Illnesses Risks After Large Natural Disasters or Grid Down Events

It’s something that many people probably don’t think about. But for me, especially considering the epidemic flu season we are currently in the middle of right now, illnesses that could increase after a wide scale natural disaster or if there were to be a grid down event.

Seeing how easily the flu is spreading right now has got me thinking about illness risks and infections after a large scale natural disaster or SHTF type event. As we always say, the main event may only be the first domino to fall. That event could cause many other situations we need to be aware of.

SPP241 Illnesses Risks After Large Natural Disasters or Grid Down Events

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Subscribe: RSS

I added a brief description of the topic Dale and I covered in this weeks show below, but we also talked about a couple other things. Dale talked about the new website he is working on The Preparedness Experience, and how they will be doing live videos each week.

He also mentioned that their first VIP (Very Important Prepper) will be Todd Sepulveda of Prepper Website. If you don’t known much about Todd and his websites, head over and have a look at the page we set up for him.

Water Related Communicable Diseases

Access to safe water after a large scale event can be compromised. Some of the diseases that could potentially cause a problem are cholera and e-coli, salmonella, cryptosporidium, and even hepatitis A and E.

And while these illnesses are more likely to occur in developing countries, rather than an industrialized nation, according to the CDC. However, even in industrialized countries such as the United States, after hurricanes Allison and Katrina, there were people effected by diarrheal illness. Salmonella and cholera were two of the most noted causes of illness. So even though the United States is a country with vast resources, people still got sick.

Crowding Diseases

Another thing to consider is after a large scale event, there will most likely be crowding. Large groups of people will be living in very close quarters. Hurricane Katrina comes to mind for me. And when people are forced into tight spaces with a lot of other people, the viruses and bacteria have a much easier and faster way of spreading.

Crowded living conditions make it easy for disease transmission from person to person. A few diseases that have occurred are measles, meningitis, and acute respiratory infections.

Vectorborne  Diseases

Natural disasters particularly hurricanes, cyclones and flooding can affect vector breeding sites, which can increase illness. Some of the diseases that can increase after one of these events, malaria, dengue fever, west nile, and now Zika.

And We Can’t Forget The Flu

Now imagine if a grid down even happened during the middle of flu season or continued. Think about how rampant the flu has been this year, even with vaccinations, and access to medical care. The flu is spread by droplets, and its easy for the virus to travel an crowded emergency rooms, or class rooms. And of you take away many of the modern conveniences that most of us have right now, well the results could be disastrous.

Other Infections

And once we have talked about some of the diseases that can happen at the onset of a large scale natural disaster, or grid down event, we can’t forget about the every day illnesses that occur. Because once we don’t have access to medical care on a routine basis, there are other things we need to watch out for as well.

Urinary Tract Infections (UTI’s)

UTI’s are widely prevalent right now. And some of the bacteria that causes these infections are resistant to antibiotics. And while people with these type of infections are able to keep the infection in check with daily antibiotics for the rest of their lives, what if there were no more antibiotics?

One way to prevent UTI’s is to get enough fluids. And if there isn’t access to safe water, it could be difficult to get enough water to drink, thus increasing your risk if getting a UTI. So having enough water to drink is an important consideration to consider when making your preparedness plans.

Skin Infections

I have said it numerous times, and I will say it one more. Your skin is the largest organ of your body. It protects the inside of you from the outside world. But when there is a break in the skin, bacteria has access to inside of you. So keeping your skin healthy and intact is very important.

Right now, most skin infections are treatable, thanks to antibiotics, and medical treatment. But in the event of a grid down situation, a blister could kill you. Do what you can now to stay healthy, and prevent skin breakdown. If you are healthy, you are more likely to heal an open wound. If you have diabetes, and even if you don’t, check your feet daily. Look for redness, or calloused areas. Redness is the first sign of pressure, and skin breakdown. Make sure your shoes fit well, and don’t cause pressure points. More than one person has lost toes, or even a leg because of a blister, and that’s today. Think about what that would look like in a grid down event.

Influenza and Pneumonia

Even in industrialized countries, the flu can kill. And if we take away modern conveniences, it will get worse. The flu can lead to viral and bacterial pneumonia and this is what can kill you or your loved ones. We spoke a lot about preventing the flu in an earlier podcast, so I won’t get into detail here. But please go back and listen to our flu fighters episodes to learn more of how you can keep the flu at bay.

Staying Healthy Now and In A Grid Down Event

This information isn’t meant to be fear porn. It’s meant to help keep you educated to the potential threats that could bring harm to you and your loved ones. And the more we know, the better equipped we are to handle situations, hopefully before they happen.

So please, do your research, and learn what you can do to stay healthy now, and in a grid down type scenario. The better prepared we are will go along way to helping us to live better lives today and beyond.

Foodborne Illness

Food borne illness could become a very serious issue when sanitation becomes harder, and refrigeration become nonexistent. Dale and I did a podcast on this in the past, and also wrote a detailed article about foodbourne illness and prevention for preppers.

Fish Antibiotics

We also went into a lot of detail about when, why and how of using fish antibiotic in this article. Whether or not you decide to stock fish antibiotics in your preps is completely up to you. Some people do, and some people don’t.

The down side of stocking fish antibiotics is that they have a relatively short shelf life, and while most just lose their potency when they expire. some like Tetracyclines and Doxycycline can become toxic if they get too old.

Questions Or Comments?

If you have anything to add, or any questions, leave a comment below and let us know?