International Preparedness Network

By Aton Edwards, I.P.N. Executive Director

Escape From The Grid is rolling on!  The next leader/captain/marshal training class will be held outdoors on Saturday, May 12, 2012.  It will begin promptly at 11 AM and end at 4 PM. Attendees will meet at the main entrance to Strawberry Fields, on 72nd Street, Central Park West.  The rain date is May 13, 2012.  12 -5 PM, same location.

Escape From The Grid now has an official preparedness & outdoor gear location. It is Tents & Trails (T&T’s) located at  21 Park Place, inManhattan. T&T”s is a “one-stop shop” featuring a wide assortment of preparedness and outdoor related products ranging from multi-tools, flashlights, water filters, backpacks, freeze dried foods and much more. Official EFTG participants will receive generous bargains on the full range of products.   In addition, special group shopping trips will be arranged for all who wish to purchase their equipment at the lowest prices.  I.P.N. experts will be in attendance to guide and assist all EFTG shoppers along with the expert T&T staff.   Special lists will be provided to speed up orders.

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By Aton Edwards, I.P.N. Executive Director

The next Escape From The Grid class will be in Harlem NYC!  The location is posted below:

Escape From The Grid Officials Volunteer Training Session
Date: Thursday April 19, 2012
Time: 6:30 PM
Location: 262 West 145th St., NYC

All who wish to participate in Escape From The Grid are welcome!

It will be followed with an outdoor training session that will be posted here on this website. In the meantime, enjoy yourselves with a short film by my son Amen … Escape From The Grid marches on …

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By Aton Edwards, I.P.N. Executive Director

Since Spring 1997, the I.P.N. has staged mock disaster evacuations in New York City called Evac-U-Walks.  The purpose of the drill was to teach New Yorkers how to safely evacuate from a large-scale disaster on foot, or bicycle, and to familiarize them with the best escape routes.

The walks were and continue to be one of our most effective methods to teach our students, members and all who participate disaster preparedness and survival skills. The idea for “Escape From The Grid” is rooted in the basic principals of the Evac-U-Walk, but the goals are far more wide ranging

Evac-U-Walks teach New Yorkers how to escape disasters. Escape From The Grid will teach participants on how to “escape” a great deal more. Besides learning how to evacuate from a disaster and emergency preparedness “escapees” will learn the most critical principals of self-reliance.

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By Marc Steven

After a long hiatus due to the illness and untimely death of his beloved Mother Doris Edwards (pictured below at right with her grandson Amen) on August 13, 2011 and other health related family crisis that forced him to significantly scale down his activities, I.P.N. Executive Director,  Aton Edwards is returning to action in a pay-per-view special event featured on www.2012res.com, December 15th 2011 from 6-10 PM to present his National Urban Self-Reliance & Preparedness (NUSRP)  XET-7 (X-treme Emergency Training) & Ready-UP! America programs.

The success of his last presentation called Ready-UP! New York, held in July 2011 & sponsored by the popular 98.7 KISS-FM Open Line radio show featuring Bob Slade, M’tume & Judge Bob Pickett has helped to spark interest in urban preparedness across the nation and Edwards is hoping to keep the ball rolling with this upcoming event.

It will be streamed live from a historic Harlem location, Muhammad Mosque No.7, 106-08 West 127th Street (between Malcolm X & Adam Clayton Powell Blvd) 6- 10 PM.

Admission is $20.00.  Edwards promises to make this an evening that the community will not only remember, but to motivate them to take action and become more self-reliant. He says, “given the problems that our nation and world will face over the next several years, our community cannot afford to remain dependent upon governmental systems that cannot adequately serve them when disasters & other emergencies strike.”

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By Mitchel Cohen, No Spray Coalition

The City has announced it will spray dangerous pesticides in crowded residential areas in Brooklyn and Queens on Wednesday, August 3rd, 2011.  The No Spray Coalition is appalled by Mayor Bloomberg’s and the City’s Department of Health decision to renew the mass-spraying — no legitimate reasons given.

We also condemn the New York City government’s advice to residents and visitors that they personally use insect repellants containing DEET on themselves and their children. DEET is especially dangerous for children and should NEVER be used; it is associated with numerous infant deaths. The City knows this; we negotiated an agreement with the City last year that they wouldn’t recommend DEET. And here they are, again, acting in utter disregard of the health and safety of our children, and more generally of all the people of New York.

Furthermore, this year’s spray of choice — Anvil 10+10 — is listed in Local Law 37 (2005 update, see page 1, paragraph 4, discussion of table 2) that states that for piperonyl butoxide and MGK-264 contained as synergists in Anvil 10 + 10, that

“both of these chemicals are classified as possible human carcinogens by the EPA Office of Pesticide Programs. Only 94 products contain pyrethrins without other carcinogen ingredients. Therefore, most products containing pyrethrins continue to be prohibited under LL37 even if the reference to the EPA list was updated”.

Local Law 37 prohibits the use of pesticides by NYC in public places if it contains PBO and/or MGK-264.  Why are they violating their own law?  The No Spray Coalition is also deeply troubled not only by NYC’s reckless spraying of Anvil 10 + 10 to kill mosquitoes, but for the City’s very short notice — around 24 hours, that’s it!

“After years of litigation to stop this reckless spraying of pesticides which has contributed to skyrocketing increases in cancer and asthma, and now the collapse of bee colonies in the New York area, I am outraged that the Bloomberg Administration is renewing its mindless criminal poisoning of the people and environment of our City,” said Howard Brandstein, coordinator of SOS-FOOD, NY State Against Genetic Engineering, and a plaintiff in a federal lawsuit brought seven years ago by the No Spray Coalition and other organizations against Rudolph Giuliani and the New York City government.

That lawsuit ended in April 2007, when NYC signed a settlement agreement acknowledging, among other stipulations, that pesticides:

* may remain in the environment beyond their intended purpose

* cause adverse health effects

* kill mosquitoes’ natural predators (such as dragonflies)

* increase mosquitoes’ resistance to the sprays, and

* are not presently approved for direct application to waterways.

The Department of Health contravenes that settlement by now stating that there are no significant risks of adverse impact to human health associated with the proper use of this product. “That is simply a lie,” said No Spray Coalition coordinator Mitchel Cohen. In fact, the spraying puts many New York City residents and visitors at grave risk.

“These kind of ignorant and lying politicians and bureaucrats apparently have no problem destroying our health in order to ‘save’ us from the so-called West Nile virus,” Howard Brandstein added. “Clearly, the spraying jeopardizes a thousand times more people than the disease.”

The pesticide the City is spraying — “Anvil 10 + 10″ — belongs to a class of adulticides known as pyrethroids, which are endocrine disruptors. They mimic hormones such as estrogen, and may cause breast cancer in women and drastically lower sperm counts in men. Pyrethroids have also been associated with prostate cancer, miscarriages and preterm delivery, asthma, toxicity to many vital organs including the nervous system, liver, kidneys and the gastro-intestinal tract, skin rashes, itching and blisters, and nausea and vomiting.

Anvil contains the cancer-causing chemical piperonyl butoxide, which the Environmental Protection Agency lists as a suspected carcinogen. It also contains Sumithrin — a synthetic toxin, made in the laboratory — as well as benzene-related chemicals (which the label calls “inert ingredients.”)

Thousands of New Yorkers were severely sickened by the spraying in 1999 and 2000. A number of members of the No Spray Coalition, including several of the plaintiffs in the lawsuit, died from pesticide-related illnesses.

Many suffer from Multiple Chemical Sensitivities (MCS) or Asthma caused or exacerbated by the spraying. “The City administration must be made to understand that pesticides are extremely dangerous to human health as well as to the natural environment, and have long-term consequences,” Cohen said.

The No Spray Coalition strongly urges the City to stop pesticide spraying immediately, reconsider its entire approach, and seek alternative, safe means to control mosquitoes. There are natural, safe ways for each person to ward off mosquitoes. The City should not be poisoning the entire population.

http://www.MitchelCohen.com

Ring the bells that still can ring,  Forget your perfect offering.

There is a crack, a crack in everything, That’s how the light gets in.

~ Leonard Cohen

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By Aton Edwards, I.P.N. Executive Director

FEMA African-American summit closes today and up to now I’d consider it to be a very productive venture.  Approximately 140 predominantly African-American groups assembled at the FEMA building auditorium to discuss how traditionally under-served communities of color can develop new strategies to prepare themselves for disasters, and interface with governmental entities that can help them develop mitigation, response and recovery programs.

FEMA director Craig Fugate opened the gathering with a very honest discussion about how FEMA operates, and most importantly what it can and cannot do.

Director Fugate was a former volunteer firefighter, EMT and paramedic and his “boots on the ground” experience and approach to tackle problems serves him well.  He’s a refreshing change from the past administration.

I along with Rudoplph Muhammad from the Bed Stuy Ambulance Corps/Save-A-Life, and Barry Crumbley of the Black Farmers Agricultural Association (BFAA) & I.N.T.A.C.T. Community Development Corporation worked together to meet with representatives of other disaster preparedness related groups across the country, and notable Civil Rights activists such as Dr. Ron Daniels & Leonard Dunston of the IBW.

Rosemary Roberts Cloud was also in attendance. She  is Fire Chief for the City of East Point, Georgia, and the first African American Female Fire Chief in the United States. In her position, she is responsible for managing four fire stations and 100 employees, in a city with 40,000 residents.

Joseph Muhammad, President of the International Association (IABPFF) ,was also in attendance and gave a dynamic presentation.

On The Spot Productions was also in attendance to interview the participants.

I along with Barry Crumbley, Rudolph Muhammad and several other participants did have some serious issues with a number of the attendees who we believe are completely under the misconception that FEMA can provide our community with all that ails us, and that many of us have a tendency to get fixated on meetings rather than developing pro-active survival strategies, but all in all, the gathering was for the most part an extremely promising start of a dialogue that I hope will continue.

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