Thursday, August 28, 2014

Food Storage, Emergency Preparedness and Weekly/Monthly Assignments (Week of August 31st)

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


 "For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom: and there shall be famines (droughts), and pestilences (a fatal epidemic disease), and earthquakes, in divers places." (Matthew 24:7)

Have we seen the things mentioned in this scripture lately? You bet! Russia and the Ukraine, Israel and Hamas, 6.0 earthquake in Napa, California USA (Sunday, August 24, 2014), severe natural disasters throughout the world, and severe drought in California USA, other states and parts of the world, Ebola in several countries and other diseases. 

What if you could not leave your home due to civil unrest, rioting, a severe earthquake or other natural disaster damages, disease? 

What would you do?

Could you take care of your family right now with food, drinking water, medical supplies and emergency supplies if you could not leave your home for days, weeks, maybe even a month or more?

These are important questions we need to ask ourselves, our family and our neighbors. We each need to be prepared, better prepared than we currently are. We need to encourage others to be better prepared too. The scriptures, our church General, Stake and Ward leaders, other churches, our federal government and local community governments warn us over and over of coming events and to be prepared. Many times I have heard friends and others when an earthquake or other disaster hits them or someone they know, they are not as prepared as they thought they were, they did not have the right supplies like working flashlights when the electricity goes out or drinking water when the tap water become contaminated and not drinkable or even unavailable.

What does it take to start preparing? When it hits, it is to late! 

Are We Prepared? 

Click above on the First Presidency Message, given by President Thomas S. Monson, Ensign, September 2014. A message to all . . .

"Are we prepared for the emergencies in our lives? Are our skills perfected? Do we live providently? Do we have our reserve supply on hand? Are we obedient to the commandments of God? Are we responsive to the teachings of prophets? Are we prepared to give of our substance to the poor, the needy? Are we square with the Lord?

We live in turbulent times. Often the future is unknown; therefore, it behooves us to prepare for uncertainties. When the time for decision arrives, the time for preparation is past."

Next Saturday!

The Carson Ward Emergency Preparedness Fair
(The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints)
Saturday, September 6th, 9:00 am - 12:30 pm
Carson Building, 22721 Main (Main & 228th), Carson, California

 Pancake breakfast (8:30am--new time), Emergency Preparedness Displays, Booths, Demonstrations, Handouts, 
Finger-Printing/Emergency Cards (0-18 years) 
and Safety class for children (3-11), 
Hot dogs and chips $1.50 (11:30am-12:30pm, Cub Scout Fundraiser)   

 Bring your family, non-member friends and co-workers. 


Let's be better prepared! 

Weekly Assignment: Family Emergency Medical Kit
 
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) Bandage scissors (EMT scissors): Or any type of scissors








2) Pain relievers (non-aspirin type, acetaminophen, ibuprofen for both adults and children, and adult and children aspirin): Important: Do not give children baby aspirin unless approved by your doctor, especially if they have the flu.  



Minor Surgery Kit


This is a great kit to have as part of your Family Emergency Medical Kit. 

emergencyessentials.com is offering this "Minor Surgery Kit" for $14.99, regular price $21.00. Shipping will be $6.00. Go in with a friend to shave on shipping.






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.  

 
August Monthly Assignment: Tomatoes
      Last week . . .


Go back to last week's blog posting, August 17th (and August 24th), to read more information on adding tomatoes to your food storage for this month and see what items we added last week.

This week add the following:

 



1) Tomato Soups, Tomato juice and other tomato products your family uses: Add what ever amount your family uses in a month, or the number of months for your Food Storage goal. We will add Catchup when we add condiments to our Food Storage.

Continue to add the other tomato items we have added this month, August; tomato sauce, tomato paste, canned tomatoes (whole, diced, etc.), dehydrated or freeze-dried, commercially canned, home canning
and/or freezing. 








Emergency Preparedness Idea 

     There are 3 Parts to Emergency Preparedness . . .


1) Temporal Preparation

We all should have extra food, drinking water, emergency medical supplies and other emergency supplies for at least 1-3 months. Our church General Authorities admonish us to have at least a 3-month supply, and when possible a years supply.

2) Physical Preparation

An important part of emergency preparedness is being physically fit, it could save your life if you are in a disaster. Take time to eat healthy, get some exercise, play as a family and get enough sleep. Walking or running each day will help you if you have evacuation on foot and had to walk several miles. Taking the stairs is better than taking the elevator. Aerobic exercise, yoga and swimming can also help build up your strength. Eating good healthy foods, like lots of vegetables and fruits, will help your energy and your heart. If you cannot walk, run, do aerobics, yoga, swim or other types of physical activity, find some way to build up your strength, talk with your doctor. But we all can strive to eat healthier.

Being healthy will help you fight infections and injuries caused from a disaster.

Make sure you keep plenty of your life saving prescription medications on hand in case of a disaster. Also, for those medications that have to be refrigerated, have some source of way to keep to them cold. If the power grid goes down you may not be able to renew your prescriptions for weeks and even months.

3) Spiritual and Emotional Preparation

Spiritual fitness is another important part of emergency preparedness, as well as emotional preparedness. Read your scriptures daily, pray daily and stay close to the Spirit. From my observations I find those who have a spiritual relationship with their Heavenly Father and Savior Jesus Christ, handle the stress of a disaster much better.

Physical and Spiritual/Emotional Preparation is just as important as Temporal Preparation!
Comments: Please share your comments, ideas and experiences below. We all learn from each other.

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