Why didn't anyone ever tell me this? (Let's get prepared!)

We visited the Hawthorne Ward a few months ago and as I picked up a program, I noticed a handout listing useful websites for getting prepared for emergencies/ disasters. Listed below are links to six different websites with wonderful information. Please check out at least a few of them and start (or finish) getting prepared. You'll be glad you did!

    http://providentliving.org
    http://ready.gov
    http://www.fema.gov
    http://preparedness.ldswelfare.org
    http://livingprepared.blogspot.com
    http://www.redcross.org

The list was followed by this quote from Spencer W Kimball:
Let's do these things because they are right, because they are satisfying, and because we are obedient to the counsels of the Lord. In this spirit we will be prepared for most eventualities and the Lord will prosper and comfort us. It is true that difficult times will come--for the Lord has foretold them--But if we live wisely and providently, we will be a safe as in the palm of His hand.

Be Prepared-72 Hour Kits

One of the focuses of our Stake Relief Society this year is to encourage everyone to have a 72 hour kit for each family member. We would like to see each member of our stake begin their preparedness program with a 72 hour kit. The information in this post come from Jodi Gorham from the Shepherd Ward.

What is a 72 Hour Kit?

A 72 Hour Kit is a collection of tools and supplies needed to sustain life, minimize suffering, maintain dignity and independence, and help you do what you need to in an emergency that requires evacuation. It can be assembled for a family, but normally it would be tailored to fit the needs of an individual, and each person in the family

would have their own personalized 72 Hour Kit.

The particulars will vary from person to person, but each kit should contain the following things: water, food, clothing, shelter, sanitation supplies, medical supplies, contact information, identification and other vital documents, aids to mobility and navigation, and comfort items. A backpack, or other carry-able container, is also needed.

Your kit should be assembled in advance and kept in a safe, but convenient, location in your home or automobile, where it can be grabbed on short notice. You will always choose to endure an emergency at home, when you can, because that’s where most of your emergency preparations are. When you are forced to evacuate, you will always choose to take your personal vehicle, if you can, because that is how you are the most mobile and can take the most stuff. Your 72 Hour Kit is essential to your emergency preparations because it is what you take with you for the remainder of the journey if your car breaks down or if you are

forced to leave home on foot.
One of the many websites that lists items to include in your 72 Hour Kit is http://lds.about.com/od/preparednessfoodstorage/a/72hour_kit.htm. This site also has their list available as a pdf file that can be printed out and used as a checklist. There are companies that sell prepackaged 72 Hour Kits, but at best, those kits are a starting point for the real thing because they will not be specific to the needs of you and your family, nor will they contain personal items such as ID or documents.
It's takes time and money to assemble a 72 Hour Kit, but on the flip side, what will it cost you to be caught unprepared?
(Some information taken from Tucson North Stake Relief Society's Preparedness Notebook.)

"Baby Steps" to Preparedness

I just found this web-site and am so very impressed with the information contained on it. If you click the image (Food Storage Made Easy) directly to the right, it will take you to the web-site.
There are so many helpful tools, I think you will be as happy as I was to find it. It takes you through "baby steps" if you choose, or if you need more advanced help and information, it is available here.......from shelving to water storage to 72 hour kits. They will send an automatic email to you of what you should be doing for the next two weeks to get prepared.
One segment that I thought would be interesting and could be quite an "eye-opener", was their plan to challenge you to live on and live without random conveniences for a week. The challenge changes daily(I believe), so one day you might be without electricity---you can then assess how you need to change your plan and storage so that it will be less of a hardship.
Please at least check out this information for anything that might be helpful to you, or to someone that you know.

Water Storage

Jodi Gorham of Shepherd Ward provided the important information in this post.

We’ve been told that the recommended amount of water to store is 14 gallons per person. For my family of 7, that comes to 98 gallons of water -- so 2 of the 50 gallon drums. It seems like a lot of water to have to store, but when you think about it, it’s not very much at all. We live out in Shepherd and, like many, have a cistern. Knowing how large our cistern is and how often we have to fill it, I know that we use at least 1,000 gallons of water per week (and that’s with frugal water usage).

Think about what we use water for. There’s washing (clothes, dishes, and people), cleaning, cooking, drinking, and flushing, to name a few. How long is 98 gallons of water going to last if I’m still trying to do all of that with it? Not very long. One day when our cistern ran dry and it took a day to get water again, I started thinking about things I should have in my storage that would cut down on water usage in a time of emergency. Here are a few things I came up with: hand sanitizer (for frequent hand washing),



cleaning wipes (like Clorox, for cleaning surfaces), baby wipes (for hygiene), paper goods (to cut down on dish washing),
water filter/purifier,
and even a portable toilet (like a 5 gallon bucket with a toilet seat) would be a good idea.


Being aware of ways to conserve water and get by on less is also something we should think about. Living with a cistern (and having to go without running water a time or two), my kids have come to know what a spit bath is and how to, in a pinch, save water from bathing and washing to use later for flushing. They also know that mom is going to get after them if they leave the water running to brush their teeth or if they play in the water too long while washing their hands (that’s literally money down the drain for us).
So think about water -- storing it, conserving it, and just being prepared.

Power’s Out – Now What?

Jodi Gorham from the Shepherd Ward provided the pictures and information for this posting.

Thanks Jodi!

We’ve all heard about power outages around the country due to snow and ice storms. Sometimes people have been without electricity for just a day or two, for others it has stretched on for weeks. Have you given much thought to what you would have to do without in your home if you lost power? Now is the time to come up with a back-up plan; if you wait until there’s no electricity, it’s too late.

Here are some of the household items that would be useless during an outage, plus some suggestions for possible alternatives (obviously a generator with fuel would be a great solution for many of these things as well). Can you come up with anything else?

Lighting
• flashlights, headlamps, extra batteries, light sticks, lanterns with fuel, candles, matches & lighters

Furnace
• extra blankets, warm clothing, fireplace or wood burning stove, kindling & firewood, kerosene heater (properly operated and maintained) with fuel


Stove, Oven & Microwave
• no-cook & easy to prepare foods plus a manual can opener, dutch oven, charcoal, grill, extra propane, campstove with fuel, campfire supplies, fireplace, sun oven, appropriate cookware & tools for each of these cooking methods



Washing Machine & Clothes Dryer
• laundry detergent (preferably liquid), stored water, tub or large sink, washboard, clothesline & clothes pins

Refrigerator & Freezer
• in cold weather, food could be stored outside in coolers or snow banks; plan to use items in refrigerator first, then freezer items, then non-perishables

TV, Stereo, Computer, Cell Phone, Cordless Phone, & Radio (for Info & Entertainment)
• battery powered, hand crank or solar radios, extra batteries, car charger for cell phone, home phone with a cord, games to play, puzzles to do, books to read

Water Pump
• water stored in containers, siphons or hand pumps & hoses for retrieving water in cisterns or large water barrels; for those with public water, keep some water trickling to prevent pipes from freezing and if the water is contaminated in your area, shut off the water source to your house so that you can use the water from your toilets/water heater safely

Unplug your electrical items while the power is out. For one, there could be surges in power as it comes back on (not just initially, but for the next while as more and more areas are coming back up), and secondly you don’t want to overload the system as it comes back on; this could cause the power to go out again. Turning off circuit breakers and turning them on slowly over the next few days is also recommended.
If you’d like to go a step further in preparing your family for a power loss, stop using electricity for a day. Make it an adventure, be creative, and see how prepared you really are.