolen property winds up in the hands of developers who have no interest in a true local economy. It is an inherent part of any false economy to create dependence where none should exist at all. A five-minute video that can be seen here sums up the American economy of illusions and the death of the American Dream.

10. Engineered Slavery: Do you think slavery died in the 1800s?  Think again. Economic hitmen (lenders) have successfully enslaved-by-debt everything from nations, entire industries, state and local governments and nearly every person on the planet. And they bought your servitude with money they never had, they simply created it out of thin air. Even if an individual doesn’t have any bank financing or credit cards, they still pay the private Federal Reserve through inflation and income taxes. As author of Confessions of an Economic Hit Man, John Perkins, would say: the time has come for the banks to collect their “pound of flesh” from average citizens by way of higher taxes, less social services, and taking your pensions — “austerity.” For an enlightening explanation of how economic hitmen work their dark magic please watch this video.  If you’re still confused, see these 10 signs you might be a slave.  Another, more obvious, form of engineered slavery is prison labor. Laws and regulations are specifically created to add to the prison population which enriches the corporations that own them, while local communities actually become poorer and more dangerous (source).

As George Carlin said, “It’s called the American Dream, because you have to be asleep to believe it.” It would be bad enough if it were contained to only one country, but we are now experiencing a global collective dreaming that fantasizes about a government figuring things out just in the nick of time. However, in the real world, the collapse has begun in earnest. Until we are committed to counter the 10 points above, we will remain in the grip of an hallucination. However, there are encouraging signs through protests worldwide, alternative currency movements, and myriad creative solutions in the most affected countries like Iceland, Greece, and Spain that people are beginning to shake off their sleep, look in the mirror and realize that the dream economy they have been sold was designed to make them seek solutions in entirely the wrong direction.

Some Lessons That Preppers Can Learn From Hurricane Sandy

 

Here's an article on how to prepare for a hurricane like Sandy. Time to think more about how we can prepare for 2012...

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

If you are just starting to prepare for Hurricane Sandy, the truth is that you are already too late.  Most of the essential supplies have already been stripped from store shelves.  If you don't have an emergency generator, you might be without power for quite some time.  It is being estimated that up to 10 million people could lose power during this storm, and it is already being projected that some people may end up being without power for a week or more in the worst hit areas.  Hopefully you have already boarded up your windows.  They can be broken very easily during a hurricane, and you certainly don't want to be dealing with a broken window during the worst moments of the storm.  Those that have prepared ahead of time are likely to be in good shape to ride this storm out, but sadly the reality is that most people have not prepared ahead of time.  Every time a major storm or natural disaster strikes, we always see the same thing happen.  Hordes of half-crazed people storm into the stores hoping to find the things that they need, and many of them end up leaving disappointed because what they were looking for has already sold out.  Thankfully, most of our "disasters" have typically only lasted a few days at most, but what will happen someday if a disaster ends up being permanent?  What if there is a disaster that is so bad someday that things never return to "normal"?  Would you and your family be able to survive on only the preparations that you have made so far?

Hopefully Hurricane Sandy will be a wake up call for a whole lot of people.  It is being projected that this storm will affect about 50 million Americans, and it is already been called "worse than Katrina" by some meteorologists.  It is an absolutely gigantic storm.  It is more than 1000 miles across and it is the largest hurricane to hit the U.S. since records of storm size began to be kept back in 1988.  According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, the destructive potential of this storm is rated 5.8 on a scale that goes from 0 to 6.  So needless to say, referring to this storm as "the Frankenstorm" does not quite do it justice.  It is being touted as the worst storm to hit the east coast in 100 years.

According to Stu Ostro, a senior meteorologist at the Weather Channel, this is truly a history making storm...

"History is being written as an extreme weather event continues to unfold, one which will occupy a place in the annals of weather history as one of the most extraordinary to have affected the United States."

So a lot of Americans are about to find out exactly how prepared they really are for a major natural disaster.

High winds of 80 MPH or higher are going to take down power lines all over the northeast over the next few days.  Along the coast, some people could see a storm surge that is up to 15 feet above sea level in some areas.  Other areas will see nightmarish flooding as a result of very heavy rain.

So there will certainly be a lot of challenges.  The good thing about a hurricane is that you typically have at least a few days in advance to make preparations.  Hopefully people have been making good use of the time.

Unfortunately, most Americans do not even have a short-term supply of food and water stored up.  A lot of people run out to grab some food and water from the stores at the last minute, only to find that there is none left.

For example, it is being reported that store shelves all over New York City have already been picked clean of bread and other essentials.

In Arlington, Virginia it is being reported that some supermarkets are already sold out of water.  If the worst happens and some people end up spending a week without tap water they are really going to wish that they had made some preparations ahead of time.

But food and water are not the only things in high demand.

According to CNN, other emergency supplies have been flying off the shelves as well...

Generators, flashlights, water, batteries -- these are just some of the emergency supplies that are running out in many stores in the Northeast.

Nearly a third of the country's northeast is preparing for Hurricane Sandy, which expected to make landfall on Sunday and Monday. Customers who have been flocking to stores may be coming home empty handed.

Fortunately this is only a temporary emergency, but what if we have a "permanent" emergency someday?

What will people do if they can't find the things that they desperately need all of a sudden?

According to Fox News, one store in Ohio is reporting that people are actually calling from other states to see if they still have any supplies...

An assistant manager at a Lowes store in Columbus, Ohio, told 10TV.com that people were calling in from West Virginia and Maryland to ask for supplies.

And in northern Virginia, a cashier at Pitkins Ace Hardware in Dale City said batteries, flashlights and candles were flying off the shelves, PotomacLocal.com reports.

When will people learn?

You don't wait until the last minute to get necessary emergency supplies like plywood, hurricane shutters, tarps, sump pumps, ice chests, candles, flashlights, batteries and battery-powered radios.

For a hurricane, you need to be prepared to be able to survive for at least a week without any help from the outside world.  In the most extreme situations (such as in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina) the state of emergency created by a hurricane can last even longer.

So exactly how should one prepare for a hurricane?

Ready.gov provides the following list of tips...

To prepare for a hurricane, you should take the following measures:

• To begin preparing, you should build an emergency kit and make a family communications plan.
• Know your surroundings.
• Learn the elevation level of your property and whether the land is flood-prone. This will help you know how your property will be affected when storm surge or tidal flooding are forecasted.
• Identify levees and dams in your area and determine whether they pose a hazard to you.
• Learn community hurricane evacuation routes and how to find higher ground. Determine where you would go and how you would get there if you needed to evacuate.
• Make plans to secure your property:
• Cover all of your home’s windows. Permanent storm shutters offer the best protection for windows. A second option is to board up windows with 5/8” marine plywood, cut to fit and ready to install. Tape does not prevent windows from breaking.
• Install straps or additional clips to securely fasten your roof to the frame structure. This will reduce roof damage.
• Be sure trees and shrubs around your home are well trimmed so they are more wind resistant.
• Clear loose and clogged rain gutters and downspouts.
• Reinforce your garage doors; if wind enters a garage it can cause dangerous and expensive structural damage.
• Plan to bring in all outdoor furniture, decorations, garbage cans and anything else that is not tied down.
• Determine how and where to secure your boat.
• Install a generator for emergencies.
• If in a high-rise building, be prepared to take shelter on or below the 10th floor.
• Consider building a safe room.

A recent CNN article included a list of supplies that you should have on hand in the event that a hurricane is on the way...

-- A three-day supply of water, one gallon per person per day.

-- Three days of food, with suggested items including: canned meats, canned or dried fruits, canned vegetables, canned juice, peanut butter, jelly, salt-free crackers, energy/protein bars, trail mix/nuts, dry cereal, cookies or other comfort food.

-- A can opener.

-- Flashlight(s).

-- A battery-powered radio, preferably a weather radio.

-- Extra batteries.

-- A first aid kit, including latex gloves; sterile dressings; soap/cleaning agent; antibiotic ointment; burn ointment; adhesive bandages in small, medium and large sizes; eye wash; a thermometer; aspirin/pain reliever; anti-diarrhea tablets; antacids; laxatives; small scissors; tweezers; petroleum jelly.

-- A small fire extinguisher.

-- Whistles for each person.

-- A seven-day supply of medications.

-- Vitamins.

-- A multipurpose tool, with pliers and a screwdriver.

-- Cell phones and chargers.

-- Contact information for the family.

-- A sleeping bag for each person.

-- Extra cash.

-- A silver foil emergency blanket.

-- A map of the area.

-- Baby supplies.

-- Pet supplies.

-- Wet wipes.

-- A camera (to document storm damage).

-- Insect repellent.

-- Rain gear.

-- Tools and supplies for securing your home.

-- Plastic sheeting.

-- Duct tape.

-- Dust masks.

-- An extra set of house keys.

-- An extra set of car keys.

-- An emergency ladder to evacuate the second floor.

-- Household bleach.

-- Paper cups, plates and paper towels.

-- Activities for children.

-- Charcoal and matches, if you have a portable grill. But only use it outside.

But in the final analysis, preparation is going to look a little bit different for every family.

If you live along the coast, there is a good chance that you will need to evacuate.  If you live farther inland, you will probably be able to hunker down exactly where you are.

Hurricane Sandy will come and go, but hopefully millions of Americans will learn some lessons about preparation from this crisis.  One of these days we may have a disaster that lasts much longer such as a major economic crisis, an EMP attack, a nightmarish pandemic or a major war.  If we cannot handle a disaster that lasts for just a couple of days, what chance are we going to have at surviving something that lasts for months or even years?

That is something to think about.  Hopefully we will all reflect on emergency preparedness over the next few days.  Our world is becoming increasingly unstable, and eventually there will come a point where we will find ourselves totally dependent on the preparations that we have made.

Original article at http://endoftheamericandream.com/archives/how-to-prepare-for-a-hurricane-some-lessons-that-preppers-can-learn-from-hurricane-sandy?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=how-to-prepare-for-a-hurricane-some-lessons-that-preppers-can-learn-from-hurricane-sandy


A huge explosion has been filmed at a power plant in downtown Manhattan after Hurricane Sandy made landfall.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

TOTTENVILLE — They fly into disaster areas, but flee from raindrops.

FEMA disaster recovery centers in Hurricane Sandy-ravaged sections of the city that were supposed to provide assistance to hurricane victims went MIA Wednesday morning, posting signs saying that they were closed due to the approaching Nor'easter.

The temporary shuttering of the facilities, which help victims register for disaster relief, as well as city food distribution centers come even as many of those still reeling from the monster storm were not told that they had to leave the battered areas.

On Tuesday, Mayor Michael Bloomberg said that residents in the low-lying portions of Staten Island, Queens and Brooklyn were advised to leave ahead of the nor'easter, which could hit the city with 60 mph gusts and several inches of rain Wednesday afternoon, but that the evacuation was not mandatory like the one issued for all of Zone A ahead of Sandy.

“We do not believe that it’s necessary to evacuate people,” said the mayor Wednesday.

The move left residents of the storm-ravaged areas fuming.

"The storm is coming. We don't know how hard it's going to hit us," said Jenny Cartagena, 46, who found the FEMA center in Coney Island closed Wednesday when she went there looking for food. "I need some help now."

Because the FEMA centers were located with food distribution and warming services, some residents who arrived there were confused by the closed centers.

The city's food distribution centers, a lifeline for the thousands left without power, heat and water for more than a week, would only be operating until noon Wednesday, Mayor Michael Bloomberg announced.

And the National Guard, which was handing out food and water in Coney Island also shut down at 1:30 p.m. because of the weather, but continued handing out water to the line of approximately 30 people.

A spokemsan for the New York National Guard, Eric Durr, said that he could not comment on that specific instance but "we instructed our troops to pay attention to the weather and don’t take unecessary risks." Still, he said the guard would continue to provide relief as long as was needed.

In Staten Island, a printed paper sign taped to the front door of on the center at 6581 Hylan Blvd. at 10:30 a.m. read “FEMA Center Closed Due to Weather.”

The front doors of the disaster recovery center, which is housed inside the Mount Lorretto Catholic Youth Organization, were unlocked, but there was no staff anywhere in sight for at least a half an hour.

And a set of buses which served as a pair of warming centers at the site for the past several days were missing, according to non-FEMA volunteers who continued to hand out supplies from a nearby building despite the storm.

Volunteers at a nearby donation distribution center said the buses vanished on Wednesday.

“FEMA packed up and left,” said Louis Giraldi, 47, a volunteer handing out cleaning supplies to victims.

“We don’t know where they are, so there’s nothing here but us.”

The site is listed on FEMA's list of NYC recovery centers, and was supposed to be open from 8:30 a.m. to 8 p.m. Wednesday. The site was also included in the city's list of warming facilities supposed to open at 9 a.m. on Wednesday at the site.

A FEMA R/V also sat empty next to the recovery center.

A pair of FEMA workers alarmed by a reporter's camera came out of the building at 11 a.m. and took the sign down, saying the center reopen at 12:30 p.m. Wednesday.

The worker declined to give his name and would not explain why the site was closed or why the buses were missing.

FEMA spokesman Carter Langston said that the mobile centers were shuttered and staff moved inland because they were not structurally sound enough to weather the storm, which could put their staff in danger.

"Because these are mobile centers, they were shut down for life safety," Langston said. "As soon as weather permits tomorrow, they’re going to be back in place [possibly by noon]."

The remaining five sites in the city — in Staten Island, Coney Island, the Rockaways and The Bronx — were also closed or in the process of shutting down.

In Coney Island, a sign written in red ink that was bleeding from the rain sat on a police barrier in the parking lot of Our Lady of Solace Shrine Church on West 17th Street and Mermaid Avenue.

"They didn't want to get their precious van wet," quipped a church volunteer.

Cartagena, an asthma sufferer, said she showed up to the site with her home health aide, Camilla Suriel, 49, and her son's grandfather, Nelson Otero, 72 expecting "at least water."

"Something, you know, help," she said.

Volunteers at the church were still giving away water and MTA buses were on site to help people.

Serkan Yalcin, whose apartment in Sheepshead Bay was wrecked by Sandy, had a friend drop him off there.  He applied online for FEMA assistance last week, and came to the center today to follow up with an actual FEMA rep after his wife was not able to get through to reps.

"I would like to know if my application is in the system or not," he said. "Nobody has called or shown up."

The situation was similar in Queens, where thousands remain without power more than a week after Sandy.

At the FEMA site on Rockaway Point Boulevard, near Barrett Street, a sign read: “Operations stop [Tuesday] at 4 p.m. Closed Wednesday 7 Nov.”

The plan was to move the tent to the 99th Regional Support Command Center for Army reservists there, but because the building had no power the move could not be made until Thursday, a rep for the command center said.

Warren Lehner, 57, a project manager, lives right across the street from where the FEMA shelter has been registering hurricane victims the past 10 days, said he will likely need help for his parents, who have up to four feet of flooding in their home.

And he said with the nearly the entire peninsula going on their tenth day without power, food hard to come by, and water not running a large portion of the houses, the FEMA tents draw in much-needed volunteer efforts that established themselves around the relief centers.

“Now we got another storm coming in, where everyone’s going to be scrambling just to find a place they don’t freeze to death,” Lehner said. “Where are you going to go for a hot meal? It’s coming down to people just trying to survive, and that’s just not how it should be.”

Another location that was listed on FEMA's website on Beach 116th Street and Beach Channel Drive, showed no signs of the agency's presence.

At the city's Miller Field Distribution Center on New Dorp Lane in Staten Island, which houses a mobile FEMA disaster recovery center was also shutting down on Wednesday morning, a police car blocked the entrance at 11:35 a.m.

A cop said that officials were evacuating it because of the storm.

And in The Bronx, a FEMA tent and trailer sitting behind a volunteer firehouse on Adee Avenue in The Bronx was packed up Tuesday ahead of the storm.

"Theres's a ton of equipment you want to protect to make sure it's doing the most good wherever you take it," said Jim Garvey, of the Edgewater Athletic Association, which shares a building with the firehouse.

Read more: http://www.dnainfo.com/new-york/20121107/tottenville/staten-island-fema-disaster-center-shuts-doors-due-weather#ixzz2BebwZoFT

Source:
How To Prepare For A Hurricane? Some Lessons That Preppers Can Learn From Hurricane Sandy :
2012 Glorious Hope - Soli Deo Gloria: FEMA Disaster Centers Shut Doors 'Due to Weather':