Emergency Preparedness, Food Storage and Monthly Assignments (Week of March 20th)

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

 
"Houston, we have a problem" . . . 
                                People are not listening!

"Houston, we've had a problem here" was the original warning from the US Apollo 13 moon flight when they reported on April 14, 1970 a major technical problem. Later when the movie "Apollo 13" came out it was changed to "Houston, we have a problem".

People, we have a problem . . . many of us are not listening when it comes to emergency preparedness. Many of us think it will never happen to us, we do not need to be concerned about emergency preparedness, food and water storage, etc. now. We have plenty of time. I am to busy with other things. It is not a priority on my list of things to do.

Yet, we hear over and over emergency situations on television newscast shows and radio programs of the water being contaminated (Flint, Michigan), earthquake damage throughout the world, tsunamis (Japan), hurricanes (East Coast and South East Coats, US), tornadoes (Mid West States, US), flooding (Louisiana, Texas, Missouri and other US states, blackouts, civil unrest Missouri and Illinois), rioting, terrorists attacks (around the world), people being stuck on  freeways (East and Southern East States, and Southern California, US) due to an emergency situation and they ran out of gas because they did not keep their gas tanks at least half full at all times, emergency evacuation due to forest fires (California, New Mexico, Washington, US), chemical and oil spills (around the world), did not
keeping valuable papers and heirlooms together for a quick evacuation, not have an evacuation plan, families not knowing where loved ones are because they did not have an out of state emergency contact person, people complaining (Katrina, Louisiana and Sandy, New Jersey, US) the local and federal government is not there helping with food, water, shelter and medical help and much much more.

Do not plan on the local or federal government being there right away to assist you with your emergency needs. It will be up to you to help yourself, your family and your neighbors. It does not start from the top down but from the bottom up.

Be prepared for whatever may come your way, stop saying it will never happen to me or here, stop procrastinating being prepared. A disaster, natural or man made, can happen in a second!



How prepared are you?




 

Mental Preparation 

How will you and your family handle things mentally during and after a disaster situation?

Mental preparation is an important part of emergency preparedness. Here are some suggestions on how to be mentally prepared.

1. Stay calm. How can you stay calm in a disaster situation?  Take a deep breath, look around you and quickly assess the situation, injuries and damages. Try to organize your thoughts and actions. Say a prayer.

2. Practice drills. Continually having practice drills for the types of natural and man made disasters in your area will help you be better mentally prepared and calmer, especially the children.  If you are not having them, set them up and practice them often.

3. Have a Stressor Kit and Hygiene Kit in your 72 Hour Individual Emergency Preparedness Backpack. Click here for the Stressor Kit items. In a stressful situation it is good to have these items to help distract you, especially children. Click here for the Hygiene Kit items. The hygiene kit will help by feeling fresher.

4. Children and the elderly. Remember, they will feel things differently than you do, especially the children. Assess their mental needs and address as soon as possible. Keep them busy with activities from the "Stressor Kit", singing, playing guessing games, etc.

4. Daily prayer, scripture reading and following the promptings of the Holy Ghost (Spirit). These will help with your mental preparation by doing these daily individually and as a family. Once the disaster has pasted or settled down, take some time to say an individual prayer and gather the family and those around you for a prayer.

 Click here for more insights on how to handle emotions during and after a disaster.

March Monthly Assignments
 

Food Storage . . . Honey 

Honey is an important part of our long term food storage. It can easily be used as a substitute for sugar and is better for you.  

How to store: Honey stores indefinitely. Do not purchase honey in metal cans, the honey will become rancid and the cans will bubble and leak after time. Only purchase and store honey in food grade plastic bottles or glass jars. Keep the honey in a cool, dry, dark place and invert every 6 months. Honey will crystallize after a period of time.  If it does crystallize you can heat up the honey in the bottle or jar in a pot of boiling water. You can also remove some of the crystallized honey from the bottle or jar and heat over a double boiler until liquefied. Do not leave the pot unattended.

Where to purchase: After some research I found the best place to purchase honey is at Costco or Sam's Club. If you live in a part of the world where there are no Costco or Sam's Club check with your local bee keepers to see where to purchase the honey. Costco and Sam's Club honey comes in  5 pound plastic bottles for about $15.00.

How much to store: 2 pounds per adult for 3 months. Adjust according to how many months or years you have set your food storage goal.

How to substitute honey for sugar in baking and cooking: Click here for the link.

Warning: If you are allergic to bee stings you are probably allergic to honey.  

Emergency Preparedness . . .

       Electrical and Heating 

Are you ready if you loose your electricity and heating?

How many times have we heard in the news, or experienced, that areas have lost their electricity and heating for several hours, days? Remember, business will close, gas stations will close, ATM machines will not work, banks may close, schools will close, street lights and signals will not work. It will effect may aspects of our life. Why not be prepared ahead of time for these types of emergencies?

Click on the link on the right of this blog under "Postings", "Cooking, Healing and Lighting", or click here to learn about how to prepare for electrical and heating outages. Heating and Electrical is after the Cooking section.

Great tips from The Department of Water and Power in Los Angeles, California, USA regarding power loss:

1) Stay calm and make an official report of your outage by calling your power company. DWP  800-342-5397, Edison 800-611-1911, or your local power company.

2) Have a flashlight and extra batteries nearby at all times. NEVER use candles during a power outage.

3) Turn off lights but leave one light on so you will know when the your service is restored.

4) Turn off and unplug appliances and other electrical equipment. Unplug heat-producing items Ike space heaters and irons. This helps prevent circuit overloading, which could delay restoration of service.

Emergency Preparedness Ideas 

21 Great Emergency Preparedness Ideas . . .

Click here for some great emergency preparedness ideas.

Clothing . . .

Do not give away all your old clothing, jackets and sweaters. Keep some and store for emergencies. You never know when you might need them. Stores may not be around after a disaster to purchase new ones.  It may take weeks, months, years. Store them in plastic bags in cardboard or plastic bins for future use. Store the containers in your garage, attic, basement or storage shed. Include sturdy and tennis shoes.

 
Comments and Questions: Please share your comments and questions below. Or you can email them to me at "theark.carsonward@gmail.com". Remember, we all learn from each others experiences and knowledge. Thank you for your comments.