Last winter we had quite a few major wind/snow storms. The winds reached 85 miles per hour one night! It was a bit frightening to sit in a quite home in the middle of the night, hoping a tree wouldn’t crash into our window. In the morning that followed, that major storm was over in our town, but across the state, it was still raging. People were losing power where the wind storms had caused massive rolling blackouts. It got me wondering, how in the world are those people staying warm in the middle of winter with no heat? So I decided to do a little research on my own to protect my family from any such disasters. 

First of all, dress warmly to conserve as much body heat as possible. If it is extremely cold, your bed is a good place to stay. Cover up with as many blankets as possible. Sleep with your family huddled together this way. You can also purchase space blankets that are very inexpensive and lightweight. They are made to keep heat trapped under them, and will help to keep your body temperature at a more normal level. 

There are ways, other than electrical heating units, that can be used to warm your home. Safety is extremely important when trying to use alternative heating methods. You should not burn anything in your home larger than an average candle, unless you have good ventilation to the outside. Possibilities include fireplaces, camp stoves, a wood, gas or oil heater, or a gas run hot water heater. 

The best way to stay warm in your home is to confine the heat source to one room. Make sure it is ventilated properly for the heat source you are using. Choose a room on the side of your house that won’t have a majority of the winds blowing on it, and a room with smaller windows. If you have a basement, the earth may act as insulation in the winter.  Keep the doors to your heated room closed at all possible times. Cover the windows with heavy bedding to prevent drafts. 

If you can’t stay warm in your house by following these suggestions, pack up and go! Find a shelter with a generator that can keep you safe. Don’t forget to take your 72-hour kits with you.

If your city’s alarm system went off right now, warning you of immediate danger and requiring the evacuation of your family, would you be ready? If you haven’t thought about that, maybe it’s time that you do. In today’s world there are so many disasters that could strike in a moment’s notice. From natural disasters to a terrorist attack, we should be ready to protect our families by being prepared for these emergencies. 

In an immediate emergency, what do you need to survive? Experts tell us that we should have a “Go-bag” or “72-Hour Kit” ready for each member of our family in case of emergency. Something we can take with us right at the moment, that’s packed with essentials and ready to go. It’s a great idea to set aside a backpack for each member of your family for this purpose. 

There are many different options with regards to what to put in your go-bags. These are some of the basics. First of all, make sure each family member has an I.D. tag in their bag. You would also want to have a card listing their allergies (medication, food, stings) and copies of your insurance cards. If you have members of your family who wear glasses, try to have a back up pair in the bag. Emergency cash, in fairly small quantities is good; especially quarters for phone calls. 

Also in each bag you should include: A flashlight, extra batteries, a whistle, a pocket knife, a local map, a permanent marker and paper, a bit of twine, list of emergency phone numbers, toothbrush and toothpaste, an extra key to your home and vehicle, and some basic food and water. You can purchase food bars that have 2400-3600 calories per bar. They have a shelf-life of 5 years, and are specifically formulated to not cause thirst when eating them. A smart way to pack water easily is to purchase water pouches. They also have a 5 year shelf life, and you can pack one per meal. They are 4.227 ounces of water each, which is exactly the amount the Red Cross recommends you should drink per meal in an emergency. 

Don’t forget to put your go-bags in an easily accessible location. Do not hide them away under all the other junk in your garage. Make sure each family member knows where they are stored, and knows what is inside of them. Go over a family emergency plan. Pick a location to meet at in case you are not all together when the emergency first occurs. There are many other things you can do to prepare your family for an emergency, but this is a great start to help give you peace of mind in these turbulent times.  

One of the questions I hear a lot is “Where do I start?”  Think about starting your emergency preparedness and food storage on paper before you start buying things you don’t need or already have.  There is a 4 step way to get prepared.

1. Know where you are.  What do you have and what do you need?  Maybe you set up your emergency preparedness supplies when you were single and now you are married with 2 kids.  Your needs change as your circumstances change.
2. Decide what your priorities are.  Do you want to be done and prepared as quickly as possible or do you want to prepare as you can afford it?  Do you have a pet, an infant, or special medical needs?  Your individual needs and priorities will shape your preparedness program.
3. Establish a budget.  Work food storage and emergency preparedness into your monthly budget.  Set aside a specific amount of money each month for freeze-dried food, sanitation supplies, battery-operated lantern, or water containers.  By establishing a budget, you create a path to making your preparedness a reality.
4. Keep a record.  Some of us may think emergency preparedness is important, but when our products arrive, we put the boxes in the basement and forget about it.  You need to keep track of what you have and what you receive so that you can know where you are still lacking.

By taking a few minutes to do this 4 step paper system, you can rest assured that you are getting what you need to prepare yourself and your family members and making every dollar count for what you truly need.

When I was a junior in high school, a natural disaster hit.  Late one spring afternoon, I was at my school at the softball field.  My softball team was having sliding practice since the field was so muddy and the weather was so overcast.  All of a sudden the wind started whipping around so fiercely that large drums that we used as garbage cans tipped over and started blowing away.  Debris stirred up everywhere and the air seemed to fill with dirt and dust.  The sky turned dark and it started to rain.  We all started running for our cars.  My mom was supposed to pick me up about an hour later, but we all just ran to cars and left as quickly as we could.  I jumped in the car with a teammate and we took off.  As we passed the school, the air pressure that had built up resulted in the windows of the school exploding.  Large tree limbs scattered the road and a horrific roaring seemed to be right on top of us.  We had no idea what was happening, we just knew we needed to get as far away as fast as we could. 

We later learned that a tornado had hit our city.  We didn’t live in an area where tornadoes occurred very frequently and we were caught by surprise.  I ended up going home with a friend, and didn’t know if my mom and sister were OK.  A few hours later, we were all reunited since the phones were only out for a short time.  Trees fell on houses and there was substantial property damage to some homes.  We were lucky.  It could have been much worse.  We didn’t have an emergency plan in place and we could have been separated for days, not knowing where our loved ones were or if they were safe. 

I have worked on an emergency plan with my family so that my kids know what to do in an emergency.  If we need to evacuate our house (think house fire or gas leak) we meet at the park across the street from our home.  If we have to evacuate our city, I am in charge of picking up our children from school and then meeting my husband at a local fast food place just off an interstate exit.  We know that whatever may occur, we have a plan in place so that our family can be together.

Yesterday we talked about how a pandemic flu would necessitate a self-imposed reverse quarantine, or SIRQ.  So, how do you prepare for something like this?  You can take simple steps to make your family better prepared.  Talk to your employer about what steps the company has in place if a pandemic flu occurred.  Are you able to work from home and telecommute?  Talk to your city about their plan for maintaining services like garbage pick-up, water, and sewer during a pandemic.  By finding out the answers to questions now, you will be better prepared and may help your city develop a plan to deal with the repercussions of a pandemic.
 

Think about the basics your family needs to survive:  clean, drinking water, shelter, sanitation supplies, and food.  Plan to have at least a 3 month supply of each of these things.  Do you have a water filter to purify water?  Do you have feminine hygiene products?  Do you have diapers and wipes for your infant?  Do you have at least a 90 day supply of food?  If you have what you need in your home, you will not need to go outside and expose yourself to infection.  You can also keep masks like the N95 and N100 on hand so that if you must venture out, you have the appropriate protection. 

Essential items to help prevent the spread of disease like soap, rubber gloves, facial tissues, bleach, and disinfectants also should be a large part of your pandemic preparedness. 

What if you have children and schools were closed for 6 months?  Consider keeping age-appropriate workbooks around.  If you don’t use them, they can become a summer study program.  Have a variety of books on your bookshelf at home covering topics from science to social studies to history to fiction.
 

Part of surviving any kind of disaster is having the right mindset.  If you have the peace of mind that comes from being prepared and knowing that you have done everything within your power to protect yourself and your loved ones, you are more likely to have a positive attitude even in the face of extreme adversity.

OK, so I wanted to talk a little bit about pandemic flu.  The flu happens every year.  Because some people have immunity to various strains of the flu, it doesn’t infect everyone.  But a pandemic flu is a worldwide epidemic.  Virtually no one in the world is immune to pandemic viruses, meaning that many more people become ill and die during a pandemic than during a yearly outbreak of the flu.
 

Pandemics occur about three times every century and we are due for one.  Pandemics are a naturally occurring phenomenon and there is little we can do to prevent one.  But we can take steps once we know a pandemic is out there to protect ourselves and our loved ones. 

The way it will happen is that the CDC will make an announcement that pandemic flu has been confirmed in the United States.  At this point, the flu is already out there.  Estimates are that it took only a couple weeks for the Spanish flu of 1918 to spread across the country and we are obviously much more mobile that in 1918.  Scientists cannot even predict how quickly a pandemic would spread. 

Your best strategy for staying healthy is SIRQ which stands for self-imposed reverse quarantine.  During a quarantine, ill people are separated from the healthy population, but in a reverse quarantine, the healthy are quarantined.  The government may take action such as closing schools and church meetings as well as large public gatherings.  Once the news is out that a pandemic flu is in the country, it is too late to go grab a few gallons of milk or run to the store to stock up on toilet paper.  You need to be able to stay in your home with no contact with others for about 3 months.
 

Tomorrow we will focus on what we can do to prepare for a pandemic and the consequences of one.

Water is an essential part to your emergency preparedness. Water can also be pretty heavy. One gallon of water weighs 8 pounds, so a 5 gallon water container is going to weigh 40 lbs. That is probably the most weight I feel comfortable carrying and I probably wouldn’t get very far with that.

But don’t just think about how you would carry all that weight. You might be forced to evacuate, but be able to take your car. In that case, you can load up a bunch of water if you already have it stored. I love the 5 gallon stackable water containers for this purpose. You might be forced to evacuate on foot, but think in terms of a modern-day handcart and use strollers, wagons, garden carts, or even wheelbarrows to transport your water.

Don’t just think about carrying water, think about carrying a weigh to purify water like an MSR miniworks water filter or aqua purification tablets. They are both lightweight and take up little room, but allow you access to clean, drinking water whenever you need it. Water is one of the most important parts of emergency preparedness and can be done without breaking your back if you take the time to think things through and formulate a plan.

One of the questions I am often asked is, “What should I put in an infant 72-hour kit?”  Babies have very specific nutritional needs and their kits should be custom-designed for them.  So, here are the basics of what should be in every baby 72 hour kit:

            Water                                      Formula

            Bottles                                     Jarred baby food and snacks

Disposable diapers                  Wipes

            Change of clothing                 Blanket

            Infant medication                   Sling for carrying baby

            Diaper rash ointment               Soap for bathing and laundry

            Thermometer                           Pacifier

            Contact Info                           Favorite things:  book, toy, blanket 

I know that there are lots of moms out there who nurse their babies who are thinking, “I don’t need to have formula if I am breastfeeding.”  That may be true, but I am a big believer in preparing for the worst and hoping for the best.  What if you didn’t have enough to drink and were unable to produce enough milk?  What if you were separated from your baby?  By having water, formula, and bottles on hand, you can know that the nutritional needs of your baby will be met. 

I know that there are also people out there who use cloth diapers.  So, why do I recommend disposables?  In emergency situations, you are dealing with limited time and resources.  While I think it is a good idea to keep some cloth diapers in your kit, there is no guarantee that you will have a place to store, wash, and dry cloth diapers.  Plan to keep a minimum of 3 days worth of disposables in your infant kit. 

I also like to keep an infant fever reducer in my infant kit in case my child is teething or fighting a fever.  A sling can be helpful if you are required to carry your baby and nare unable to use a stroller.  A sling can be a lifesaver for your back and arms.  It is also important to consider the emotional needs of your baby.  Does she sleep with a stuffed animal or read a certain book before naptime?  By providing your baby with comfort items, you can make a difficult experience much easier to deal with.

The news seems to be full of doom and gloom when it comes to financial matters.  Headlines scream about possible recession, the mortgage crisis, and whether or not attempts by the government to avoid a recession will work.  I am not a financial guru, so I am not sure about how stimulus checks will impact the economy. 

But I do know how the stimulus checks will affect me personally.  My husband and I sat down several months ago as the new year approached and laid out a financial plan for our family that included paying off credit cards, paying off our car loan, building up an emergency fund, and beefing up our food storage.  While we have been very fortunate to keep this plan in place in spite of the bad news about the economy, we have also realized that money in the bank does not equal food in our fridge. 

I have seen news reports about the skyrocketing price of wheat and rice as well as the never ending climb of gas prices.  We have seen less money in our pockets as a result.  But we have also realized what is truly important.  We don’t need to see another movie, but I do feel that having a year’s supply of food is essential.
 

As an insider to the food storage and emergency preparedness industry, I have also come to see that just because we want something doesn’t mean it is available.  While The Ready Store usually ships orders in 2-3 days, we are seeing that due to increased demand as well as conditions on a global level, we are seeing up to a 2 week delay on shipping of some of our freeze-dried items.  This is a lesson that things may not always be available when we want and need them.  That is why it is essential to prepared ahead and be ready before an emergency strikes. 

So, my advice is get your priorities in order.  If you have $600 from the government burning a hole in your pocket, use it to prepare yourself and your loved ones.  We live in turbulent times and I truly believe that we need to make preparations now to prepare for the challenges of tomorrow.

When I first heard about food bars, I thought they were just the “Powerbar” type things you can buy at any local retailer. I had no idea what a beneficial product they could be to me in an emergency. My parents bought my family and me an emergency box for Christmas. It was filled (and I mean completely packed) with emergency supplies. Water packs for drinking, flashlights, a crank-powered radio, matches, a mini stove, and a supply of food bars. I was curious because the food bars were the only edible item in the kit. “How in the world could we survive on Powerbars,” I thought? I knew they were nutritious, but I didn’t think they could sustain us completely. So, I did some research on food bars, and this is what I found.

Food bars have a shelf life of 5 years. That was wonderful! No more digging the stale, broken peanut butter crackers out of the 72 hour kits every couple months. There is absolutely no preparation needed to eat the food bars. Just peel of the wrapper and eat. There are a few different brands of food bars, and each one has a bit of a different flavor to it. I’ve heard of ones that taste like lime creamsicle bars or apple-cinnamon cookies, but my favorites are the shortbread flavor. My grandma always had Lorna Doone cookies in her cookie jar, and that’s what they remind me of.

Also, food bars are made to withstand extreme temperatures. So, whether you live in the middle of the Arizona desert, or in the Alaskan tundra, they will stay fresh and completely nutritious. Another really great benefit of food bars is that they are made with very low sodium, so you don’t get thirsty while you’re eating them. (Unlike those terrible old peanut butter crackers!) That will help you reserve your water rations in an emergency.

The nutritional value of a food bar is astounding. You can purchase them in either 3600 or 2400 calorie packages. The 3600 calorie bar has 54 grams of protein, 378 carbs and 180 grams of fat. The 2400 bar has 36 grams of protein, 252 carbs and 120 grams of fat. They are made out of all natural ingredients with no preservatives. They are kept fresh by being vacuum sealed. The main ingredients are wheat flour, vegetable shortening, cane sugar, water, coconut and salt.

Not only will food bars be nutritious for you and your family in an emergency, but they will also taste great! They are very light-weight and small, which makes for easy transportation when you need to be on the move. I am very grateful to my parents for thinking of our emergency survival. Food bars will be something we buy more of in the future. Whether you store them in your 72 hour kit, in your car, or in your office, they will bring peace of mind if an emergency should strike.

Regardless of how much you might prepare for disaster, it may not be enough. If disaster strikes, it pays to be prepared for the aftermath.

When the California wildfires threatened to destroy their Escondido home, Costco members Tana and Damian Jackson were able to maintain a degree of calm, knowing they would weather the storm. They knew they couldn’t stop the fire from destroying their home–ultimately, it didn’t–but they were reassured by having a complete, verified inventory of everything in it to give to their insurance company. . .

The Jacksons offer these reasons why businesses, and homeowners, should compile an inventory:

1. Forty percent of small and medium-sized businesses do not reopen after a catastrophic event because of a lack of resources

2. Insurance companies rely on a documented inventory of belongings to process a claim. They may not require it but they do recommend it.

3. Without an inventory, you claim will likely take longer and your benefit will be smaller.

4. You are probably underinsured, and you will not realize it until it is too late. An inventory may help you determine what coverage is really needed.

5. It is easier to add now than by memory after a catastrophe.

Freeze-drying was first developed during World War II to preserve blood plasma for emergencies without the use of refrigeration. (Yes, the freeze-drying process can be used for many things other than foods.) After the war was over, the process was then used for food products. Coffee was the first manufactured product that was sold on a large scale.

All food is tested and checked for purity before it goes through the freeze-drying process. Meats and fruits are checked for bacteria before they are used. Seafood and meat must be pre-cooked before it is freeze-dried. That way, when you open the package to use it, the meat requires no cooking to eat it…only the addition of water to re-hydrate it. After the foods have been checked and tested, they are spread out flat on metal trays. Then the trays are wheeled into a huge walk-in freezer where the temperature is around -40degrees. The food is frozen quickly. After they are frozen, the foods are wheeled to vacuum drying chamber. In this room, a process called “sublimation” is used to force solid material to change into a gas material without ever having turned into a liquid. This can be achieved by evacuating the air with a vacuum pump to reduce the air pressure. Once the pressure falls below the point of sublimation, the water vapor from the food is drawn away from the food, leaving the dry food behind. The dry food retains its original size and shape. The food is then packaged into airtight containers so that moisture from the air will not re-enter the food. The whole freeze drying process can take anywhere from 4 to 12 hours.

So, yeah, it’s a bit complicated, but fascinating all the same. Freeze-dried food has so many advantages to other food storage options. It is extremely light-weight, requires no refrigeration, and the food retains its color, shape, texture, and most importantly…flavor! Freeze-dried food may cost a bit more to start with because of the complex equipment that is needed to make it, but in the long run, it will be an asset. Freeze-dried food can last up to 30 years and sometimes longer! I challenge anyone to show me a can of mushy green beans that can do that! Freeze-dried food is definitely the way to go for emergency food storage.

Do regular drills.  We try to do fire drills at least twice a year as well as earthquake drills since we live in earthquake country.  We remind our children never to return to a building that is on fire as well as our family emergency plan.

Play the “what if” game.  Ask your kids, “What if there was an emergency and you were stuck at school?  What would you do?”  Or, “What if you came home from school and mom wasn’t there and the house was locked?  What would you do?”  Talk about family rules and who they can go to if they are in trouble. 

By talking to our children and giving them information, we give them the power to make smart choices in whatever situation they may face.

Does your city have an emergency plan based in scenarios most likely to occur in your area?  If not, go to a city council meeting and bring it to the attention of the mayor and city council.  Coordinate with the police and fire chiefs to help your city develop a realistic plan to help all its citizens.  You will need to take into account the various businesses such as nursing homes and preschools to make sure that everyone is accounted for and assisted to the level they need.

Talk to your neighbors about their plans and what assistance they may need.  Partner with a friend so that if you aren’t home when a situation occurs that she will care for your children and commit to do the same for her children.  You can lessen the impact the disasters will have on you by taking the tine to get involved in planning for the inevitable.

The best way to do an inventory is to sit down and pull everything out.  I know this may seem like a daunting task, but if you don’t know what you have, you don’t know what you need.  I did this recently with my sister and brother-in-law.  While they were pleasantly surprised by the amount of things they had in their 72-hour kits, they found they were lacking in some areas.  They had a portable potty lid and bags, but needed toilet chemicals.  They had several tools, but no matches and no 115 hour Ready candles.

Once you know what you need, you can break it down into categories such as light and communication, food storage, first aid, etc.  Then you can figure out what you need in each area and make a plan to acquire those items.  With a little time and effort, you can make sure you are ready for whatever circumstances you may encounter in an emergency situation.

I believe that every home should have a gas shutoff wrench.  This one comes with a zip tie so that you can tie it onto your gas meter.  No more worries about where the toolbox is or if the kids have run off with it.  Another important tool is work gloves.  Disasters create big messes and those messes have to be cleaned up.  Having good work gloves can prevent injury and speed the cleaning up process.

Another basic is a manual can opener.  Freeze-dried food in #10 cans can be hard to get to if you don’t have a can opener to open them up.  Scissors are also a fantastic all-around tool to keep in your 72 hour kit.  Another helpful tool is a folding shovel.  I keep one in my car so that if we are stuck in snow, we can dig ourselves out.  The shovel is also very compact since it folds into thirds.

Other tools you might find useful are 100 ft. of nylon rope as well as a Leatherman tool.  These can serve multiple purposes, making them essential in an emergency situation.  Having the knowledge to deal with a crisis is essential, but so are the right tools to help you deal with that situation the best way possible.

It takes about 35-40 gallons of water to fill a bathtub and we use about 5 gallons a minute when we shower.  Because water is so accessible and so cheap, it is often hard for us to imagine a time when water might not be available.  In areas that have had to enact a boil water order due to an emergency situation, it takes about an hour and a half for bottled water to sell out.  Make water storage a priority.  30 gallon drums, 5 gallon stackable water containers and filters such as the MSR miniworks are great ways to get your water storage going.

We need to store a minimum of 14 gallons per person in our household which equals out to a 14 day supply.  Half of that is set aside for drinking water and the other half is for things like bathing, laundry, and food prep.  Take steps to make water storage a priority and make this essential resource a necessity for your personal preparedness program.

My second challenge is to set a goal. If you are just now starting, set a date to have your 72-hour kits completed. Then when you have that done, turn your attention to having a 2 week supply of water. Finished with that? Look at the needs of your family. Do you need to stock up on freeze-dried fruit or do you have a bunch of dinner choices, but no breakfast options stored? Set a goal and stick to it. We often think that food storage is a good idea, but how often do we make it a priority and say, “I will have a year supply of food by June 30^th?” We have to make it a goal, make it a priority, and then take steps to make it a reality.

We don’t know when a disaster like a flood or earthquake will hit or when a personal disaster such as a disability or job loss can strike, but we can take steps to prepare ourselves and our loved ones so that we can be ready for whatever may come our way.

A drought like the one that occurred during the Dust Bowl could lead to a famine. It’s hard to imagine since for many of us we have always seen fully stocked grocery store shelves and never a lack of food to buy. But various situations from trucking strikes to a pandemic to crop failure could lead to a lack of food. How long could you survive with the food you have in your home right now? A few days? A couple of weeks? A month or two? We have become so far removed from our food since it is shipped to grocery stores in brightly colored packages that we may not realize that crop failures can directly impact us.

I see food storage as a type of insurance plan. I don’t know if we will be hit by a massive earthquake, a flood, or a worldwide pandemic, but I do know that I have taken steps to care for my family if any of those situations occur. I am a mother and am driven by a mother’s need to care for her family. The thought of my children calling out, “What’s for dinner?” or pleading with me that they are hungry, and knowing that I have nothing to feed them, that we have no food, is a horrifying thought to me.

By eating out one less time a month, I can put an extra can of food in our food storage. By making small changes, I know that I can take steps to prepare my family and ensure their safety in times of distress.

For shelter, there may be circumstances where we can shelter in place and use our home as a shelter. Other times we may be stuck in our cars. Keeping some basic items in our car in case we need to use it as a shelter can be life-saving. Some water pouches, survival food bars, hand warmers, emergency blankets, a Ready candle, and waterproof matches can help us keep warm in a winter storm situation. And what if a major earthquake made sleeping in your home impossible? Consider a backpacker dome tent or even a tube tent plus emergency sleeping bags.

Next is water. You can store a lot of water in your home by using the 30 gallon barrels and then adding the water preserver so you only have to change the water every 5 years instead of every year. You can also think about portable water in case evacuation becomes necessary. The 5 gallon stackable water containers are great for this purpose. And what if you had access to water, but it was contaminated? Think about potable aqua and an MSR miniworks water filter. The miniworks can filter up to 500 gallons of water, so it is a great tool to invest in.

Last is food. Survival food bars are compact enough to store in your car or even in your desk at work. You can store MREs and freeze-dried pouches in your 72-hour kits. And the #10 cans of freeze-dried food are terrific to store in your home for longer term food storage.

Emergencies and disasters don’t always happen how we plan, so by taking steps to resolve these 3 essential issues in at least 3 ways, you can feel secure in your emergency preparations.