We did the magnet/compass thing about 2 months ago. I have explained the idea of a solar still and desalination but have not had time to build one as a class. Would be really cool though. We are under pressure to cover a certain amount of stuff in time for our district tests so we often have to cut out the fun stuff.
Just to clarify, as a teacher wouldn't you be prohibited from bringing anything weaponlike onto school grounds?
:thumbup: :thumbup: Science makes for smart kids. Gun safe lock box in car, off the school grounds would be kosher.
Most definitely. That's why I would park my car off campus on a public street. Or at least that was my thought.
Cool Thread, I actually live in a very similar situation as I teach in South Central and live on the west side. I have also thought about complications with getting home in the case of some kind of natural disaster. I know several routs home both on and off freeways. My first reaction would be to go north, then west, there are many surface streets that go clear across town, so I would stick with them. I like the ideas so far, so keep them coming! -Connor
I know I can boil water if needed if I stop and hunker down for a bit. But what about on the go? Someone mentioned something to filter water. I was thinking of getting something small and compact enough for my pack in the way of a filter. I have heard of filter straws??? I'll need to look into that better. Or is there a better method? Iodine? On the "skills" aspect of this where do you think the best water sources in an urban environment will be if there is a disruption in water services? Not as many streams or ponds for us here as in other places.
Look into Katadyn Filtration systems. http://www.katadyn.com/en/katadyn-products/ These guys have been making water filtration systems for hiking, camping, and survival scenarios for a long time now. I think they are at the top of the heap. -Bruce
I live15 miles north of NYC, but have gone to school and have worked in NYC...first 3 years in midtown, then downtown for 2 decades and for the last 3 years in midtown. In those years I've been stranded on buses, trains, and even spent 1.5 hours adrift on a broke-down ferry...none of which qualify as E & E scenarios. I can think of 3 situations, however, that have taught me... 1. One summer I was returning home from work. As usual I took the A Train uptown to 175th Street Port Authority/Fort Washington. As I came up from the train, Port Authority personnel were dropping steel gates in the underpass as the last of the disembarking passengers came through. As I emerged into the Port Authority Bus Station (street level) on of the plate glass windows burst into pieces...brick won. We had just exited the subway into a full on riot. Looters were running up and down the streets. NYPD in full riot gear were also running about...and the Port Authority, in its infinite wisdom, locked us out of the one of the most logical means to escape...the subway! Perhaps, the thought was to prevent more rioters from entering the fray via the subway. I did what I think was the best, only, only thing I could. I continued up to the Bus Platforms, which were above street level and gave me access to the George Washington Bridge. Fortunately for me, my bus was able to leave the station...with me aboard. 2. Another time, I was caught in a massive power failure effecting the entire city. I worked on the 18th floor of a building a block south of Wall street. No elevators, no water, no lights, no subways, and limited ground transportation. I hiked north with a co-worker, until we found a fellow traveler who gave us a ride out of the city. 3. 9/11...I was on a Path Train at Exchange Place, last stop before going under the river from Jersey City. Train was stopped and evacuated due to a "Police Action". As I exited the underground station, I saw the second jet hit. I was lucky I wasn't on the train ahead of me. The emergency response plan was to evacuate all building at the water front in Jersey City and to prepare that area for triage for NYC. Thousands were evacuating buildings at the same time, all being pushed away from the water front to who knows where. Block long lines at pay phones. No cell service due to downed cell towers and the surge of calls. I walked across Jersey City to my Fiance's aunt's house. Friends who made to work (less than 2 blocks south of WTC) were not as fortunate as I. When they evacuated my building, they were met with almost zero visibility with no real direction as to what to do. Fighter jets over head...they didn't know if they were their's or our's. Some took shelter in buildings to escape the waives of debris. When they were able to get back to the street, they were pushed north, and were stopped along the way to get hosed down. Others were picked up at the water front by a variety of boats and were ferried to New Jersey. At the end of the day, my brother and I made it out of the City, and my Uncle made it out of Tower 2. We are thankful. Some of the things I've learned for my situation... 1. Travel light. In NYC, there are stores all over the place. And I'm not looking to hole up for any period of time. Plan is to get off the Island. Just the essentials...flashlight and spare batteries, slip joint knife, multi-tool, couple of energy bars, bottle of water, spare cell phone battery, roll of electrician's tape and extra cash. Also carry minimal first aid supplies and one or two contractor bags. 2. Travel "Handy". I've long ago moved from a shoulder bag to a backpack, which I use 99% of the time. Sometimes I'll use a messenger type bag. In any event, I want to have my load balanced and both hands free. 3. Travel smart. Even though I'm a "Suit" I've long ago gave up leather soled shoes for rubber soles. For me, best, most likely, way to evacuate is to stay on the streets, until I can cross a bridge out. Foot, car or bus. I don't depend on the PD for help, as they will most likely have their hands full Chris
If you have something like a Leatherman Wave, which has locking blades, will that run afoul of Vance's British-style onslaught on locking blades? In your first aid supplies, do you have a couple NIOSH95 masks and a couple bandannas? Overall, I think those are wise choices you have made. Again, just makes sense.
Excellent post and you pretty much hit on everything I was going to say. I live and work in manhattan and just about the only thing that can keep me up at night is worrying about another disaster and getting to my fiancé... I dont really give a shit about anything else but this. This is a ridiculously tough city to get around in when disasters happen - even on a bike, when the streets are filled with people as in the 2003 blackout, it is very hard to maneuver - there is just no place to go. I'm with you on the backpack - I also switched to wearing sneakers on my commute. Since I take the subway daily, I also carry a headlamp and a few lights among other things... But I totally agree that if something happens it's enough to get most basic necessities from all the stores around.
Thanks for all the input so far guys. It has really added some food for thought and pointed out some good updates needed for my gear and plan. :thumbup:
A note about cell phone batteries. I see a few of you have mentioned bringing spare batteries for your cell phone. An old friend whom is fairly up on electronics told me once that the reason my cell battery life was not so good when I travel through areas with no service is that the cell phone will continually search for a signal where there is none. He further explained that while searching for signal, the phone will go through batteries at a much faster rate. My advice here is when you see there is no signal, turn your cell phone off. Power it on again once every thirty minutes to an hour just long enough to see if the signal is back. If not, then turn it off again. I was amazed at how long my battery lasted by adhering to this method. As an aside, would you really want your cell phone ringing at the worst possible moment? (Think slipping by a gang of street thugs unnoticed, etc.) -Bruce
Don, Thanks for your reply. The multitool in my bag is an older SOG that is NYC compliant. Also, I've carried a couple of masks since 9/11. I'll add the bandanas though. Regarding backpacks, I prefer a non-military low profile bag. One that is not so big or thick, so it will be less likely to snag or be snagged, and so my center of gravity will stay as natural as possible. About 6-7 years ago, one of my students was caught in a "wilding" on the A Train. About 30-40 teenagers were running through the train assaulting and accosting passengers. One on his train was swinging around flourescent light bulbs. My student backed himself in the corner of his subway car, turned his backpack around and defended himself. That's life in the big city...
Yup, turning your backpack around and wearing it backwards is about the best improvised body armor you can get. If they would just bring back metal trashcan lids, we'd have workable shields, too.
I had a discussion with a friend today about this. And we figured that a good MT and a knife is everything we'd need to get were ever we need in our city since we know most back alleys and passes that ppl have no clue off
Don't count on a folding bike. They're slow, they're much harder work than a full-size bike, and they can't really cope with broken terrain. Some people take them on long tours, laden down with stuff… but don't plan on making quick progress through earthquake-hit streets. Keeping a bike at work sounds like a reasonable idea, but make sure the tires stay inflated, chain is kept oiled, etc. Flat tires after a few months in storage will make your day really suck.
This is entirely correct. Everyone that works in a place where signals are blocked learn this quickly. My battery will die in a few hours if it is constantly searching for a signal. As opposed to 3 or 4 days of standby if I'm not using it much.
