Food Storage, Emergency Preparedness and Weekly/Monthly Assignments (Week of July 20th)

Hi Carson Ward Family, Torrance Stake Family, Family and Friends,

Taking a break . . .

I will be taking a break from the blog for about three weeks. I will be back the week of August 10th. For the mean time go back to June 1st and follow through to July 20th to catch up on the Emergency Family Medical Kit/Bag and continue to keeping track of what and how much your family eats in the month of July. If you want to get started August 1st on the August Monthly Assignment--Food Storage--Vegetables go ahead. Add either or both canned or dehydrated/freeze-dried vegetables to your Food Storage. Only add the vegetables your family will eat.

Travel/Vacation Preparedness 

This time of year many of us take vacations and travel either by plane or car. We are should be prepared for what may come our way during this time and while away from home to ensure our comfort and safety during the trip.

Things to consider . . .


1) First-aid: Have a good first-aid kit in your car and/or suit case. Keep a small one in your backpack while site seeing. Which should include pain relievers, and other medications you might need, especially prescription medications.





2) Documents: Keep copies of all your important documents while traveling, Passport, Social Security card, Driver's License or State ID card, car insurance card, tickets, picture of travel companions, emergency contact information (names and phone numbers), printed maps of where you are going, health insurance card and traveler's insurance card. If flying, keep one set of copies with your carry on bag. If driving, keep one set of copies in your car and one set of copies in your suit case. You can reduce the size of the cards by shrinking them to fit on one or two pages. Keep traveler's checks safe and copies of the receipt for them.


3) Sanitation: Personal hygiene items as allowed on the plane and in your car. I put all bottles like shampoo, etc in zip lock plastic bags just in case they leak. Children's items such as diapers, etc. Wash cloth or wipes, sanitation lotion, laundry bag (I just use a large plastic trash bag).


 


4) Communications : Cell phones along with their chargers, iPads, and all needed electronic devises with their chargers. Small portable battery operated radio to hear emergency broadcast. Whistle with cord to hang around your neck or put on your key ring. If trapped, they will hear the whistle and your voice will give out.



5) Food and Water: Keep emergency food and water in your car in case you become trapped or are lost. When sight seeing keep snacks and water in your backpacks. Snacks, child care items (formula, milk, snacks, etc.). If flying empty your filtered water bottle, go through security and then refill before getting on the plane. Go to store.lds.org and order the Seychelle water filtration bottles. They filter out 99.9999% of all bacteria and contaminants. If traveling by car, keep several bottles of water in your car. It is great to have a water filtration water bottle with you. That way you can filter all the water where ever you are. 

6) Money: If flying and carrying cash, keep cash in your carry on bag, your purse and/or wallet, not in the bags to be checked in. Keep the cash in different places. Same thing for Traveler's Checks. Keep bank cards and debit cards secure. When paying by credit card do not let your card our of your sight. Do not use your debit card while traveling, easy access to your account, use only Visa or other credit cards. Carry personal checks as needed. Contact your bank or credit card companies to let them know you will be traveling and where so they will not stop your card(s) in fear of them being stolen or lost. Keep the card phone numbers in your wallet, purse, carry on bag or other bags in case they are stolen so you can call them immediately to report the loss and stop the activity on your cards.

 

7) Special Items for Car Travel: Extra set of car keys, car emergency kit, flashlight, tools (screw driver, pliers, hammer, etc.), extra batteries, blanket, jumper cables, motor oil, anti-freeze, window washing fluid, spare tire, sand or cat litter (winter travel, helps you get your car out when stuck by pouring it behind the wheel, gives you good traction), small shovel you can fold.



 
8) Special Items for Flying: Keep a small LED flashlight on your key chain or in your carry on bag with extra batteries. A whistle on your keys or around your neck to help others locate you in an emergency
situation. 




 

9) Clothing: If flying, keep a set of clothes for each family member in the carry on bag. Take along the right type of clothing for the season and place you are going. Take a jacket or sweater, sun hat or baseball cap, good pair of walking shoes, if hiking a good pair of heavy shoes, rain gear if you will be where it will rain.



 
10) Stress Relievers: Books to read (for all ages traveling with you), scriptures, activity books for children, cross word puzzle book, etc.




11) Additional Items: Extra pair of reading glasses, contact lenses and solution, small eye glass repair kit, ear plugs, plastic gallon size trash bags.

To print out a detailed Travel Preparedness Checklist from EmergencyEssentials.com click on here.

Have a fun safe trip!

Weekly Assignment: Family Emergency Medical Kits

 

Many of us have some sort of medical supplies in our homes like band-aids, alcohol, peroxide, anti-infection creams, pain killers, etc.. Some of us have limited first-aid kits in our cars and home that we probably have not checked in months, years. Medications do expire!

If there was a major disaster or emergency situation would you have the proper emergency medical supplies to take care of you, your family and help your neighbors. I would say most of us do not! Right?

The next few weeks we are going to work on our Family Emergency Medical Kit. We have done this before but I am sure there are some of you who did not do it, never completed it and some things need to be replaced due to expiration dates.  Some of these items can be found at discount stores and drug stores. Make sure you check the expiration dates before purchasing them, you want them to last for at least a year or more.

Note: Make sure you keep this out of the reach of your young children and explain to the family is your Family Emergency Medical Kit/Supplies. If you need to use an items from it, make sure you replace it right away!

This week add the following:

1) Box of Latex gloves: You can purchase these at emergencyessentials.com or most drug stores like CVS, Rite Aid, etc. You may want to purchase different sizes, large and medium. They are $8.75 for a box of 150 at emergencyessentials.com.  plus $6 for shipping. Order with a friend to save on the shipping.

 

2) Alcohol: 2-3 bottles, 70%+, the higher the percentage the better.

July Monthly Assignment . . . Food Storage

For the next several months we are going to work on Food Storage. Each month we will work on one aspect of food storage, canned vegetables, fruits, soups, packages items like pastas, pancake mixes, etc., and many other items. Hopefully, with this process you will discover how easy it is to set up and add to your food storage.   

This month do the following:

Go back to July 6th to see more information and how to track what your family eats in a month. There is a great chart there to help you keep track. Keep track of what your family eats for a whole month including meals, when you eat out and snacks. Include all the ingredients it takes to make each meal.

When it comes to Food Storage keep is simple so it becomes an every day part of your life! 

Fall Vegetable Gardening

Before you know it Fall will be here and it will be time to plant your Fall garden. I found a great resource regarding Fall gardens, what to plant and when to plant for your region from Oklahoma State University Division of Agricultural Sciences and Natural Resources. Click here to see the information. 

Emergency Preparedness Ideas

Food Storage Idea . . . Freezing Nuts

 
Many people ask if you can freeze nut. You can. Click here to learn how to freeze nuts.

If an emergency happened right this minute, how would you fare? Would you be able to take care of your family by yourself? How self-reliant would you be? How long could you be on your own? Sit down as a family and assess your needs, Family Home Evening is a great time to do this. Assess what you already have and what you need to acquire in each of these areas . . .

72 Hour Individual Emergency Preparedness Backpacks

72 Hour Emergency Family Bag

Emergency Family Medical Kit/Bag

Emergency Lighting

Emergency Cooking

Emergency Sanitation

Emergency Shelter

Food and Water

Evacuation Plan 

Out of State Contact Person

Home Fire Plan

Emergency money on hand in small bills ($1, $5, $10) and change

Basic First-aid skills

Remember, it only takes a second for things to change. How prepared are you?

Comments: Please post your comments below. Share your personal experiences with food and water storage and emergency preparedness. We can all learn from each other.

Food Storage, Emergency Preparedness and Weekly/Monthly Assignments (Week of July 13th)

Hi Carson Ward Family, Torrance Stake, Family and Friends,

Carson Ward Emergency Preparedness Fair

Mark your calendars for

Saturday, September 6th

9:00am - 12:30pm

Carson Building

22721 Main St., Carson, California

Booths, Demonstrations and Displays

Cub Scouts selling hot dog and chips for $1.50

Come join the fun and be better prepared! 

 

No Room at the Inn?

Sunday a sister in my Ward (church) approached me and stated, "It would take a Mac truck to store everything you would need to be prepared for a disaster". I thought about that statement for several hours. Yes, it does take room to store food, water and emergency supplies. 

 

It all depends on the size of your family, how much you will need to store, and if you live in a place where you can store food, water and emergency supplies. Some of us are a family of one, some a family of two, some a family of five and some with large family of eight or more. Some of us have parents or grandparents living with us, or may be even grown children and their family. And, we may have extended family who may show up at our door in need of help. Some of us can store enough food and emergency supplies for a year, but most of us can only store enough for one month to three months, may be six months. We are each different and the number in our house hold is different.

Storing food storage, water and emergency supplies takes creativity! One of our daughters while living in Utah had a large cool storage room in her basement, a dream for those who do food storage. The cooler the storage place the better, the food last longer. Most emergency supplies (non perishable foods) like paper goods, tents (shelter), emergency cooking equipment like lighting, heating, and sanitation supplies can be stored in a back yard storage shed, a garage, or an attic. Those with a basement have an ideal place, usually cool and dark. But if it is damp, not a good place to store food, it needs to be dry too.

Places you can create room for your food storage:

1) Under your bed: You can put blocks on your bed post under the bed to raise your bed and create a great place to store food.

2) Closets, cupboards and drawers:  Having lived in our home for 43 years and 6 children we had accumulated a lot of things. We spent several months going through each room at a time, cleaning out drawers and closets and cupboards. Do not be afraid to get rid of clothes you have not worn in years and say "some day I will be back into that size". It was amazing how much we were able to get rid of. Some things we donated, gave to children now that they have their own homes, and threw some things away. We reorganized things and found space for our food storage all around the house. I must admit though, it is easier having all the children out of the house now, but we still store some of their things. Important: The bathroom is not an ideal place to store food, it is too damp! This photo is a great example of how organizing a closet would create more room for food storage. The top shelve and floor have so much room not being utilized. Organization is one of the keys to food storage.
 

3) Kitchen cupboards and pantries: We were amazed at how much space we created by going through our kitchen cupboards. We had baking dishes, dishes, appliances and other items we had not used in years and would probably not use again. We donated them. We reorganized the kitchen and created some space for canned foods. Note: If the cupboard in the photo was more organized you could get a lot more food storage in there.

 

4) Linen closets: If you create empty drawers when doing number two above, move your linens to those drawers. Then use your linen closet for food storage. It is a great place because it is usually cool, dry and dark, best place to store food.
 




3) Side tables: When you purchase end tables for beside your couch or bed, coffee tables or other types of tables consider purchasing ones with inclosed storage space. You can even take boxes of dehydrated/freeze-dried foods or other canned foods, stack them, place a table cloth over them, and then place a round or square beveled glass on top to create a side table.

 
4) Behind the couch: Pull the couch out from the wall or angel is so you can create space behind it. You can place a couch table behind it and then store food under the table.


 

5) Garage: Your garage is not a good place to store food unless it is always at a temperature of 70 degrees or less, which most are not. You can store food there, but the shelve life diminishes very quickly, to HOT!Good place for paper supplies and other non-food emergency supplies.

6) Attics: To HOT! But good for paper supplies, tents, etc. Important: Not cooking fuels, to hot!

 
7) Basements: A good place since they usually stay cool, dry and dark. Most Californians (due to earthquake region) and other states do not have basements. Those of you that do are blessed! Use them wisely. If your basement is damp, not a good place, it needs to be dry.


 

8) Be creative: Find other ways to store your food storage and emergency supplies. Look around your house, every room, and see where you can eliminate unused things and create some extra storage.

9) Keep track: Keep track of what is stored in each room (closet, drawers, cupboards, end/side tables, under beds, behind furniture), keep an inventory sheet and notebook showing what is stored in those rooms, where and when the items expire. You should inventory your food storage about every 3 months. May be a room at a time if  have your food storage all around the house. Keep like things together--example: vegetables together, canned meats together, pastas together, grains together, etc..

Weekly Assignment: Family Emergency Medical Kits

 

Many of us have some sort of medical supplies in our homes like band-aids, alcohol, peroxide, anti-infection creams, pain killers, etc.. Some of us have limited first-aid kits in our cars and home that we probably have not checked in months, years. Medications do expire!

If there was a major disaster or emergency situation would you have the proper emergency medical supplies to take care of you, your family and help your neighbors. I would say most of us do not! Right?

The next few weeks we are going to work on our Family Emergency Medical Kit. We have done this before but I am sure there are some of you who did not do it, never completed it and some things need to be replaced due to expiration dates.  Some of these items can be found at discount stores and drug stores. Make sure you check the expiration dates before purchasing them, you want them to last for at least a year or more.

Note: Make sure you keep this out of the reach of your young children and explain to the family it is your Family Emergency Medical Kit/Supplies. If you need to use an items from it, make sure you replace it right away! 

This week add the following:

1) Maxi sanitary pads: These are great for major wounds and when you need to stop the bleeding. They are very absorbent. The brand does not matter. Have several on hand in your Family Emergency Medical  Kit/Bag.You can find these at discount stores like the 99 Cent Store, the Dollar Tree, Dollar General, etc..

 

2) Pepto-Bismol: Check with your doctor for children's dosage and write on the bottle. You should have at least 2 bottles or more if you have a large family. Our stomachs and bowls react to stressful situation.

 

3) Aspirin: 1-2 large bottles. Great for inspect bites to take the sting out. Smash, dissolve in a little water, put on the insect bite. Good for pain and if someone is having a heart attack. DO NOT GIVE THESE TO CHILDREN WITHOUT A DOCTOR'S PERMISSION, ESPECIALLY IF THEY HAVE THE FLU. CAN CAUSE SERIOUS HEALTH PROBLEMS!

If you have missed the things we have added so far go back to June 1st and follow through each week to July 13th.

July Monthly Assignment . . . Food Storage

For the next several months we are going to work on Food Storage. Each month we will work on one aspect of food storage, canned vegetables, fruits, soups, packages items like pastas, pancake mixes, etc., and many other items. Hopefully, with this process you will discover how easy it is to set up and add to your food storage.  

See last week's posting July 6th to read more about the July Monthly Assignment. 

This month do the following:  

1) Keep track for a month of what your family eats, including eating out, and the ingredients it takes to make those meals and snacks. 

2) Once you have calculated what your family eats in a month, figure out how much of those food items, including seasonings, etc., you will need to store for the number of weeks or months goal you have set. As we work on different items each month you will have a goal of how many cans of vegetables, etc. you will need to work towards your goal. 

When it comes to Food Storage keep is simple so it becomes an every day part of your life! 

Emergency Preparedness Ideas:

It there is an emergency, plan on not have access to your computers. We all need to back up the important things on our computers, laptops, smart phones (all electrical devices). It is also a good idea to put all important valuable things on our computers and electrical devices on discs or flash drives. If there is an evacuation you can grab it quickly and leave. If there is no electricity where you are and you go to another place that does has electricity you will be able to access your information. Keep all these types of things together in a marked water proof box, easy to access if in a hurry and to protect the valuable information. 

 Comments: Please post your comments below. Share your personal experiences with food and water storage and emergency preparedness. We can all learn from each other.

Food Storage, Emergency Preparedness, Weekly & Monthly Assignments (Week of July 6th)

Happy Fourth of July America

This Friday, July 4th is the day in America we celebrate our Independence Day! What does it mean to you and your family? Growing up with my father in the United States Army who fought in several wars and defended our freedom and a mother who was very patriotic and loved this country, we as children were taught to respect, honor and love our country, the United States of America. As I have mentioned before, everyday we fly the American Flag in front of your home to remind us and others of the sacrifices that have been made for the freedoms we enjoy. It is our duty as citizens of this great nation to continue to defend those freedoms! So many people come to this United States of America to be free from the things they face in their own countries. All of us in the United States of America have ancestors who have come here for freedom, for peace.,for freedom of religion and for safety. This nation was founded on inspiration from our Heavenly Father. The men who wrote and signed the Declaration of Independence and the Bill of Rights were inspired by God. May we always stand tall and defend freedom of speech, freedom of religion and all of the freedoms and laws our forefathers set up  in the the Declaration of Independence and the Bill of Rights! May we teach our children and our grandchildren to be respectful and to honor this great country and to be patriotic! I am proud to be an American!

 

Water!

It's not looking good for California!

Meteorologist and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration are saying the El Nino in the Pacific Ocean, which usually predicts our rainfall for the Winter, at first appeared to be strengthening. Now it is weakening quiet quickly. An El Nino usually means a heavy rainfall, an La Nina usually means a lighter rainfall.

For those of us in California, and others are invited too, this Sunday, July 6th, is Fast Sunday for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Please fast this Sunday for the much needed rain in the coming seasons. Our reservoirs, rivers, streams, lakes, dams, and  mountain snow packs are extremely low due to our several years of drought.

"You cannot steer a parked car . . . 

 let the Lord guide you"

I love this quote! One of our daughters shared this with us this week. A speaker in their Ward Sacrament Meeting made this statement. What does this statement mean to you? It can mean many things in many different areas of our life.

We each have thing in our life we struggle thorough and cannot seem to move forward with. When I talk with people one of them, of course, seems to be food and water storage and emergency preparedness. It is overwhelming to them and they cannot get started. The first step is pray individually and as a family for guidance and direction, the Lord will guide you. But, we must do our part too by moving and not sitting in parked car. Purchase some extra cans of food each time you go grocery shopping. It is a start. Continue to add to it and before you know if you will have a week, a month or 2-6 months supply of canned foods. Something is better than nothing. Note: Remember to store a hand can opener with the canned foods, your electric can opener will not work if there is no electricity. The next several months we are going to work on food storage for our Monthly Assignment. See below.

Weekly Assignment: Family Emergency Medical Kits

 

Many of us have some sort of medical supplies in our homes like band-aids, alcohol, peroxide, anti-infection creams, pain killers, etc.. Some of us have limited first-aid kits in our cars and home that we probably have not checked in months, years. Medications do expire!

If there was a major disaster or emergency situation would you have the proper emergency medical supplies to take care of you, your family and help your neighbors. I would say most of us do not! Right?

The next few weeks we are going to work on our Family Emergency Medical Kit. We have done this before but I am sure there are some of you who did not do it, never completed it and some things need to be replaced due to expiration dates.  Some of these items can be found at discount stores and drug stores. Make sure you check the expiration dates before purchasing them, you want them to last for at least a year or more.

Note: Make sure you keep this out of the reach of your young children and explain to the family is your Family Emergency Medical Kit/Supplies. If you need to use an items from it, make sure you replace it right away!

This week add the following: (You can purchase these at discount, department and drug stores, but what the expiration dates at the discount stores)

 

1) Adhesive bandage tape, hypoallergenic, 1 inch--store as much as you think you will need for your

family.

 

2) Triangular bandages (3)--make you own from left over fabric or from old clothes, hem, size should be at least 36x36. This is used for a sling, to wrap a wound or help make a splint.

New New New Monthly Assignment for July

July Monthly Assignment . . . Food Storage

For the next several months we are going to work on Food Storage. Each month we will work on one aspect of food storage, canned vegetables, fruits, soups, packages items like pastas, pancake mixes, etc., and many other items. Hopefully, with this process you will discover how easy it is to set up and add to your food storage.  

Great ideas on food storage--I found this great blog article on EmergencyEssentials.com regarding "12 Dos and Don'ts of Food Storage". If you click on the worksheets at the bottom of this article after #12 there are some great work sheets to help you determine how and what to store in your food storage and some questionnaires that will help you too. Click here to read the details about each one listed below and to find the worksheets. 

1) Do carefully plan your food storage supply.
2) Do build a menu.
3) Do store basic ingredients first. (Canned foods are easiest to store first, then work on the most expensive like dehydrated and freeze-dried foods.)

4) Do eat what you store and store what you eat.
5) Do store food based on special needs for family members.
6) Do store your food storage in a cool (70 degrees or lower), dry and dark place.
7) Don't let yourself get overwhelmed.
8) Don't think yo have too little space to store food.
9) Don't store you food near chemicals or cleaning products.
10) Don't use non-food-grade plastic containers to store food. 
11) Don't wait until an emergency to learn to cook with freeze-dried and dehydrated foods.
12) Don't forget to store food for your pets.

Note: We have discussed the items above many times in this blog over the years.

July Monthly Assignment:

1) Print out the worksheets after #12 above. There are 5 worksheets.


2) Keep track for a month of what your family eats, including eating out, and the ingredients it takes to make those meals and snacks. 

3) Once you have calculated what your family eats in a month, figure out how much of those food items you will need to store for the number of weeks or months goal you have set. As we work on different items each month you will have a goal of how many cans of vegetables, etc. you will need to work towards.

Emergency Preparedness Ideas

Steps to take after a disaster or emergency situation . . .

1) Your Priorities: Take care of your family and home first using your personal disaster plan and supplies. Help your neighbors next. It may be days before help from anyone arrives. Once your family's safety and basic needs are met, proceed with the steps bolow.

2) Gather Information: Use email, text messaging, radio, face-to-face contact, and written messages to assess the needs of family, church members and others who live nearby. Avoid placing voice calls unless you need to call 911 for someone with significant injuries or illness. If power is unavailable save your batteries by turning your cell phone or radio off when not in use.

3) Report Your Findings: If you belong to a church or other group that has an emergency plan set up, report your findings to your leaders.

4) Emergency Shelters: Plan on sheltering at your home using your own disaster preparedness supplies. While the use of church buildings, park recreation halls, schools, the Red Cross as temporary community shelters may be needed, you should not plan for it as your first choice.

5) Out of State Contact Person: Make sure your contact information and your out of state contact person's information is updated as needed. Also, confirm that your cell phone numbers and email addresses are listed correctly on your church records.

6) Disaster Information Sources: For the Los Angeles County, California area tune to AM 1070, 980, or 640 or satellite emergency radio at SIRUS XM channel 184 or 247 to receive disaster emergency broadcast communications. If your electricity is working you may find your local television channels broadcasting emergency information. Other resourses--

hhtp://newsroom.redcross.org
https://safeandwell.communityos.org
http://www.fema.gove/disaster-survivor-assistance
http://www.google.org/crisisresponse/
https://www.facebook.com/DisasterRelief
http://local.nixie.com/zipcode/90275/ (or your zip code)

Keep all these numbers and websites in a safe place with your family emergency/disaster plan. If you live in other areas, find out what your emergency radio stations and websites are and keep them with your family emergency/disaster plan.

(Note: Some of the above information comes from a brochure put out by the Palos Verdes California Stake Disaster Communications Plan, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints)

Comments: Please post your comments below. Share your personal experiences with food and water storage and emergency preparedness. We can all learn from each other.