Late-breaking Addendum to the WMD Booklet:
"Home Remedies and Protection For Weapons of Mass Destruction (WMD) Incidents"

August 20, 2003

The electric power situation in the Northeast should be a wake up call, for the government and business to get the electrical grid equipment and facilities upgraded.  The same can be said for the Chemical, Communications, and Petroleum Industries.  However, most of us are not in those chains of authority, and our limited knowledge and suggestions in these fields are neither sought nor required.

Thus, we are left to ponder what will we do for our families and neighbors, if we have some of the problems encountered when stores and restaurants close and water and food is unavailable, as seen on TV in New York City where my brother resides (Stolz).  People sleeping on the sidewalks of New York was a revelation for many, as some could not return to their hotel rooms because those work by electronic keys, while others simply found it to be cooler outside of their apartments since their air conditioners and fans could not work without electrical current.  In some parts of the country, when water finally became available, boiling for 4 minutes was recommended to sanitize and make it fit for human consumption.  Leaving some areas of large cities became nearly impossible as subways, buses, and aircraft stopped running for numerous reasons, and many people had to walk long distances in stifling heat in order to get home.  It should be a no-brainer to understand that most homes will have to replace spoiled foods, and some electronic items (possibly electric stoves and microwaves) were surely damaged by spikes in the electrical system.

While this did not happen to those of us living outside of the presently affected areas, this might be a good time to review the document we prepared for civilians on Weapons of Mass Destruction (WMD).  Some of the things we should have included in our checklist would have been a Coleman or other type of heat source for cooking and Kerosene lanterns for light.  Yes, there are battery-operated fans and light sources, but batteries usually will not last for extended periods of time, and replacements may be difficult to find in an emergency.

We would be very foolish people to believe that this emergency situation cannot or will not happen in our own locale, as this can occur through a tornado, hurricane, or large uncontrollable fires, as well as through flooding.  These would be considered unpredictable and uncontrollable God-made events.  Man-made incidents can come in the form of train accidents with deadly chemicals, accidental ship fires like the one that nearly blew Galveston, Texas to smithereens, or terrorists purposely causing havoc with weapons of mass destruction and/or purposely damaging our infrastructure.

Keeping extra water in homes and cars should now be considered a safety necessity, rather than an obsessive and neurotic thing to do.  The enemy have told us they intend to strike, and we should heed their words as true and prepare for our safety and that of our loved ones.  These incidents do not generally occur when we are alert and prepared, but rather when we get complacent, uncaring, and unprepared, and those that are the least prepared usually suffer the most.

Major Frank C. Stolz, USMC (Ret.), Round Rock, Texas
CWO4 James E. Mulloy, USMC (Ret.), Oceanside, California