We use Zello, which is the same. Works fine if the other folks know how to use HTs.

Pat

Thank you Pat.

I Monitered Zello on social media and in zello. My AAR
 

https://concisemagazine.wordpress.co...g-one-another/

Lessons learned from Irma Rescue channels on Zello.

From monitoring many Zello emergency rescue accounts, I have learned that this could be a great tool for the future for people in disaster situation (If they have Internet capability)

I thought I would share a prep list for those Whom desire to assist their fellow man in tumultuous times.

Zello has provided a service that allows one to talk to a group or privately (Even encrypted) with Whom they like to. In Harvey, it was used for those Whom needed help or rescue when their primary Civil Support services were not available.

In disaster, you do not know what kind of communications you will have. Cell towers, main line phone lines, cable service, Internet, Satellite communications, and even 911 could fail to be available. It could leave one with only CB and HAM operators to rely upon.

During and after these storms, many were without such ability and the Interet was the only way to communicate. Hence Zello filled the void. For may, they just wanted to chat with others to not feel so alone. For some, it was the only lifesaving tool they had.

Some ISP Providers like Spectrum and Xfinity did, to the best of their ability, provide emergency free Internet service where they could. Kudos to you for that.

Having introduced the context, I wanted to present you with a Prep list that presents you with an avenue on how you may contribute, and how to keep out of trouble with the Internet of things.

1.First mission is information flow. Inform and coordinate with Local, State, and Federal Authorities prior to sending someone into any situation – if at all possible. For dispatchers, phone is the finest weapon you have.

As a Civilian, you are merely and augmentation service or force. The State and Local Officials are your primary support group. In cases they are over-loaded, they may ask one of your groups for help but that rarely, if ever, happens. It is question of Liability few Government officials will want to address in the fog of a real event.

Duplicate calls, duplicate rescues, and mass confusion can lead to life threatening situations if the channels are repetitive. I learned some of what I tell you here from the Cajun Navy as they have been at this awhile. They have tried to provide an example of Private Civil Augmentation.

You have to be “Trusted” to talk on their network channels which means, you fill out the form to volunteer. After which, you get passwords. Being a Non-Profit, they would like to maintain their 5013C status. This means accountability must be up-held. In fact, your information has to be cleared through the Department of Homeland Security.

2. Verification. I observed several possible pranks or traps coming over channel. Once you verify it is an actual person in an actual flooded area that does not intend to rob you or worse. There are always a few bad faith calls.

Which leads us to

3. Privatization of service. This is set by Infrastructure Categories.

4. Channel control. You will want separate channels for functioning separation of information. Many rescue groups have a main chat room where everything is handled. This is not Kosher. All the jackals and jokers come about in an Emergency situation not recognizing that If you do interfere with a rescue, you may be sent to Prison.

You never have enough dispatchers

Take your calls separate from the room with friend request to verify and if they are pranking, kick them out of the room

Have separate, encrypted channels for private information.

Never let people know where supplies, water, food, or gas is going over public channels. This is how you get raided. Also Coordinate with local Authority when shipping such things.

Try to moderate your volume to %80 percent. Some calls you can barely hear, some will wake everyone up in your neighborhood.

Keep weather checks and regular info on other channels than your work channels. Anything you can get from weather channel or AM radio in your car. This information may be useful on the ground for rescuers, but it is of no use for a rescue channel when people are asking for a weather check every 3 minutes.

Keep the channels clear. Block and report abuse. Separate the chatter. Gotta keep them separated.

5. For those on the ground who need verbal communication, the following resources are available Dispatchers:

Zello

Crowdsourse

Gas Buddy

Google maps

Apple maps

waze

wink news

ventusky maps

windfinder

FEMA APP IS AWESOME!

Local power company outage maps

Animal Control

Animal rescue shelters

Shelter apps – Local shelters, Evacuation shelters that allow pets. They are Our Family too. Check shot records too.

HAM Radio

CB Radio

Firechat

Mesh networks

Morse code

White flags on roof-tops of houses

Local nuclear plant data sites

Local water treatment plants

local chemical company plants

Local food market corporate sites (Distro – disribution info if they post it)

Uhaul, storage, UPS, FEDEX, Pipelines, Railroad, Greyhound, Hubs. Airports, Ports and Port Authority, CoastGuard, National Guatd, Attourney generals office, Governors Office,

6. As a moderator. seeking clarity of information is the key. You can be the straw that stirs the drink, or the one that breaks the chain. Some operators having stress have time and need to blow off steam with their fellows. So, when OPTEMPO slows down, let them know each-other and chat. But if emergency comes about it is “BREAK – Clear Channel”.

Give them ten seconds to speak and block them. Yet be cautious, few may be real, but they can go to one of the main popular rooms to ask.

7. Access: HUBS. You are looking for a way to somewhere, and always looking for a direct path at expense.

But what if you were traveling somewhere and got stuck at the airport? You ask where the nearest HUB is to get you closer to destination. Sometimes, flying (Or driving, or via Train or rickshaw or whatever) is better than waiting in airports. Buses and trains, private planes, Mariner charter, Cruise Ships! Support them too! Any logistic line is safe haven.

Buses, Trains, Uber, Lyft, Airbnb could find a place a block away. Do not discount Local Militias.

If you are Legit, someone needs to perk an ear up. But if you clog LOGISTIC Trains or get in the way of even the Local Sheriff, you are in the wrong unless you can stress test your case.

7. Record what you do. You can take screen shots and pictures. If you called 911, you are going to want to remember when. Sometimes calls go UN-answered so you will want to be able to show something.

8. Sheltering. They will not be checking immigration status at shelter but they may check for warrants, naturally. They will also want to know if your pets have been vaccinated.

9. Be creative. Does someone attached to machines need to be evacuated when the power goes out? Or could you just bring them a generator.

The Elderly could require a range of specialized equipment. Sometimes contacting the manufacturer helps to get equipment where it needs to go.

Baby formula, diapers, and dog food always run low in these events and as always – Fuel.

Also, listen to Frefal! http://ferfal.blogspot.com/2017/09/r...N+ARGENTINA%29

Anyone please correct me where I may be wrong here.
This is an AAR. Use any of it in your Operations with the median, reproof, correct, or delete as you see fit please.

Not seeing much mention, but in the immediate aftermath of a disaster, cash is king, as banking services are down and will not be restored until power, communications, and personnel can return to work.

The government and the banks would like to move to a cashless society, but this is a situation where that would present a huge problem.

Credit cards may be of use before the full onslaught, but once the financial network is down, people will need cash.

The amount to have on hand would depend on what your needs are and how long the banking systems are out of service. The former can be a mostly known factor, but the latter is impossible to predict.

I would want to have at least a month's expenses in a cash emergency fund, secured somewhere you can easily access it during a disaster (not at the bank).

Texas, Florida, and particularly Puerto Rico, have proven this out. A small island with 3.5 million people and no power or comms and the banks and ATMs closed is not going to accept credit cards or provide you with cash.

In a long term disaster, or a financial crisis, cash may not have value for very long either.

Just another contingency to prepare for.

TR

"Texas, Florida, and particularly Puerto Rico, have proven this out. A small island with 3.5 million people and no power or comms and the banks and ATMs closed is not going to accept credit cards or provide you with cash.

In a long term disaster, or a financial crisis, cash may not have value for very long either."

Cash is King.

Another reminder about banks. Not only may they not be open, but they may be as likely to flood as your own property including the non water proof safe deposit boxes. This may put important identity and few financial documents at risk if stored their.

Winter Weather Preparedness
 

A good reminder this evening regarding mountain weather and conditions!! I do track several locations but didn’t expect these extreme conditions. -44f at Lake Antero here in Colorado, predictions of -25f in the Animas Valley overnight. Avalanche warnings, many extreme up and down the central mountain range with several killed and others rescued so far this year... early for that even here. Many of these areas are remote however not uncommon to travel through some of these areas to get to ski slopes. Last season on a few occasions highways were closed, including I 70. Poignant reminder to have a vehicle kit and contact plan.

Beyond typical items that come to mind and good vehicle maintenance.
A charge method or extra battery, insulated water and food, tow straps, a radio or commo device (besides cell), signal kit, traction devices, etc...
Last season ended up in a situation were a dozen or more folks were stranded in deep unplowed snow. They were coming down from my huts so while they had gear their supplies were diminished. We all worked together to get them going but ended up very wet, should they have not gotten out they would have been vulnerable.

Observations:vehicles traveling on the road way were not stopping and wisely so. Vehicles had gotten very stuck as well as a wrecker blocking others. State response was overwhelmed ...

https://www.fox21news.com/weather/it...tral-colorado/

https://www.fox21news.com/news/state...ins-continues/

Edit: Times I've found chem heat ( pocket warmers...help with keeping batteries in fobs and cell phones from draining so quickly), bic lighters, a lock oil with coolant very helpful...more for a certain pad lock but also for vehicle locks as well as extra keys kept in wallet or personal bag. Things can get hectic going in and out of the truck when shoveling, pushing, rigging, the possibility drop your keys in deep snow, etc...

Timely bump!

All be safe this winter (global warming is a bitch) be prepared!

Thank you TR for starting this thread
I must say I never took it 100% seriously until very recently
Pretty interesting since my colleagues except for one vet are allergic to firearm/ammo/violence etc

Folks are leaving and I’m staying behind to turn off the light after everyone flies out.
Always fancy Alamo/Benghazi ending.... just never foresaw the “jihadist” would be invisible and bullets can’t kill em :D




utmost respect for those Wuhan,
Italy and healthcare staff everywhere else that dons space suits to work

Cool n all for photo op....
Not for hours of work! And knowing a breach in isolation protocol can get your colleagues killed!
N I thought mopp suit was bad

Apps
 

Some useful navigation apps if the mobile networks are congested in your area... what3words and navimii (integrates with what3words), both work offline.

https://what3words.com/clip.apples.leap

https://www.navmii.com/

My wife joins COSTCO for a year every few years and goes crazy stocking up on staples and personal hygiene stuff so we are well stocked with shower gel and TP. What surprised her on her recent trip to the grocery store and Walmart was that liquid detergent and dishwasher detergent was sold out. That's one thing we didn't stock up on. We will from now on.

One other thing is distilled water was sold out along with bottled drinking water. That is a big problem for us since our electricity comes from 24 flooded lead acid batteries and they get thirsty in the summer. Another lessoned learned! We do have plenty of gasoline in jerry cans for the 5.5k Generac portable gennie and the auto back-up gennie is propane.

ETA: We also have a 3.5k Champion gennie (which can run the house) and an EU2000i Honda generator (which can't).

Kinda hard sometimes to get a window into what makes people buy what. During the initial :eek: around here, we had the usual everything BUT toilet paper (till the log chain caught up, which it has). Distilled water (humidify wife's O2 concentrator) was left alone; big bottles of regular water left alone. People sure loved that Dasani stuff or something.

One thing I did notice that I thought odd. People had cleaned out any kind of sprayer or squeeze bottles of any kind of disinfectant or bleach. But they left the regular size Clorox bottles - from which one could refill their sprayers and are much cheaper in the mid/long run - alone. I wonder if that's a generational thing. Everything's a disposable.
:rolleyes:

Chlorine bleach is pretty corrosive.

Not all spray bottles will work with it for very long.

Bleach also loses its potency pretty quickly.

It is good while it lasts though.

Pool shock is also handy, and more concentrated, but it too goes bad with time.

I recommend diesel, propane, or natural gas for generators.

Gasoline storage sufficient to power long-term needs is an expensive and time-consuming chore.

Diesel has some of the same issues as gasoline, and natural gas is dependent on the power to its distribution system.

At this point, for the long-term, I propose solar primary power with a battery bank and a smaller LP generator to handle higher load periods and to charge batteries. It isn't cheap though.

TR

The gennies are just 'available', I mostly only use them when we need to shut down the solar system to clean the cables and terminals. The gasoline gets mostly used in the vehicles and replaced. The propane gennie is the go-to back-up. The portable is a back-up to it. And the propane failed once (during a weekly exercise period) so the portable was there to replace it if needed.

Also, before this event, I was in the process of changing over to lithium batteries but my supplier/installer is shut down. Bad timing.