Chick-fil-A Gives To Motorists Stranded in Snowstorm

It was a Sunday school lesson illustrated on a snowy winter day along Highway 280 in Alabama with a
chicken sandwich and a side of waffle fries.

Some of the drivers had been stuck in their cars for nearly seven hours without any food or water. So the staff of the Chick-fil-A decided to lend a helping hand.

“We cooked several hundred sandwiches and stood out on both sides of 280 and handed out the sandwiches to anyone we could get to – as long as we had food to give out.”

The staffers braved the falling snow and ice, slipping and sliding, as they offered hot juicy chicken breasts tucked between two buttered buns. And Chick-fil-A refused to take a single penny for their sandwiches.

The meal was a gift – no strings attached.

Read the full post by Todd Starnes, Published January 29, 2014FoxNews.com

Chick-fil-A gives free food to motorists 

stranded in Southern snowstorm

Earthquake Warning Signs

A huge number of lives would be saved if warnings came early enough to escape an earthquake’s deadly effects.  I have posted a few websites below that have referenced events that occur prior to an earthquake.

From www.library.thinkquest.org

From www.pinewooddesign.co.uk/

From www.stuff.co.nz/

From www.wiki.answers.com -- slides printed below:

Thermal precursor: A few months before the occurrence of an earthquake the average temperature of the area keeps increasing. Weather report bulletins refer to temperatures above or below average by so many degrees. It is seen that in case the area is heading for an earthquake, the average temperature goes on increasing. On the day of the earthquake it is about 5 to 9 degrees Celsius above the average normal temperature for that day. This could be monitored by the meteorology department and also by thermometers inside homes.

Water precursor: There is a sudden rise or fall in water level in the wells. It could be as high as one meter. Sometimes the well water may turn muddy. At times a fountain appears inside the well. All these changes happen about one or three days before the earthquake. Sometimes a fountain appears in the ground. This normally happens a few hours before the quake.  Another form of water precursor is seen in the flow of river water. There is a sudden and rapid increase or decrease of water flow in the river or nallah. This happens about one to two days before the quake. In wells, the well water may begin to bubble.

Seismo-electromagnetic precursor: This is a very reliable precursor. It occurs and is exhibited about 10 to 20 hours before the quake. Before the occurrence of an earthquake the subsurface temperature rises. As a result of this the geomagnetic field is reduced. The reduction in geomagnetic field adversely affects the propagation of electromagnetic waves. This is experienced abundantly on the radio, television and telephone.  If one is tuning the radio at 1000 kHz, then the same station will be received in the potential epicentral area, about 10 to 30 hours before the quake, at higher frequencies. Maybe 1100, 1200, 1300, 1800, 1900, 2000 kHz or so.  Similarly, reception on television is affected by audio, visual and spectral disturbances. The telephone's reception is also adversely affected and there is a continuous disturbance that you can hear.  Apart from this, a recent reliable precursor is the mobile telephone. It has been found that about 100 to 150 minutes before the occurrence of an earthquake, mobile telephones start non-functioning or malfunctioning. The time span indicated is sufficient to take all necessary mitigatory measures.  A word of caution: all the above precursors are valid only when seen and manifested extensively. Failure of one or two instruments should not be taken as a seismic precursor.

Animal precursor: It is seen that 10 to 20 hours before the occurrence of an earthquake, the entire animal kingdom becomes highly disturbed and restless. They move in a directionless manner and in fear. Birds do not sit on trees but move about at a low height, emitting a shrill noise. Rodents like rats, mongooses etc are in a panic. Domestic animals like cows, dogs, cats etc struggle against being tied up, and even turn on the owner. Pandas may moan.

Human precursor: Doctors and nurses observe that some sensitive patients in hospitals become highly disturbed. They exhibit a sudden rise in blood pressure, heart trouble, headache, migraine, respiratory disorders etc. Further, these psychosomatic signs are manifested without any provocation. It is also seen that the number of patients in the out-patient department increases by five to seven times, some 10 to 20 hours before the quake.  The best indicator is the number of child deliveries in any hospital. On the penultimate day of the earthquake the number of deliveries goes up about three to five times, while on the day of the earthquake it is as high as seven to eight times the normal.

Great Utah ShakeOut 2014

The Great Utah ShakeOut is now less than three months away -- April 17th at 10:15 a.m.

In the coming weeks, we will continue to highlight each of the Seven Steps to Earthquake Safety, recommendations for what to do before, during, and after earthquakes. Following these steps is an optional aspect of your ShakeOut participation that may improve your preparedness for a big earthquake or other emergencies. 
 

Step 2: Plan to be safe.

Will everyone in your household do the right thing during the violent shaking of a major earthquake? Before the next earthquake, get together with your family or housemates to plan now what each person will do before, during and after.

Once the earthquake is over, we will have to live with the risk of fire, the potential lack of utilities and basic services, and the certainty of aftershocks. By planning now, you will be ready. This plan will also be useful for other emergencies.

Planning for an earthquake, terrorist attack, or other emergency is not much different from planning for a party or vacation. Make sure that your emergency plan includes evacuation and reunion plans; your out-of-state contact person's name and number; the location of your emergency supplies and other pertinent information. By planning now, you will be ready for the next emergency.

Plan to be safe by creating a disaster plan and deciding how you will communicate in an emergency. Visit Be Ready Utah for great suggestions about planning for disasters. Here are aspects to consider when planning for earthquakes:

• Identify safe spots in every room, such as under sturdy desks or tables, or on the ground next to an interior wall away from windows and things that may fall.

• Earthquakes can start fires, so store a fire extinguisher where it can be easily accessed, and learn how to use it (P.A.S.S. - Pull, Aim, Squeeze, Sweep).

• People often cut their feet during or after earthquakes when they get out of bed and walk barefoot on broken glass or other fallen objects. To keep shoes and a flashlight within reach, put them in a bag and tie it to your bed frame or headboard.

• Access to making long distance phone calls is usually restored first.Choose someone who lives out of the area for everyone in your family to report their status, then learn how to Text First, Talk Second from ShakeOut partner Safe America Foundation.

• If you are a person with a disability or need extra help, include your personal support network in your plan and visit EarthquakeCountry.org/disability for a variety of resources.


• You may also want to check out last Friday's edition of the Deseret News for a special section on preparing your family for disaster. "When Disaster Hits Home" will be included in every Deseret News on Friday. Copies of "When Disaster Hits Home" will also be available in Emergency Essentials stores in Orem, South Jordan, Murray and Bountiful.

Chemical Spill Brings W.Va. Capital To Standstill

Approved water storage containers

A reminder to EVERYONE to store extra drinking water in our homes.  It doesn't have to be a big earthquake that renders our city drinking water useless.

FEMA advises:  

"You should store at least one gallon of water per person per day" and to Keep at least a three-day supply of water per person."  "A normally active person needs at least one gallon of water daily just for drinking however individual needs vary, depending on age, physical condition, activity, diet and climate." http://www.ready.gov/water

However, I would suggest it is more advisable to store at least:

3 gallons of water per person per day 

and to keep at least: 

5 day supply of water per person 

This will better account for drinking, sanitation, and possible medical emergencies.

I have re-posted portions of the article from the AP, posted at KSL.com below, along with some pics.  Click on the article title below for the complete post from KSL.com.

Chemical spill brings 

W.Va. capital to standstill

CHARLESTON, W.Va. (AP) - A chemical spill left the water for 300,000 people in and around West Virginia's capital city stained blue-green and smelling like licorice, with officials saying Friday it was unclear when it might be safe again to even take showers and do laundry.

...For now, there is no way to treat the tainted water aside from flushing the system until it's in low-enough concentrations to be safe, a process that could take days.

...People across nine counties were told they shouldn't even wash their clothes in affected water, as the compound can cause symptoms ranging from skin irritation and rashes to vomiting and diarrhea.

...The spill brought West Virginia's most populous city and nearby areas to a virtual standstill, closing schools and offices and even forcing the Legislature to cancel its business for the day. Officials focused on getting water to people who needed it, particularly the elderly and disabled.

Tanaz Rahin of the South Hills region of Charleston. W.Va. drove across town to South Charleston to find water following a chemical spill on the Elk River that compromised the public water supply of eight counties on Thursday, Jan. 9, 2014. (AP Photo/Tyler Evert)

Jim Cole of Exeter, N.H., got the last few bottles of water at the Kroger in South Charleston W.Va. following a chemical spill on the Elk River that compromised the public water supply to eight counties of Thursday, Jan. 9, 2014. (AP Photo/Tyler Evert)

Charleston resident Niru Parikshak loads up the back of her car with bottled water Thursday Jan. 9, 2014 in Charleston, W.Va. . Sam's Club and every retailer for a twenty mile radius sold out of bottled water after a chemical leak Thursday morning up river from the WV American Plant on the Elk River forced the water plant to shut down. (AP Photo/Charleston Daily Mail, Bob Wojcieszak)

City officials help direct traffic through a water distribution site set up at the South Charleston Recreation Center in South Charleston, W.Va., Friday, Jan. 10, 2014, after at least 100,000 customers in nine West Virginia counties were told not to drink, bathe, cook or wash clothes using their tap water because of a chemical spill into the Elk River in Charleston, with Gov. Earl Ray Tomblin declaring a state of emergency Thursday for all those areas. The site opened before 9 a.m. with bottled water and a tanker truck, but was expected to run out of water about 90 minutes later. (AP Photo/The Daily Mail, Marcus Constantino)

Homer Larch of Pinch W.Va. waits to get safe water at the Kmart in Elkview W.Va., Friday, Jan. 10, 2014. Emergency crews have brought in water at many locations around the state following a chemical spill Thursday on the Elk River that compromised the public water supply to nine counties. (AP Photo/Tyler Evert)

West Virginia State Troopers fill water jugs at the Kmart in Elkview, W.Va., Friday, Jan. 10, 2014. Emergency crews are setting up water depots at many locations around the state following a chemical spill Thursday on the Elk River that compromised the public water supply to nine counties. (AP Photo/Tyler Evert)

Emergency Prep Fair in South Jordan

Emergency Prep Fair

Date:           Saturday, January 25th
Location:      Early Light Academy
                   11709 South Vadania Drive
                   South Jordan, UT
Time:           9am to 5pm

Click here for their poster:      
                     South Jordan EP Fair

Click here for their Facebook Page:    
                     South Jordan EP Fair Facebook

Vendor Focus:

• Emergency Preparedness
• Food Storage 
• Cooking Demonstrations
• Sanitation
• Water Treatment and Storage
• Survival
• 72 Hours Kits

Classes:

• Earthquake Lady, Marilyn Hoff
• Water storage,
• Identity Theft
• Food Storage on a budget
• Powerless and Solar Cooking
• E-Prep Scouting Merit Badge Class
• First Aid

and Much More.

This fair is free and open to the entire community!

INFO ON CLASSES - UPDATED 1/12/2014 

Earthquake Preparedness

10:30, 11:30, 2:30, 3:30

Water Treatment & Sanitation

10:30, 11:30, 12:30

Feeling Overwhelmed? Keep Food Storage Simple!

Learn how to simply and economically plan for variety in food storage and how to plan quantities. This class covers how to store food, shelf life information and how to preserve shelf life of foods.

9:30, 11:30

Make Food Storage Simply Delicious

Don’t waste the foods you store. Learn fast tips for cooking basics, how to use dried foods, how to convert family favorite recipes to food storage.

10:30, 12:30

Drying Fruits And Vegetables Made Easy

10:30

Survival Of the Fittest, Survival preparedness tips:Tips and Information That Could Save Your Life

11:30

Survival Of the Fittest, Survival preparedness tips: Cooking In An Emergency

12:30

Injury Treatment Training

Clarify the myths of proper first aid treatment and teach the newest first aid technology.  There will be an amazing burn demonstration with a torch.  We will also teach how to minimize scar tissue and heal wounds more effectively thru the new technology, minimize swelling and bruising due to sprains and strains, how to detect fractures and how to clean chemicals and particles out of the eyes.

10:30, 12:30 2:30

Emergency Prep 101

10:30

2:30

Packing a 72 Hour Kit

11:30

3:30

Bee Keeping

10:30, 2:30

Dutch Oven

10:30

2:30

Financial Identity Theft

12:30

1:30

2:30

Scout Emergency Preparedness Merit Badge Class

10:00-11:30

Sanitation – Gymnasium – 1-4pm

Thrive Food Demo – Gym 10am-4:30pm

Delsa Wilson–Grains & Legumes – 10:30

                                Wheat as the Main Meal 11:30

                                Sprouting/Dehydration – 1:30

                                Wheat Cakes & Cookies – 2:30

                                Wheat Questions & Answers  - 3:30

Amateur Radio Training and License Available

Dear Friends in Emergency Preparedness,

Here are some opportunities to learn and license in amateur (ham) radio.  Spread the word among like-minded friends.  If you're interested, please respond to the appropriate instructors ASAP so they can arrange for the necessary manuals.  The fee to take the exam for FCC licensing is $14.  After this list of upcoming courses, I have added other information about learning amateur radio.

Technician is the entry level licensure by the FCC as an amateur radio operator, General is next and Extra is highest.


From Morris Farmer, callsign AD7SR - Technician course

• Class:           Technician 
• Start date:     Beginning Monday, January 20th from 7pm to 9pm
•                      continuing every Monday thereafter for approx 6 to 7 weeks
• Location:       Holladay, UT
• Cost:             Instruction:  FREE    Book:  $25.00  Testing fee:  $14.00
• Contact:        Email Morris Farmer AD7SR@comcast.net

Bill Rouleau, AE7UI and I will be teaching a course to assist you in becoming a Ham at the introductory, Technician, level.  The course will begin on Monday, January 20th and run for approximately six or seven weeks.

It will be taught at my home where you will have the opportunity to have a hands on experience with Amateur Radio equipment.  Classes will start at 7PM and run for two hours each week.  We will use the ARRL Technician Class License Manual and will have books available the first couple of nights of the course.  Books cost $25.00 each which goes to UARC (the Utah Amateur Radio Club).  There is no charge for the course itself.

If you are interested in taking the course, or know someone that is, please have them contact me, Morris Farmer, AD7SR at AD7SR@comcast.net.  I will send more details about the course and provide directions to my home [abt 5000 S and 1450 E, Holladay]."

Ron Speirs, callsign K7RLS - General course

• Class:           General 
• Start date:     Beginning Tuesday, January 14th from 7pm to 9pm
•                      continuing every Tuesday thereafter for approx 6 to 7 weeks
• Location:       Murray, UT
• Cost:             Instruction:  FREE    Book:  $30.00  Testing fee:  $14.00
• Contact:        Email Ron Speirs:  K7RLS@comcast.net

Ron Speirs will giving instruction starting Tuesday, January 14 in preparation for licensing as General amateur radio operator.  "There is no cost for the class; we only suggest that the students buy the ARRL General Class License Manual, $30.  It has all the information that they need, including the entire question pool."  He will have those for sale at the class but needs a count of individuals planning to attend.  "The only other cost is $14 for the testing fee, which goes to the team who administers the test at the conclusion of the class."  The course will be held in the vicinity of 4200 S and 1100 E in Murray, either in his home or at a nearby church.

For further information, including final location for the class, contact Ron, K7RLS@comcast.net.

From Morris Farmer, callsign AD7SR - General course

• Class:           General 
• Start date:     Beginning in April on Monday Evenings
•                      continuing thereafter TBD
• Location:       Holladay, UT
• Cost:             Instruction:  FREE    Book:  $30.00  Testing fee:  $14.00
• Contact:        Email Morris Farmer AD7SR@comcast.net

I will be teaching a General Class upgrade course beginning approximately the middle of April on Monday evenings."  Contact Morris at AD7SR@comcast.net.

From Morris Farmer, callsign AD7SR - Extra course

• Class:           Extra
• Start date:     Beginning Wednesday, January 15th from 7pm to 9pm
•                      continuing every Wednesday thereafter for approx 16 weeks
• Location:       Holladay, UT
• Cost:             Instruction:  FREE    Book:  $25.00  Testing fee:  $14.00
• Contact:        Email Morris Farmer AD7SR@comcast.net

Ron Speirs, K7RLS, and I will be teaching a course to assist you in upgrading to Extra.  The course will begin on Wednesday, January 15th and run for approximately sixteen weeks.  It will be taught at my home where you will have the opportunity to have a hands on experience with Amateur Radio equipment.  Classes will start at 7PM and run for two hours each week.  We will use the ARRL Extra Class License Manual and we will have books available the first couple of nights of the course.  Books cost $25.00 each which goes to UARC (the Utah Amateur Radio Club).  There is no charge for the course itself.

If you are interested in taking the course, or know someone that is, please have them contact me, Morris Farmer, AD7SR at AD7SR@comcast.net, or Ron Speirs, K7RLS at K7RLS@comcast.net.  We will send more details about the course and provide directions to my home [abt 5000 S and 1450 E, Holladay]."

Additional information:

If you are interested in supplementing your training by online resources, here is one: http://www.hamradiolicenseexam.com/index.html

You can preview and practice online for free (e.g., http://www.dxzone.com/cgi-bin/dir/jump2.cgi?ID=5626 and http://www.dxzone.com/cgi-bin/dir/jump2.cgi?ID=19673), although you don't get personalized tracking of your scores and weak areas as you would at the subscription site.

You can see more free sites at:   http://www.dxzone.com/catalog/Ham_Radio/Exams/Exam_Practice/

Some people study solely from manuals or online and attend a testing session to obtain their license.  Here is a schedule of many of the test sessions locally in the coming months: http://www.xmission.com/~uarc/testinfo.html
If you go this route, you would need to check if the session you choose would be open or allows only class participants to test.

Here is some general information about obtaining a license in amateur radio:
http://www.qrz.com/i/ham-radio-howto.html.



Of course, there is no limit on the information you can find online.  Here is a little more information:
www.BeReadyHerriman.blogspot.com,  Thursday, February 5, 2009:

Getting Started with Ham Radio

We've occasionally been asked how to get started with Amateur (Ham) Radio. Here's how to get started in a nutshell:

1.  Understand the basics of ham radio .
2.  Prepare for the exam

• Find a class to attend
• Check out The ARRL Ham Radio License Manual from the library or buy your own copy or take the study course online (more expensive).
• If you are already have a good background with electronics, you could probably review the FCC rules and regulations that apply to Amateur Radio and pass the test without a class. Download the question pools to ensure your knowledge is adequate.

3.  Take online practice tests (you will first test for the lowest level of Technician, but can take exams for                 General and Extra Class licenses; select the appropriate level from the links)
4.  Schedule and take the real exam.
5.  Set up a station.
6.  Get on the air and get involved by networking with other ham radio operators in the community  .

FAQ:
Q: Do you have to know Morse Code to get an Amateur Radio license?
A: NO!

Q: Why is amateur radio helpful in emergencies?
A: When traditional communication methods (landlines, cell phones) fail, ham radio is available.

Q: Is ham radio expensive?
A: It varies just as much as buying a television varies. You could go for a small radio with fewer options or a very expensive unit with all the bells and whistles. When you're licensed there will be many other hams who are willing to give suggestions.
Posted by Be Ready Herriman

Following up on the last question (expense), see my article:
http://www.slcfoothillnetham.blogspot.com/2012/02/what-radio-should-i-purchase.html
Even since it was posted, there are many more options for radios, including the Baofeng radios.

If you get your license, please let me know so I can pass on a list of local ham nets that would be useful for starting your amateur radio experience.  For future reference, the SLC Southeast Division Emergency Communications Net is held each Thursday at 9 p.m., simplex frequency 147.50 MHz.

Please share this information.  Many of the recipients on this email already have their amateur radio licenses and can attest to the camaraderie and satisfaction of providing a valuable service in communications for emergencies and public events . . . and ham radio can be just plain fun!

Susan Smith
KJ7ABC