SHTF - The Pandemic Experience

Day one 9am

I'm getting nervous about this whole avian flu thing.  Not a day goes by it seems that there isn't some new country with infected birds, weasels, cats or some such.  Ha, "Rabid Weasels".  No Ernie, it's not "rabid weasels" in the bags.  Just got a little case of the Avian Flu is all.  Reports of thousands of people coming down sick with some "mystery illness" in 3rd world countries, where they KNOW the avian flu exists.  Nothing from the WHO in days, Avian Flu broadcast specials that are announced by major networks which are subsequently cancelled and written off as though they were never scheduled, nada.  The same week as major new encouragements from the Gov. to stock up (even if it was lame tuna and powdered milk advice). H2H already in the outlying areas?  Very suspicious.  To top it all off, this morning on the way to work I heard on the radio that they found a black guy dead in the San Francisco airport yesterday with what look like respiratory problems. Just got off a plane from Dallas, they said.  We don't even have any cases of infected poultry here in the US, so odds of it being Avian Flu are next to nill.  But that would be a worst case scenario, wouldn't it?  H2H BF in a major international airport, what a mess that would be.  Gotta remember to stock up some more this weekend, get some  more of our preps in "ready" condition.

Day one 10am

Just walked into the break room for coffee, there were a cluster of folks huddled around the little tv we keep in there. CNN was on (as usual) but they were babbling something about this guy they found in the SF airport yesterday.  Seems he wasn't a black guy - he was middle-eastern BUT SO CYANOTIC BLUE THEY INITIALLY THOUGHT HE WAS BLACK!  Before Dallas, he changed planes at the hub in chicago and before that he changed planes in New York, after getting off a flight from London.  They're saying he might have had Avian flu!  Telling people not to panic, you can only get it from prolonged contact with infected poultry.  Wow.  This is just a sample of what we'd have to look forward to if it ever went H2H. Scary sh*t.

Day one 10:30

Been covertly surfing at work all day, trying to keep on top of the news.  WHO says the guy at the SF airport tested negative for Avian Flu.  Good news.  Definitely spending this weekend finishing up the preps.  Close call.

Day one 11 am

OMG.  Unconfirmed reports that the paramedics that handled the SF airport guy have been hospitalized with acute respiratory problems.  WTF?  Healthy to hospital in 12 hours?  That can't be right. Damn internet hype. Wish I could get some REAL information.

Day one 12 noon

CDC just broadcast a warning saying hospitals in New York are being flooded with folks in respiratory distress. Most of them are folks from the London-New York flight with our mystery man aboard. Saying don't panic, but if you were on the flight go see your Dr. right away!!  OMG!  WHO IS STILL NOT ANNOUNCING H2H!!!  WHAT ELSE COULD IT POSSIBLY BE BUT THE START OF THE H2H PANDEMIC. 

I don't care what they say... I'm officially panicing.

Day one 1:30 pm

This is WEIRD... all the internet news articles from this morning about the NY outbreak and the SF paramedics are gone.  Vanished.  CNN is back to covering the situation in Iraq, congress raising the national debt ceiling (again), and a new batch of twisters in the heartland.  WTF?  Was I just seeing things, letting my active imagination take over?  Or is this a news blackout, imposed by the powers that be?  I'm getting a really bad feeling... wish I could get out of here early today, but there's a high profile meeting this afternoon that I don't dare miss.  I have that "ants in the pants" feeling that I need to be doing something... but can't quite decide what.

Day one 3:45 pm

Couldn't get out of that meeting fast enough.  Grabbed my coat and hit the door first chance I got.  Got into the car and turned on the radio to the news station.  Immediately there were reports of outbreaks in NY, Chicago and Dallas.  Said public health officials were quarantining anyone who was on the flights with Patient Zero, and their families and anyone they had contact with.  The were urging you, if you had contact with any of these people, to call and report it to your public health dept.  I just sat there in the parking lot with my jaw hanging open for a good 5 minutes taking this all in.  Suddenly the news gets interrupted for a special announcement from Mike Leavitt, H&HS secretary.  Said despite the WHO repeated assurances that this is NOT H2H avian flu, he thinks we should treat it that way anyhow, that people should voluntarily quarantine themselves at home over this weekend to give public health officials, CDC and the WHO time to catch up with emerging developments.  I can feel the roots of my hair turning white, the nape of my neck tingling... OMG, THIS IS IT.  He urged people to have some basic supplies on hand and not go out this weekend, and to anticipate that it might be a good idea to hole up (take some "family leave" time or vacation time) next week just to be on the safe side. He repeated not to panic, all reasonable and prudent actions were being taken.

THIS IS IT -  THE BALLOON HAS GONE UP!

I hit Costco for gas.  It's only 2 blocks from where I work, so it was a logical first stop. The usual Friday afternoon line was there maybe a couple more than usual. Some people looked tense, some were filling up gas containers.  The guy in front of me didn't seem worried.  I asked him if he'd heard the news as he was putting the nozzle into his car. He said no, so I told him to turn on his radio - he asked what channel, and I said "dude, like on 9-11, it doesn't matter what channel".  He gave me an odd look and got into his car. When the pump clicked off he got out of the car, his face ashen. I could tell he appreciated the gravity of the situation. My turn next and I filled it up, just sorry I didn't have any empty gas cans with me.  No time to worry about that just now, fortunately I already have 80 gallons at home.

Went to my usual entrance ramp onto the freeway - whoa nellie!  What a back up!  Nothing but a parking lot. Turned on the radio again to see what was going on, but WTF?  Now they're back to stock market reports and agri-business, nothing about the crisis?  Decided to take the overland route, Expo to Howe, then north to Marconi major streets.  Once I got onto Expo, I finally heard a traffic report saying the freeway was backed up due to a big crash & burn accident, multiple fatalities, emergency crews at the scene, all 4 lanes blocked.  Too bad. Hope it wasn't some poor sap worried out of his mind about the pandemic, in a hurry to get home or beat everyone else to the store for the food he should've bought weeks ago... Can't think about that now, got my own problems at the moment.

When I pulled up to the light at Howe, there was one car in front of me.  Just before the light changed, a couple of guys started walking across the street from the left.  They walked right up to the door of the car in front of me, yanked the drivers door open and pulled the guy out from behind the wheel.  They shoved him and he fell down on the pavement in the median, then jumped into his car and took off just as the light changed, cutting across 3 lanes of traffic swerving southbound onto Howe.  I'm in the left turn only lane, and traffic is starting to move now, so I'm stuck.  The guy looks pissed as all hell, but otherwise OK. I make the left and thank my lucky stars I always drive with the doors locked.  I glance down and notice I've forgotten to lock the doors.  D'oh.  I lock them. Then I call 911 to report the car.  I didn't get a license number but I have a fairly good description.  First time I dial there's a busy signal.  Second time I get a "please hold, all lines are busy" recording.  I'm hoping someone else is calling it in, but part of me knows that everybody has bigger fish to fry right now.  Except maybe the pissed off guy standing in the median, brushing road grit off his clothes.  I saw another one happen in the lanes off to the right when I stopped at the light at El Camino.  WTF?  Did somebody declare this open season carjacking day?  This time it was just one guy, but he had a gun. Wish I had one with me, but there's no CCW allowed here. Damn... either I'm lucky or I look like I'd be too much trouble.  Nah, I'm flattering myself.  Just lucky and beating the odds so far.  Got a pocket knife but that's no defense against a guy with a gun.  I'm feeling a surreal sensation, probably adrenaline rush, giddy and hopped up. I've never seen a violent crime up close and personal, but that's two in the past half hour.  A touch of paranoia is setting in, I'm watching all directions like a hawk with my head on a swivel.  I'll admit to myself later that I'm pretty scared.  Right now that's a luxury I can't afford.

Expo and Howe are all right, but Marconi is a mess.  This isn't just friday night rush hour... then I remembered the grocery store at Watt avenue, a Raleys.  Now that I think of it, there's an Albertson's too.  Those are going to be a madhouse, too many folks rushing for the things they should already have.  Gotta put myself in that category... I thought I'd be ahead of the masses, keeping my ear to the ground the way I do... figured I'd have at least 48 hours advance notice.  It shouldn't be happening this damn fast!! Lucky we have most of what we need already laid in.  Robertson is a side street that paralells Marconi, it was pretty clear except for a few others using it as an alternate like me.  Stop signs every two blocks, there was a 3-4 car backup at each one, but way better than Marconi.  That parking lot was going nowhere.  I can see now there's no point in trying to hit a store at this point - you'd probably have to park 3 blocks from Walmart and hike in at this late stage of things.  I'd hate to be working there.

Day one 5:00 pm

Hey, I'm sorry to have to do this, folks, but the "Pandemic Experience" is being postponed 1 week due to technical difficulties.  It will take place next weekend.  Sorry for the false start.

Details here:

http://www.superflutalk.com/forum_posts.asp?TID=3794&PN= 1&TPN=1