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.