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No one wishes to think that we might be on our own on this one, but it's a possibility. Here are some practical tips. Of huge concern is polluting the local water source, as well as the risk of infecting others with the pandemic flu.
Can you tell I'm really concerned now? I was thinking about the most likely areas, and realized that many people would probably bury their dead in areas that would leach during rainstorms into our local lake. That lake is also a likely place where locals would gather water. Troubling and grim.
I am planning on digging a trench in the fall. It will be impossible to dig trenches in the winter as the weather cools. I have scouted possible areas just in case there are no soldiers assisting with mortuary duties. I would advise you to do likewise. You should consider buying many bags of cheap topsoil for fill. The amount dug out may freeze. Figure on a volume based upon 3 ft wide x 6ft long x 6ft deep= 108 cubic feet.
We lost a dear dear goat this winter/spring (winter and spring are the same thing around here) to an obstetrical emergency.
Her body approximates the same size of most adults. The ground was frozen.
I had this horrible emotional shock of finding her dying a horrible death, her being put down by the vet, and then, on top of all that emotional strain, realizing that the ground was frozen solid and there was no way we were going to eat her (just like you will NOT be eating your dead loved ones).
Our goat mentor told us what she does - she takes the body into the forest (our land is forest) and leave it for the coyotes and such.
Within a week, the body was simply GONE.
I am not saying that this is what we should do with dead humans. But I am realizing that, as hard as that experience was, handling her body was much easier than what will happen for many when their loved one passes and there is little in the way of help to deal.
Some places - you CANT dig a trench. In San Antonio, Texas, to make a hole you start with dynamite. Here in my neck of the woods of MA, we would start wth dynamite too - too much ledge to get down 6 to 8 feet.
If you do not go that deep, animals WILL dig the body out.
This is why funeral pyres make a whole lot of sense.
But, considering the rampant stupidity many show when deep frying their frozen turkeys at thanksgiving, I think most Americans should let the pros do the funeral pyres.
I am planning on digging a trench in the fall. It will be impossible to dig trenches in the winter as the weather cools. I have scouted possible areas just in case there are no soldiers assisting with mortuary duties. I would advise you to do likewise. You should consider buying many bags of cheap topsoil for fill. The amount dug out may freeze. Figure on a volume based upon 3 ft wide x 6ft long x 6ft deep= 108 cubic feet.
I have given this grim topic considerable thought and written about it for a several publications including The Bird Flu Manual. While the WHO brochure is packed with good advice, it is somewhat impractical as it relies on the notion that there will be some sort of organized government to be responsible for this gruesome task. If we encounter a severe pandemic, there will be no government to organize and implement mortuary services which means that this task will be left to the survivors to do themselves for their deceased relatives, friends, and indeed strangers that fall dead within their midst.
Below is an excerpt from The Bird Flu Manual that deals with this topic but from the standpoint that the task will fall to a relatively small group of people that have no other choice but to provide for themselves this essential service.
Should we be confronted by this duty, it is important to bear in mind that all our ancestors performed this many times for themselves for many thousands of years before the advent of the professional mortician. While this is both an emotionally difficult and physically challenging duty, it is not something that is unnatural for our species. This is something that we can and must do. It does not need to be a terrible experience. In fact, while the burial of a loved one is always accompanied by great grief, there is significant emotional closure and healing inherit in being so intimately involved in the process that is far superior to farming this out to someone else as is the universal practice today within the developed nations.
Grattan Woodson, MD
Mortuary Preparations
Regrettably, an undeniable feature of major flu pandemics is a marked increase in deaths compressed into a short period of time. The most probably time for the death rate to peak will after the failure of the power grid. At this time, routine mortuary services will be unavailable due to their being overwhelmed by previous customers, as well as incapacitated by the lack of electrical power, embalming supplies, caskets, and staff. It could be weeks or even months before anyone passing away within your party will be able to receive a proper burial or even be picked up by the mortician. Under these conditions, the best solution is to bury your dead in a nearby temporary grave. To perform this task you will need an appropriate ceremonial Holy Book reflecting the faith of the deceased, a large shovel and 20 lbs of quick lime. Quick lime is the white powder form of lime that is available from the hardware store or garden center. Be sure and give the deceased funeral rites. This is important for the living relatives and friends of the deceased as it is for the dead. The familiar ritual will help support Group morale in spite of the loss of one of your members.
The number of dead people you will have to deal with during the pandemic will be quite staggering for some of you and less so for others. One of the reasons for this is that in biology, things occur in bunches rather than being nice and orderly. In mathematical terms, it is said that the data is skewed. What we are saying is that some communities will have many more deaths than others. During the second wave of the 1918 pandemic, the death rate was higher than average among the young recruits at Camp Devens in Massachusetts. Here is a quote from a letter written by a US Army physician who arrived at the camp a little before the terrible second wave hit. He is writing to a good friend and colleague about his first few weeks there.
Camp Devens is near Boston, and has about 50,000 men, or did have before this epidemic broke loose?These men start with what appears to be an ordinary attack of La Grippe or Influenza, and when brought to the hospital? It is only a matter of a few hours then until death comes (for some of them)? It is horrible. One can stand it to see one, two or twenty men die, but to see these poor devils dropping like flies sort of gets on your nerves. We have been averaging about 100 deaths per day?. It takes Special trains to carry away the dead. For several days there were no coffins and the bodies piled up something fierce, we used to go down to the morgue (which is just back of my ward) and look at the boys laid out in long rows. It beats any sight they ever had in France after a battle. An extra long barracks has been vacated for the use of the Morgue, and it would make any man sit up and take notice to walk down the long lines of dead soldiers all dressed and laid out in double rows. Published in the British Medical Journal, December 22, 1979
Cremation
While cremation is another disposal option, we recommend you avoid it. The authorities will want to satisfy themselves that the person who died is indeed who you say they were and that their manner of death was as stated. If you cremate the body, there may not be enough remains left to make a positive identification of the deceased. Secondly, if the person died during an act of violence, the body will be important evidence that the coroner and police will wish to examine carefully. Cremating a victim of a violent criminal act would impair law enforcement?s ability to determine the facts of a case. Anyone who disposed of a victim of violence in this way would attract the attention of the investigators as a potential criminal suspect or co-conspirator. Burial of the body permitting exhumation and complete forensic examination of the remains would not cause any of these problems and would be the best way to facilitate a rapid conclusion of a criminal probe. Anyway it is pretty hard to cremate a body on a funeral pyre and it takes a lot of valuable fuel that can be used for cooking or heating. It is simply not an efficient way to dispose of the dead in the West. We just don?t know how to do it well. On the other hand, if you were a Hindi living in India, then cremation, especially mass cremation would be a good option.
A quick burial is best
How long it takes the body to putrefy depends on the ambient temperature of its location. The warmer it is, the faster this will happen. Do not let the body putrefy. It becomes much more difficult to handle a putrefied corpse physically and psychologically. As unpleasant as it is to read the following with a vivid imagination, the reality is worse: the odor is overwhelming, there are insects, the tissue falls apart when the body is grasped, the corpse becomes grotesquely distorted, gallons of foul oily fluids are released all of which make the job of body disposal incredibly more difficult. It is in everyone?s best interest to move quickly to prepare the dead and bury them.
Preparing the dead for burial
If the body needs to be moved, ask your Neighborhood Watch to give you a hand. Those dying from influenza are no more dangerous to the well than they were when living. They do contain bacteria and viruses and might even have active Bird Flu virus present in their secretions, so routine precautions are called for, but not more than would be the case if you were taking care of the same person with flu during life. Burial should be performed as soon as possible. Do not even think about embalming the body. This is unnecessary in the first place and unsanitary if not properly trained and equipped to perform this procedure. Many cultures and religions have specific practices that are observed before the body is buried. These should be respected as far as possible. If culturally, there is no particular preparation of the body of the deceased for burial, then we suggest that the family or friends of the deceased use a simple modification of a practice common to many ancient cultures. First, the body is undressed and laid out on a flat table. Using soap and water, the body is lovingly cleaned, dried, and if available, anointed in fragrant oils or cream. Then the body is wrapped in a clean cotton sheet. Tie the ends and middle of the sheet with string to keep the sheet from falling off. A coffin is not necessary. Now the body is ready for burial and the funeral ceremony.
Burying the dead
The Group Security Coordinator should pick the best location for a temporary graveyard that is away from occupied housing, vegetable gardens, and especially from streams or wells. As the need arises, the Coordinator will assign the task of digging graves to members of the Watch. An average adult fits well in a 3 feet deep x 6 feet long x 3 feet wide grave. Once the ceremony is complete, the Squad lowers the body wrapped in a bed sheet into the bottom of the grave. A coffin is not required. The Coordinator is responsible to for seeing that a means of positive identification is placed in the grave with the body in a plastic zip-lock bag. This might include a driver?s license, social security card, passport, or even a credit card. If these are not available or if the identification is uncertain or unknown, write down as much as you do know on a piece of paper and place this in the plastic bag. You can bury one or more bodies in the same grave if needed but may need to make it wider somewhat under these conditions. Pour about 20lbs of quick lime over each body then cover with soil. The lime will help nature take its course and prevent odors from being released from the decaying corpse. If the grave draws the attention of dogs or wild varmints, it is not deep enough. In this case, place heavy stones, bricks or concrete blocks over the grave to keep animals from disturbing the remains. If another grave is needed, dig the next one deeper. Mark the grave well and include the person?s full name, date of birth, date of death, and social security number so that the authorities will be able to identify the body once the emergency is over. At that time, they will recover the body for reburial.
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