Who am I? I was born in 1951 and went to Millry High School and grew up about 2 miles east of Millry toward Koenton. Many people from the Millry community remember me flying around town in the parachute ultralight and have visited my website PerfectFlyer.com and viewed the aerial photographs. I have a home near Bayou La Batre but spend a lot of time on my parents farm and I work with Randy Goldman (all over the state on construction projects.) My oldest son Charles went to Millry High his senior year and played football in 2005.

I'm by no means a gloom and doom conspiracy nut but I do remember that after Katrina the "skin" of society in New Orleans was only 4 days thick ...then there was anarchy. We tend to dismiss threats that have low chance of happening, even when the consequences are very high.

But a wise person would prepare for the worse and hope for the best. That's the rational thinking behind a police officer making a routine traffic stop. The probability is low that the citizens is a wanted fugitive but the consequences could be deadly if they are. So we understand why the officer may call in our plates then ask us to keep our hands on the steering wheel and even check for weapons for their own security.

No cities have more than a couple day's food reserves should supply lines be cut. If the electric grid goes down the water will go off, dehydration can set in in 3 days, starvation in 3 weeks. Disease and illness will become a major problem if sanitation fails. Desperation among the needy will require a major effort for security and self defense because unlike bombs and plague, people won't be dying immediately. No military, Fema or Cavalry can come to help if the entire national system fails. The president won't even fly over and look down and whisper a prayer for the poor wretched miserable people.

Life and survival could get VERY TOUGH and those who haven't made any preparations will find it MUCH tougher. Unlike a natural disaster such as an earthquake or hurricane that passes and then people gain support from outside, failure of the economy will initiate a long term race where a network of community support will determine the level of suffering and the ultimate outcome.

Very good reading: Surviving in the City

Like most people, I think - and hope - that we will muddle along and somehow get by if the economy collapses... but if I'm wrong God help us all.

Every crisis has it's specific challenges but there is no substitute for preparation. If you are near the last in line at grocery store, the supplies you need will be gone.

There are so many clear and loud signals that the Federal Government is on a glide path to economic failure. A wise person will have invested some thought and plans to be prepared ahead of time. Many qualified experts have warned us that the Federal Government is so deep in debt that economic failure is certain.

Government is not going to cut spending and the recession and unemployment will reduce the taxes they collect. The Federal Reserve has printed 5 trillion dollars of counterfeit currency to buy up government bonds. But you can't borrow money from yourself and neither can the government.

The financial situation of America is CRITICAL. Inflation weakens the value of paper money. It will take twice as may dollars, or more, to buy foreign goods and oil. Citizens have no alternative or shadow currency to fall back on. When we can't get any payment, of value, for our labor, we will go home. Coal will stop coming to the power plants and electricity will go off, water won't come out of the faucets and refrigerated food will spoil. Trucks won't deliver food or fuel. Growing and acquiring food, cooking and other essential needs like laundry and bathing will become a substantial chore.

1. Security is the most critical challenge!

It sucks that we even have to discuss this but as people get desperate they will start to do desperate things. It is inevitable that in serious situations when it’s every man and family for themselves, people who are not prepared will try and take advantage of others. Even those who are not violent by nature or don’t think they can defend themselves will find they have to. When people in cities can't get the supplies they need where they are, they will be forced to roam and forage.

The best way to survive a confrontation is to avoid it. It may become necessary to destroy roads and bridges leading from major cities.

2. WATER is the most critical element necessary for survival and while springs and creeks may be sufficient for drinking to prevent dehydration, if the power grid goes down the water system won't function and this will lead to serious health problems. When you can't flush the toilets and wash dishes, disease and illness can flourish. Therefore, an energy plan to pump water into the tanks and convince everyone to ration and conserve water is essential.

3. FUEL is the next most important commodity to produce ELECTRICITY to keep water pumps running. And fuel for agriculture machinery and chain saws and getting to and from fishing locations will be very important.

4. Food will be critical. Within 2 days in all major cities and within a week after the power grid goes down and refrigeration fails people will be getting very hungry. Growing food, hunting, fishing, dehydrated food and canning will be essential for long term survival.

5. Communications will be critical in coordinating efforts and responses, especially in matters of implementing rapid security measures.

6. Medicine is essential because supplies will be cut off and diabetics and people effected by other illnesses will face critical life or death situations almost immediately.

7. Currency - you may as well have monopoly money. Dollars, gold and silver aren't edible. You'll need a chicken and a squirrel to trade for candles and shoes.

Here are some of my specific ideas for a "first response" to a national emergency for Millry and most of Washington County.

1. Prepare signs saying "Road Closed, bridge out" and have them ready to put up at the Y, on 17 north of Citronelle to send people leaving Mobile up highway 45 ...and at Waggerville to send them up 43... as well as State Line Ms. We will also need to discourage people from coming south on 17 from 84, a major artery that runs east west through Silas. It may be necessary to erect barriers or destroy a bridge. If we are overrun, no amount of preparation will be sufficient. Knowing SPECIFICALLY how, what, who and where in the event of a national emergency is critical to our survival. There is simply too much to be done to leave it to someone else.

2. Plan ahead for some way to store or create energy to run water pumps and fill the water tanks. Specific education on saving and rationing water is critical. Bath and dish water can be used to flush toilets and the first cycle of washing clothes. A lot of the water we use can be recycled before running it down the drain. Water should be immediately cut off and only turned on a couple days a week to give people the sense of urgency in a crisis.

3. Be prepared to hunt, trap, fish and grow food without automobiles or machinery that needs fuel.

4. Stockpile food like rice, cereal, grits, flour, peanut butter, dried fruit, oatmeal, salt, sugar and spices that do not require refrigeration to hold us out till crops can grow and be harvested. Remember that we could lose a substantial portion of crops to looters and growing without fertilizer and farm equipment, with limited seeds will not be nearly as productive as we are accustomed to. Also, I can assure everyone from my experience flying over most of the county that MOST fields and farmland have been planted with pine trees. There won't be time or fuel for equipment for clearing farmland.

5. Identify members of the community who may need special assistance during an emergency. These members might include seniors, individuals who are hearing or mobility impaired, and children who are home alone. Develop a plan to assist them during an emergency.

6. Identify members of the community who have special skills (medical, technical) or equipment that they would be willing to share in the event of an emergency.

I have some other ideas that I would rather not make public. If there are already some emergency plans in place that the residents of Millry and Chatom should know about, I would be happy to post them on this site and I would like to know if I can be of any assistance.

There is NO other town or city in America (or the world as far as I know) named Millry. And I have not found any other website that has mentioned plans for surviving a national emergency as a community - on their own.

Correction: This just in 2/28/10 - Sheriff Larry Deen Bossier Parish Lousiana is launching a program called "Operation Exodus," a policing plan for an end-of-the-world scenario to protect Bossier Parish's vital resources, like food and gasoline, in the event of a catastrophic event.

Survival is NOT a luxury reserved for the rich, the species that survives is the one that can evolve... or as the US Marines put it: Improvise, ADAPT and Overcome

Many factors are critical for survival but none are more important than the ability to ADAPT. That's what evolution, survival and prosperity has always been about. Adaptability.

Jesus said, " Luke 17:26-30 "And as it was in the days of Noah, so shall it be also in the days of the Son of man. They did eat, they drank, they married wives, they were given in marriage, until the day that Noah entered into the ark, and the flood came, and destroyed them all.

Here is a website that has some good survival tips Pioneer Living

Here are some tips I came across:

When packing foods for storage, you want to eliminate oxygen. Bugs, such as weevils, and other organisms that can destroy your food need the oxygen to live. That's why commercial companies who prepare survival food pack grains, cereals, pasta, beans and other foods in nitrogen-filled containers. You can accomplish a similar packaging yourself by using dried ice.

Take the foods and put them in an appropriately sized plastic bucket with a lid that can create a good seal. Then add several chunks of dried ice. As it sublimates, your bucket will fill with carbon dioxide, which will displace all or most of the oxygen (since carbon dioxide is heavier, the oxygen should rise to the top and out of the bucket). Place the lid on the bucket, but don't seal it all the way until you think the dry ice has completely turned to gas. Remember, when you reopen the bucket oxygen will come back in and you need to use the supplies before bugs find it.

Diatomaceous earth is also a good way to kill bugs. It's just ground up sea shells and is used as the abrasive material in toothpaste and polishing creams. It won't harm humans but it cuts the exoskeletons of insects, like shards of glass, and gets in their joints, causing them to die before they can multiply. It's put into livestock food to kill worms in cows and horses.

Carbon disulfide was also used by our grandparents to keep insects out of food. It was called High Life but I don't think it is available in small quantities, for less than $150.

Here is a hot tip. Sam's club has 25lb bags of rice for $8. (35 cents per lb.) That is very cheap because some nations won't import genetically engineered foods and rice is one of them.

Energy tip: Since energy could become a serious problem if the power grid goes down, and fuel is not available, it would be good to know how steam power could be use to create electricity and run lights, charge batteries or run a motor.

A 2 stroke engine like a Weed Whacker can easily be adapted to run on steam. Just remove the spark plug and shoot air/steam into the cylinder intermittently. Even lawn mower engine can be converted to run on steam - but 4 stroke engines use valves. The timing of opening and closing of valves requires a complicated modification to the cam shaft to convert them to run on steam/air pressure. They also have a compression stroke that works AGAINST steam power conversion. The effort may be worth it in the long run because a 4 stroke engine has a lubricating system.

The normal firing system (from the flywheel) for the spark plug and battery, lights etc., creates substantial electricity and a pulley and belt could be added to run an automotive alternator... which could power headlights, heater fans and radios, etc. pulled from an automobile.

I am currently developing a low cost steam system to SAFELY and EFFICIENTLY power an engine that is converted to work on steam/air. I know that probably sound like going back to the 1800's but your lights are likely on right now from the steam power that runs the turbines from the coal powered plants nearby.

A steam system starts out simple, we make coffee and tea everyday with boiling water. However, if you need a constant supply and do not have water pressure to replenish the system, there needs to be another method to add water without shutting down and cooling off the system.

The next challenge is to EFFICIENTLY convert the steam pressure into electricity without expensive equipment. I have researched steam engines and prices. When I totaled the price for a 2, 5, 8, 10 and 15 hp engine an divided it by 40 hp (the total hp of those 5 engines) the price per hp came to be $500 for every hp AND that did not include shipping which adds at least $100 per hp.

If an inexpensive efficient method of turning an automotive alternator and creating electricity from steam can be found, I'm committed to finding it. It won't replace the power plants but as they say: "In the land of the blind, the one-eyed man is king."

Here is a how I build traps out of old shopping carts.

I would support David Gergen for president but this is what I would do if I were president.