Disease and Starvation

I know that I am preaching to the choir, but here goes anyway. The fun part of being prepared for disaster is the acquisition of equipment and training with it. Reality rears its ugly head when we look at history and realize that more people die from disease and starvation than from enemy weapons. We in the US have had it relatively easy in this area. That is part of what angers us about the flow of illegal aliens into our country. These criminals bring with them diseases and parasites that had been eradicated in the US. The hygiene standard in the rest of the world is not as high as it is here. Also, whenever there is a natural disaster of any scale in the US (Katrina, the Nashville flood, or the current blizzard situations) mass disease breakout is almost non-existent. In Haiti repeated and varied disease epidemics have swept through the population since the earthquake. That is typical for the third world. That is what Obama and the democrats want to bring to our shores.
So, to prepare for disease is not "sexy" but it is necessary. Once the initial chaos of a disaster has passed, be it natural or man made, the traumatic death rate will slow down, but it is in that period that diseases will begin to spread. Clean water is an absolute necessity. It is estimated that each person in urban areas uses 31 gallons of water per day, drinking and hygiene. FEMA estimates that you should have 1 - 2 gallons of drinking water per person per day for emergencies. That is a lot of water to have sitting around. And what do you do when that water runs out? You have to be able to purify the water available to you. That is where bleach comes in, add 2 drops of bleach to 1 quart canteen of clear water (3 drops for cloudy water), shake it up and let sit for 30 minutes. It won't taste great, but it is safe. Bleach is also a good disinfectant for cleaning medical tools and for food preparation. Boiling water also kills bacteria which causes disease. Rubbing alcohol is a good disinfectant and good for cleaning skin surfaces around wounds. Hydrogen peroxide is good for cleaning out wounds, and all wounds will have to be treated. If a small cut or splinter gets infected then your chances for survival, depending upon the crises, are reduced. Band aids are going to be at a premium as are all medical supplies. Having a supply of multivitamins on hand will supplement your diet and help ward off disease. All prescription meds you must have will have to be stored so that you can survive. We have not had a major outbreak of disease in the US in decades so our immune system is not prepared for it. We have to prepare not only for the criminals who will directly try to take what is ours, but for the diseases which will follow. A strict regime of washing clothing and bedding will have to be followed, as well as healthy food preparation. You may joke about this, but that is what finally stopped the flu pandemic of 1917-1918 and what has kept the US from any other such diseases since then. Hygiene, personal and community, is the key to a healthy society, and to surviving when everything else fails. We must be prepared to provide our own security, weapons, and our own sanitation, protection from disease. Knowledge is strength. Or as an old poster stated: "Your mind is your primary weapon."