So, yea. We got a letter today saying it had anthrax in it. We've been quarantined in our office for over an hour now. Proof: photo article

EDIT: Seems that they've shut the air off and sent the rest of the building home. Getting a bit hot in here.

EDIT: Here's what we had to wear after the decontamination shower. Nothing else, just the gown. EDIT: Just got the call that the initial lab test came back clear for anthrax. Pretty relieved about that. It's kind of starting to sink in just how serious this could have been, and I have to say I'm thankful for all the support and concern from you guys.

Comments: 182 • Responses: 55  • Date: 

Marty_McFrat194 karma

Since you work at the DMV do you think emergency services are purposefully taking a long time to get you out? Some sort of poetic justice perhaps.

strat_027 karma

They actually were there and had the building evacuated within 15 minutes of us reporting it. They just didn't move us or send in the hazmat guys until like 2 hours later.

Mikegrann27 karma

So, they arrived on time but it still took a couple hours to get their business done?

Yup, sounds like the DMV to me.

strat_011 karma

Florida's DMV isn't bad unless you're in Miami or Orlando.

sashav12 karma

Literally the two cities I live in. Magical.

strat_03 karma

They're still not too bad. The wait times can approach 45 min though. The goal is to ove people through in about 15, but obviously depending on what their issue is it can take longer.

iamPause123 karma

2 hours, 1 answer. OP is dead.

rr64529 karma

[deleted]

strat_012 karma

That video has made my day.

strat_022 karma

Sorry guys, they moved us into a more secure quarantine and then we had to strip down and shower and seal all of our possessions and clothes into a bag. I just got home. Field tests came back negative, but we're waiting on official results now.

jprofitt3031 karma

any * ahem * proof photos?

strat_08 karma

They're in the original post.

[deleted]-3 karma

[deleted]

strat_03 karma

OH god. And I thought the quarantine was bad.

redditerate55 karma

Now that the building's ventilation is turned off, are you concerned if any of your coworkers ate a large amount of beans?

strat_023 karma

Well, there is this one guy in our office who lives on Taco Bell...

rumilb51 karma

and you're talking on the internet? great, now my computer is gonna catch the virus.

rumilb8 karma

seriously though, hope you get through it ok!

JadoJodo14 karma

Never bail on sarcasm.

rumilb4 karma

Normally I wouldn't but I also don't want OP to die.

strat_03 karma

Thanks for the concern :)

GumSmacker51325 karma

did you read the letter in it's entirety?

strat_038 karma

Well, another co worker opened it, and then said it was talking about anthrax, so I scanned through it until I saw the word.

rijmij9925 karma

Did this guy just post an AMA answer a question and then fuck off?

strat_014 karma

Sorry about the length of time. Didn't have internet access from the time they moved us to the time they sent us home.

rijmij992 karma

So you're not dead? Don't take this the wrong way but I'm a bit disappointed.

strat_011 karma

Not dead. And yea, I can understand that.

I_am_chris_dorner23 karma

Are you getting paid over time?

strat_015 karma

Nope. We don't even get tomorrow off.

rijmij998 karma

You could always "find" a letter with a mysterious powder in it

strat_09 karma

No thanks. Repeating today would not be worth the hassle.

Augustus_Trollus_III3 karma

Wow, nice employers.

strat_04 karma

I know right :/

strangelovescomin12 karma

This is probably going to sound horrible... but does it help any small measure to know that Anthrax is the name of a metal band and have you at all been inclined to listen to Anthrax during your quarantine? I would.

strat_02 karma

No, more of a bluegrass person, myself.

D3ADGUY12 karma

I was quarantined after being exposed to anthrax when I was in the military. I didnt think they still did stuff like that. Then shortly before I deployed I was given a smallpox vaccine by a corpsman who didnt read my paperwork and see that I had someone under 6 months living in my house. He gave me the shot and then realized he made a mistake, so I got locked up in the barracks for a week. You should be ok.

strat_01 karma

Yea, I'm not too worried about it. I think our office will be fine.

jflikk9 karma

Everyone lets get to the real question here. What does it taste like?

strat_03 karma

Talcum powder :P

RyanTally8 karma

Tallahassee!

strat_02 karma

Yup!

volar927 karma

RIP OP.

strat_016 karma

The rumors of my death have been greatly exaggerated.

wursty6 karma

Maybe it was one of those letters like "Don't stop reading this, if you do then your whole family will die of anthrax and you will have a billion years of bad luck, only way to avoid it is to share this to all your friends"

strat_03 karma

no, it was more of an "I hope you die from this" kind of letter.

Haggis676 karma

Been in the same situation, also a state employee. They've probably done a number of things. One is the gag, two is it's possible they are currently trying to decontaminate OP. This can be a scary time for those involved. Ours turned out to be plain old chalk dust, however in this day and age you can't take chances.

strat_01 karma

Decontamination was pretty annoying. It wasn't really scary until I heard them walking down the hall with their boots, suits, and respirators. That sound is a bit chilling for some reason.

Fuck_ketchup5 karma

Did the letter look like it had powder on it?

Also, are you nervous that the threat might be legit? I get the feeling no one thinks the letter actually has anthrax on it.

strat_02 karma

I don't think it did. I mean we go through enough mail that everything kind of feels powdery from paper dust, but I didn't open it. The lady that did said she didn't feel any, but it could have just fallen out.

freemarket275 karma

What is it like working for the government? Is there any encouragement from upper management to work more efficiently?

strat_03 karma

God no. It's such a bureaucratic nightmare it's ridiculous. It took them a month just to change a signature on the letterhead a while back.

Silent__Hav0c3 karma

Has anyone started foaming at the mouth and gotten increasingly hungry for human flesh yet?

strat_02 karma

No reports yet, but the z-virus has not been ruled out as far as I know.

aj4ever3 karma

What happens immediately after you have determined that this is a potential threat?

strat_02 karma

We have a plan called the SAFE plan in which we call some office up stairs. They then alert FHP, who is in the building with us and evacuate the rest of the building.

GuruOfReason3 karma

Do you like Anthrax, the band?

strat_03 karma

They're ok. I prefer bluegrass mostly, but out of the big 4, Megadeth and Slayer were my favorites.

Tomasfoolery3 karma

http://www.miamiherald.com/2013/04/29/3370743/florida-highway-safety-agency.html

*edit

Jones said if no further problems were reported, employes would be asked to return to work at 1 p.m. Monday.

strat_02 karma

We got the rest of the day off. But yea, everyone else should be back to work by now.

datwestcoast2 karma

Did a bunch of people in white suites show up and wash you down er what?

strat_02 karma

Yellow, but yea pretty much.

MortalStrangelet2 karma

I suppose the good news is that anthrax isn't contagious person-to-person, and even if you have a confirmed exposure 60 days of antibiotics will usually clear it right up. Also, the chances of the substance being anthrax is extremely small.

dwild0 karma

Why do they quarantine then?

strat_01 karma

Just in case. Look at the recent Ricin incidents. If precaution hadn't been taken, things could have gone south fast.

thedudeliveson2 karma

[deleted]

strat_01 karma

Thanks

oysterfuzz2 karma

Is this connected the Maryland prison inmate that has been sending them all over the country?

strat_01 karma

Possibly.

Huckedsquirrel11 karma

Are people in hazmat suits as creepy as they are in movies? It seems like it be pretty scary seeing someone dressed in one while your just sitting there in your everyday clothes.

strat_02 karma

When you can't see them, as they're coming up the hall, yeah. It's pretty chilling. But once they get in the same room it's not as bad.

Lowsloweuro1 karma

Can anyone comment on the legality of quarantining a group of people? I understand the laws may differ from state to state. What would happen if you try to leave (jail, fines?).

strat_02 karma

They could probably Baker act you and then hold you for 72 hours.

xTinmanx1 karma

Dude...I'm in Tallahassee. Surprised I haven't heard of this yet, but then again I'm down at the college.

strat_01 karma

It's all over WCTV, TDO, and everything else.

the4thplayer1 karma

Are you waiting for CDC to come in and take care of things? If so, do you know what kind of process you'll go through to get decontaminated?

strat_01 karma

CDC mainly took care of most of it. Our locally trained Biohazard unit came in and went through their routine with assistance from local PD and Highway Patrol.

TheShroomHermit1 karma

What are your theories on why the letter was sent or who might have done it?

strat_02 karma

Someone who was angry and probably crazy.

ignatiusloyola1 karma

Knowing that mortality is a possibility, how are you coping with such thoughts?

strat_01 karma

Coping pretty well. Wondering why we were never trained to handle these types of situations.

ArcticSpyder1 karma

What if there was no anthrax in it

strat_01 karma

Better safe than sorry.

NemoATX4201 karma

So what happens if you try to make a run for it?

strat_01 karma

They probably would have tazed us.

deliriousduckie1 karma

Well I was wondering why traffic was particularly bad over there this morning...

strat_01 karma

Yea, we had like 3 firetrucks, and what seemed like every TPD and FHP car rushing to us, along with a few ambulances.

twistedfork1 karma

Did you have any training on opening suspicious mail?

I opened a large volume of mail for a state agency and we had a GIANT red button installed to stop the air system in the whole building in the event that we got a letter with powder in it OR a letter that said it had a dangerous substance on it.

strat_01 karma

Not at all. The main bulk of the mail is contracted out through Pitney Bowes. We handle the mail for the Records department only.

jonathan1021 karma

Possible Anthrax. Of course the first logical thing to do is to come on reddit.

strat_01 karma

Might as well. Not like we had anything better to do. Twiddle our thumbs for 2 hours? Naa, Reddit sounds much better.

Amphabian1 karma

Are you hungry? What would you eat if you could have anything?

strat_01 karma

Someone was supposed to be bringing me balsamic glaze salmon. I ended up still getting it, but not until about 20 min. ago.

DrPepperHelp1 karma

Just to alleviate any questions as to why /u/stray_0 might not be replying.

In order to stop misinformation and to keep the situation under control through proper channels of communication the internet and phone lines may have been disabled. That along with a gag order telling them not to spread information even with their web connected devices.

strat_01 karma

No, none of that. We're allowed to talk to the media, but I don't really care to. We just had to wait as they ran field tests.

orionsshoe1 karma

Just guessing, are you an IT guy?

strat_01 karma

No, I might as well be though. Our IT guys kinda suck.

Keios801 karma

How you feeling?

strat_01 karma

Definitely feeling shaken up. It's starting to set in just how serious today could have been.

ArousedWhale1 karma

Where are you located? Because I live in Boca Raton.

strat_01 karma

Tallahassee

kloks1 karma

Why do you guys fear heavy metal music so much?

strat_02 karma

It's the devil's music! :P

seearc11 karma

Do you feel like you are going to die? How many times have you masturbated since you found out?

strat_02 karma

No, no feelings of death.

jprofitt3031 karma

Did you get to take a decontamination shower with any females? Did you offer to wash their chest carefully to make sure there was no stuff on it?

strat_02 karma

No, it was same sex, single showers. We actually have a gym at our building so they had us use the showers in that.

JoanneKerlot-1 karma

Did you live or die?

strat_01 karma

Live...for now

babybelly-2 karma

You happy it happened? You want it to happens again?

strat_01 karma

It tests the response pretty well. It was a bit stressful though.

skatie_bug-5 karma

Isn't your mail irratated or whatever to kill any living pathogens?

strat_03 karma

Not that I know of.