Gov Reports on Katrina

The NPR.org site has the downloads of the 3 government reports on the Hurricane Katrina response. The downloads are reports from the Whitehouse, The House and GAO. They are in PDF format and a heck of a lot of pages. You can find links on this NPR page.

Happy reading! (You didn't want to do much this weekend anyway). I haven't had time to plow through them yet, but I hope there is enough real meat so that we can avoid the mistakes we made.

I heard on NPR this morning a bit on the National Grid, as in directions to find something or someone. It is supposed to be better than GPS or map directions for finding a victim of a disaster. Does anyone have experience with this system so we can talk about it? Please post a response to this post if you have any insight on the National Grid (not electrical grid). Thanks, Mike

Handy Battery Condition Chart

I've put this chart here on the blog because I am constantly handing it out to RV owners, solar owners, and everyone else who has a wet cell battery (isn't that all of us??).

Click on the above picture for larger graphic.

Copy it, paste it, print it, laminate it, save it, tape it up where you won't lose it, and then you will someday memorize it.

Hope this helps, if not, give it to someone who needs it!

All the best, Mike

This "Solar for Emergencies" blog has been around for 3 years! Who woulda guessed!

More later - You can find more information about batteries on a previous SFE post: Battery Condition

Sunsei Solar Battery Maintainers

The new RV catalog has been published with 900 pages of RV stuff in it. In the electrical section there are several solar products that you might want to consider. Perhaps the biggest sellers of small solar panels is the Sunsei (formerly ICP) line of products.

You can find the Sunsei line starting on page 104. On the top of the page in the blue section you can hit "next page" or simply type in the page number. The solar panels, maintainers and controllers can be found on pages 104 through 106. There are other products that might be of interest (inverters, converters, etc.) in nearby pages. If you want to find the price, enter the 5-digit number in the red bar and the current price will be shown. You can now add this to your shopping cart if you want to purchase the item online.

I received a phone call from an emergency management coordinator today who wanted a small solar system to keep his three batteries "at the ready" to start his mobile emergency generator which operates his other emergency radios and equipment. I suggested these smaller panels because batteries sitting idle do not need a lot of power, but they do need some, as wet-cell batteries can loose up to 1% per day when sitting idle.

Here's a rule of thumb:

Use the small SE-135 2 watt panel for one battery.
Use the larger SE-400 for 2-3 car sized batteries (group 24) or 2 larger group 27 truck-size batteries.

The above two maintainers do not have a controller, but they are self controlling to a large extent. If you want more power for a larger battery bank or need a little extra power for very small loads, then the SE-1200 with a CC10000 controller (page 105) will fit the bill. You have to have a controller so that the battery bank will not over charge.

These panels are not extremely heavy duty, but they work. The non-breakable panels are impossible to find right now and many people like the price of these new Sunsei panels.

If you have more questions about this product line, or have questions about the new RV catalog, please call me on our toll-free line, 1-800-640-0766 (Vegas Trailer Supply - ask for the manager).

Happy solar-ing, Mike

Radio Shack for Emergency Listening

The news today was not good about Radio Shack. The top guy resigned and they are going to close a few hundred stores. Well, they are still a good source for shortwave receivers and emergency scanners.

We are not an affiliate with Radio Shack, but here are a couple of links to their radios that can be used in emergencies:

Scanners
Shortwave Receivers

Also we have added a couple of links to the ARRL site on our Solar for Emergency web page that might have interest for our readers. It was interesting to me to read how amateur radio has helped in many world-wide emergencies. Go to the "What is Amateur Radio" page and scroll down to the event links that describe how amateur radio has helped during emergencies from 1997 to 2005.

Also if you are into watching videos and you have 70 megs of space to spare you can download a video narrated by Walter Cronkite titled "Amateur Radio Today".

You will find a review of emergency communications in this blog or you can visit our Communications in Emergencies page on our SFE site. Sundance Solar also has a couple of small shortwave radios.

All the best with your emergency preparations! Mike

Solar Evaporative Coolers

A couple of years ago a customer wanted to power his 3/4 horsepower swamp cooler with solar power 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Often I get customers who want to run their airconditioner on solar power here in the desert (Las Vegas area).

The gentleman who wanted to run his swamper on solar was astounded when we worked out the number of solar panels and batteries that he would need to accomplish his request. He also would need other parts to his solar system that made the cost prohibitive.

Those people who want to run their energy-guzzling airconditioners constantly on solar panels are amazed when they find out it is rarely practical to do such a thing! If you are connected to the grid, and your cost per kW is 11 cents, it will take you a long time to get pay back on your investment. Now, I'm not advocating not to use solar power. Many who require huge amounts of power do use solar power and they are happy doing it. I am just saying that one should look at alternatives and research the options before jumping into huge systems.

Many times people will consider life-style changes to accomplish their solar dream. Often these lifestyle changes are for the good, even though change is hard to do.

One of the options for cooling is the Solar Chill evaporative coolers designed for solar systems. These quality evap coolers are made in the heart of solar country, Arizona, but they may not be as powerful as a 3/4 horse 5500 cfm cooler you buy at Home Depot. Perhaps you can cool part of your house, or get multiple coolers for different areas and only operate them when someone is in the room. Either way, you will require less power with this small life-style change.

Over the years we have sold small room solar run coolers similar to the Solar Chill and if people understand their limitations and their energy saving benefits, they love 'em!

Check out the Solar Chill Evaporator Coolers.

If you have experience with the Solar Chill cooler, please post a comment on this blog. Thanks, and have a cool day! Mike

Put Plans in Place for Flu Outbreaks, Pandemics

During the winter months, employee absenteeism escalates when the influenza virus strikes. Costs can reach as much as $700 per worker for unplanned absences during an average flu season.

This season could be especially costly for organizations as experts warn of a possible Avian flu outbreak. This flu is often referred to as the ‘bird’ flu, since it is spread from contaminated poultry. The Avian flu has resulted in the deaths of 80 people in Asia and has been detected in more than 12 countries. Though human-to-human transfer has not occurred at this point, experts say the virus could mutate and spread rapidly, causing a pandemic.

Is your organization prepared for a pandemic? Even if the Avian flu never causes widespread human infection, other viruses and diseases are on the horizon. According to Dr. Julie Gerberding of the Centers for Disease Control, the world has “never been closer to a pandemic”.

The CDC predicts that as many as 25 to 30 percent of the U.S. population could be affected if an Avian flu pandemic occurs. Companies should plan for prolonged absenteeism of as much as 30 percent of their workforce, translating into financial losses of more than $160 billion.

A pandemic could also affect international and local travel; health systems, schools and daycare providers, tourism industries, and industry supply chains.

Plans made for future pandemics will not only save lives and dollars, but can also help organizations prepare for other medical emergencies, such as natural disasters, bioterrorism or nuclear events.

When preparing for a pandemic, planners should consider the following points:

• Conduct a business impact analysis to identify the most essential functions and personnel positions.
• Put plans in place for workers to telecommute. This eliminates the need for travel and limits potential exposure to the virus. Necessary components and infrastructure should be planned in advance.
• Examine the company’s absentee policy to make allowances for employees to miss work when they are ill.
• Provide cross-training for all positions, especially those that are critical for day-to-day operations.
• Designate alternate leaders for all crisis and response teams.
• Coordinate your plans with local response teams and health organizations. Work with your suppliers and partners to produce compatible response and recovery plans.
• Have plans in place for effective communications with employees and customers who may be out ill or who are unable to travel to the workplace because of transportation interruptions.
• Do not wait for an outbreak to occur. Put your plans in place early and review them often.

Our thanks to Disaster Recovery Journal for this article. Find out more at: http://drj.com/

Avian Flu links:

CDC
WHO

NOTE: We are currently in phase three of six phases regarding a world-wide pandemic. Read about phases 4 through 6 on the WHO Avian Flu info page.

I guess we should all be watching this one. See ya, Mike