As you might imagine, I am a big believer in doing all you can to get prepared. One of the things that makes me pull my hair out is that generally speaking, people wait to get prepared until it is too late. Like many of you, I always think I will be the exception to the rule. I will say to myself, “It won’t happen to me” or “That could never happen here” or (and this is the one most of us use) “Even if it does happen it won’t be that bad”. I look at having emergency supplies on hand like any other insurance policy that you hold. We insure ourselves in so many other ways, and yet we don’t purchase food, water and preparedness insurance like we should.

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As you know, cases of the Swine Flu have begun to appear, first in Mexico, then the U.S. and now around the world. Back in 2006 we had the Bird Flu scare and without extreme measures being taken in Asia we could have had a worldwide flu pandemic. A pandemic is defined as an “epidemic over a large area” typically involving multiple countries if not the world. In the case of the Swine Flu, it is occurring around the world due to the ease of worldwide travel. As we have been told, this could easily turn into a pandemic flu that impacts the world as a whole.

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Sometimes it is good to just have a brief refresher of a few topics. One of our product experts wrote this up and I thought it was very good. Enjoy!

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Before we get to priority #4 here is the summary of your top 5 Priorities of Emergency Preparedness. They are:
1. Make a Plan. Review, Rotate, Replace. Make adjustments for family size, age and local community needs. Consider evacuation, communication and staying put.
2. Gather Grab and Go Supplies. 72 hour kits, MREs, food bars, water pouches, water purification, first-aid, storage.
3. Gather Shelter in Place Supplies. Radios, flashlights, first-aid, sanitation, hygiene, warmth, shelter, storage.
4. Clean Water. Water storage, barrels, filters, storage.
5. Shelf Stable Food. Items in pantry, short term and long term food storage items.

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Storing water is a very tricky thing to do. Shelf life is the biggest challenge. You can store water in large barrels, smaller 5 gallon containers and even with bottled water. Each method has different challenges, advantages and shelf life issues. Water that is stored by you out of the tap should be rotated annually. Bottled water purchased at your local retailer has about a 2 year shelf life. I recommend that you have some bottled water in your home if you are using it on a daily basis. Your price per ounce for bottled water is relatively inexpensive.

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With hurricane season right around the corner, I have been thinking lately about generators and the need for portable power. As I did some research, I actually found some great information from an article on Amazon.com that I have included in the body of this post. I have edited
the article for content and brevity.

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This info will be broken into two posts covering short-term power outage (less than 12 hours) and extended power outage (more than 12 hours).

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During periods of emergency or disaster, sanitation levels can deteriorate rapidly and disease can spread and even cause death in a matter of days. Maintaining good hygiene will prevent disease and illness from spreading. You will need a sanitary way to use the restroom, a way to keep your living environment clean, and a way to keep your hands, mouth, and body clean.

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