Times Square Knife Attack Turns Deadly: Attacker Shot Dead by NYPD

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The Ready Brief #184

Practical preparedness for uncertain times

After a heavy rain last spring, I found water seeping under my garage door. Not much. A thin line of moisture creeping across the concrete. I mopped it up and forgot about it. The next heavy rain, it was worse. By the third rain, I had standing water against the garage wall. The problem wasn't sudden. It was progressive. And every rain I ignored made the eventual fix more expensive. Flood hardening your home is best done before the water arrives.

Here's what I've got this morning:

Keeping Water Out of Your House

We covered sump pumps (Issue 84), post-flood water safety (Issue 150), and insurance (Issue 96). This week is about the physical modifications that prevent water from entering your home in the first place, from grading and drainage to barriers and waterproofing.

Grading is the foundation. The ground around your home should slope away from the foundation at a minimum of 1 inch per foot for at least 6 feet. If water pools against your foundation, it's finding ways in. Regrading is a shovel-and-dirt job that costs nothing but labor, and it's the single most effective flood prevention measure for most homes.

Downspout extensions carry roof runoff away from the foundation. Standard downspouts dump water right at the base of the house. Extensions ($5 to $10 each) or buried drain lines route that water 6 to 10 feet away. For a house with six downspouts handling a 1-inch rain, that's roughly 1,800 gallons of water being directed either toward or away from your foundation.

Window well covers prevent basement window wells from filling with water and flooding through the windows. Clear plastic covers ($10 to $20 each) shed rain while allowing light. They also keep debris, leaves, and snow out of the wells.

Foundation waterproofing for existing homes is an exterior job (excavating around the foundation, applying waterproof membrane, and installing drain tile) that costs $5,000 to $15,000. Interior waterproofing (interior drain tile and sump pump) costs $3,000 to $8,000. For most homeowners, the grading, downspouts, and window well covers handle 80% of water intrusion issues for under $100.

Flood barriers for doorways (sandbags, inflatable barriers, or door dams) provide temporary protection during flood events. A stack of sandbags ($3 to $5 per bag when pre-filled) in front of a garage door or exterior door redirects water flow. Reusable flood barriers ($50 to $200) deploy faster and store compactly.

For homes in flood zones: elevating HVAC equipment, water heaters, and electrical panels above the base flood elevation reduces damage when water does enter. This is a significant investment but dramatically reduces per-event damage costs.

Walk your foundation during the next rain and watch where water flows.

Does it flow away from the house or toward it? Does it pool anywhere against the foundation? Do your downspouts discharge at the base of the wall? This 10-minute observation during rain identifies the specific problems worth fixing.

A Salmonella Outbreak Tied to Jalapeños Has Hit 32 States

A Salmonella outbreak traced to jalapeño peppers from Sinaloa, Mexico has sickened 431 people and hospitalized 57 across 32 states, according to the CDC. The peppers, distributed by Coast Citrus Distributors, ended up in salsa, guacamole, and pico de gallo sold at Whole Foods and served at Chipotle and Qdoba before recalls hit in early August.

Check any pre-made salsa, guacamole, or dip in your fridge against the recall list before eating it, and treat prepared jalapeño products from before mid-August as suspect until you can confirm they weren't part of the recall.

Source: CDC, Newsweek

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Jonathan Hollerman addresses flood hardening in Survival Theory as part of his retreat consulting work. His principle: water damage is cumulative and progressive. Each water intrusion event weakens the structure, promotes mold (Issue 107), and increases the severity of the next event.

Hollerman's recommendation: address grading and drainage before investing in any other home hardening. Water causes more residential damage in the US than any other natural hazard, and the most effective prevention measures (grading, downspout extensions, window well covers) are among the cheapest home improvements available.

A Knife Attack in Times Square Turns Deadly

A 49-year-old woman pulled two kitchen knives from a shopping bag Monday afternoon and attacked two strangers near an NYPD substation in Times Square, killing a 32-year-old woman and wounding a 68-year-old man. Officers tried to de-escalate for several minutes, then deployed a Taser that failed to stop her. When she advanced on them with the knives raised, two officers opened fire, killing her. Police documented mental health incidents involving the woman in 2018 and 2019, though she had no prior arrests, and ruled out terrorism as a motive. This case also highlights the ineffectiveness of tasers when deadly threats are presented.

Incidents like this punish hesitation. Notice exits and keep distance from anyone acting erratic in a crowd, and if someone closes that distance before you can create space, put something solid between you and them.

Source: Euronews, Newsweek

Quick Dam Flood Barriers (5-foot, 2-Pack)

These are self-activating flood barriers that absorb water and expand to form a dam. You lay them across a doorway or along a foundation wall, and contact with water activates the polymer inside, expanding the barrier to about 3.5 inches high and 60 pounds.

I tested them during a heavy rain by placing one across my garage door threshold. The barrier absorbed the initial water flow and held back about 2 inches of standing water for several hours. They're single-use (must be replaced after activation) but store flat and deploy in seconds. About $22 for a 2-pack of 5-foot barriers.

Budget alternative: Sandbags ($3 to $5 each pre-filled, or fill your own for under $1 each). Less convenient but reusable and effective. Stack two rows high across doorways for about 6 inches of water protection.

Overrated: Sump pumps as a complete flood solution. A sump pump handles groundwater that seeps through the foundation. It doesn't prevent surface water from entering through doors, windows, and gaps. You need both: exterior grading to manage surface water AND a sump pump for groundwater.

Underrated: Downspout extensions. A $7 plastic extension on each downspout redirects hundreds of gallons of water away from your foundation per rainstorm. The most cost-effective flood prevention tool available.

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PS: The garage water seepage? I fixed it with a $12 bag of topsoil (regraded the slope away from the door) and a $7 downspout extension that had been dumping water directly at the garage wall. Total: $19. The contractor quote for interior waterproofing: $4,200. Sometimes the right answer is the cheap one.