Lockdown

Lockdown is being released this month (April 2014) by Great Plains Publishing. Please order it either directly from the publisher or ask for it at your neighbourhood bookshop. 

If you prefer to borrow rather than buy, please ask for it at your local library branch.

Synopsis: When a great earthquake rocks the Pacific Northwest, fifteen-year-old Rowan Morgan is hiking in a suburban forest. Tremors rip the coast from Oregon to Alaska and turn Rowan’s world upside down. After her father is wounded and taken to the hospital, Rowan and her brother shelter inside his earthquake-proof, survivalist home. While the electrified fences offer some protection, it isn’t long before mobs gather, desperate for some of the food and water rumoured to be held inside.

Rowan knows that if the hungry neighbours had any true idea of the riches in her father’s cellar and water tanks, they wouldn’t be sent away so easily. Early one morning, Rowan leaves the compound and sets off in search of her father. She is turned away from the hospital and so goes to check on nearby friends where she finds a local gang has moved in. She escapes from them only to run into a stranger she met in the forest the day before. Why is he following her and what does he want?

Breaking news!

My novel, Lockdown, is now available for pre-order here from my publisher.

What's for dinner?

Are you enjoying the silly season, the holidays, the Yule? Some people call this the sugar season. Whatever it’s called where you are, I’m sure someone close by is celebrating with festive meals and treats.

In the middle of all this abundance it can be hard to think about times when food might be scarce. If the supermarkets and other food stores were shut (indefinitely) this instant, how long could you survive on the food you have right now?

The website Real Simple recommends having these basic foods on hand:

• Bottled water
• Peanut butter
• Whole wheat crackers
• Nuts and trail mix
• Cereal
• Granola and /or power bars
• Dried fruits (apricots, raisins, craisins etc)
• Canned tuna, salmon, chicken or turkey
• Canned vegetables (green beans, carrots, peas)
• Canned soup and chilli (and beans, spaghetti etc)
• Bottled water
• Powdered milk
• Sports drinks, like Gatorade or Powerade (or generic equivalents)
• Sugar, salt, and pepper

To this list I would add comfort foods like pudding or chocolate. Not a lot, but enough to break the Spartan regime of a survival diet. I’d also suggest sampling supplies before storing them so you're sure you like them.

Basic supplies can be supplemented with MRE’s (Meal, Ready-to-Eat) and other dried foods. Dehydrated meals can be expensive to buy off the shelf but Washington Trails Association has ways to make your own. 

In the meantime you might like to look at the world around you and see what food you can harvest in your neighbourhood. New Urban Habitat says dandelions are a super food. Where I live, Coastal First Nations people have been traditionally included local things like pine bark, puff balls, and licorice fern on their menus.

What grows in your neighbourhood that might serve as a food source in an emergency? Do you know where to find it and how to prepare it?

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Photo from Wikimedia Commons: Bûche de Noël by Jebulon

Where is that first aid kit anyway?

The floor beneath your feet buckles and rolls. The walls around you groan. An earthquake tears the ground apart. You drop, cover, and hold on. You stay in that position until the last tremors pass. Perfect.

Then what?

First inspect yourself. If you have no injuries, put on sturdy shoes, a dust mask, and eye protection if these things are handy.

Get out your first aid kit and inspect the other people around you.

The simple fact is you may not be able to phone emergency services after an earthquake. You may not be able to phone anyone at all. If phones are still working, resources may be stretched thin and it could be a long time before help arrives.

Most earthquake-related injuries do not happen during the movement of the earth. They are a result of collapsing walls, flying glass, and falling objects. That means cuts, bruises and maybe even broken bones. 

If someone around you is injured, the Southern California earthquake site says to do the following:

• If a person is bleeding, put direct pressure on the wound. Use clean gauze or cloth, if available.
• If a person is not breathing, administer rescue breathing.
• If a person has no pulse, begin CPR (cardiopulmonary resuscitation).
• Do not move seriously injured people unless they are in immediate danger of further injury.
• Cover injured persons with blankets or additional clothing to keep them warm.

The United States Department of Labor site says: Fire is the most common earthquake-related hazard, due to broken gas lines, damaged electrical lines or appliances, and previously contained fires or sparks being released.

• Do you know the right first aid for a burn?

The Mayo Clinic offers information on first aid for burns here.

On top of these risks, you have to think about shock. Shock can divert blood and oxygen away from the body’s vital organs.

• Do you know the physiological symptoms of shock?

Hint: the skin may be cold and clammy, the pulse may race and the eyes may seem faraway or fixed on a single spot.

• Do you know how to treat a person for shock?

Hint: have the person lie down, elevate the feet, loosen the clothing and keep the person warm. 

Read more about recognizing and treating shock on the Mayo Clinic site.

All of this information should be in a booklet inside your first aid kit. Now is the time to check that you have what you need. If not, why not go to some of these sites that offer great first aid instructions and print a copy for your grab-and-go bag.

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Photo from Wikimedia Commons: Polish First Aid by Łukasz Rychlik

ShakeOut BC Day - Thursday October 17, 2013 10:17 AM

Earthquake Preparation!

Are you participating in the Great British Columia Shake Out? Why would you do that? From the ShakeOut website:

"While potential earthquake hazards depend on your location, everywhere in British Columbia is considered at high risk in relation to the rest of Canada. For example, on January 26, 1700, a magnitude 9 earthquake (similar to the 2011 Tohoku earthquake off the coast of Japan) shook the entire province as well as Washington, Oregon, and California, and generated a massive tsunami.

What we do now will determine our quality of life after our next big earthquake. Are you prepared to survive and recover quickly?"

Get more information here: ShakeOut BC

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Photo from UBC archives via Wikimedia Commons: Virgin Forest in Stanley Park 1912 by Rosetti Photographic Studios