Emergency Preparedness, Food Storage and Monthly Assignments (Week of March 5th)

Communication After a Disaster

After a major disaster most communications are shut down due to down power/telephone lines, down cell towers and circuit over loads. After the E5 tornado hit Joplin, Missouri USA our daughter said it was hard to get through on the land line and cell phone, at times it was impossible. As community and church leaders got together they realized the only communication they had was to send out runners to check on various areas and to report back the damages, injuries and needs.  Church leaders realized the only communication they had was to rely on the Holy Ghost to guide them. They meet by lanterns and candle light, and prayed for inspiration as how to help the people. Answers to prayers came.

What can we do to help with communication once a major disaster hits our area?





1) First, stay off the land lines and cell phones. Only use your phones to report very serious injuries or those who are trapped and need immediate assistance. When every one gets on the phones it over loads the circuits and no one can get through. Keep the lines open for emergency responders.

2) Sometimes texting will work if the cell phone does not. Try texting rather than making a call.
Keep the lines free for emergency calls.




 
3) If possible, have some other way of communicating. In our church there are members who are licensed Ham Operators and can communicate through that method. If you can, take a Ham Operating course, get your license and purchase a Ham radio. Even your children can learn how to operator the radio in an emergency situation.

 


4) Always stay close to the Spirit so you can receive inspiration for yourself, your family and
your loved ones. The Spirit will guide as what to do and not do. Listen and follow.




 

5) If you have to leave your home or your car, leave a note on the front door or your car as to where you are going, who in the family is with you, the condition of each person. 


 
6) Each family member should have an out of state contact person, name and phone number. Sometimes you can reach some one out of state before you can reach some one near by. The Bishop of  a church realized he could reach a Bishop in another state. He had that Bishop contact his members. When a disaster hits, each family member should text that out of state contact person where you are, your condition and where you are going or if you are staying where you are and where that is. Each family member should have this name and number in their wallet, purse or backpack. Teach your children how to text them or call them.

7) Keep a working radio with extra batteries near by. If the electricity is down you can find out what is going on in your area and what local leaders are telling you do in case of a major disaster or civil unrest. Follow their instruction, stay sheltered in place if possible and being told to evacuate. The radio in this picture is a great one. It can run off of batteries or solar. It also has a hand crank. You can find them at emergencyessentials.com or other stores.

 March Monthly Assignments

Emergency Preparedness . . . 
  
72 Hour Individual Emergency 
                  Preparedness Backpacks . . . Food Kit

 In January we started the Food Kit for our 72 Hour Individual Backpacks. If you have not started yet, go back to January and February and complete those items.   
 
Note: If you already have your 72 Hour Individual Emergency Preparedness Backpack for each house hold member you might want to review the Food Kit to see if any items need rotated or replaced. The rule is if you keep your backpacks in your car the food needs to be rotated/replaced every 6 months due to heat. If in the house at about 70 degrees rotate/replace the food once a year.

Important: If you are purchasing your food items from a discount store, check the expiration dates. You want them to last for at least a year. Discount stores often sell products that are about to expire. 

72 Hour Food Individual Kit Menu:

It is the same menu for each day, breakfast, lunch, dinner and snacks.

Day 1, 2, and 3

Breakfast: Oatmeal (instant), Raisins (small box), Hot cocoa (instant)

Lunch: Peanut Butter Crackers, Fruit Cup, Trail Mix

Dinner: Soup (and instant kind like Chicken Noodle), Granola Bar, Fruit Drink Mix

Snacks: Fruit Snacks, Gum, Hard Candy, Beef Jerky

Water: 2 Liter bottle or 3 smaller ones (not the really small ones) (Remember: Use this water sparingly, it is used for drinking as well as for the oatmeal, soup and hot chocolate/apple cider, not for bathing.)

Note: This is a high calorie menu. When someone is in a stressful situation they burn more calories. Adjust to family member with allergies and medical conditions like diabetes. 

Remember, you need 3 of each item for each member in your house hold. This month add the following items and put them in the large plastic zip bag with the last 2 months items and place each kit into each backpack . . . 

 


Week 1: 3 fruit juice boxes--any flavor your family member prefers. 






This completes your 3 day menu of food. The next 3 weeks are snack items.

 
 

Week 2: 1 large pack of gum or several small packages of different flavors. Helps when you feel hungry.





 

Week 3: Hand candy--about 10+ pieces per family food kit. You want hard hand so they can suck on it and it will last long. If you purchase mint candy place the candy in another zip lock bag, or all your food will taste like mint.

Week 4: 1 Large package of Beef or Turkey Jerky--One blog viewer said you can purchase individual bags at Costco, and probably Sam's Club (you will need 3 for each family food kit), or you can purchase one large bag at your regular grocery stores, should be enough for 3-4 days. 





Now that you have completed your 72 Hour Individual Emergency Food kits: Place all the food and snack items in a large zip lock plastic bag for each family member in your house hold. I like to double bag mine. Place each Food Kit for each family member member in the house hold in their individual backpacks. I like to put their names on the Food Kits since some food may be different due to food allergies, medications taken or dislikes. 

Put a copy of the breakfast, lunch and dinner menu above with each food kit. 

Next month (April) we will start the 72 Hour Individual Emergency Hygiene Kits. 

Food Storage . . . 

President Gordon B. Hinckley stated, "We [as a church] have built grain storage and storehouses and stocked them with the necessities of life in the event of a disaster. But the best storehouse is the family storeroom. In words of revelations the Lord has said, 'Organize yourselves, prepare every needful thing.' (Doctrine and Covenants 109:8).

"Our people for three-quarters of a century have been counseled and encouraged to make such preparation as will assure survival should a calamity come.

"We can set aside some water, basic food, medicine, and clothing to keep us warm. We ought to have a little money laid aside in case of a rainy day." (Ensign, November 2005, 62)

While we are working this year on our emergency supplies, the 72 Hour Individual Emergency Preparedness Backpacks, the 72 Hour Family Bag, the Emergency Medical Kit and the Emergency Cleaning Bucket we need to continually be adding to our water and food storage. 

We are encouraged to have at least a 3-Month supply of food (canned and packaged foods) and water. In areas of the world were you are not allowed to store extra food and water, store what you allowed by law. Do not worry about the long term freeze-dried and dehydrated foods until you have at least a 3-months supply of canned and packaged foods. Store only what your family will eat. Watch for sales. Take that savings and put it into a jar for your emergency rainy day, even if it is just some change, it all adds up quickly.

Each week when you go grocery shopping add a few extra cans and/or packages of food. Before you know it you will have your 3-months emergency supply of food and water. Remember, the key to good food storage is rotation. Do not let your food expire, rotate as needed.

Emergency Preparedness Ideas 

 
Great article: In last months Ensign, February 2017 (pages 44-49), there is a great article on emergency preparedness; temporal preparedness, mental preparedness and spiritual preparedness. People share their personal stories. Please click here to read this great article.

Car headrest: 

Did you know your car headrest can save your life and it is made to be removable?  

Your car headrest was designed to help you in an emergency. If you remove the headrest the posts that go into the back of the seat were designed to break the glass of your car windows.

If you find yourself trapped in water and you cannot escape through the door and the car is filling with water, remove the headrest and jab the post into the window glass. Cover yourselves as you do this to keep the glass from hurting you, or turn your face away. Once the glass is broken escape through the window as quickly as possibly to safety.

Comments and Questions: Please share your comment and questions below. We all learn from each other. Or you can email me at theark.carsonward@gmail.com. Thank you. 

Next posting March 31st with April's monthly assignments and emergency preparedness ideas. 

Emergency Preparedness, Food Storage and Monthly Assignments (Week of January 29th)

"Better to be prepared for nothing."
"People always think they have time."
"It is only bad if people aren't prepared."
"We live in the days just as the time of Noah."
                                                (Elder W. Don Ladd, Of the Seventy)

 
The last few weeks, months, I have been hearing people making statements like above. Many have been experiencing, flooding, severe weather, winter storms, tornadoes, and all kinds of natural weather situations. In Doctrine and Covenants 1:12 it states, "Prepare ye, prepared ye for that which is to come, ...." Some of us have not yet had to use our emergency supplies and food storage, some have. If you are not prepared, this is the year to prepare and to be able to help others when disasters strike. 

At one of our daughters regional conference one of the speakers made this statement (unfortunately, she does remember his name). "Are we truly doing our best, can we do a little better? Can we do better than our best? 

We are all in different places in life, temporally and spiritually and with our food storage and emergency supplies. But the most important thing is that we are striving, trying and truly doing our best, in what ever it is, and we all can do a little better. We can do better than our best. You may not think so at this time, but you can, we all can. Heavenly Father is continually stretching us by giving us challenges and trials. Through those challenges and trials we learn we can do better, we can do more, we can grow. 

Emergency preparedness and food/water storage takes a life time. You are continually adding and rotating your supplies. Needs change, family members increase or decrease, health changes, incomes change, we are continually changing and so does our emergency preparedness and food storage. We should not feel overwhelmed or that we are not doing enough, it takes time to build it up. 

We have been married for 45 years and still adding and rotating emergency supplies and our food storage. Never, never give up. One of our current Twelve Apostles,  Elder Jeffrey R. Holland (The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints) says, "Don't you give up, don't you quit, you keep walking, you keep trying. ... It will be all right in the end. Trust God and believe in good things to come."

The best thing any of us can do is to start now it you have not, and to keep trying and not giving up if you have stated. Never, never give up. Just start now! 

February Monthly Assignment

 72 Hour Individual 
           Emergency Preparedness Backpacks . . . 
                                                             Food Kit

 

Last month we started the Food Kit for our 72 Hour Backpacks. If you have not started yet, go back to last month and complete those items.

 
Note: If you already have your 72 Hour Individual Emergency Preparedness Backpack for each house hold member you might want to review the Food Kit to see if any items need rotated or replaced. The rule is if you keep your backpacks in your car the food needs to be rotated/replaced every 6 months due to heat. If in the house at about 70 degrees rotate/replace the food once a year. 

Important: If you are purchasing your food items from a discount store, check the expiration dates. You want them to last for at least a year. Discount stores often sell products that are about to expire. 

72 Hour Food Individual Kit Menu:

It is the same menu for each day, breakfast, lunch, dinner and snacks.

Day 1, 2, and 3

Breakfast: Oatmeal (instant), Raisins (small box), Hot cocoa (instant)

Lunch: Peanut Butter Crackers, Fruit Cup, Trail Mix

Dinner: Soup (and instant kind like Chicken Noodle), Granola Bar, Fruit Drink Mix

Snacks: Fruit Snacks, Gum, Hard Candy, Beef Jerky

Water: 2 Liter bottle or 3 smaller ones (not the really small ones) (Remember: Use this water sparingly, it is used for drinking as well as for the soup, hot chocolate and fruit drink mix, not for bathing.)

Note: This is a high calorie menu. When someone is in a stressful situation they burn more calories. Adjust to family member with allergies and medical conditions like diabetes. 

Remember, you need 3 of each item for each member in your house hold. This month add the following items and put them in the large plastic zip bag with last months items and place each kit into each backpack . . . 

Week 1: 3 fruit cups (one type of fruit or mixed) or 3 small apple sauce    





Week 2: 3 packages regular size Trail Mix or 1 large package. If you purchase the large package include 2 small plastic zip lock bags to divide the rest into 2 for the next 2 days lunch menu.







Week 3: 3 Instant soup mixes (chicken noodle, onion, etc.)  






Week 4: 3 Granola Bars: any name brand or type your family member will eat.



 

Note: If you prefer you can purchase all the food items for each meal or follow the weekly schedule. 

Emergency Preparedness Ideas

Burns . . .  

There are two emergency methods to handle burns when we get distracted and burn our fingers and hand by grabbing something just out of the oven or off the stove . . .

1) Run the burn under cold water for 10 minutes, then cake on Aloe Vera and let dry. Will not blister and takes the sting away.

2) Keep a bag of white flour in your freezer. When you burn your fingers or hand, place your fingers or hand into the cold flour for at least 10 minutes. It will stop the stinging and blistering.

Spiritual Preparedness  . . .

Follow these 10 things and it will help you become more spiritually prepared . . .

1) Do  I read the scriptures daily?

2) Do I really pray and not just say prayers?

3) Is my fasting meaningful?

4) Do I go to bed early and get up early?

5) Am I essentially a happy person?

6) Do I work hard?

7) Am I more concerned about how than where I serve?

8) Do I love everyone, even enemies, keep romantic things in there proper place?

9) Do I strive for oneness with others as well as within myself, between my ideal and actual self?

10) Do I share my testimony (of the gospel) with others?

(These 10 questions come from a talk given by Elder Joe J. Christensen, Of the Presidency of the Seventies, "10 Ideas to Increase Your Spirituality". Click here to read the entire article.)

Comments and Questions: Please share your comments and ask your questions below. We all learn from each other. Or, you can email me at theark.carsonward@gmail.com. Thank you.

Emergency Preparedness, Food Storage and Monthly Assignments (Week of January 1, 2017)

Happy New Year to each of you. May this coming year be a great one for you, your family and your loved ones. May you find happiness, peace, the strength to overcome and learn from your trials and challenges and become more temporally, physically, mentally and spiritually prepared. 

In the coming year, "May God grant unto you that your burdens may be light, through the joy of His son."  (Alma 33:23)

The Ark 2017 Emergency Preparedness Goals

This year I hope more of you will become better prepared temporally, physically, mentally and spiritually. I hope you will set goals that will help you accomplish each of these areas. Emergency preparedness is an ongoing event, it never stops, you are continually adding and replacing and building up your emergency supplies. This year we are going to first work on setting up a 72 Hour Individual Emergency Preparedness Backpack for each house hold family member (or if you already have them, bring them up to date), a 72 Hour Emergency Preparedness Family Bag, an Emergency Cleaning Bucket and a Sanitation Bucket. I hope you will continue to work on your Food Storage and review last years blog postings to help you accomplish this goal.

Note: This year I will only be posting once a month. I will give you an assignment for each week listing the things we will be adding for the month. 

What can we learn from 
          natural and man made disasters?

Whenever a natural or man made disaster hits an area I watch CNN intently to learn from them so I can pass the information onto each of you to help you become better prepared for whatever might hit you. The past 10 years many people have experience some sort of natural or man made disaster . . .




2005 Hurricane Katrina  

 2010 Haiti Earthquake








2011 Joplin, Missouri EF5 Tornado







2011 Tohoku Earthquake and Tsunami







2012 Hurricane Sandy






2014 Flint, Michigan Water Crisis




And many more throughout the world

What have I learned from these disasters? Yes, you can be prepared temporally with food storage, 72 hour emergency bags and emergency supplies, but these can be washed away, blown away and destroyed in a few seconds. I am not saying you should not have them, of course you should. Most of the time they are not destroyed and we can use them to help others.

Marcy Peterson, second counselor in the Joplin, Missouri Stake Relief Society Presidency, said, after the tornado hit, that preparation is important to her because of the peace it brings.  "For me, being prepared  means . . . I don't need to worry. I know that if I've done my part by preparing myself spiritually, having food storage, and being willing to share with neighbors and others, I have a sense that I'm going to be okay--that the Lord will bless me whatever happens."

I find when listening to the news programs on natural and man made disasters the best way we can be prepared is SPIRITUALLY!

Spiritual Preparation . . .

Let me share some comments form those in the Joplin Tornado . . .

"Mike and Becky Higginson have faithfully built their home storage over time, and while the tornado destroyed their home, their food storage shed survived the destruction. The Higginson are grateful for this blessings, but they are quick to point out that physical (temporal) preparation alone is not enough to get them through this kind of event. They know that obedience to the gospel builds another kind of storage that natural disasters and other calamities cannot destroy.

Bekcy Higginson said, 'We've had hard experiences before, and the gospel is what sustains you through everything. So although it is a shock and a trauma . . . it didn't change anything. You revert to your gospel roots, your spiritual roots, immediately."'

Bshop Richins of one of the church Wards said, '". . . faith give us the hope that allow us to press on.' Modern technology, emails, text, phones did not work. They had to revert back to having prayers and listening for answers. He went on to say, 'You recognize very quickly---if you didn't already---how reliant you are on Heavenly Fahter for answers, because you need them, and you need them quick. But the answers come. They always come. They always will.'"

(These quotes are from an article by Melissa Merrill (Church News and Events), "Preparation of All Kinds Bless Saints in Joplin, Missouri")

When Joplin Stake President Creed Jones was interviewed by a CNN reporter, he had lost his home, the church building he presided over and even lost his job a jew months later due to the local hospital being destroyed, he told the report he still had his faith and hope in the gospel of Jesus Christ. 

I remember one woman who had lost everything in a tsunami, her home, her family, her belongs. She was putting together some shelter from pieces lying around. When the reports spoke with her she was at peace because she had the gospel, faith and hope all would be okay.
 
When windstorms, tornadoes, hurricanes, earthquakes, tsunamis, floods, droughts, wildfires, natural and man made disasters and crisis and loss of income or health issues come, it will be your spiritual preparation, your spiritual roots, your faith and hope that will get you through the ups and downs and the tears shed. You can rebuild.


What can we do to prepare spiritually?

Attend church regularly, read your scriptures daily individually and as a family, say your prayers daily individually and as a family, listen to the promptings of the Holy Ghost and act on them immediately, and for those that are Latter-day Saints, attend the temple regularly. 

January Assignment

72 Hour Individual 

        Emergency Preparedness Backpack . . . 

We all have been advised by our federal and local governments and our church to be prepared by having a 72 Hour Individual Emergency Preparedness Backpack for each house hold member.  Each backpack contains a food kit, a hygiene kit and a stressor kit along with a change of clothes, sturdy shoes and some other items. We will first start with the food kit.

Note: If you already have your 72 Hour Individual Emergency Preparedness Backpack for each house hold member you might want to review the Food Kit to see if any items need rotated or replaced. The rule is if you keep your backpacks in your car the food needs to be rotated/replaced every 6 months due to heat. If in the house at about 70 degrees rotate/replace the food once a year. 

Food Kit . . . will contain food for 3 meals a day for 3 days, plus some snacks. They are high in calorie because this is all you might have to eat if a disaster strikes or you have to evacuate immediately. You may need to adjust the menu due to allergies, medications you take and special diets. It is a good idea to keep one for home, another one at work and one at your child's school. Most schools now require your child to have an emergency backpack. We keep ours in our car just in case we are away from home when a disaster or other emergency issue happens. It will take us a few months to complete each kit.

Each food kit per person contains the follow for each of the 3 days . . .

Breakfast: Instant oatmeal, small box of raisins, instant hot chocolate
Lunch: Peanut butter or cheese crackers, fruit cup, trail mix
Dinner: Instant soup (Chicken Noodle, Onion, etc.), granola bar, fruit juice box
Water: 2 liters to 1 gallon per family member for the 3 days (you will need to be very careful how much you drink, some is used to cook the above food)
Snacks: Hard candy, chewing gum, fruit snacks, beef jerky

The month (January) add the following items each week. Remember, you will need 3 of each item for each house hold member. Each days menu is the same for breakfast, lunch and dinner.

1st week: Purchase a backpack for each family member. Use old ones or check out the thrift stores. emergencyessentials.com has great ones, 3 sizes, to hold all 3 kits, clothes and other items you might need. A sports bag will not work because you may need to carry, will be harder to carry.




2nd week: 3 packages of instant oatmeal per person in your house hold.




 

 3rd week: 3 small boxes (not the tiny ones) of raisins per person in your house hold.

 

 

4th week:  3 packages of instant hot chocolate per person in your house hold.



 


5th week: 3 packages of peanut butter or cheese crackers (comes with 6 crackers in a package) per person in the house.



Place all the items as you add them to a large plastic zip lock bag. Write each family members name on their bag. Place inside their backpacks as you add the food.

To go to the blog posting on the right under "Postings" for more information on the 72 Hour Individual Emergency Preparedness Backpack or click here. Some of you may want to complete the food kits all at once. 

Emergency Preparedness Ideas

The Emergency Essentials Blog has some great articles you might want to read. Click on each title to read them.

Build Your Emergency Car Kit

Communication During and After a Disaster

My Diabetes Emergency Plan 

5 Steps to Being Medically Prepared

Preparing the Elderly for Emergencies

Prepping in an Urban Setting

Please share! Please share this blog with your family, friends, co-workers, neighbors and others so they too can be better prepared. 

Comments and Questions: Please share your comments or questions below. Or go to theark.carsonward@gmail.com. We all learn from each others experiences and knowledge. Thank you for your comments and questions.  

Emergency Preparedness, Food Storage and Monthly Assignments

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

Merry Christmas to all! May we each take time from our busy schedules of Christmas shopping, Christmas parties and all the noises of the season to take some time to reflect on the true meaning of Christmas, the birth of our Savior Jesus Christ. May we take time to reflect on His life, His teachings, His example, His love and service towards others and make His life a part of ours all year long. May we each become true disciples of Jesus Christ. May each of you find peace, love, comfort, harmony, guidance in your lives each day. May each of us celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ and remember Him.

First Presidency Christmas Devotional 

 

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints

Sunday, December  4, 2016, 5 PM PST

You can watch it at a local LDS Chapel, on lds.org 

or your local BYU cable/satellite TV channel

Do not miss out on this uplifting and inspiring Christmas devotional! 

Our Journey in Life

As we start to contemplate our New Year's Goals/Resolutions, may we each think about our journey in life, where have we been, where are we now and where do we want to be. May we make our New Year's Goals/Resolutions more meaningful this coming year. I love this video of President Dieter F. Uchtdorf's, Second Councilor in the First Presidency of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints,  thoughts on our journey in life. So touching and such good advice to us all. We all make the normal goals/resolutions, loose weight, get a better job, make more money, buy a new car, a bigger house. These are temporal goals, may be it is time to make more spiritual goals/resolutions too. Here are some 2017 New Years Goals/Resolutions you might want to add to your list . . .

Daily individual and family scripture reading
Daily individual and family prayer
Attend church each week
Attend the temple as much as possible
Do family genealogy
Service others more
Have more kindness and respect for all of God's children
Strive to keep and live the commandments and our covenants the best we can
Follow the prophet
Share the gospel of Jesus Christ with others
Help the needy and poor
Follow the promptings of the Holy Ghost
Spend quality time with the family and extended family

Others could be . . .

Work better on our food/water storage and emergency supplies
Have evacuation plans in effect and practice them often
Be ready ahead of time for the natural disasters in our area
Have all vital records, photos and family heirlooms in a safe place, easy to access immediately
Know first-aid/CPR skills and have an emergency medical kit
Each family member have a 72 Hour Individual Emergency Preparedness Backpack
Practice good health (eating, exercise, etc.)
Get out of debt
Stop using credit cards to pay for things you cannot afford
Be wise, be smart

December Monthly Assignments

Food Storage . . . Baking Staples and Dairy

 

With all the Christmas, New Year's and holiday baking this is the perfect time of year to stock up on your baking staples and dairy products. You can find great sales at this time of year. Baking staples: flour (stores one year), sugar (stores indefinitely) , brown sugar (stores in definitely), shortening (stores 3 years), baking powder (stores one year), baking soda (stores 6 months), vanilla extract (stores one year), other extracts (stores one year), spices, (ground stores one year, whole stores several years) etc. Dairy: Eggs (you can remove them from their shells and freeze them for up to one year), butter/margarine (you can freeze for one year), milk, sour cream, cream cheese, etc. 

You can also purchase dehydrated/freeze dried milk, butter, shortening, eggs, sour cream, cream cheese, baking soda, baking powder and spices for up to 25 years depending on how you store it (below 70 degrees in a cool, dry, dark place).  I would only store the baking powder, baking soda and spices in the 2.5 cans emeregencyessentials.com offers. You can also store flour in the #10 cans but it is to expensive and not necessary. As long as you rotate the flour you can store it in is original packaging inside a large plastic zip lock bag. Best is stored it in the freezer, will store up to one year. Wheat flour does not store well in the freezer, to much oil content. emergencyessentials.com has a lot of their baking and dairy products on sale. If you sign up for their emails you will get even better discounted offers.

How much to store? Figure out much of each baking product and dairy your family uses in a week or month and multiply it by the number of weeks, months you have set your food storage goal.

Emergency Preparedness . . . 

   Setting our New Year's Goals 

                                    and Resolutions

I am not a fan of setting New Year's Resolutions but more of setting New Year's Goals!

Most of us break our New Year's Resolutions with a few weeks or months. Goals seem more realistic, easier to accomplish and permanent to me. Goals are easier to obtain because they usually involve smaller ones to accomplish the ultimate goal. For you 2017 New Year's Goals why not include working on your food/water storage, emergency supplies, evacuation plans and other being better prepared goals? This blog can help you set and reach your goals. I have listed a few above you might want to consider. On the side under "Posting" will give you more ideas to work in the coming year.

2017 The Ark Goals

This next year we are going to be working on putting together up a 72 Hour Individual Emergency Preparedness Backpack (food kit, hygiene kit and stressor kit) for each house hold member, a 72 Hour Family Emergency Preparedness Bag and adding emergency supplies. I encourage you to continue adding to your Food Storage until you reach the goal your family has set. Food Storage in an on going process, you are continually rotating the food you store and adding to it. Lets decide this year we are going to become better prepared next year than this year. You can do it! I try to make it workable and as easy as possible with this blogs postings.

Comments and Questions: We enjoy your comments and questions. Please share them below or email them to me at "theark.carsonward@gmail.com". We all learn from each others experiences and knowledge.

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

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

The past few weeks I have been filled with lots of thoughts. I have been jotting down quotes and other things I have heard. I am going to try and express them in this blog posting. 

"Know ye that the Lord he is God: . . . . Enter into his gates with thanksgiving, and into his courts with praise: be thankful unto him, and bless his name."  (Psalms 100: 3-4)

"Sing unto the Lord with thanksgiving; ...." (Psalms 147:7)

"Thou shalt thank the Lord thy God in all things." (Doctrine and Covenants 59:7)

"... and that ye live in thanksgiving daily, for the many mercies and blessings which he doth bestow upon you." (Book of Mormon, Alma 34:38)

"A grateful heart ... comes through expressing gratitude to our Heavenly Father for His blessings and to those around us for all that they bring into our lives." (Thomas S. Monson, President of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints)

This is the time of year when we think about those things we are grateful for! Why not take the time daily to reflect on these things? It can be simple things like a drink of clean cool water, a beautiful flower, the smile of someone walking towards you, the laugh of a child, the birds singing, the voice of a loved one. Take the time each day to be grateful for all your blessings, large and small. Give praises to our Heavenly Father and Savior Jesus Christ for your blessings.

I know many of you are struggling with life's trails and challenges and the county's and worlds uneasiness and events. All you need to be told is that you should be working on one more things, like food storage and emergency preparedness. All I can say is what Elder Jeffrey R. Holland, Quorum of the Twelve Apostles says, "Don't you give up, don't you quit, you keep walking, you keep trying".

That is all any of us can do, keep trying! If you have food storage and emergency preparedness goals set, just keep trying to meet them, don't give up. It takes time to build it up, but one step at a time, one can of food at a time, you will do it. The more you become prepared, the more peace of mind you will have.

It is not just about food storage and emergency preparedness, it is about spiritual, emotional and physical preparedness too. As long as you keep trying Heavenly Father will bless you and guide you and help you along the way. Trust Him, believe in Him.

Thomas S Monson stated, "The past is behind, learn from it. The future is ahead, prepared for it, The present is here, live it."  Take each day and do the best you can, keep on walking, keep on trying.

Emotional Preparedness

A part of emergency preparedness is Emotional Preparedness. There seems to be so much hate and unkindness in the world today. May we each take into consideration what President Thomas S. Monson stated above. For our emotional preparedness may we each give more love and kindness to others. Take the time to smile at one another, open a door for the elderly, respect and say thank you to our military and policemen and policewomen, be patient with one another, show respect one to another no matter our race, cultural or color, say thank you and please more often and take the time to being loving and kind to one another.

November Monthly Assignments

Food Storage . . . Meats, Poultry and Fish

   Vegans or Vegetarians . . . Add more canned and dried
                   Beans and Rice 

Canned meats, poultry and fish are one of the more expensive items to add to your food storage. I do not store as much as I do of other food items. Meats, poultry and fish can be added to staples like rice, noodles, pastas, soups, stews, casseroles. etc. to extend the dish. There are a variety of meats, poultry and fish and ways you can store these items. You can store them in commercially canned products, freezing, home canning  and freeze-dried. It is good to store these items in a variety of ways, short term and long term storage. Remember, only store what your family will eat. Watch for sales and stock up then. Big box stores like Costco and Sam's Club have great prices. Store all commercially canned, home canned and freeze-dried in a cool, dry, dark place. Below 70 degrees if possible.

Home canning meats, poultry and fish: Wendy Dewitt is great at this. It does not look so pretty in the canning jars but it is cost effective. Click here to watch a YouTube video from Wendy Dewitt. It takes a regular pressure cooker to do it, you cannot do it in a water bath canner. There are newer much easier pressure cookers on the market now called a "Power Pressure Cooker XL". They come in several different sizes now, 6 quart, 8 quart and 10 quart. I use the 6 quart one and can can 4 pint canning jars at once. It is great because you do not have to worry about the pressure and watching the gauges like the old fashioned pressure canner. And it cost less. I purchased mine and Bed Bath and Beyond for $89 (6 qt.) using their 20% off discount coupon. It is great for many other things too.

Meats: Roast beef, ground beef, sloppy joes, corned beef, Vienna Sausage, Underwood spreads (beef, chicken, ham), chili with meat, soups with meat or chicken, stews, etc.. Watch the expiration dates, they can vary on different types of meats. I purchase canned roast beef at Costco for a good price. I use it in casseroles, soups, stews, enchiladas, etc.

Poultry: Chicken, turkey, duck, etc. I purchased canned chicken at Costco for a good price. I use it in casseroles, soups, salads, enchiladas, etc.

Fish: Tuna, wild pink salmon, crab, oysters, sardines, etc. You can purchase them at big box stores and your local grocery stores.

Long Term Freeze-dried meats, poultry and fish: The store, if stored at 70 degrees or less, for about 25 years. It is great to have a couple of #10 cans of meat, poultry and fish. But only store what your family will eat and you will need to store extra water to rehydrate them. They are more expensive. I would just store the commercially canned or home canned varieties as long as you rotate them as needed.

Emergency Preparedness . . .

Christmas is a great time to give emergency preparedness items as gifts. See the last blog posting for great ideas.

Emergency Preparedness Ideas 

DIY--Great way to make your own cell phone charger . . .



Thank you to one of our blog readers for sharing this with us. Love great DIY projects like this that can help us in emergency situations. Keep them coming.

EmergencyEssentials.com always has some great blog postings on things that can help us. Here are  a few I thought you might enjoy. Just click on the links below.

Physical Preparedness: Click here

Emergency Oil Lamp: Love this one. Click here

Emergency Showers: Click here

Comments and Questions: Please share your comments and questions below. We love hearing from you. We all learn from each others experiences and knowledge. I love when you share ideas you find like above. Thank you for sharing.

Emergency Preparedness, Food Storage and Monthly Assignments (Week of October 30th)

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

4,000 miles later . . .  

The last 3 weeks we have been driving across the United States and back home, through California, Arizona, New Mexico, Texas, Kansas, Missouri and Illinois. What have I learned from this road trip?

We are all the same with the same hopes, dreams and concerns for the future for our family and country, the possibility of a national civil unrest, how the United States Constitution will be effected in the coming months and years, the unrest throughout the world, concerns about how the natural and man made disasters in our area will effect us and many more concerns. What can we do about them?

As you know this blog is all about being the best prepared we can be for what may come our way, which happen in a second. I learned a lot from my parents who grew up during the Great Depression and World War II and how they strove daily to be prepared the best they could. They remembered what it was like when food and money were scarce and daily things were not available most of the time. My parents were wise and frugal as they learned how to survive these difficult times.

Growing up my parents had a large deep freezer they kept filled with food. Once a year they would purchase a whole side of beef and have it cut up into different pieces of meat. My mother grew a vegetable garden and purchased vegetables and fruit when in season and froze them for the coming year. She purchased canned and packaged foods when on sale and stocked up on them. Even when  times were tough and money was short we never went without food. They had a savings account for rainy-days they added to as often as possible. They lived within their means and did not go into debt. We can learn much from the Greatest Generation!

While in Missouri I visited one family who allowed me to see their food storage and take photos. Let me share with you what I found. They are very frugal and continually add to their food storage and rotate what they have.

Shelving: It is kept in the basement which is a great place since it stays cool, dry and dark. This is where they store their canned foods.

 

Metal Cabinets: Where they store baking goods, flour, sugar, baking mixes, oils, etc. And pastas, beans and rice. Stored in the basement too.

Deep Freezer: Where they store frozen foods they purchase when on sale, meats, fruits, vegetables, breads, etc. When you loose your electricity it is best to use up these foods first. If you keep the door closed and only open as needed they will stay frozen/cold for several days.

 Metal Cabinets: They have two other metal cabinets, one filled with cleaning products and hygiene products. Another cabinet filled with school supplies, notebook paper, notebooks, pencils and pens, crayons, tape, paper clips, etc.

This was amazing to see and share with all of you. If you are frugal and take baby steps you will have all this and more in time. My husband's Uncle Win use to say, "How do you eat an elephant?". Answer, "One bite at a time!". Do not go into debt or crazy with your food and water storage and emergency supplies. Make a plan, make a goal and start working towards your goals one step, one bite at a time. Before you know it you will have what you see in these photos. You can do it!

New November Monthly Assignments

Food Storage . . . Meats, Poultry and Fish

   Vegans or Vegetarians . . . Add more canned and dried
                   Beans and Rice 

Canned meats, poultry and fish are one of the more expensive items to add to your food storage. I do not store as much as I do of other food items. Meats, poultry and fish can be added to staples like rice, noodles, pastas, soups, stews, casseroles. etc. to extend the dish. There are a variety of meats, poultry and fish and ways you can store these items. You can store them in commercially canned products, freezing, home canning  and freeze-dried. It is good to store these items in a variety of ways, short term and long term storage. Remember, only store what your family will eat. Watch for sales and stock up then. Big box stores like Costco and Sam's Club have great prices. Store all commercially canned, home canned and freeze-dried in a cool, dry, dark place. Below 70 degrees if possible.

Home canning meats, poultry and fish: Wendy Dewitt is great at this. It does not look so pretty in the canning jars but it is cost effective. Click here to watch a YouTube video from Wendy Dewitt. It takes a regular pressure cooker to do it, you cannot do it in a water bath canner. There are newer much easier pressure cookers on the market now called a "Power Pressure Cooker XL". They come in several different sizes now, 6 quart, 8 quart and 10 quart. I use the 6 quart one and can can 4 pint canning jars at once. It is great because you do not have to worry about the pressure and watching the gauges like the old fashioned pressure canner. And it cost less. I purchased mine and Bed Bath and Beyond for $89 (6 qt.) using their 20% off discount coupon. It is great for many other things too.

Meats: Roast beef, ground beef, sloppy joes, corned beef, Vienna Sausage, Underwood spreads (beef, chicken, ham), chili with meat, soups with meat or chicken, stews, etc.. Watch the expiration dates, they can vary on different types of meats. I purchase canned roast beef at Costco for a good price. I use it in casseroles, soups, stews, enchiladas, etc.

Poultry: Chicken, turkey, duck, etc. I purchased canned chicken at Costco for a good price. I use it in casseroles, soups, salads, enchiladas, etc.

Fish: Tuna, wild pink salmon, crab, oysters, sardines, etc. You can purchase them at big box stores and your local grocery stores.

Long Term Freeze-dried meats, poultry and fish: The store, if stored at 70 degrees or less, for about 25 years. It is great to have a couple of #10 cans of meat, poultry and fish. But only store what your family will eat and you will need to store extra water to rehydrate them. They are more expensive. I would just store the commercially canned or home canned varieties as long as you rotate them as needed.

Emergency Preparedness Ideas . . .

     Christmas is just around the corner!

Well, it is that time of year again when you are trying to decide what to buy a family member or friend for Christmas. What do you buy the person that is hard to buy for or has everything? Why not give them emergency preparedness supplies? At first they make think it is a cheesy present but when they need it they will thank you. Here are some suggestions . . .

72 Hour Individual Emergency Preparedness Backpack with food, hygiene and stresser kits. See the postings on the right, click on the 72 Hour EP Backpack for what goes in each kit.You can also just put together the 72 Hour Food Kit for each family member and, or the 72 Hour Personal Hygiene Kit, or both. Put instructions with the gift to go to this blog website to find out what else they need to add to complete the 72 Hour Individual Emergency Preparedness Backpack. 

Butane One Burner Stove with several cans of Butane fuel. (I find these at some discount stores, sporting good stores, etc. for about $15-$20. The fuel is less than $2 a can.)

A tent, emergency lighting (lantern, solar flashlight, etc.), cooking (Dutch oven, Butane Stove, etc.) or other emergency equipment. 

A Kaito Voyager Solar and Crank Weather Alert Multi-band Radio. (I found one at emergencyessentials.com on sale this month for $49.95.)

A Basic Food Storage Starter Kit (You can purchase these, an adult one month supply of Hard Red Wheat, Hard White Wheat,White Flour, White  Rice, Pinto Beans, Rolled Oats at store.lds.org for about $30 or you can go to any LDS Cannery and pick it up for about $22.)

Seychelle Water Filtration Bottle (You can purchase these at store.lds.org for $16.50 with one filter and $22 with 2 filters. They filter out 99.9999% of all bacteria and contamination.

Be creative. You will be amazed at some of the great things you can give as Christmas presents this year. emergencyessenitals.com and other emergency supply companies can help with some great ideas.

                     
Christmas Stocking Stuffers . . .

Why not put in things for each family member 72 Hour Individual Emergency Preparedness Backpack?

5-1 Whistle, compass, mirror reflector, match holder, flint and steal
Hand warmers
LED small flashlight
Small first-aid kit
Utility chow set (knife, fork, spoon)
Seyechelle Water Filtration bottle  (found at store.lds.org, $16-$20)
Space blanket
Plastic rain poncho
Items for the Hygiene Kit and/or Stressor Kit

These items and others can be found on the list under Postings on the right, click on the 72 Hour Individual Emergency Preparedness Backpack. 

Emergencyessentials.com has many small emergency preparedness items that are great for stocking stuffers.
Comments and Questions: Please share your comments and questions below. Or, email to "theark.carsonward@gmail.com". We all learn from each others knowledge and experiences. Thank you for sharing.