Doing what FEMA 'ought to be doing'

Doing what FEMA 'ought to be doing'
WorldNetDaily.com ^ | Tuesday, January 18, 2005


A Texas company is picking up where the federal government left off years ago, providing information and products to help families and communities develop their own nuclear-preparedness programs.

In this day of nuclear-terror vulnerability, KI4U Inc., markets several products to help families survive any type of nuke incident, including a personal radiation detector that could be the most important "key ring" you'll carry.

Developed and produced by the company, the matchbox-sized device doubles as a radiation monitor and alarm, operating 24/7 on a 10-year battery.

While the device detects harmful fallout from a nuclear-plant accident, it also will detect dangerous radiation levels that could be the result of nuclear terrorism or a "dirty bomb" attack. When radiation is detected, the device chirps a certain number of times. Referring to the back of the monitor lets the owner know how severe the radiation is based on the number of chirps.

"Carried everywhere your keys go, with NukAlert's 24/7 constant monitoring, you'll always be promptly alerted to the unseen, but acutely dangerous, levels of radiation if and when present," says the product's website.

The device also confirms when and where those higher levels of radiation are not present.

"This is the most remarkable advance in civil-defense equipment in many, many years," commented Dr. Arthur B. Robinson, director of Oregon Institute of Science and Medicine.

The unique alarm was developed after 9-11 and first went into mass production in 2003.

Shane Connor, president of KI4U, points out the federal government no longer has a coordinated civil-defense program, which in decades past included radiation meters in local communities.

"The major component of our abandoned national civil-defense program was the pre-positioning of literally millions of basic radiation meters in communities all across America," he states on the website. "The mandate was clear then â?? every community needed to be able to determine the level of radiation present at their own specific location before they could hope to know the proper response. Without that essential information, they understood well that many thousands, perhaps millions, of Americans would needlessly perish due to ignorance of the local radiation intensity. In the absence of government support for neighborhood and family level civil defense, individuals and citizen groups must take this responsibility upon themselves, or remain needlessly vulnerable."

KI4U offers a community program so local groups can obtain the detectors in multiple quantities at a reduced price.

Besides offering the radiation monitor, KI4U includes on its site several emergency-preparedness documents and guides to help its customers learn what to do if a nuclear event occurs.

So, what kind of dangers does the NukAlert protect against? According to the site, they include: nuclear power-plant accidents, nuclear materials processing-plant accidents, nuclear waste (radioactive waste from hospitals, spent fuel and radioactive waste from nuclear power plants, radioactive contaminated materials, etc.), nuclear waste transport truck or train accidents, improper storage of radioactive materials, lost or stolen radioactive sources and, of course, nuclear terrorism.

Nuclear terrorism could include an attack on a nuke plant, the detonation of an atomic bomb or the use of a "dirty bomb." Terrorists also could contaminate food or water supplies with radioactive materials.

"Everybody will have different opinions about which of the nuclear threats is most likely to occur or impact their own family sometime in the future," says Connor. "Regardless, though, in all cases, knowing exactly what the radioactivity is, where you are standing, will always make for better informed decisions in then taking the correct protective action to minimize any future radiation exposure for your family."

Another product Connor features is potassium iodide, or KI. When ingested, the tablets protect the body from the deadly effects of radiation. Connor says his company has 15 million doses of KI available â?? likely the largest privately held inventory in the U.S.

It's important, Connor explains, that every family have KI available to take when radiation becomes a danger. The federal government has just 1.6 million doses on hand, and those are not distributed so they can be used at a moment's notice.

"You've got to have it in your own home," he told WND. "It's not going to do a lot of good if the government has it and they can't get it to people in time. â?¦ You've got to take this stuff a half hour before you start inhaling the radioactive iodine."

Explained Connor: "If you can get potassium iodide into your system, your thyroid will get filled up with good, safe, stable iodide so you won't be taking up any of the radioactive iodide."

Connor said the NukAlert pairs well with KI since it alerts people to when they should take the iodide pills.

"They go hand in hand," he said.

KI4U has been in business since 1999, first marketing potassium iodide and then adding other products.

"We're really doing what FEMA ought to be doing," Connor said. "Nobody else is doing it. â?¦ This is nutty for the richest country in world not to have a civil-defense program."

Connor emphasized the importance of the NukAlert, saying since the federal government took out the community detectors there is no way to know, without such a device, whether or not you're in danger.

Said Conner: "We look at all of this like you would medical insurance, where you never acquire it eagerly looking forward to getting to use it anytime soon, but will be very glad to have it if it is ever needed. We tell all our customers that we hope and pray it all gets a chance to gather much dust upon their shelves for many years!"

Connor said a great free report on his site should be printed by all. It's a guide called "What to do if a nuclear disaster is imminent," and identifies specific steps families can take in the event of an incident to help save lives.

Howdy Y'all,

This is one of my pet-peaves and sore point-that the US gov has abandoned the Civil Defense,and we are basically on our own now..the average citizen is expendable,in the eyes of the goverment. In fact,the average citizen,constitutes a logistical liability.

So..it's up to you-to take care of yourself and your family..for those of y'all that live within a hundred miles of a nuclear plant or facility,I'd urge you to look into at least aquiring some iodide pills. Once we start attacking Iran,there could be an incident here,by Iranian sleeper cells.

Have a good one...Torog

thanks torog, i live within 100 miles of a nuclear plant. good to know. peace.