RATIONAL PREPAREDNESS : THE BLOG is a supplement to the radio show/podcasts and book of the same name, by Jane-Alexandra Krehbiel, The BOOK, the BLOG, and the PODCASTS are FULLY COPYWRITTEN MATERIALS, 2012.RATIONAL PREPAREDNESS is a trademark owned by Jane-Alexandra Krehbiel.
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In the American Northeast, the occasional severe October snowstorm occurs. It does not happen often. I can recall one or two when I lived there as a child. This one will be historical. It is also likely to be a harbinger of a difficult winter. This will definitely be a winter in which one will wish they prepared.
Hopefully you have some canned foods you made when fruits and veggies were plentiful earlier in the year.
Winter is coming. Here in the American South, it is unusual for there to be snow fall prior to our Halloween, but today, particularly in the vicinity of Virginia's Blue Ridge Mountains, there was. Autumn seems ahead of schedule this year with trees orange, red and gold in a manner which would be expected closer to November's end. This should come as a resounding reminder to ready for winter. Ready cars for ice and snow, ready livestock and other animals for cold and precipitation, and as they did in the Great Depression and in other years too, if they were smart, lay in a good winter food supply. I have already made sure that all farm structures are winter ready and the animals should fare well, and I already have the hay and the feed for a winter which seems inexplicably severe, simply from the air.
Now we turn our attention to the food stores which must be put away for human beings. What you stock, and how much you stock depends on a myriad of factors. If you are moving in January, then you will stock things which are likely to be consumed by then, so as not to be moving more than is necessary. If you live in an apartment, then your stocks must be space efficient. If you have heated food storage space, then different things will need to be stored than if you do not. Your nation will also dictate somewhat what is stored. In the US for example, peanut butter is considered a staple food. High in protein, calories and fat for satiety value, it's useful in sandwiches and also in Christmas cookies. In England, it has caught on with many. In Canada, it has its admirers. In Russia however, it remains very much an acquired taste and many people haven't developed a love for peanut butter. It also is a food which has its share of allergy sufferers and therefore, it should probably be stocked with caution. Rice and beans, when stored in sealed containers safe from insects, can be a good long term storage food. Tinned foods, as long as attention is paid to their salt content, can also be a good group of foods to stock. What you stock is going to depend upon your likes and dislikes, what you have in terms of money to spend, what your special food needs are, if any, and where you are in the world. Here are some ideas.
etc. Varietal pastas, including whole wheat varieties
Canned Meats : chicken, ham, beef, vegetables fruit soups tinned cheeses
Beverages tea coffee cocoa dried soups some granulated drinks with sugar
If you are near a bakery, or bakery discount shop, breads of many types freeze very well, often for months
and can be quickly resurrected in a warm oven, whether toasted or not. These breads can be wonderful for soup, garlic toasts, as panini, or other fried sandwiches or made as croutons for salads and soups.
Cheeses freeze well also, although texture is unquestionably impacted.
Eggs can also be frozen for future use. It is also possible to buy whole powdered eggs or egg whites
which can be advantageous to some.
Homemade macaroni and cheese can be a filling dinner, especially with a salad.
Soups are a very versatile, soothing and filling lunch or dinner. Your family should keep a listing of favorite soups. Ours is a homemade tomato chili soup, with French bread.
It's time to stock extra food for interruptions in service and for shortages, wherever you are. Whenever possible, buy things you know you like, that you will be happy consuming. Try new foods cautiously, but by all means try them. As food shortages begin to occur, we are likely to need to broaden our dietary horizons and begin to incorporate new foods. Why not make those foods, new healthier ones.
Thus far, the Associated Press is quoting that the death toll in and around Ercis, is 534. Life for survivors has been furthur complicated by rain and snow. A neighboring province was rocked today by a 5.4 earthquake about 90 miles from the original, in Hakkari.
Today, a Red Alert was sent out in the United Kingdom to cell phones. This appears to be why. The impact of "red auroras" on seismic and weather activity is not yet understood.
October 25, 2011 – AURORAS IN THE USA: A coronal mass ejection (CME) hit Earth on Oct. 24th at approximately 1800 UT (2:00 pm EDT). The impact strongly compressed Earth’s magnetic field, directly exposing geosynchronous satellites to solar wind plasma, and sparked an intense geomagnetic storm. As night fell over North America, auroras spilled across the Canadian border into the contiguous United States. Indeed, the display spread all the way down to Arkansas. “When I saw the alert, I ran outside and immediately saw red auroras,” reports Brian Emfinger from the city of Ozark. “Within a few minutes the auroras went crazy! Unbelievable!” Auroras were seen or photographed in more than half of all US states including Alabama, Wisconsin, New Mexico, Tennessee, Missouri, Illinois, Nebraska, Kentucky, North Carolina, Indiana, Oklahoma, Kansas, Iowa, Maryland, New York, Montana, Ohio, Colorado, Pennsylvania, Washington, Minnesota, Maine, Michigan, Oregon, Arkansas and California. Many observers, especially in the deep south, commented on the pure red color of the lights they saw. These rare all-red aurorassometimes appear during intense geomagnetic storms. They occur some 300 to 500 km above Earth’s surface and are not yet fully understood. The storm is subsiding now. Nevertheless, high-latitude sky watchers should remain alert for auroras as Earth’s magnetic field continues to reverberate from the CME impact. –Space Weather
contribution by Kaos
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The "Extinction Protocol" is apparently the name of a website, and the name itself need not strike fear causing us to run into the streets shreiking. I included their article and credited them, because it is quite interesting.
CNN is reporting that thus far, that 366 people are known dead following the earthquake in Turkey, and that an additional 1500 people are injured. Critically ill people are being transported to Ankara. News reports are indicating that more than 2000 structures, many of them large concrete apartment buildings, have collapsed there. The focus of keeping people alive at this time has been finding safe places for people who are survivors to sleep. Of course, getting anyone out from the rubble who remains alive is also an urgent priority. Aftershocks have been as severe as 6.0 on the Richter Scale. In a place where severe earthquakes are an episodic issue, people are described as being "quite scared", and who could blame them.
There are still reports of children and people being located and pulled out of rubble. Of course, with near freezing temperatures overnight, and days passing, those covered with rubble and quite possibly injured as well, time is running out. We were all inspired for a moment this afternoon when a fourteen or fifteen day old baby and mother were rescued from post quake rubble when their home collapsed.
What can we do at this point ? For now, we can pray, and when legitimate aid organization ask for aid for Turkey, we can donate, if possible for us. Mostly, this is a wake-up call. If one is living in a concrete apartment building in a region of the world in which earthquakes of some severity do occur, then there are limits to what can be done in anticipation, when the structure itself collapses around you. Many people's cars were parked in assigned parking so close to the building, that it too was destroyed when the building collapsed. This leaves virtually no places for supply caches available to people who were trying to place supplies prior to earthquake events. Their only alternative is to visit relatives who live in other parts of town or other areas for aid.
Many people throughout the world do not live with such constraints. They may live in a house with a garage. They may live in an apartment with a car parked far enough away from the building that emergency supplies can be stocking in the trunk. Look at all the possibilities where you are today. If you were to have an earthquake with significant damage in your primary structure, where could you have hidden food, water, basic medical supplies, and blankets ?
Yesterday, I learned that one of our friends, here in Virginia, whom I have not seen in a while, lost his entire home during the August 23rd quake here in Virginia. Apparently, damage to his new house, to the foundation and other structures within the home, are so severe that they cannot be salvaged. He has no earthquake insurance. Seismic activity can occur in many places throughout the world, including those that most of us do not recall for having it. Also, I am told today, that we had a 2.0 aftershock in our region, probably about the 83rd such event since our August quake. Of course in comparison to what is going on in Turkey just now, my woes seem small potatoes.
There certainly have been a lot of earthquakes in a variety of locations on Earth lately. Today, a 7.2 earthquake occurred in Ankara, Turkey. It caused the collapse of a number of buildings. 300 people are known to be dead, and 350 are suspected to be injured. Thus far, this is very preliminary data.
So far, eighty buildings are believed to have collapsed, and more than 100 aftershocks are reported to have occurred. There is no way of accurately assessing the number of people who are trapped within building rubble. The death toll potentially could go much higher. Many people tonight will be spending the night outside, away from buildings which may fall in aftershocks overnight. Please pray for these people, regardless of your faith, or of there's. We are all part of a family of man, and we are all vulnerable to the occurrences on our planet.
It takes time and preparation to allocate funds to give the right Christmas gift, most especially in tough times.
This is an organized car kit. All over the world, one can buy a car kit, in every price range.
An emergency food kit which could be especially helpful should one need to evacuate.
Also emergency food for longterm storage.
Remember that for a college student living in an apartment, this could be a Godsend.
We are some weeks from Christmas, and for most Americans,money is tight. I know that most of us want to give practical and helpful gifts this year, and not something that may not be used. Since this is when a lot of people begin thinking about Christmas and presents for loved ones, I want to offer an idea.
Perhaps this year, the most loving gift would be something which contributes to preparedness and survival. What better way to say, "I love you and want to make your path and your time on Earth easier".
There are lots of possibilities. A pre-packaged car kit with jumper cables, emergency food, car repair items etc. could be a big help. A cold weather pack for the trunk of your loved one's car might be welcome. A heavy blanket, emergency food and water, with firstaid kit etc. could be helpful. Some families are buying a one week food kit from Augason Farms or another provider of freeze dried foods this year. Wal-Mart could be a source of some of these things, as could Sam's Club online. Amazon is also a good source of survival supplies especially of you might not have time to shop. You could have things directly sent to relatives, as gifts, and have giftcards inserted. You could make your own jams and jellies and distribute them to loved ones......always a welcome gift. Another great gift is to go to www.half.com and buy new books,CDs or DVDs, very reasonably. Ebay can also be another source of reasonably priced gifts. Work on this early and chances are, you can do a good job, AND save money.
In my general region, in another county on October 13, 2011, some tornadoes were spawned. East of here, thirty houses have been damaged, fifteen of which have been demolished. In Louisa County, the site of a 5.8 earthquake in August, and of 41 aftershocks since, they had an F-1 tornado. A plantation home whose original structure is from the 1740s has lost it's roof and has sustained other damage as well. The video which follows is quite interesting. Louisa County has certainly had a difficult year. FEMA, under the direction of President Obama, has elected to do nothing for Louisa County, other than to condemn their homes, in a futile and somewhat misplaced attempt at an austerity measure. The fact is that these people were already stressed by the economy and fuel prices, and cannot possibly rebuild or survive as families without some help. I suppose the present administration would prefer to spend money on lobster for themselves when they are visiting Wyoming (where beef is plentiful and reasonable), and steak for themselves while visiting Massachusetts, where lobster is more economical. Very little of the decision-making of the Obama administration has made sense, leaving many Americans wondering if he is simply incompetent, or means to do the United States harm.
This would be a good time to review what we should do in a tornado situation. Remember that all 50 states in the US can have tornadoes, although most places do not have tornadoes often. You should not attempt to follow a tornado as the person in the video did. Although I am grateful for the video, the tornado could have killed this person. Tornadoes are also occurring with more frequency in other parts of the world as well.
Showing the simple potential diversity of a tornado
Breadth and size can differ considerably
Damage in New Kent County, Virginia on October 13, 2011
Also in New Kent County, Virginia, October 13, 2011
"Sylvania", a beautiful old plantation home from the 1700s which was in the process of being restored, was badly damaged by the Louisa County tornado on October 13, 2011. This is near the video above.
This is the overhead view of "Sylvania" now. Photo courtesy of "The Hook", Charlottesville, Virginia. (No additional attribution of photo is given.)
In a tornado, here in the US, we often notice a slightly green tint to the sky and eerie stillness before one. (Although this is not 100% true) One may see an actual tornado in the distance, or one might just see fog or even rain. The telltale sign is a stormy sound which sounds like a train coming. In a tornado, you and your family should get to the lowest point in your building. A basement or storm cellar is best. A bathtub away from windows has also worked well for many survivors. Some people have also survived the complete destruction of their homes by hiding in a closet. Always have shoes on your feet during a tornado because you will likely need to walk out of the building amid lots of broken glass. Many areas in the US have a tornado watch or tornado warning program which is managed through the National Weather Service and then announced through local television. Never disregard a tornado watch or warning just because the weather looks great where you are this minute. Conversely, tornadoes can occur quickly sometimes, before a warning has been issued, so being generally alert is simply intelligent.
It is important that people take tornadoes seriously and that they get to the lowest level of their homes. Some references feel that one should get underneath a heavy table or workbench and cover ones head with blankets or a pillow.
Try to have emergency supplies in several places in your home. This way, if your home is damaged by a tornado or an earthquake, and your main supplies are inaccessible, you will have smaller caches of supplies available to you in such an emergency.
To those of you who know me well, you know that our youngest son, who had no prior medical history, died almost three years ago now, presumably due to a sudden heart rhythm disturbance at almost 13. (His autopsy was completely clean, and his cause of death is therefore a theory, not a certainty) Since then, many other young people have experienced a similar passing. One moment, they may be out on a soccer field, or playing (American) football or basketball, and another moment, they are inexplicably down, breathless and pulseless and require CPR. Despite rapid CPR that day, and two epinephrine injections, we never got Daniel back. The one piece of equipment which may have helped us that day is an AED. An Automatic Emergency Defibrillator delivers a shock which helps to synchronize the quivering of a heart in a near lethal rhythm, hovering near death. Unfortunately, there is only a short and narrow band of time in which an AED can be effectively used in a sudden arrhythmic death. Although the emergency helicopter that arrived to render care, had one and used it, it was beyond the narrow band of time in which it was most likely to have been effective. Of course, I had no idea that I probably needed to have an AED in our home. I also still have no guarantee that an AED would have worked, because although they help sometimes, they do not always. They are simply the best we have for such a situation.
First of all, children and teens who die suddenly of a heart rhythm disturbance are not having heart attacks. (A heart attack, or myocardial infarction, is a clot which forms in the coronary arteries which feed the heart, and normally, these children have absolutely clean coronary arteries.) What the children or teens of cardiac arrest are experiencing is a lethal heart rhythm disturbance, or lethal arrhythmia. Sometimes, this is due to a viral invasion of the heart and subsequent enlargement. Sometimes this is due to hormonally causes, as in hyperthyroidism. Other times, there is eventually identified a pre-existing rhythm disorder, such a Wolff-Parkinson-White Syndrome, Brugada Syndrome, or Long QT Syndrome. Other times, a child is simply tapped on the chest inadvertently and this disturbs the rhythm at a crucial part of cardiac repolarization. (This is called commotio cordis) Many times, as there was in Daniel, there were no prior symptoms, and the child or teen feels just fine. Daniel had no discernible cardiac abnormalities on autopsy done at a major US medical center, and reviewed by other centers since. Daniel had played soccer the day before. We did have a family history of heart rhythm disturbances, but this was felt only to afflict the elderly members of our family. No one believed Daniel should have a work up or as much as an EKG, and so, one was never done.
In the US, one can get an automated AED which is unlike the ones used in hospitals which require very specialized training and certification. Sam's Club sells one for $1200. Another reliable supplier of an AED and the education one generally should have to use the AED most effectively is:
Although there is no guarantee that Daniel would have survived his first and only cardiac arrest had I owned an AED, I still wish I had. I wish he had been given every chance for survival that day,in addition to the rapid CPR he received and the epinephrine injections.
In the US, one can purchase an AED for under $1200. and sometimes much less for a used reconditioned device. If you own one of these, it is important that you understand how it is to be used, because although it is automated, it is still important that you use it correctly to maximize the chance of saving someone's life. The one I have pictured below, can be purchased with a key which instantly turns it to a pediatric device delivering the appropriate shock to a pediatric patient. In Canada, you would need a prescription from your physician for one of these. Many government locations have one there. In Europe, more and more places are getting AEDs.
Since a fairly large number of cardiac arrests in children due to arrhythmia occur during sporting events and practices, each team should own an AED and it should be available to the coach at all times. This year, outside Richmond Virginia, a teenage girl's life was saved, as she experienced a cardiac arrest early one morning while walking stairs. Her two school nurses used an AED, saving her life. Later that day a local hospital identified her cardiac problem and installed an emergency internal defibrillator. She will be fine.
An AED in a public place in another nation
The unit which arrived at our home yesterday. It also has a key which immediately renders it effective for pediatric defibrillation. (Yes, even using the identical patches) It can instantaneously be returned to the adult mode should it ever be required to aid an adult in cardiac arrest.
More information on Sudden Arrhythmic Death Syndromes can be obtained by going to:
We miss Daniel immensely. Please consider the possibility of purchasing an AED, if this is a possibility for your family, or for your team, your employer, or for your school. Ours arrived yesterday. I could finally emotionally process the need to have one here.
Everything we do here on "Rational Preparedness" is dedicated to Daniel and to his memory.
One of the surprizes of doing first the radio program, and then this blog has been the number of interested listeners from Russia. This is especially an honor for me because I spent quite a bit of time in 2001-2002 in Russia, in both the Primorskiy Krai (Far Eastern Russia) and in Moscow. I also logged a lot of frequent flyer miles with Aeroflot. I found the Russian people to be fun and very generous, and we very much enjoyed our time in Russia. Generally, the Russians are very creative, innovative people. Americans used to be taught that Russians eat things that Americans wouldn't. However, I have to tell you, I fully enjoyed the food in Russia, and I frequently cook things I learned about there,including pelmeni, about thirty types of cole slaw and cabbage salads, and Chicken Kiev. In Vladivostok, they make some of the world's most delicious pizza.
For those of you who have not been, Russia is a tremendously large and diverse place. Depending upon where you are, there is ethnic diversity, cultural diversity, and while many of us know Russia for it's cities which are cultural meccas, rural places in Russia are astoundingly beautiful and wild. Some of the most imposing forests and lakes I have ever seen were in Far Eastern Russia. Many of us know Russia as a European city, yet forget that it stretches also into Asia. Asian Russia is also breathtaking.
The Russians have taken to capitalism like a duck to water, and there are many more opportunities to prepare for disasters in Russia than there used to be, yet still there remain interesting challenges which make it different from prepping in the United States. Russians have a decided advantage over Americans in preparedness though. The collapse of the Soviet Union was in the early 1990s, and therefore everyone but children recall well what financial collapse, and going to ones job without being paid, is like. They also recall what life with a marginally functioning government was like. For this reason, they may be better able to anticipate and imagine temporary collapses than Americans might.
Most Russians still rent an apartment of some sort. There are moves afoot for people to buy homes, which really are apartments most times, but there may be limited incentives as one becomes responsible for maintenence. Also, although Moscow has an incredible luxury market, most Russians are relegated to the same types of housing they had available as tenants. Apartment dwelling therefore limits somewhat how one might prep. Russia also does not have the abundance of "Do It Yourself" stores which are found in Europe, and so procurement of supplies for the home becomes a bit more challenging. When I was there, for example, smoke detectors and GPS units were illegal, and so, two of the things we take for granted in preparation, are not AS available to the average Russian.
However, the principles of preparedness in Russia are the same. Russians need to have a plan whereby they can evacuate their homes quickly in the event of a fire. They need to have an Evacuation Kit packed and ready to go, in the event that something triggered a need to evacuate. They need to have adequate funds for the entire family to depart using public transportation because not all Russians have their own vehicle. They need to have a plan as to where they would go in an emergency. The essentials of prepping are the same wherever you are. Where you go to purchase supplies and where you gather them, will vary. Many Russian foods can be found dried or canned, and so the Russians are no strangers to advance preparation and storage of food.
In some ways the Russians have an advantage over us in preparedness. Russian made antibiotics are available over the counter there.(Narcotics are prescription) Most Russians know well that the correct complement of bacteria in our intestines is essential to how we digest food and so they are reticent to use antibiotics unless clearly necessary. They may not have access to some of the more advanced antibiotics we make in the US, but they rarely need them, since antibiotics there are so rarely used. If one takes antibiotics in Russia following a disaster, be especially careful to eat yogurt or drink kefir afterward in order to help reseed those valuable bacteria in the gut.
The other important thing is to have some Oxfam Rehydration Packets (available at most pharmacies, yes, even in Vladivostok) in your survival preps. In Russia, many people hydrate themselves and children with tea. When someone has diarrhea, tea may actually pull more fluids away in urine than it provides. Therefore for adults and children with vomiting, one should boil water, and add the directed amount of electrolytes from the rehydration packet, and drink that, in order to balance the small amounts of salt and potassium essential for heart and muscle and other functions. Other brands of rehydration packets you get from a pharmacist will be alright, and some people flavor it for children with very little orange Fanta. (Watch sugar for children with diarrhea and vomiting because it can enhance diarrhea)
I am thrilled to have our Russian friends join us on our preparedness journey here.
(The above direct link to the show, which aired on October 3, 2011 is a REPLAY of an earlier program, Episode 3)
Episode 3 was a step by step discussion of preparations necessary in order to effect a rapid family evacuation from your home or farm.
Updates since this episode aired originally: The central Virginia community in the next county from me, whose twin nuclear reactors automatically shut down as designed due to the 5.8 earthquake in late August, has now almost completed its Nuclear Regulatory Committee inspections. It should return to being online again soon, despite the fact that it was built when this general area was not known to be a seismically active one. Additionally, central Virginia homes who did not lose their chimneys, are being told to pay for a professional chimney evaluation, as subtle cracks in the chimney can cause fires and carbon monoxide leakage into homes later in the season when these are used more frequently.
For those of you who were planning to listen to the Podcast which would normally be on the air tomorrow, I should best complete what we were discussing, which are completions to your Emergency Medical Kit for Home Base, We made great inroads last week, but have important elements necessary for its completion to discuss this week.
To recap the medications I believe you should have, unless of course you are allergic to any of the elements, are: This is a review:
You need medications in suitable form (tablet, chewable or liquid) for each of the persons in your family of the following medications: These medications are available " Over the Counter" (OTC) in the US and in Canada.
1.Acetaminophen (aka tylenol)
2.Aspirin (Give no aspirin to children without a specific physician's order, as aspirin products and other salicylates are implicated in something called Reye's Syndrome which is a devastating illness in children and those under 18.)
3.Loperamide (Imodium AD) Available OTC in the US and in Canada.
4.Pepto-Bismol (This is a salicylate, check with your pediatrician as to whether in an emergency, or when he/she is unreachable, whether they wish your child to have pepto-bismol, in view of Reye's potential)
5.Diphenhydramine (aka Benadryl) (Please have in capsular and in liquid form, and in chewable if you have children.
6.Iosat (for all family members) One source is www.nukepills.com I will discuss at length later and
there is detailed information on the site also.
7. Omeprazole Try to get brown oval tablets rather than capsules because they can be cut in half as needed.
8. Loratadine (aka Claritin, or Alavert) tablets and rapidly dissolving variety also.
9. Ibuprofen 200mg. tablets, and liquid should you have children. (Clear this drug in advance with your pediatrician)
10.Ipecac syrup
11. Simethicone liquid for children, and capsules or tablets for adults.
Generic medicines for these supplies are just fine. Try to find meds with expiration dates marked on the package that are as far in the future as possible. Wal-Mart, because they tend to move a lot of generic product, often has lots of medicines which have an expiration date farthest in the future.
Always keep 30 days ahead on prescription medications if you can, 90 days if you are able..
Of course, OTC and any drug is dangerous to children, and so these need to be packed away or in a locked cabinet that you, the adult can quickly access.
I will speak of these at length in the future.
We used the first few seconds of this song for the podcasts, and despite the fact that the podcasts are now concluded, I must attribute the artist and the song.
This is "Grace Flows Down" and the version we used was performed by Missi Hale.
Missi is a Nashville, Tennessee. based Christian Contemporary Music singer. Please look for her albums and buy some of them. Thank you so much. Here is the entire song, a nice sampling of some of her work.
On the left, the kit is configured for a Type I diabetic and their most commonly used necessities. The one on the right is configured for a Type II diabetic. They do not yet have a kit configured for an insulin pump using diabetic, but if you asked them, I believe they would design one.
This week a wonderful product came to my attention. The brainchild of a Type I diabetic adult who has a Type I diabetic child, this specialized case allows the diabetic to keep a diabetes kit ready for evacuation at a moment's notice. It also keeps them ready for sick days when things like ketodiastix and glucagon need to be in easy reach or even found quickly by family members.
This company is also completing cases especially designed for cardiac patients, asthmatics, and others.
The Diabetic Med-Ecase can be read about and ordered from:
October 25, 2011 – AURORAS IN THE USA: A coronal mass ejection (CME) hit Earth on Oct. 24th at approximately 1800 UT (2:00 pm EDT). The impact strongly compressed Earth’s magnetic field, directly exposing geosynchronous satellites to solar wind plasma, and sparked an intense geomagnetic storm. As night fell over North America, auroras spilled across the Canadian border into the contiguous United States. Indeed, the display spread all the way down to Arkansas. “When I saw the alert, I ran outside and immediately saw red auroras,” reports Brian Emfinger from the city of Ozark. “Within a few minutes the auroras went crazy! Unbelievable!” Auroras were seen or photographed in more than half of all US states including Alabama, Wisconsin, New Mexico, Tennessee, Missouri, Illinois, Nebraska, Kentucky, North Carolina, Indiana, Oklahoma, Kansas, Iowa, Maryland, New York, Montana, Ohio, Colorado, Pennsylvania, Washington, Minnesota, Maine, Michigan, Oregon, Arkansas and California. Many observers, especially in the deep south, commented on the pure red color of the lights they saw. These rare all-red auroras sometimes appear during intense geomagnetic storms. They occur some 300 to 500 km above Earth’s surface and are not yet fully understood. The storm is subsiding now. Nevertheless, high-latitude sky watchers should remain alert for auroras as Earth’s magnetic field continues to reverberate from the CME impact. –Space Weather
