Japan's Earthquake & Tsunami

I have taken a break from posting due to a new primary calling, work, and spending time with family in town, not to mention the flooded bathroom! Given the events that took place last night in Japan, and today in our own state, I am determined to renew my goal of becoming "prepared". I hope that these events have not just scared you as much as they have inspired you to "get your act together"! I will have new information in place by Monday. Please read through the articles found on the left side of this post, as well as visit the links found on the right side.

Here are some earthquake tips, and I strongly suggest that you implement the before an earthquake section as soon as possible.

Before an earthquake:

1.Have occasional home earthquake drills to provide your family with the knowledge to avoid injury and panic during an earthquake.

2.Situate bedroom furniture so that heavy objects such as book cases, etc. will not fall on the bed.

3.Move beds away from windows.

4.Keep window blinds closed at night to prevent broken glass from spreading into the room.

5.Secure valuables and bolt down "top heavy" furniture wherever possible.

During an earthquake:

1. If you are in bed, stay there and ride the quake out.

2. If you are in the kitchen, move quickly out. You cannot cope with a moving refrigerator, and the many other objects found in the kitchen.

3. Do not stand in a doorway. A swinging door can injure you.

4. Get under a sturdy piece of furniture and hold onto it; or, if possible, move to a hallway. Sit down against one wall and place your feet against the opposite wall of the hallway.

5. If you live in a mobile home, brace yourself against a wall or corner.

6. If you are outside, stay there. Move away from buildings, walls, power poles and any object that may fall or collapse.

7. If you are in a moving car, stop as quickly as safety permits and stay in your vehicle which will protect you.

After an earthquake:

1. Check for injuries and provide first aid.

2. Check for safety: check for gas, water and sewage breaks. Turn off utilities as needed. Check for building damage and potential safety problems which may be aggravated by aftershocks.

3. Clean up debris and any dangerous spills.

4. Turn on your radio and listen for emergency information and instructions.

5. Don't use the telephone except for emergencies and to call your out-of-state contact.

More injuries are likely to occur after an earthquake through poor judgment than from the earthquake itself.

Week Two

How did everyone do with their two minute emergency drill? Since most of us (or all of us) didn't get to it this week, I encourage you to do it tomorrow night for Family Home Evening. It only takes a few minutes. I would love to hear feedback on how it went.

Misty Carter sent me a great plan to obtaining food storage items. It covers things month-by-month and then weekly. There are a lot of items listed that you many have thought to purchase. I posted it in the tips section on the left side of the blog. Thanks, Misty!

This week every person is encouraged to do the following two items:

1) What are you using to store your emergency kit? Backpack, tote, bucket with handle? The week you need to find something for each person to fit all of the emergency item they would need. A child's backpack works best for kids, a larget backpack for adults is easy and keeps your hands free, buckets or totes keep items waterproof, but are cumbersome to carry; although a bucket makes for a great seat. Do not go an purchase a new pack, look at your used school backpacks, or find one at Value Village or Deseret Industries for an inexpensive price.

2) Take inventory of your canned goods. I am adding a document that I use to inventory my food items. You are welcome to use it, or make one that fits you. I know that there are many times I am surprised at what I find in my cupboards, and even more times when I am out of items that I thought I had there. It is hard to begin purchasing items if you don't know what you have on hand.

Family Home Evening

Pick a place to meet after a disaster. Designate two meeting places. Choose one right outside your home, in case of a sudden household emergency, such as a fire. The second place you choose needs to be outside your neighborhood, in the event that it is not safe to stay near or return to your home.

Recipes

Here are some quick and simple recipes that use canned/pantry items to make meals. These are definitely not fancy, but are hearty even though they each only use a few ingredients. Do you have any of these in your pantry?

Chicken Noodle Soup
2 large cans chicken broth
1 8oz pkg noodles
1 can chicken
1 can diced carrots
Heat broth and chicken until hot. Add carrots and noodles and cook until noodles are soft and tender. Add salt and pepper.

Tuna Casserole
1 can cream of mushroom soup
1 can tuna
1 8oz pkg noodles, cooked
1 can peas
Combine noodles, tuna, soup, peas. Heat well.

Texas Hash
1 can hamburger
1 batch cooked rice
1 pint salsa
Heat all ingredients all the way through.

Fiesta Dip/Soup
1 can black beans
2 cans diced tomatoes with chilis
1 can corn, drained
Mix together until hot and bubbly. Serve with chips, salsa, sour cream, cheese. Or just enjoy plain.

Chicken and Noodles
1 can cream of chicken soup
2 cans mixed vegetables, drained
1 can chicken
½ cup milk
1 8oz egg noodles, cooked
Mix soup, milk, vegetables and chicken in a saucepan and heat through. Stir in cooked pasta and serve.

Week 1 - Welcome

Welcome to Gettting Prepared - a week at a time! It is time to start getting serious about obtaining and organizing food storage, and to become better prepared in case of an emergency. To me, an emergency is not defined by only having a natural disaster emergency, but more along the lines of job loss, unavailibity of certain items due to bad crops, weather or even a trucking strike. I feel it is my responsibility as a mother and wife to be prepared in advance to help my family weather any storm that may arise. We also know that our church leaders have counseled us to be prepared, so if for no other reason, we need to be obedient and follow their counsel; afterall, I feel they know more than we do.

I would love to hear from each of you who visit. What information would you like to receive? What area is the most important to you? Everyone is at a different stage in the preparedness  journey and I know that we can all learn from each other.

Each week I will post information centered in three areas; food, emergencies, and recipes. I will also list a featured item of the week that I would encourage you to obtain or "stock up" on. This may be a toilet for a 72 hour kit, or just a great sale on pork and beans. You will also find some family home evening ideas. I hope to stay focused and organized, but there may be times (more often than not) when something random is thrown in for good measure.

I enjoyed reading an article talking about twelve ways that you can sabotage your food preparedness, and I think it is a great way to get started on our preparedness journey. You can find it on the top left side of the blog. It is written by Carol Nicolaysen and she is often a featured writer for Meridian Magazine, or you can find her at totallyready.com. I think that the tips are spot on. Let me know what you think!

Family Home Evening

Use this week's FHE to introduce the importance of being prepared, and why each person should have an emergency kit. Have your family meet together and at the beginning of your lesson give the following information.

Tonight we are going to experience a pretend emergency. When I say "go" each of you will have two (2) minutes to gather what you need to take with you in case there was a real emergency. We will meet on the front porch in exactly two minutes. GO!

When you meet together look and discuss what each family member has chosen. First, this will show you what is important to that person, and second, it will show everyone what you do not have for an emergency.

Did they choose; coats, shoes, blanket, water, food, money, backpack, flashlight, scriptures, favorite toy, eye glasses (if needed), your pet, pet food, medicine, etc..... Talk about what is needed and what is a luxury. How heavy are the items they chose? Make sure you discuss each of these in a positive, but not-scary manner.

Here is an idea of what you need in an actual emergency.

Emergency Kit

Please take a few minutes to look over your "emergency kit" items. This is the kit you would grab at a moments notice to use if there was an emergency and you could not be at your home. We have always prepared for a 72 hour emergency in the past, but it is now recommended that you actually prepare for 120 hours; which is a realistic time that help would actually arrive.

Food and Water

(3 day supply of food & water per person when no refrigeration/cooking is available)

ÿ Protein/Granola Bars

ÿ Trail Mix/Dried Fruit

ÿ Crackers/Cereals (for munching)

ÿ Canned Tuna, Beans, Meat, Vienna Sausages, etc ("pop-top" cans might leak/ explode & Jerky can "flavor" other items)

ÿ Canned Juice

ÿ Candy/Gum (Jolly ranchers can melt & mint gum might "flavor" other items)

ÿ Water (1 Gallon/4 Liters per person)

ÿ Method of water purification

Bedding and Clothing

ÿ Change of Clothing (short and long sleeve shirts, pants, socks, jackets, etc.)

ÿ Undergarments

ÿ Rain Coat /Poncho

ÿ Blankets and Emergency Heat Blankets

ÿ Cloth Sheet

ÿ Plastic Sheet

ÿ Tent

ÿ Hand Warmers

Fuel & Light

ÿ Battery Lighting (Flashlights, Head Lamp)

ÿ Extra Batteries

ÿ Flares

ÿ Candles

ÿ Lighter

ÿ Water-Proof Matches

ÿ Lightweight stove and fuel

  

Miscellaneous

ÿ Bag or Bags to put 72 hour kit items in (such as duffel bags or hiking back packs, which work great)

ÿ Infant Needs (if applicable)

Equipment

ÿ Can Opener

ÿ Dishes/Utensils

ÿ Shovel

ÿ Radio (with batteries!)

ÿ Pen and Paper

ÿ Axe

ÿ Pocket Knife

ÿ Rope

ÿ Duct Tape

ÿ Sewing Kit

ÿ N95 respirator mask

ÿ Whistle

Personal Supplies & Medication

ÿ First Aid Supplies

ÿ Toiletries

ÿ Roll of toilet paper-remove center tube to easily flatten into a zip-lock bag,

ÿ Feminine hygiene,

ÿ Brush, comb

ÿ Burn Gel

ÿ Tooth brush and tooth paste

ÿ Razor

ÿ Cleaning Supplies (mini hand sanitizer, soap, shampoo, dish soap, etc. Warning: Scented soap might "flavor" food items.)

ÿ Immunizations Up-to Date

ÿ Medication (Acetaminophen, Ibupro­fen, children's medication, etc.)

ÿ Prescription Medication (for 3 days)

Personal Documents and Money

(Place items in waterproof container!)

ÿ Scriptures (miniature ones are lighter)

ÿ Genealogy Records

ÿ Patriarchal Blessing

ÿ Legal Documents (Birth/Marriage Certificates, Wills, Passports, Contracts)

ÿ Vaccination Papers

ÿ Insurance Policies

ÿ Cash – at least $20 in smaller bills and some change

ÿ Credit Card (this will probably not work in an extreme emergency, have available for longer term use)

ÿ Pre-Paid Phone Cards

• Update your kit every six months (put a note in your calendar/planner) to make surethat: all food, water, and medication are fresh (not expired), clothing fits, personal documents and credit cards are up to date, and batteries are charged.
• Small toys/games are" important too as they will provide some comfort andentertainment during a stressful time.
• Older children can be responsible for their own pack of items/clothes too.
• You can include any other items you feel are necessary for your family's survival.
• Some items and/or flavors might leak, melt, "flavor" other items, or break open.

Dividing groups of items into individual Ziploc bags might help prevent this.

Go through what you have and mark them off the list. We will work on each category for

a couple of weeks.If you need any help, let me know. Missy Page 503-362-8090.