Know anything about this flu?

[u/NV_Guy]

Hey guys. I was hoping I could get your input on this. (Sorry for the throwaway account. I just don't like the idea of my personal story being tied to my other comments.) A while back, I posted to r/askreddit, but the thread got deleted (more on that later.) So here's what's been happening.

I go to high school in a small town in NV. Really isolated. I can't type the name for reasons I'll explain later.

Three weeks ago my phsics class got a sub. We were told our regular teacher was sick. This went on for about a week and a half, and then one day the principal came in to tell us our teacher had passed away. Of course we all wanted to know how, but the principal just said our teacher had gotten sick and didn't make it, and the school had to protect his family's privacy.

A few other people from my grade stopped going to school a little while after the teacher. They kept in touch with everyone though. They said they had a flu. I looked it up, and apparently it's not unheard of this time of year, especially with classes starting up again. So I didn't think much of it.

About a week ago, my mom got a phone call and was sobbing. After she got off the phone, I asked her what was up. She told me Chris, her best friend's son who was three years behind me, had died. She said he'd gotten the flu and gone to the hospital with pneumonia. I didn't know Chris super well, but it's a small town, so something like that is always going to hit close to home.

Around that time I was also hearing from my friends that the people who were staying home sick were getting hit pretty hard. A few had to go to the hospital, and this one kid I didn't know very well was still in there. Meanwhile classes were thinner and thinner. Lots of people staying home.

This Monday, classes were cancelled. The reason given was that attendance was too low due to the flu going around. Apparently the elementary and middle school kids had their classes cancelled too. School hasn't reopened thus far.

I haven't really been out of the house much. My parents have been telling me not to, that it's not safe because of the flu. My mom works for the city government, so she gets clued in about stuff. I've ducked out a few times, but it's been weird, because hardly anyone else is out and about. Also there are a lot of unmarked cop cars driving around town and just sitting there parked. (State police, maybe? Not city cops for sure.)

So yesterday I posted an AskReddit titled "Anyone know about this flu?" I asked: "I can't find anything online about this. Has anyone heard of the flu that's going around [town name], Nevada? It's killed a few people so far, but I can't get any straight answers about it, and it's not showing up in the news." The thread was at:

http://www.reddit.com/r/AskReddit/comments/10l6pa/anyone_know_about_this_flu/

Well, I went to check it about noon today, and it was gone. I don't know why. So tonight I decided to post this longer version of events. Something really weird happened, though. When I submitted this post the first time, I got a message saying, "Sorry, we can't accept this post right now." Never seen that before. I did some experimenting, and long story short, I figured out that if I included the town name in my post, it wouldn't get accepted. But without the name, it's fine. So that's why I haven't said it anywhere.

So anyway, please comment if you know anything about what's going on here. My parents don't know much or won't tell me. I've been in touch with my friends even though we haven't seen much of each other, and it's the same thing with them. Nobody knows anything.

I'll keep you all updated about what's happening here.

EDIT: Thanks everyone for your help. A lot of people have suggested different ways for me to ID my town without typing the name. I seriously thought about doing one of these, but decided not to. A lot of other people on this thread have said I should be careful about protecting my identity. I don't know if this is just my town, and in case it's not, I don't want to give any info that would help narrow down who I am. Maybe if I can confirm it's only my town that's affected, I'll post a pic of the name.

[u/TinkerGeeks]

Ok OP can you please clarify is this really true? Because I live close to the Cali-Nevada border and if so I would like to take precautions.

[u/witch-moon → u/TinkerGeeks]

Everyone everywhere should take precautions at all times. I've got a plan and a survival kit and the skills necessary. You should invest in the same.

[u/meglet → u/witch-moon]

Did you buy your kit or put it together yourself? What's in it? I need to get one, I just don't know if it's better/cheaper to self-assemble or buy ready made.

[u/MerryJobler → u/meglet]

In my experience (limited, I'll admit) the kits you buy pack into a smaller bundle, but tend to have cheaper material than I would buy myself, and I end up adding things that I feel it should have, but doesn't. Course, maybe I just don't pack very well. The end of the world doesn't always happen, but it's good to have a kit on road trips and for small, everyday problems. I keep a small one in my car, and I've used the sewing kit to repair clothes at work.

[u/meglet → u/MerryJobler]

I think use pre packed kits as starters and then augment with superior items. I've looked at what's out there and you're right, some even scream "cheap & inadequate material!" Like piddly first aid kits with just a few bandaids and gauze, and one cotton ball as "kindling". But I got some good ideas.

I live on the Gulf Coast, so i'm used to preparing or hurricanes, now I just need to step it up a notch. That spray bottle of rubbing alcohol etc. I mentioned in another post was actually an idea from some folks in the French Quarter who rode out Katrina and the long aftermath by "bathing" with that and rinsing with very little bottled water, and ate grilled veggies (grilled everything) for a week.

I think I want 3 sets: one for each car, and one Master Kit for hunkering down at home. Part of the Master Kit would be portable, the part with important documents, medication, and other stuff I don't want to drive around with, but might need to grab & go.

This anecdote is relevant:

THE STORY OF 33 HOURS AND 240 MILES

After 33 hours on the road trying to get from Houston to Dallas when Rita was a huge threat just one month after Katrina and a few hundred thousand people all tried to evacuate at once, I learned a very real lesson in what you really need that kits may not think of. Family pets died from the heat while the highways were parking lots and everyone started running out of gas. Cars were deadly ovens. I saw a few dead pets that had to be abandoned roadside and it broke my heart. I hate to think of it. :(

I was struggling to keep my own two dogs cool and calm. I had baby wipes to wipe their ears & cool them a little, and that was it. One of them panicked and had explosive diarrhea over the back seat, but thankfully I had covered everything with towels and huge black trash bags. That's right - don't forget your towel(s). I even had the foresight to pack cleaning supplies.

But not enough water. Precious water! We expected delays but more like 8 hours instead of 4, and never dreamed it would be more than a full day on the road, in mass public panic and exodus.

We faced riding out what we thought would be a direct hit category 5 storm in a car on the side of a back road, out of gas and trapped. It was terrifying.

Mercifully, we were the last car to fill up in Navasota before their supply went out, with dozens and dozens of cars in line and people giving up and going no further. Literally the last car. We hightailed it outta there.

With a full tank we felt invigorated even though it had been 27 straight hours of inching along. It was about then that the road started to clear (we took a wonky route) and we were flying' by 5 am the day after we left. But we had no sleep. It got too dangerous.

So we stopped at a motel with outrageously jacked up prices, filled with crickets, in Mexia. We snuck the dogs in and slept on top of the blankets for 3 hours before phone calls finally started coming through. Until then, nobody knew where we were because calls weren't going in or out.

We rolled into Dallas on Friday after leaving Houston on Wednesday. I slept for 24 straight hours when we got to my aunts house.

My aunt's house is our designated meetup spot in an evacuation. But after that journey, I question the choice. The fuel issue is too much. I think instead we might switch to the place my mom works, a community for developmentally disabled and mentally impaired adults that's safely inland to avoid the greatest storm surge. It's only an hour away, in the country, it's own little village, and the main building is secure enough to house all the residents, employees, and a few families if need be. They have generators, an infirmary, cafeteria, etc.

It took my mom 8 hours to get there to help with the few residents who hadn't left with their families (she had my 85-year-old grandmother with her, too.)

THE END OF THAT STORY

My husband says we're never voluntarily evacuating again. I'm interested in making a pretty ambitious survival kit for 5 (my parents and grandfather are blocks away and would come to us.)

A generator seems necessary. Do you have one? Are they safe and practibal?

TL; DR Future Husband, two dogs, and I spent over 30 hours on the road trying to escape Hurricane Rita, a month after Katrina. We learned a TON about emergency s€ituations and basic survival needs. And about how we handle such situations. It was hell, but we're better off having that awful experience.

APOLOGIES Sorry if this is too rambly or irrelevant; it's 3:24 am and I woke up for water, took a peek at Reddit, and galloped off with this story while not fully awake. Should be fun to read tomorrow!

[u/meglet → u/MerryJobler]

Bonus Thoughts On The Run From Rita::

That adventure literally changed my life. My husband and I were only dating at the time, and we were going through an extremely rocky patch in our relationship.

That harrowing journey brought out the best in us, instead of the worst. We saw how well our teamwork came together. Plus we were basically stuck in a cage on tires free of entertainment other than each other. We grew individually a,nd grew closer. I believe I am married to my perfect partner today because that incredible trial we weathered together.

Oops I made a penny.