Showing posts with label Preparedness. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Preparedness. Show all posts

Friday, September 11, 2009

30 Days to Preparedness

Thirty Days and Thirty Ways to Be Better Prepared

By Carolyn Nicolaysen

November brings the anticipation of the holidays, and sometimes the nervous question of how to stretch the household budget a little further. When it comes to family preparedness, there are so many things we can do that don’t require spending a penny, or even much of our time! Here are thirty ideas to move your emergency plan forward that are just plain simple, and mostly free:

November 1st: Beginning today, save your pocket change at the end of each day. Make saving a part of your dinnertime ritual. Get a 1-quart canning jar and each evening as you sit down to eat have everyone in the family empty the coins from their pockets and purses into the jar. They might need a little assurance that this is for a good cause, and just for 30-days. This is money that will scarcely be missed, yet it can provide the seed money for your emergency preparedness plan. It will also set an example for your family of the importance of savings and self-reliance.

November 2nd: Gather empty canning jars and fill them with water. Return them to their boxes on your shelves and you have added to your water storage. These do not have to be sealed, as the water will last until it is canning season again - when you dump the water to use the jars for canning. The lids should be sterilized before use, but do not need to be new as you are not going to process the water. If you want the water to last indefinitely, use new lids, process for 20 minutes in a water bath canner and store in boxes.

November 3rd: Check the other water you have stored in bottles and jugs - dump and replace any that is older than 1 year.

November 4th: Call grocery stores and bakeries and ask if they have 5 gallon buckets they are willing to give away or sell. Sometimes they will just give them to you. These can be used to store grains, pet food, or even to stack your food pouches in so the pests can’t get to them. If you are offered buckets that had pickles in them do not use these for food but rather for storing your evacuation kits or to hold in reserve for emergency use as a port-a-potty.

November 5th: Read the talk “If Ye Are Prepared Ye Shall Not Fear” by President Gordon B. Hinckley (Ensign November 2005).

November 6th: Family Home Evening: Make a list with your family of all their favorite meals and snacks. These will become the basis for your year's supply of food.

November 7th: Teach your family how to turn off the gas supply to your home in event of fire or earthquake. Show them where to turn off the water supply in case pipes are broken.

November 8th: Make a list of everything in your home that requires electricity. Now, make a list of the items you could substitute for those services during an emergency. For example: For lighting you will need flashlights and glow sticks. Instead of a washer and dryer you will need liquid laundry detergent, a large tub or sink, a clothesline and clothes pins.

November 9th: Brainstorm a list of everything in your home that requires water. What could you store to minimize or conserve the use of water during a disaster? As an example: Instead of washing dishes you can store some disposable cups, plates, bowls and eating utensils.

November 10th: Collaborate with others. Create a list of items you will need for food storage or family preparedness, and a list of friends and family who may be able to provide some of those items. For example, consider who has fruit trees and would be willing to share their surplus fruit. Find out when crops are in season where you live, and write it on your calendar for next year (you can check with your county agriculture extension office).

November 11th: Brainstorm with your family a list of talents and resources you have in “surplus” that might be used to barter for the items on the list you created yesterday. If you do canned foods each summer, consider trading some for fresh fruit or veggies.

November 12th: Read “Prepare for the Days of Tribulation” by President Ezra Taft Benson (Ensign, November 1980).

November 13th: Family Home Evening: Study the list of suggested items to include in a 72-hour kit. Have family members gather as many items as they can from around the house.

November 14th: Organize the items you gathered yesterday and make a list of items you still need to purchase. Prioritize the list. Remember - a large backpack, water, food, warmth, and light should be first. Watch for our upcoming Meridian Magazine article “The Gift of Preparedness”.

November 15th: Begin an inventory of your year’s supply. Today you can start by listing your stock of cleaning supplies and toiletries.

November 16th: Continue your year’s supply inventory by listing all of your fruits and vegetables: canned, frozen and/or dried.

November 17th: You’re really rolling on this inventory – today you count your storage of meats, beans, and spices.

November 18th: Now complete your inventory by counting your grains and baking supplies such as flour, sugar, and baking powder.

November 19th: Read “Preparation for the Second Coming” by Elder Dallin H. Oaks (Ensign May 2004).

November 20th: Family Home Evening: Hold emergency drills with your family and practice what you would do in case of fire, flood, earthquake, hurricane, tornado or any other disaster that may occur in your area. Make sure your children know where they should meet, who your family contact person is, how to contact them, and what each family member should grab before leaving the house if there is time.

November 21st: Become a detective. Label items not emptied after one use with the date they were opened. Items would include such things as vinegar, toothpaste, laundry detergent, over the counter medications, large bags of dog food, diapers and plastic garbage bags. Before throwing away the empty container calculate the time it took to use it up and you can then calculate the number you will need for a year.

November 22nd: With a permanent marker mark the tops of all the cans and jars currently in your cupboards and storage with a slash or an X. As you purchase new items, mark them with the dates they were purchased. Now you can use the one with the slashes first and when they are gone you will have dated cans which can then be used in the order in which they were purchased.

November 23rd: Happy Thanksgiving! As you gather with your family, create a family preparedness plan. Choose an out-of-area family member who will act as the contact person during an emergency. All family members can check in with that one person and relay messages to the rest of the family. Every individual family should have a contact person and all the adults should know the contact info. Your contact should also be sent copies of your important documents in case you have to evacuate quickly and don’t have time to gather them. They should also have current pictures of each family member in case a member is separated and rescue personnel need a photo.

November 24th: Check out a new resource, such as the Federal Citizen Information Center at http://www.pueblo.gsa.gov/ to find a list of available bulletins on many subjects including nutrition, canning, and preparing for medical emergencies.

November 25th: Have family members sort through their closets and take good used clothing to D.I. or to a consignment shop.

November 26th: Read “Food Storage” by Bishop Vaughn J Featherstone (Ensign, May 1976)

November 27th: Collect important documents to copy for your 72-hour kits and send to your contact person. These should include, but are not limited to: birth certificates, insurance documents, deeds, pink slips for cars, church ordinations, patriarchal blessings, wills, and medical records.

November 28th: Now copy or scan the items you collected yesterday. If you don’t have them all, copy what you do have and insert them into your kits, with a second copy sent to your contact person. A good place for originals might be a safe deposit box.

November 29th: Make a household inventory for insurance purposes. Using a digital camera or video camera, open all the drawers and doors of closets and take pictures of everything. If you are recording, speak as you record and note the original cost of items, their age, and other factors which might document their value. Also, send a copy of this inventory to your contact person, and keep the original in your safe deposit box.

November 30th: Spend your pocket change. You should have a better idea now of the items you need to be better prepared. Use the money you have been collecting in your jar each day. Go out and purchase a few of the items you need for your 72-hour kits, or add to your food storage.

Now, a parting thought to ponder: Although the Savior’s parable of the Ten Virgins was mainly given to teach us about the spiritual snares that await the unprepared, having the temporal equivalent of oil in our lamps may be just as essential to the well-being of our families in troubled times, when wildfires, earthquakes, hurricanes, blizzards and floods can each be part of just another month’s headlines - a month like October 2006.
Now just reflect on our plan for 30-days, and how much better prepared you can be in a single month! All this without the expense of any folding money, which has so many other uses for the Christmas holiday and all those details that make the season brighter!

26 Weeks to Family Emergency Preparedness

26 Weeks to Family Emergency Preparedness


WEEK ACTION TO TAKE

1 Get a portable container with a lid to use as an emergency kit. A plastic storage bin or garbage can works well, particularly one with wheels. Choose an accessible location for the container near an exit, and label the container. Make sure all family members know what it will be used for and where it is.

2 Stock your kit with a three-day supply of water, and don't forget to include water for your pets. You need four litres of water per person per day - two for drinking and two for food preparation and hygiene.

3 Arrange an out-of-area phone contact person, and keep this and other emergencyphone numbers near each telephone. Teach each family member these numbers.

4 Stock your kit with several varieties of canned meat and dried fruit. Include a manual can opener.

5 Get a portable radio and extra batteries for your emergency kit.

6 Learn about hazards. Find out what the hazards are in your community, and do a home hazard hunt to make your home safer. Secure appliances and heavy furniture, and move beds away from heavy mirrors and windows.

7 Give every family member specific safety tasks to do in an emergency. For example, designate one person to be in charge of turning off elect ricity, one to collect the emergency container, one to take charge of any pets, etc. Add peanuts and granola bars to your kit.

8 Identify safe places in your home and on your property. Plan and practice evacuation drills using two different escape routes from each room. Add containers of juice or juice crystals to your kit.

9 Stock your kit with both large and medium-sized plastic garbage bags (orange oryellow make good visible signals). Large bags can also be used as ponchos, ground covers or blankets. Add plastic or paper dishes.

10 Identify a family meeting place away from home but close to your regular spots (between work and home or school). Add some books, toys and cards to your kit.

11 Add a flashlight and extra batteries, along with candles and waterproof matches.

12 Add some dried soups, crackers and peanut butter to your emergency kit.

13 Check your insurance policies and make records of your possessions.

14 Prepare a first-aid kit that includes extra prescription medication, extra eyeglasses,bandages, sterile gauze pads, tape, scissors, tweezers, antibiotic ointment, hydrogen peroxide and over-the-counter pain pills.

15 Add a change of clothing for each family member to your kit. Be sure to include warm clothing, heavy work gloves and sturdy shoes.

16 Add some canned food like stews, baked beans and vegetables to your kit.

17 Enroll a family member in a first-aid course.

18 Add personal toiletry items like toilet paper, handy wipes, soap, detergent,toothbrush, toothpaste, comb, sanitary supplies, etc. to your emergency kit.

19 Add evaporated canned or powdered milk and cereal to your kit.

20 If needed, include infant supplies including disposable diapers, disposable bottles, formula, etc. to your emergency kit.

21 Get a large bucket with a tight-fitting lid to use as a toilet, and put it with your emergency kit. Use the bucket to store other emergency tools like an axe, a folding shovel and rope.

22 Add some freeze-dried or foil pouch food products like meats, soups, vegetables and stews.

23 Add a pocket knife (Swiss army style), cutlery, a whistle and spare set of house and car keys to your container.

24 Keep a leash or pet carrier near your kit and add a three-day supply of pet food.

25 Add sleeping bags or blankets to your kit along with water purification tablets.

26 Assemble important documents like wills, insurance papers, medical records, inventory of possessions, identification, etc. in a fireproof/waterproof container. Add a family photo album to your emergency kit.

Sunday, August 23, 2009

25 Ways to be More Self Reliant Today -


I came across this article at http://www.daisymountainward.blogspot.com/




Why Self Reliance?Self reliant living has always been an important skill. From the Pilgrims to our grandparents that lived through the depression and World War 2 the ability to survive and thrive during times of intense hardship can mean the difference between life and death, freedom and slavery. Sometimes we become self reliant because we want to and sometimes because we have to. It is, in my opinion, better to be self reliant before we are forced to. There is nothing in this world that is guaranteed. Things change rapidly. Stock markets rise and they crash, you may have a job today and yet be unemployed tomorrow. It stands to reason that the more independent you can be, the better off you are and the better quality of life you will have overall.25 Steps You Can Take TodayBecoming independent is not an overnight thing but everything starts somewhere and this is no different. The small steps you take today can change your life, even save your life, further down the road.
1. Come up with a plan to get out of debt. This really isn't that hard. Put up the credit cards and don't use them. Begin to pay an extra five dollars on your lowest balance, more if you can. When that balance is paid off add the amount you had been paying to your next lowest balance, and so on. When you can pay more by all means DO! Debt costs you money. If you really want to see how much it is costing you add up your finance charges every month. $50? $100? what could you be doing with that money?

2. Learn one homemaking skill a month. Sewing, knitting, and crocheting would be my top suggestions and then from their move to soap making and spinning. With these skills you can clothe your family or even make a little money.

3. Make simplicity a habit. When you need to get your nails done, get your hair done, have the newest technology the lack of these things will leave a huge void in your life. If you create a life without things you don't miss them when they are gone! Learn to enjoy an evening board game with the family rather than DVD’s or video games

.4. Invest in books. No matter what happens if you have books available you can find the information you need. If the Internet goes down, if power goes off, you won't be able to get your information from your computer however if you have a good collection of books; reference and good literature, you will always have both entertainment and instruction. You can home school your kids pretty thoroughly with only a good set of encyclopedias.

5. Learn cooking skills. Bread baking, canning, making sour dough starter, and even making things like vinegar are useful abilities.

6. Invest in reusable personal items like cloth diapers and cloth feminine hygiene products.

7. Plan a vegetable garden. It doesn't have to be extensive. Good things to plant would be: beans, lettuces,spinach, broccoli, beets, tomatoes, peas, okra, eggplant, peppers, zucchini, squash, cucumbers. There are, of course many other vegetables to try but these are the most reliable and prolific for the beginner.

8. Plant herbs. Culinary herbs should include basil, oregano, dill, lavender (mixed use), mint (also mixed use), rosemary, sage, and cilantro. But don't stop at culinary herbs, there are many herbs that make important medicinal teas. Lavender is soothing, mint calms a queasy tummy. Alfalfa cleanses the blood stream and lymph system.

9. Plant fruit. Not everyone has the space for an orchard but there are new varieties of miniature and dwarf trees that stay five feet tall or less and yet produce fruit. Usually you need two varieties of each fruit tree for proper pollination. By planting fruit trees as landscaping you will have s guaranteed supply of fruit in hard times. Strawberries, black berries, and grapes are other good choices.

10. Consider bee keeping as a fun hobby and a way to ensure that your sweet tooth gets fed.

11. Consider dairy goats. Depending on where you live you can keep a couple of does for far less than you will pay for milk. If your space is very limited consider Nigerian Dwarf Dairy goats. They are about the size of a Golden Retriever or Lab and are sweet tempered with good milk production on minimal feed. You can even use the large Igloo dog houses as shelter for them.

12. Chickens can provide eggs and meat. If you keep a rooster or two you can ensure your ability to continue to produce both eggs and meat as long as necessary by breeding the chickens and allowing them to hatch their eggs. Chickens, if allowed to free range, need little in the way of supplemental foods.

13. Pick up hand tools. Battery operated and electric drills and saws are great normally but what if the grid goes down and you need to fix something? Not only do I have hand saws of various types but I also have my dad's old hand plane, auger, post hole diggers and other tools that you can pick up for pennies at garage sales.

14. Have a plan. This sounds easy but few people do it. Spend a few minutes thinking about what would happen in a financial crisis, national emergency, or weather related emergency. List some things you would need, plan what steps you would take.

15. Have a first aid kit handy and learn about homeopathic and herbs. These were used for centuries before antibiotics and have a place in home health care today. Colloidal silver can be used as eye drops, nose drops, ear drops, external antibiotic and an internal antibiotic. Keep a reference where you can get it quickly.

16. Buy a hunting rifle and learn to use it safely. There may come a time when that adorable rabbit that nibbles the clover in your backyard may make an excellent stew.

17. Learn to forage for wild foods.

18. Change your mentality about money. Working a 9-5 job is only one way to make an income. There are many more from tutoring, selling produce and eggs, to cleaning houses, mowing lawns, and blogging.

19. Start a reference library. Books that have instruction in important survival skills are a great investment.

20. Keep some MRIs handy, about 1-2 weeks worth per person. This will give you time, in an emergency, to come up with a plan to feed your family.

21. Install a wood stove. Whether it is in the den or somewhere else a wood stove will provide heat and cooking surface if need be.

22. Exercise. Keeping yourself healthy will enable you to be strong in times of stress.

23. Keep some cash at home. 500.00 is a good start. If something happens you have cash to use as you need to.

24. Learn about alternative energy and begin moving toward solar power panels.

25. Have a well drilled that can be utilized without an electric pump.By doing these things you can feel confident in your ability to lead your family through hard times with a minimal discomfort.


Pick one to start doing today!

Wednesday, August 19, 2009


We live in the Days just as the time of Noah: LDS Mormon Prophets and Leaders warn and prepare us-Elder W.Don Lund. Amazing Preparedness video- only 3 minutes. This is truly a beautiful video . It may be the motivation that you need to help you to gain the strength to be prepared spiritually, emotionally and physically.


Click here to view it.

This is the article that the video clip is based on-


“Make Thee an Ark”
Elder W. Don LaddOf the Seventy

W. Don Ladd, “‘Make Thee an Ark’,” Ensign, Nov 1994, 28

“There are … so many kinds of voices in the world,” said the Apostle Paul to the Corinthians two thousand years ago (1 Cor. 14:10). They seemed to be troubled by the same conflicting messages we hear today, and it can be frightening when you consider how fragile and fickle the fabric of our society really is.
There have always been strident sounds and discordant voices, and our day is no exception. Every day in the newspapers, over television, in movies and magazines, we are bombarded with violence and immorality clothed in the enticing voices of permissiveness.
In His sermon on the mount, the Master admonished, “Take therefore no thought for the morrow: for the morrow shall take thought for the things of itself. Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof” (Matt. 6:34).
Sufficient, indeed, is the evil thereof unto this day in which we live. There seems to be a rising tide of evil, a flood of iniquity spreading throughout the world. Crime and violence are increasing at an alarming rate. Fear openly stalks our streets and invades our homes.
It has been said that you can tell the ideals of a nation by its advertisements, and many of the ones I see do not speak well of us. Someone said there was a time when movies were rated on how good they were, not on who was allowed to see them.
According to the Book of Mormon, the devil “seeketh that all men might be miserable like unto himself” (2 Ne. 2:27). The evidence of his handiwork is certainly about us. Elder Richard L. Evans once said, “If we don’t change direction, we will arrive at where we are going” (Richard Evans’ Quote Book, Salt Lake City: Publishers Press, 1971, p. 244).
It is not in idleness that our prophets admonish again and again to strengthen ourselves and our families—to hold family home evenings, to read and study the scriptures, to have daily personal and family prayers, and, to quote our prophet, Howard W. Hunter, to “treat each other with more kindness, more courtesy, more humility and patience and forgiveness” (Ensign, July 1994, p. 4).
The immoral influences of the world are especially destructive to children. But our children, like ourselves, aren’t going to live in a vacuum. They never have and they never will. In all their growing and developing, we can do much to help them, to protect them, and to guide them. But we cannot isolate them from the influences of their own time and generation. There will be times when other voices are in their ears, when other hands are on their shoulders, and when they are away from home.
We would do well, then, while ours is still the strongest influence in their lives, to give them a sure set of standards and a firm foundation of safe and sound principles.
The Lord said to Noah, “Make thee an ark” and “with thee will I establish my covenant” (Gen. 6:14, 18).
“And Noah did according unto all that the Lord commanded him. …
“And Noah only remained alive, and they that were with him in the ark” (Gen. 7:5, 23).
We all need to build a personal ark, to fortify ourselves against this rising tide of evil, to protect ourselves and our families against the floodwaters of iniquity around us. And we shouldn’t wait until it starts raining, but prepare in advance. This has been the message of all the prophets in this dispensation, including President Hunter, as well as the prophets of old.
Unfortunately we don’t always heed the clear warnings of our prophets. We coast complacently along until calamity strikes, and then we panic.
When it starts raining, it is too late to begin building the ark. However, we do need to listen to the Lord’s spokesmen. We need to calmly continue to move ahead and to prepare for what will surely come. We need not panic or fear, for if we are prepared, spiritually and temporally, we and our families will survive any flood. Our arks will float on a sea of faith if our works have been steadily and surely preparing for the future.
The key is to accept the invitation of our prophet, whom we sustained this morning, “to live with ever more attention to the life and example of the Lord Jesus Christ, especially the love and hope and compassion He displayed” (Ensign, July 1994, p. 4).
The most important thing we can do—young or old—is develop a personal relationship with Jesus Christ. If we do, we will always be comfortable with ourselves. Any questions of self-esteem and self-worth will diminish, and we will have a quiet confidence that will see us through any trial. And the Savior’s promise to us is “Fear not, little children, for you are mine, and I have overcome the world” (D&C 50:41).
Whatever the anxiety or fear or frustration, we have only to remember the Lord’s comforting words to the Prophet Joseph Smith in the Liberty Jail: “My son, peace be unto thy soul” (D&C 121:7). To each of us, He will always be there to say, “My son, my daughter, my child, peace be unto thy soul.”
And in return we should pledge, as did the poet George Herbert:
Sev’n whole dayes, not one in seven, I will praise thee. … Ev’n eternitie is too short To extoll thee. (“Praise [II],” The Works of George Herbert, ed. F. D. Hutchinson, Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1971, p. 146)
My brothers and sisters, I bear you my witness that Jesus is the Christ, that He indeed overcame the world through His atonement, and that He will always be there to comfort us if we will follow His example and do the will of the Father. And I do so in the name of Jesus Christ, amen.

Wednesday, August 12, 2009

HoneyVille Grain Store- Local


There is a new Honeyville Grain Location. They have just opened a store in Chnadler off the I-10 and Chandler Blvd; located at 33 S. 56th St. They carry freeze dried fruits and veggies, all sorts of grains and pastas in bulk and cans, baking mixes, buckets, emergency preparedness products and much, much more. We want them to stay around so stop by if you get a chance. They even beat most of their own internet prices and you don't have to pay shipping!!



Nathan Webster
Store Manager
Honeyville Farms
623.208.5776

Grains Plus Orders Due 8-26-09



If you are interested in ordering from Grains Plus your order will be due to

Leslie Krauser
Grains Plus
480-218-4877
14126 East Buffalo St., Gilbert, AZ 85295

Follow this link to view the items available for purchase. I do not know if these are the best prices, but she has quite a variety of items available. You will need to research the best price. I have purchased from her before and have been happy with the quality and service she provides. Contact her directly.
http://www.grainsplus.com/

Caring For Your Family During a Pandemic


Carolyn Nicolaysen (http://www.totallyready.com/) did a -two part- write up for Merdian Magazine-about what you need to to do be prepared for the H1N1 -swine flu-to care for your family. Great information. Alot to think about. However, if we are prepared then we should not be fearful.


Preparing Your College Student for a Very-Possible Swine Flu H1N1


Carolyn Nicolaysen, owner of http://www.totallyready.com/, did research with BYU to see what your college student would need to be prepared to deal with, if the H1N1-Swine Flu returns in the fall. Even if you do not have a college student, this article makes a lot of sense...


BYU Idaho has produced a short video explaining the definition and risk of a pandemic. Although it deals with an avian flu pandemic H5N1 the counsel and basic information is applicable. www.byui.edu/safety/Pandemic_Web_Page.htm