Three thoughts this month . . .
Be Aware!
Each of us needs to always be aware of our surroundings and what is going on around us.
We need to stop, look around us, think what we can do to stay safe!
When you go into a store know the exit doors and places you can take cover if needed, especially big box stores where things can fall
from above.
When in a crowd of people look around and know places you can exit and take cover to be safe. Be aware of the people around you.
Know
different routes to take when a familiar route becomes inaccessible.
Be aware of all those and the drivers around you. Know ahead of time
what you would do in different situations. Keep your car in good running order and keep at least a half tank of gas in your car at all times. 
Know what is going on in your neighborhood, community, state, local and federal governments and around the world.
This
is the time of year when many of us will be going on vacations, road
trips, by airplane, train, bus, etc. Know the areas you will going to
and what type of natural disasters they have during the summer season,
like flash flooding. Know what to do and not do. Know these for what
ever season you might be traveling in. Click here
to learn about different types of natural disasters that could effect
you. Have a Family Home Evening on it before leaving on your trip so all
family members know what to do. If on a road trip check the local news
often for any warnings of possible weather related danger while
traveling. Keep family emergency names and and phone numbers with you
and all family members.
Do not live in fear but,
Be Aware! Be Prepared!
Obedience . . .
The first principle of the gospel is obedience. The Bible and Book of Mormon tell us of many times when the people of that time listened to the warnings and prepared, many times not knowing why, but were faithful and followed the promptings.
"We are blessed as we show our faith in God by being obedient to His will." (President Spencer W. Kimball)
"By faith Noah, being warned of God of things not seen as yet, moved with fear, prepared an ark to the saving of his house." (Hebrew 11:7)
We to need to move with fear and faith in preparing our house spiritually and temporally!
What is food storage and emergency preparedness all about?
Patience, persistence and consistency!
And of course, being prepared!
It takes time and patience to build up our food storage and emergency supplies. It does not happen over night. We should never go into debt to purchase these items.
If we are persistent in setting goals and working towards them we will accomplish them. Before we know it we will have 3-Months of food storage, and may be even a year's supply of food. Same thing goes for our emergency supplies.
If we are consistent we will accomplish our goals and be better prepared for what may come our way.
Patience, persistence and consistency will bring us peace in knowing we are prepared!
New June Monthly Assignments
Food Storage . . .
Grains
Grains are one of the basics of food storage.
They consist of wheat (hard red and hard white), white and wheat flour,
barley, oats, corn (maize), sorghum, millet, spelt, quinoa, buckwheat,
rye, brown rice, wild rice, couscous, amaranth, chia, farro, teff and
others. Most of us do not cook with most of these. It is a good idea to
become familiar with others we do not use. Get a good cook book on
Cooking with Grains and try new recipes.
There is a program on the BYU channel I enjoy, "Fusion Grain Cooking" with Chef Brad. He shows
How much to store per person:
Yous should store a variety of grains, not just all wheat. Only store
the types of grains your family will eat. Experiment with new ones and
add them to your list if you family likes them. The best way is to hide
them in recipes like Chef Brad does. Learn how to cook with wheat and
use often. If you spring wheat on your family, and they are not used to
it, in an emergency they will have really bad stomach issues.
Per person per month
1 month--25 pounds
3 months--75 pounds
6 months--150 pounds
1 year--300 pounds
Where to store grains: As always, in a cool, dry, dark place.
How to store: If
you are purchasing packages or boxes from the regular grocery store or
big box store they should store for a least 1 year in their original
packing. Since grains do attract insects I like to put mine in the large
Mason jars. Write on the jar what it is and the date so you can rotate
as needed. You can seal them in the Mason jar for possibly 3 years
(brown rice only keeps for a year) by using a FoodSaver to extract the
air or an oxygen absorber to draw out the air. You can also seal them by
using the oven method. Check on YouTube how to do these this methods.
Remember, the key to good food storage is rotation, rotation, rotation
and replace them as soon as you use them. 
How to purchase, short term or long term? If
you are just starting out on your food storage first only purchase your
grains in their original packing (short term) until you have reached
your months goal. After you have at least a 3 months supply then you can
think about purchasing them in the #10 dehydrated/freeze dried cans or
super pails (long term), which can be expensive and requires extra water
storage to rehydrate. Wheat is best stored this way. The best place to
purchase your wheat (hard red and hard white) is through store.lds.org,
great prices. Click here to view their website. You do not have to be a member of our church to purchase from there, just set up an account.
Emergency Preparedness . . .
Sanitation
Emergency sanitation is a very important
part of emergency preparedness.
Each
family needs to plan for this, you may not be able to use your
conventional toilet or have running water. Human waste needs to be
handled correctly. Click here to learn more about
emergency sanitation.
I
ran across this picture and like how they have an emergency toilet for
"poo" and "pee" separately. Good idea since they are handled
differently.
Clean hands
are another important part of sanitation. It cuts down on infections
and serious illnesses. Have a way to wash you hands on a regular bases.
Keep a basin of water and hand soap near by. If there is no running
water available do not dump out the basin until needed.
If you cannot use your conventional toilet due
to no running water and you do not have an emergency portable toilet
here is a good example of how to use your conventional toilet in an
emergency situation.Use it the same way you would use your emergency
portable toilet and dispose of the waste the same way.
One of our blog followers asked how much of the enzymes should you use with the portable toilet. Sprinkle on enough to lightly cover the waste. It will break it down so you can bury it.
Emergency Preparedness Ideas
How prepared is your home for when a natural disaster hits?
I
find most people are not prepared. Each time hurricane season or
tornado season it upon us or we live in earthquake country, our homes
are not ready. We can minimize the damages by being prepared.
If you know you have hurricanes or tornadoes in your area, then always
have the supplies on hand to deal with them instead of each year
running off the to local hardware or home improvement center to purchase
the needed supplies only to find out they have run out. Keep them in
your garage or backyard storage shed. If you live in earthquake areas
then prepare your home the best you can. Anchor down items that could
fly off the walls/shelves or fall over and hurt you; If your home is not
retrofitted (the house is secured to the foundation) then look into
having it done, which can be expensive.
I
just learned of a program in California were they are issuing grants
(up to $3,000) to homeowners with older homes to help retrofit them.
Click here to learn more. A strong earthquake can knock your home off its foundation.
Always
keep flashlights with extra batteries on hand, a weather emergency
radio on hand if you live in areas were they send out warnings, and
extra canned foods and water.
Be prepared, be safe!
Comments and Questions:
Please share your comments and questions below. We all learn from each
others knowledge and experiences. Or you can email me at
theark.carsonward@gmail.com. Thank you for sharing.
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