Worldwide counts now put the deaths from Ebola above the 5,000 mark, and with the first cases diagnosed in the US, the threat of infectious disease is becoming all too real. While the Ebola scare is far from an outbreak in the US, it should serve as a signpost that prepping is not only useful, but could actually save your life.
Ebola is a great example of a reason to bug in and stay put during a disaster. The transmission of this disease is done via contact with an infected person’s bodily fluids, so ideally infection can be avoided by not venturing out where this may exist. In other words, in the case of an outbreak, the less people that are out in public, the less the disease will spread.
Not only can you help stave off the spread of a disease by bugging in, but you can help keep yourself safe and healthy, as well as your family and friends. There are different levels of self-quarantine, starting with the self-imposed when the environment around you is mostly safe, to the full on quarantine where OpSec becomes important and you’re basically hiding out at home, waiting for the outbreak to die down. Both ends of the spectrum are dealt with in mostly the same way, and if you’re prepared for the worst, you’ll easily make it through the best.
Basic Prepping
A good self-quarantine starts with proper prepping skills. The basics of prepping are, for the most part, the same no matter what it is you’re prepping for. The most important part is having at least 30 days of food and water properly stored and maintained. When disaster strikes the first place most people go is the grocery store to stock up on food. This means that not only will there be a high concentration of people there that can possibly be infected, but riots and violence can easily break out.
Having food and water ready for at least 30 days is the best step you can take to be prepared. After this step, storing other necessities including first aid, toiletries, and of course weapons are all important.
Security
Since you’re planning on hunkering down and staying put, you not only have to worry about supplies, but in this case how to protect them. OpSec becomes a top priority. You need to plan from the beginning on keeping your prep private and secret. If others know what you have they will come looking for help when the grocery store runs out. While helping is fine, you’ve probably only prepped enough to keep you safe, not your neighborhood.
Along with OpSec, you need to make sure you have weapons and ammunition to protect you and your family from anyone who would want to take from you or hurt you. Nobody knows how the public at hand will act during an outbreak, but chances are that many people will not act as civil as you would hope.
Security around your home is also important. Plan ahead now and plant large hedges and plants with sharp points on them like roses under windows and other access points. Use these same plants around property borders and fencing when appropriate. Basically make it difficult for anyone to approach your house without extreme difficulty.
Additional Tips for a Self-Quarantine
A self-quarantine doesn’t have to be when the SHTF and an outbreak hits. If a few cases of Ebola or any other infectious disease were to come up in your town, you can be proactive and stay indoors to keep safe.
First, find out if you can work from home in time of illness or other personal needs, and don’t hesitate to use this option. The same goes for kids if you have any. Investigate the possibility of online schooling in case of emergency or illness. This can keep kids on track with schooling while any possibility for infection is still around.
While Ebola is fresh in everyone’s mind, the threat for an outbreak of any disease is real and has been well before anyone though about Ebola in the US. There are more than enough reasons to want to avoid people for a period of time, but if the current fear of a non-existent Ebola outbreak is what it takes, then at least it’s getting people prepared.