NEWSLETTER: Volume 1 | Spring 2020
IN THIS ISSUE:
Naked and NOT afraid - 5 Common Survival Misconceptions
By Nick Clement, Endure Survival Kit
It is a difficult task to go out on your own and attempt to learn the absolute best survival techniques. We often see survival in mainstream media portrayed as primitive (bushcraft), and tactical (military) pursuits which are simply not practical for every day users (civilian). We won’t be seeing civilian survival at the box office anytime soon. A story about a guy surviving the night turning a potentially life-threatening situation into a minor inconveinence would be a tough sell to Hollywood producers. Somehow, civilian survival techniques are completely absent from mainstream media and very few companies sell civilian survival gear. This is why we created Endure Survival Kits, and these are the top 5 misconceptions we have heard from people over the years:
https://enduresurvivalkits.com
- “You don’t need a Survival Kit, I’ve never needed one” - 99% of people who recreate in the outdoors will not admit they need a survival kit. We, at Endure Survival Kits, hear this so often it is scary. The 1st step to being an outdoor survivor is understanding what potential threats are out there and what you need to do to protect yourself. The most important thing you can do is prepare. Do a bit of research, make an investment in the gear that will most likely save your life and practice using the equipment by testing it out in the field.
- “Use a Mylar Emergency Blanket for shelter” - Mylar blankets are those silverish “blankets” you may have seen in just about every survival kit available on the market. Interestingly enough, Mylar blankets are not worth the few dollars you spend on them. They are thin, they tear easily, and require the use of your hands to keep wrapped around you. A bag is always better than a blanket as an emergency shelter as it will trap your body heat around you, allow you the use of your hands. Our preferred Instant Shelter is a heavy-duty polyurethane bag colored royal blue which also acts as a visual signal. Royal blue can be seen in the outdoors better than all other colors in natural environments.
- “Primitive fire-starting techniques will work” - Most survival situations happen when it is getting dark and people find themselves lost and are forced to spend the night outside. Getting a fire started can be a difficult task without the proper tools. Cotton balls soaked in petroleum jelly combined with the spark from a quality ferrocerium rod is the abosolute easiest way to start a fire. We have heard so many crazy ideas on how to start a fire over the years. Everything from putting all your trust in a bic lighter to doing the same with a bag of dorritos, we have heard it all. Nothing beats cotton balls soaked in petroleum jelly combined with a spark from a ferrocerium rod with a wood handle. A handle made from a soft wood allows you to always have an extra source of dry tinder (the wood handle can be scraped and used as tinder if you run out of cotton balls soaked in petroleum jelly)
- “Just put a bunch of food in your survival kit” - Using the rule of 3’s (you can survive 3 minutes without oxygen, 3 days without water, and 3 weeks without food) we can assume we will not need food in our survival kit. As long as we have a source of water and a way to purify it we will be able to survive long enough for search and rescue to find us assuming we have proper signal, shelter, and fire-starting equipment as well.
https://enduresurvivalkits.com
How Resilient is Your Home and What Can You Do About it?
By Resilient America Staff
Consider the following characteristics and examples of a resilient home, then ponder your own home. You don’t need to do everything at once! Identify changes you want to make and have the time and resources to tackle, and then make a plan. Take care of the low-hanging fruit first and pat yourself on the back before moving on to bigger projects.
A resilient home has the following characteristics:
Here are examples of Resilient solutions for the issues listed above:
A resilient home has the following characteristics:
- It can withstand some extreme weather (appropriate to location!): Wind, rain, flooding, snow, ice, heat)
- Sturdy
- Well-insulated
- High-enough above flood level or designed to withstand flooding
- It has backup systems for essential services in case the power goes out
- Heat
- Light
- Power
- Water
- Waste/sewage
- Cooking
- The family living there has backup plans that provide for their needs when disaster strikes
- Shelter in place for up to 2 weeks
- Longer term sustainability re: food, power, heat, water
- Go bags
- It is part of a connected neighborhood – knowing your neighbors
Here are examples of Resilient solutions for the issues listed above:
- It can withstand some extreme weather (appropriate to location!): Wind, rain, flooding, snow, ice, heat)
- Sturdy – Appropriately engineered (or augmented) to withstand expected wind and snow load.
- Well-insulated – walls, roof, leaks sealed, decent windows
- High-enough above flood level or designed to withstand flooding - homes can be designed to withstand or even accept flooding, buildings can be moved to higher ground, and systems like heating and water can be moved out of basements.
- It has backup systems for essential services in case the power goes out
- Heat – woodstove or non-electric kerosene/gas
- Light – battery powered, oil lamps, candles
- Power – generator, solar panels, batteries
- Water – stored water, filter system, rain water, disinfecting tablets
- Waste/sewage – outhouse for emergencies, bucket and sawdust humanure system
- Cooking – woodstove, camping stove
- The family living there has backup plans that provide for their needs when disaster strikes
- Shelter in place: stored food, water, medical supplies, fuel
- Longer term sustainability: garden, chickens, basic first aid knowledge
- Go bags: allow family to leave with key survival supplies and essential documents if evacuation is necessary
- It is part of a connected neighborhood
- You know your neighbors and have their contact information
- You know what skills, tools, and supplies you can share/borrow with neighbors
- You know who has special needs and who can help those neighbors
Resilience Resolutions 2020
By Resilient America Staff
The beginning of a new year is a great time to make plans to make your home, your family, even your office or worksite more resilient! Winter weather and the Coronavirus remind us that disruption can happen, and both can serve as inspiration for our Resilience Resolutions. Here are some of ours here at Resilient America – what are yours?
Some more lists:
http://resilientnw.com/2016/12/29/resilient-resolutions/
https://www.ready.gov/calendar
https://www.boreal-emergency.org/2020/01/02/293925/5-reasons-to-add-disaster-preparedness-to-your-new-years-resolution
- Leslie: Expand garden, improve first aid kit(s), increase knowledge about the herbal remedies that are all around, put up solar panels, grow food for our chickens.
- Kim: Grow/store more nutrient-dense food, set up a trade/barter system with neighbors for things we can’t grow ourselves, put together an evacuation plan.
- Jacey: Buy a generator, set up a back-up heating system (wood or pellet stove?), build back-up supply of food and water in the event that stores are closed or we cannot get out of the house, come up with alternative ways of cooking with no power, learn more about gardening.
- Emma: Prepare water purification system and storage for the next time the city water system fails (pressure and/or safety).
- Karen: Learn about storing food in a root cellar, learn about water filtration & how to have an alternate water supply, get a beginner’s guide to hunting.
Some more lists:
http://resilientnw.com/2016/12/29/resilient-resolutions/
https://www.ready.gov/calendar
https://www.boreal-emergency.org/2020/01/02/293925/5-reasons-to-add-disaster-preparedness-to-your-new-years-resolution
Evacuating with Pets
by Amber Higgins
One of the most important and hardest things to do during a crisis is stay calm and carry on. Do not panic. When we panic so do our pets, our children and those we are trying to save. The best way to avoid panicking is to know what to do, and by knowing what to do you are prepared ahead of time. The more we learn, the more we are able to take care of ourselves and others. The same is true for our pets.
If we practice with our pets to evacuate then the pets will be ready too. They will not be scared because they know what to do. They will learn the routine and what to do too, which will make dealing with an emergency or disaster much faster and easier for you.
Time is very important when lives are at stake, the more you practice the more time you save. As a former search and rescue dog trainer who volunteered for many years and raised bloodhounds that worked across the country, I realized one day that our family dogs of all sizes and ages can help us during emergencies.
When a disaster strikes, outside help and rescuers often take days or weeks to reach us because of limited resources or the overwhelming need to respond. We can easily become landlocked due to floods, fallen trees and damaged highways. This is why preparing ahead of time is important; we will have to take care of each other and ourselves until help arrives.
Here are a few ways you can become more self-reliant during evacuating with pets.
Dogs can help the family evacuate
Dogs of all sizes can easily help us carry survival gear if we have to walk to a safe place or evacuate. This is helpful for a person who is not able to carry much weight because of age or disabilities. Very young children and babies cannot carry go-bags but a dog can then you are able to carry your own emergency go-bag.
The smallest dog can carry something, even when you have to carry the dog. The more a dog carries for you then the more space you have in your own go-bag for extra food, water and supplies.
Cats and Birds
Large dogs easily learn to carry the family cat in saddlebags. Several people have said they learn quickly. Cats can learn to carry things too, but cats if given a chance will leave an area or hide when danger comes. You can use a dog to find the cat, if need be but cats seem to do best in pet carriers as do birds. Birds can ride softly tucked into a sock or linen bag pretty comfortable in a saddlebag or your backpack too.
For more information about becoming self-reliant and preparing for emergencies visit Family Disaster Dogs at www.familydisasterdogs.com and be sure to attend the next Resilient America event. Follow on social media, too!
Amber Higgins is the author of Family Disaster Dogs lessons, blog and three books including a children’s picture book that teach families with dogs how any dog can learn to rescue and search for friends and families.
If we practice with our pets to evacuate then the pets will be ready too. They will not be scared because they know what to do. They will learn the routine and what to do too, which will make dealing with an emergency or disaster much faster and easier for you.
Time is very important when lives are at stake, the more you practice the more time you save. As a former search and rescue dog trainer who volunteered for many years and raised bloodhounds that worked across the country, I realized one day that our family dogs of all sizes and ages can help us during emergencies.
When a disaster strikes, outside help and rescuers often take days or weeks to reach us because of limited resources or the overwhelming need to respond. We can easily become landlocked due to floods, fallen trees and damaged highways. This is why preparing ahead of time is important; we will have to take care of each other and ourselves until help arrives.
Here are a few ways you can become more self-reliant during evacuating with pets.
Dogs can help the family evacuate
Dogs of all sizes can easily help us carry survival gear if we have to walk to a safe place or evacuate. This is helpful for a person who is not able to carry much weight because of age or disabilities. Very young children and babies cannot carry go-bags but a dog can then you are able to carry your own emergency go-bag.
The smallest dog can carry something, even when you have to carry the dog. The more a dog carries for you then the more space you have in your own go-bag for extra food, water and supplies.
Cats and Birds
Large dogs easily learn to carry the family cat in saddlebags. Several people have said they learn quickly. Cats can learn to carry things too, but cats if given a chance will leave an area or hide when danger comes. You can use a dog to find the cat, if need be but cats seem to do best in pet carriers as do birds. Birds can ride softly tucked into a sock or linen bag pretty comfortable in a saddlebag or your backpack too.
For more information about becoming self-reliant and preparing for emergencies visit Family Disaster Dogs at www.familydisasterdogs.com and be sure to attend the next Resilient America event. Follow on social media, too!
Amber Higgins is the author of Family Disaster Dogs lessons, blog and three books including a children’s picture book that teach families with dogs how any dog can learn to rescue and search for friends and families.
Sustainability and Emergency Preparedness
by Amber Higgins
As we learn to work towards a more sustainable and self-reliant future one aspect that comes into play and is often overlooked, is preparing for emergencies and disasters. Disasters and emergencies come in all sizes and often hit a family or community without warning. Lives are turned upside down instantly and out of the blue. Even a small event may ruin our day.
Emergencies happen when something goes wrong at home, in travel or in the community. While individual medical emergencies, a power outage at home or a car accident feel like a disaster in one’s life, disasters are defined by multiple emergencies occurring, sometimes from a single event, to a larger scale affecting more people. A small emergency might grow into a huge disaster when a single incident is not dealt with and taken care of. A good example is a virus spreading because the proper hygiene was not practiced or care was not focused on containment in time.
In becoming more self-reliant we learn to sustain ourselves and families, our offices and the community we live in to maintain or improve the well-being of our lives. We learn to rely more on our own resources to take care of ourselves regardless of what happens.
We are ready.
This is where preparing for emergencies comes into play. The more you know about what to do to sustain yourself when something goes wrong the easier you can deal with the event and move on towards a happier time.
Here are a few ways to help you be sustainable in emergencies.
Amber Higgins is the author of Family Disaster Dogs lessons, blog and three books including a children’s picture book that teach families how-to prepare for disasters with pets, and how any dog can learn to rescue and search for friends and families. Follow her on social media and visit www.familydisasterdogs.com.
Emergencies happen when something goes wrong at home, in travel or in the community. While individual medical emergencies, a power outage at home or a car accident feel like a disaster in one’s life, disasters are defined by multiple emergencies occurring, sometimes from a single event, to a larger scale affecting more people. A small emergency might grow into a huge disaster when a single incident is not dealt with and taken care of. A good example is a virus spreading because the proper hygiene was not practiced or care was not focused on containment in time.
In becoming more self-reliant we learn to sustain ourselves and families, our offices and the community we live in to maintain or improve the well-being of our lives. We learn to rely more on our own resources to take care of ourselves regardless of what happens.
We are ready.
This is where preparing for emergencies comes into play. The more you know about what to do to sustain yourself when something goes wrong the easier you can deal with the event and move on towards a happier time.
Here are a few ways to help you be sustainable in emergencies.
- Learn more about how to prepare and what to do during emergencies or large scale disasters in your area. Every area has different weather and each area have certain issues other locations do not have, so learn what may occur in your own area. Prepare for what is possible in your own home.
- Practice what to do if something goes wrong. What will you do if the water pipes break and the garden floods? If the power goes out for days, will you sit in the dark when there is no reason to?
- Knowing how to turn off the main water source is being prepared for emergencies without knowing you are. Simply stocking up on candles and flashlights with good batteries, just in case, means you are ready!
- We are preparing and getting ready every day without realizing we are so take a few moments to sit down and make a list of what you would do in different emergency scenarios with the resources you have on hand. You may be surprised that you are more self-reliant and prepared than you thought!
- Use the list you make as a guideline of what supplies would come in handy and any ideas you have to make dealing with the possible events in your life easier.
- Contact your local Fire department or Red Cross office to ask for information and free classes about first aid, emergency preparedness and evacuating with pets. Attend local disaster and reliance events to learn more. Follow us on social media to stay up-to-date on what’s happening in your area.
Amber Higgins is the author of Family Disaster Dogs lessons, blog and three books including a children’s picture book that teach families how-to prepare for disasters with pets, and how any dog can learn to rescue and search for friends and families. Follow her on social media and visit www.familydisasterdogs.com.
Building Community Resilience: Before, During, and After COVID-19
by Don Hall, Transition US
Frontyard food forest at the intentional community I started two and a half years ago in Sarasota, Florida. I've found a lot of peace lately through the simple act of gardening.
So much has changed in so short a time: tens of thousands of people are now testing positive for the coronavirus daily in the US, most of the world is self-isolating at home, large sectors of our economy have ground to a halt, and politicians are currently debating how best to spend trillions of dollars to combat the global pandemic. We are definitely riding the exponential growth curve, and there’s no end yet in sight.
Both strangely and predictably enough, this crisis has presented a massive opportunity for those of us who have been or are currently engaged in building local community resilience. Our job is now, as it has been in the past, to offer relevant and practical solutions that meet real needs. In fact, many groups all over this country have already been taking inspiring and meaningful actions to counter the economic, social, and health impacts of COVID-19: scaling up efforts to teach people how to grow their own food, banding together to provide local investment for struggling local businesses, organizing mutual aid networks, and advocating for a “green stimulus.” These efforts should be celebrated, supported, and replicated throughout the US. Many more should be developed to help meet skyrocketing needs.
The difference is now that we have the wind at our backs. Through these projects and others, we can reach out further to unprecedented numbers of people who are just now waking up to a more acute sense of their own vulnerability, interconnectedness, and responsibility for the well-being of others. We can share our visions with them and encourage them to develop their own, invite them to step into a leadership role or join a local community that’s already working on something they’re passionate about.
Relationships that are built through hard times can be exceptionally resilient. If we take care to cultivate them now and provide pathways for involvement beyond this current crisis, they may endure when a “new normal” begins to take hold (which it eventually will). Some may even help us to more effectively rise to the occasion when the next crisis inevitably hits.
Due to accelerating impacts from climate change, as well as ongoing economic and political instability around the world, these crises will continue to periodically crash up against our shores, more and more frequently in coming decades, threatening to significantly erode our capacity to respond. In order to successfully counter this reality, those of us who are called to leadership will need to learn how to respond skillfully during these periodic crises and build local community resilience long-term.
Here at Transition US, I think we have been balancing these needs reasonably well. We are currently offering online forums for Transition Initiative leaders and others involved in community resilience-building efforts to connect, provide mutual aid, and learn from each other; collecting and disseminating key resources to support our national network; assisting our national working groups with producing more free webinars for an international audience that’s largely stuck at home at their laptops; and preparing Ready Together: A Neighborhood Emergency Preparedness Handbook for a nationwide roll-out later this year.
In addition to these more external actions, we've also been busy laying the foundations for future growth internally by drafting a new National Organizing Framework for feedback from our network; surveying and interviewing dozens of local, regional, and national movement leaders to develop a new organizational strategy; and constructing a new (more attractive, informative, and easy-to-navigate) website. While these kinds of tasks typically go unseen and underappreciated, we believe they are very important for expanding the Transition Movement here in this country over the long-run.
One realization that has deepened for me over the past few weeks – thanks to Naomi Klein, Otto Scharmer, and others – is that we currently find ourselves in the midst of a historic struggle for the future. This is particularly obvious right now – when millions of lives and trillions of dollars are on the line – but we can acknowledge that this has actually always been true and will continue to be true in less extraordinary times as well. This is a struggle between disaster capitalism, on the one hand, and just transition on the other. I know who I’d like to see win.
Rob Hopkins, on the occasion of Trump being elected to office in 2016, reminded us that the Transition Movement had been “chopping wood and carrying water” for over a decade at that point and would need to continue to do so long after the Trump administration becomes a distant memory. He argued then, as I would now, that what we’ve been doing has been important in the past, is even more critical now, and will continue to become even more essential in the future. We need to recognize that we’ve been ahead of the curve for the past 15 years and much of the world is just now starting to catch up.
I hope all of you are washing your hands and social distancing and all the rest. I recognize that some of you might be sick, caring for loved ones who are sick, have lost your job, or are supporting others who have lost jobs. My heart goes out to you and I hope you can find the support you need.
However, for the rest of us who are just sitting healthy at home, waiting for this particular storm to pass, I would like to encourage us to take good care of ourselves and those around us, find ways to stay connected over distance, and spend at least some of our surplus time reflecting on how each of us (as individuals, households, neighborhoods, and communities) can help build local community resilience now, not just as a response to COVID-19, but for all the joyful and challenging times yet to come.
Please stay in touch by subscribing to the Transition US mailing list if you haven’t already. Send us your most inspiring stories of positive responses to COVID-19 so we can share them with the world, and consider making a tax-deductible donation (if you’re able) to help us scale this work. Find a local Transition Initiative near where you live and ask how you can help. Check out our Transition Streets program and host a group online with your family, friends, neighbors, and colleagues. Turn off the news and plant a garden for yourself and others, write up a business plan for that social enterprise you’ve been dreaming about for years, and prepare yourself now for even more tough times ahead.
When I'm not working hard for Transition US, I've been outside a lot lately, tending to the plants in our food forest and vegetable garden, opening up additional spaces for planting, and seeding vegetables, herbs, and dry beans, mainly to increase household food security at the intentional community where I live. However, we also made sure to plant more than 100 extra starts for our friends and neighbors, who are increasingly starting and expanding their own gardens. Making a significant contribution to your community during and after COVID-19 could be just this simple: a few friends coming together for a few pleasant hours in the sunshine, pooling maybe $20 or less of their supplies.
But even as our own physical and economic health are being threatened like never before, the health of our planet and our society as a whole have been declining rapidly for decades now. So we need everyone who can to join the fight. This applies equally during this crisis as it will long after it has receded. Whenever we come together to “reimagine and rebuild our world,” we find our power to encourage and uplift each other, learn and grow from each other’s experiences, and amplify our collective impacts. My most heartfelt appreciation for all those who have already been doing this work – in some cases for many decades or generations – under many different names.
For those of you those of you who haven't been so active lately, I invite you to find ways to connect with Transition US more deeply in these pivotal times, reach out directly to us, and offer anything you think might help us, together, to better the future.
https://www.transitionus.org/blog/building-community-resilience-during-and-after-covid-19
Both strangely and predictably enough, this crisis has presented a massive opportunity for those of us who have been or are currently engaged in building local community resilience. Our job is now, as it has been in the past, to offer relevant and practical solutions that meet real needs. In fact, many groups all over this country have already been taking inspiring and meaningful actions to counter the economic, social, and health impacts of COVID-19: scaling up efforts to teach people how to grow their own food, banding together to provide local investment for struggling local businesses, organizing mutual aid networks, and advocating for a “green stimulus.” These efforts should be celebrated, supported, and replicated throughout the US. Many more should be developed to help meet skyrocketing needs.
The difference is now that we have the wind at our backs. Through these projects and others, we can reach out further to unprecedented numbers of people who are just now waking up to a more acute sense of their own vulnerability, interconnectedness, and responsibility for the well-being of others. We can share our visions with them and encourage them to develop their own, invite them to step into a leadership role or join a local community that’s already working on something they’re passionate about.
Relationships that are built through hard times can be exceptionally resilient. If we take care to cultivate them now and provide pathways for involvement beyond this current crisis, they may endure when a “new normal” begins to take hold (which it eventually will). Some may even help us to more effectively rise to the occasion when the next crisis inevitably hits.
Due to accelerating impacts from climate change, as well as ongoing economic and political instability around the world, these crises will continue to periodically crash up against our shores, more and more frequently in coming decades, threatening to significantly erode our capacity to respond. In order to successfully counter this reality, those of us who are called to leadership will need to learn how to respond skillfully during these periodic crises and build local community resilience long-term.
Here at Transition US, I think we have been balancing these needs reasonably well. We are currently offering online forums for Transition Initiative leaders and others involved in community resilience-building efforts to connect, provide mutual aid, and learn from each other; collecting and disseminating key resources to support our national network; assisting our national working groups with producing more free webinars for an international audience that’s largely stuck at home at their laptops; and preparing Ready Together: A Neighborhood Emergency Preparedness Handbook for a nationwide roll-out later this year.
In addition to these more external actions, we've also been busy laying the foundations for future growth internally by drafting a new National Organizing Framework for feedback from our network; surveying and interviewing dozens of local, regional, and national movement leaders to develop a new organizational strategy; and constructing a new (more attractive, informative, and easy-to-navigate) website. While these kinds of tasks typically go unseen and underappreciated, we believe they are very important for expanding the Transition Movement here in this country over the long-run.
One realization that has deepened for me over the past few weeks – thanks to Naomi Klein, Otto Scharmer, and others – is that we currently find ourselves in the midst of a historic struggle for the future. This is particularly obvious right now – when millions of lives and trillions of dollars are on the line – but we can acknowledge that this has actually always been true and will continue to be true in less extraordinary times as well. This is a struggle between disaster capitalism, on the one hand, and just transition on the other. I know who I’d like to see win.
Rob Hopkins, on the occasion of Trump being elected to office in 2016, reminded us that the Transition Movement had been “chopping wood and carrying water” for over a decade at that point and would need to continue to do so long after the Trump administration becomes a distant memory. He argued then, as I would now, that what we’ve been doing has been important in the past, is even more critical now, and will continue to become even more essential in the future. We need to recognize that we’ve been ahead of the curve for the past 15 years and much of the world is just now starting to catch up.
I hope all of you are washing your hands and social distancing and all the rest. I recognize that some of you might be sick, caring for loved ones who are sick, have lost your job, or are supporting others who have lost jobs. My heart goes out to you and I hope you can find the support you need.
However, for the rest of us who are just sitting healthy at home, waiting for this particular storm to pass, I would like to encourage us to take good care of ourselves and those around us, find ways to stay connected over distance, and spend at least some of our surplus time reflecting on how each of us (as individuals, households, neighborhoods, and communities) can help build local community resilience now, not just as a response to COVID-19, but for all the joyful and challenging times yet to come.
Please stay in touch by subscribing to the Transition US mailing list if you haven’t already. Send us your most inspiring stories of positive responses to COVID-19 so we can share them with the world, and consider making a tax-deductible donation (if you’re able) to help us scale this work. Find a local Transition Initiative near where you live and ask how you can help. Check out our Transition Streets program and host a group online with your family, friends, neighbors, and colleagues. Turn off the news and plant a garden for yourself and others, write up a business plan for that social enterprise you’ve been dreaming about for years, and prepare yourself now for even more tough times ahead.
When I'm not working hard for Transition US, I've been outside a lot lately, tending to the plants in our food forest and vegetable garden, opening up additional spaces for planting, and seeding vegetables, herbs, and dry beans, mainly to increase household food security at the intentional community where I live. However, we also made sure to plant more than 100 extra starts for our friends and neighbors, who are increasingly starting and expanding their own gardens. Making a significant contribution to your community during and after COVID-19 could be just this simple: a few friends coming together for a few pleasant hours in the sunshine, pooling maybe $20 or less of their supplies.
But even as our own physical and economic health are being threatened like never before, the health of our planet and our society as a whole have been declining rapidly for decades now. So we need everyone who can to join the fight. This applies equally during this crisis as it will long after it has receded. Whenever we come together to “reimagine and rebuild our world,” we find our power to encourage and uplift each other, learn and grow from each other’s experiences, and amplify our collective impacts. My most heartfelt appreciation for all those who have already been doing this work – in some cases for many decades or generations – under many different names.
For those of you those of you who haven't been so active lately, I invite you to find ways to connect with Transition US more deeply in these pivotal times, reach out directly to us, and offer anything you think might help us, together, to better the future.
https://www.transitionus.org/blog/building-community-resilience-during-and-after-covid-19
UV Light and Coronavirus
by Joe Alton, MD
In the 2020 COVID-19 pandemic, extreme shortages of personal protection equipment (PPE) have been a major issue for medical workers and home caregivers. Even the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recognize the problem, publishing guidelines for the extended use and limited reuse of disposable face masks and other materials.
I recently wrote about a Chinese study that evaluated different ways to “disinfect” used N95 masks. They concluded that oven dry heat at 70 degrees Celsius (about 160 degrees Fahrenheit) for 30 minutes maintained the physical integrity of the mask as well as the 95% filtration efficiency.
This same study evaluated ultraviolet germicidal irradiation (UVGI) and considered it likely to be effective as well. They stopped short of recommending this method, however, because they didn’t have the technology to measure viral particles on the masks after exposure.
I recently wrote about a Chinese study that evaluated different ways to “disinfect” used N95 masks. They concluded that oven dry heat at 70 degrees Celsius (about 160 degrees Fahrenheit) for 30 minutes maintained the physical integrity of the mask as well as the 95% filtration efficiency.
This same study evaluated ultraviolet germicidal irradiation (UVGI) and considered it likely to be effective as well. They stopped short of recommending this method, however, because they didn’t have the technology to measure viral particles on the masks after exposure.
UV RADIATION
UV light has long been considered to be lethal to viruses. It works by damaging viral DNA or RNA; most viruses have one or the other, but not both. With a damaged genetic code, replication is more difficult and most viruses are deactivated. I hesitate to say “killed”, because it’s really not certain whether viruses technically meet the definition of life.
With commercial sanitizers and disinfectants in scarce supply, UV irradiation is being used more and more to sterilize PPE, instruments, and entire rooms.
There aren’t a million university studies that prove UV light specifically deactivates SARS-CoV2. We do have evidence that UV light deactivates its relatives, SARS-CoV1 (Sudden Acute Respiratory Syndrome) and MERS (Middle East Respiratory Syndrome). Since UVGI seems to be effective against SARS-CoV2’s close relatives, it’s no surprise that the CDC endorses its use in the current pandemic as well as against other airborne viral particles.
TYPES OF UV RADIATION
Not just any UV radiation will do. Sunlight contains different types of UV light:
UVA: The vast majority (95%) of UV radiation reaching the surface of the planet, it’s capable of penetrating deeply into skin to the dermis. It’s considered to the main cause of age-related skin changes, such as wrinkles and spots.
UVB: UVB comprises close to 5% of UV radiation to which we are exposed. Although reaching only the top layers of skin, damage to skin DNA can lead to sunburns and skin cancers. Protection from UVA and UVB radiation can be obtained with the proper use of sunblock.
Note: UVA and UVB exposure, as well as their effects, can also occur with the use of “tanning beds”.
UVC: UVC radiation is a shorter, higher-energy wavelength than UVA and UVB. It’s good at damaging the genetic material of both viruses and humans. While UVB may take hours to cause sunburn, UVC may take only seconds to do the same damage. Fortunately, it’s rare to encounter it, thanks to the filtering capability of our ozone layer.
UV light has long been considered to be lethal to viruses. It works by damaging viral DNA or RNA; most viruses have one or the other, but not both. With a damaged genetic code, replication is more difficult and most viruses are deactivated. I hesitate to say “killed”, because it’s really not certain whether viruses technically meet the definition of life.
With commercial sanitizers and disinfectants in scarce supply, UV irradiation is being used more and more to sterilize PPE, instruments, and entire rooms.
There aren’t a million university studies that prove UV light specifically deactivates SARS-CoV2. We do have evidence that UV light deactivates its relatives, SARS-CoV1 (Sudden Acute Respiratory Syndrome) and MERS (Middle East Respiratory Syndrome). Since UVGI seems to be effective against SARS-CoV2’s close relatives, it’s no surprise that the CDC endorses its use in the current pandemic as well as against other airborne viral particles.
TYPES OF UV RADIATION
Not just any UV radiation will do. Sunlight contains different types of UV light:
UVA: The vast majority (95%) of UV radiation reaching the surface of the planet, it’s capable of penetrating deeply into skin to the dermis. It’s considered to the main cause of age-related skin changes, such as wrinkles and spots.
UVB: UVB comprises close to 5% of UV radiation to which we are exposed. Although reaching only the top layers of skin, damage to skin DNA can lead to sunburns and skin cancers. Protection from UVA and UVB radiation can be obtained with the proper use of sunblock.
Note: UVA and UVB exposure, as well as their effects, can also occur with the use of “tanning beds”.
UVC: UVC radiation is a shorter, higher-energy wavelength than UVA and UVB. It’s good at damaging the genetic material of both viruses and humans. While UVB may take hours to cause sunburn, UVC may take only seconds to do the same damage. Fortunately, it’s rare to encounter it, thanks to the filtering capability of our ozone layer.
USES OF ULTRAVIOLET GERMICIDAL RADIATION
Although little natural UVC radiation reaches us, many artificial sources of UVC have become a method of disinfection in hospitals, factories, and even airplanes. Stand-alone UVC lamps are used to regularly sanitize entire rooms in a relatively short period of time. On a one-time basis, these items can be used to disinfect a hospital room before a new patient occupies a bed or even the home sick room.
If you don’t have to sterilize an entire room, UVC wands and sterilization chambers are available to treat instruments and some personal protection equipment. A laptop keyboard may take less than 10 seconds to sanitize; a mattress may take up to four minutes.
UVC radiation is also a way to rid drinking water of certain microbes which are resistant to chlorine treatments, such as cryptosporidium.
Used face masks are now being disinfected in many medical centers’ biosafety cabinets. Smaller units available for the home disinfect certain items in 15 minutes. There are some risks: Be aware that skin or eye exposure, even for a short time, may lead to cancers or cataracts.
FAR-UVC
A study in the periodical “Nature” recently described a type of UV known as “Far-UVC”. Far-UVC is an even shorter wavelength that, so far, appears to inactivate microbes without harming human skin. It can, however, go deep enough to eliminate bacteria and viruses on the skin and other surfaces.
One study on Far-UVC showed that it can kill airborne flu viruses. If further research agrees with preliminary data, vehicles and other indoor environments may one day become Far-UVC chambers.
UVC lamps currently on the market, however, don’t use Far-UVC. Most germicidal UV lamps are mercury vapor lamps that emit energy at a wavelength of 253.7 nanometers (near the maximum germicidal level). They may be used to irradiate air in ductwork to disinfect it before recirculation; alternatively, irradiating air at upper levels of rooms is accomplished with UV lamps mounted on the walls or suspended from the ceiling. In the latter, the germicidal effect depends on air mixing between lower and upper levels of rooms via convection.
Can UVA or UVB work to disinfect items? The WHO recommends using direct sunlight for 6-8 hours to disinfect water in a clear container. The UVA in sunlight reacts with dissolved oxygen in water to produce hydrogen peroxide, the active ingredient in many household disinfectants. Without water, sunlight will still help clear surfaces of microbes, but it takes much longer.
LIMITATIONS OF UVGI
Despite its potential, Far-UV irradiation doesn’t penetrate porous fabrics like bedding and upholstery.
UVGI is not recommended as a substitute for HEPA filtration, local exhaust of air to the outside, or negative pressure. This is especially true if the air from the rooms of infected patients must recirculate to other areas of a medical facility. The use of both UV lamps and HEPA filtration in a single seems to offer little additional benefit over HEPA filters alone.
Still, UVGI has potential for both airborne virus deactivation and eliminating viruses on surfaces. This makes it useful for COVID-19 or other respiratory infection outbreaks. In the end, the effect varies by wavelength, organic matter, temperature, type of microbe, distance of the light from the object to be disinfected, shadowed areas, and even dirty lamp tubes.
Despite current limitations, UVGI has a great deal of potential in a post-pandemic world. As we learn more about its effect on both germs and humans, UVGI may stop some outbreaks in their tracks and save a lot of lives.
Joe Alton MD and Amy Alton APRN are the NY Times/Amazon bestselling authors 2017 Book Excellence Award winner in medicine "The Survival Medicine Handbook"., the 2020 Book Excellence Award Winner in medicine "Alton's Antibiotics and Infectious disease", and their new book "Alton's Pandemic Preparedness Guide". See their articles in American Survival Guide, Survivor's Edge, Backwoods Home, and other great magazines. For over 1000 articles on medical preparedness in wilderness, disaster, or other austere settings, go to their website at www.doomandbloom.net. The opinions voiced by Joe Alton, M.D., and Amy Alton, A.R.N.P. are their own and are not meant to take the place of seeking medical help from a qualified healthcare provider.
Twitter: @preppershow
Facebook: DoomandBloom
Facebook Group: Survival Medicine Group
Youtube: Doom and Bloom Channel
iTunes: Survival Medicine Hour iTunes Link
Although little natural UVC radiation reaches us, many artificial sources of UVC have become a method of disinfection in hospitals, factories, and even airplanes. Stand-alone UVC lamps are used to regularly sanitize entire rooms in a relatively short period of time. On a one-time basis, these items can be used to disinfect a hospital room before a new patient occupies a bed or even the home sick room.
If you don’t have to sterilize an entire room, UVC wands and sterilization chambers are available to treat instruments and some personal protection equipment. A laptop keyboard may take less than 10 seconds to sanitize; a mattress may take up to four minutes.
UVC radiation is also a way to rid drinking water of certain microbes which are resistant to chlorine treatments, such as cryptosporidium.
Used face masks are now being disinfected in many medical centers’ biosafety cabinets. Smaller units available for the home disinfect certain items in 15 minutes. There are some risks: Be aware that skin or eye exposure, even for a short time, may lead to cancers or cataracts.
FAR-UVC
A study in the periodical “Nature” recently described a type of UV known as “Far-UVC”. Far-UVC is an even shorter wavelength that, so far, appears to inactivate microbes without harming human skin. It can, however, go deep enough to eliminate bacteria and viruses on the skin and other surfaces.
One study on Far-UVC showed that it can kill airborne flu viruses. If further research agrees with preliminary data, vehicles and other indoor environments may one day become Far-UVC chambers.
UVC lamps currently on the market, however, don’t use Far-UVC. Most germicidal UV lamps are mercury vapor lamps that emit energy at a wavelength of 253.7 nanometers (near the maximum germicidal level). They may be used to irradiate air in ductwork to disinfect it before recirculation; alternatively, irradiating air at upper levels of rooms is accomplished with UV lamps mounted on the walls or suspended from the ceiling. In the latter, the germicidal effect depends on air mixing between lower and upper levels of rooms via convection.
Can UVA or UVB work to disinfect items? The WHO recommends using direct sunlight for 6-8 hours to disinfect water in a clear container. The UVA in sunlight reacts with dissolved oxygen in water to produce hydrogen peroxide, the active ingredient in many household disinfectants. Without water, sunlight will still help clear surfaces of microbes, but it takes much longer.
LIMITATIONS OF UVGI
Despite its potential, Far-UV irradiation doesn’t penetrate porous fabrics like bedding and upholstery.
UVGI is not recommended as a substitute for HEPA filtration, local exhaust of air to the outside, or negative pressure. This is especially true if the air from the rooms of infected patients must recirculate to other areas of a medical facility. The use of both UV lamps and HEPA filtration in a single seems to offer little additional benefit over HEPA filters alone.
Still, UVGI has potential for both airborne virus deactivation and eliminating viruses on surfaces. This makes it useful for COVID-19 or other respiratory infection outbreaks. In the end, the effect varies by wavelength, organic matter, temperature, type of microbe, distance of the light from the object to be disinfected, shadowed areas, and even dirty lamp tubes.
Despite current limitations, UVGI has a great deal of potential in a post-pandemic world. As we learn more about its effect on both germs and humans, UVGI may stop some outbreaks in their tracks and save a lot of lives.
Joe Alton MD and Amy Alton APRN are the NY Times/Amazon bestselling authors 2017 Book Excellence Award winner in medicine "The Survival Medicine Handbook"., the 2020 Book Excellence Award Winner in medicine "Alton's Antibiotics and Infectious disease", and their new book "Alton's Pandemic Preparedness Guide". See their articles in American Survival Guide, Survivor's Edge, Backwoods Home, and other great magazines. For over 1000 articles on medical preparedness in wilderness, disaster, or other austere settings, go to their website at www.doomandbloom.net. The opinions voiced by Joe Alton, M.D., and Amy Alton, A.R.N.P. are their own and are not meant to take the place of seeking medical help from a qualified healthcare provider.
Twitter: @preppershow
Facebook: DoomandBloom
Facebook Group: Survival Medicine Group
Youtube: Doom and Bloom Channel
iTunes: Survival Medicine Hour iTunes Link