Obligatory Saturday Post

Good morning! I've found out this week that I have more readers than I was aware of so I just want to say Thanks for reading.

I still have one more preparedness blog in me, so expect that on Monday. In the meantime, check out this link. Basically, this is a daily podcast with preparedness topics being the subject. It's got a wealth of information on the forums section and and overview of the weeks episodes on the main page. Check it out if preparedness is anything you're interested in, because it's a fantastic resource.

It's Saturday morning and I'm at work typing this on my phone before the store opens and I'm seriously enjoying my cup of coffee. I'm very thankful today for my family and my job and the ability to have an iPhone and a great cup of coffee. Don't forget why you are who you are and what makes you tick. Be thankful for the little things and it will make the big things seem so much greater.

Have a great weekend!

-christopher

Preparedness, Part 2

Water.

The second thing to prepare for your family is water. Truthfully, it’s the most important. As I know, you can’t mix formula for a baby without water. Most of the time when you cook, you need water for that as well. We all know how important it is to have a steady supply, not just for drinking, but for the sake of cleanliness as well.

          FEMA, again, recommends having a three day supply. You can count on an average person drinking a minimum of half a gallon per day with age, physical condition and other factors applying to that number. Also, sick people, nursing or pregnant mothers, and children should drink more than their allotted half gallon. Another often forgotten need for water is your pets. Summer temperatures can also double then amount required. That’s a lot of information to take in, believe me. FEMA says to store one gallon per person per day. That includes any you would need for cooking or washing. Go look at a milk jug. Imagine that’s your water limit for the day. It doesn’t sound like a lot of fun.

          My suggestion is to triple that just to be on the safe side. It’s always much better to have too much than not enough. So, my personal goal is three gallons per person per day for a minimum of three days. There’s still not much wiggle room, so don’t expect to be wasteful, but it will help. Storage can be done with bottled water you buy at the store, or by using other approved storage containers from bottles to 55 gallon drums. I prefer water cans (similar to gas cans) that can be found at stores (like Wal-Mart) which are intended for camping. Mine, in particular, hold seven gallons and they are square so they’re easily stackable and there’s a spigot included. Do your own research though and make choices that best fit your family.

          Water purifiers are a whole new realm of information. I don’t know as much about them, other than it’s great to have as a back up. The market is flooded with purifiers, from Brita pitchers to the Life Saver system. They all have their uses and strengths and weaknesses but one thing they all do is give you clean potable water to drink so definitely consider adding a purifier of some sort to you preparations.

          Having water available to you can not only keep you alive, it can also help ease the tensions of a disaster situation. Knowing that you have at least enough to get you through a couple of days should give you and immense peace of mind and it also helps you to remain self sufficient and not rely on the government for a had out.

Preparedness, Part 1

Be prepared.

As an Eagle Scout, I have been very familiar with the phrase. It wasn’t until the events of September 11, 2001, late August of 2005 with Hurricane Katrina, and, of course, January of 2009 with the Ice Storm that struck here in the Western Kentucky area that this concept hit home. These events, and others like them, have served to really get my mind focused on my preparedness.

Was I prepared for the Ice Storm? Not really. We stayed at my in-laws for two weeks and luckily, they had a gas fireplace, gas water heater, and a gas stove; not to mention the generator we used part time. Coincidentally, we had some cash on us from my wife’s paycheck a few days before. We live off of our debit cards and, to that point, never carried much money on us. It helped then because we were able to buy groceries at the local IGA grocery which only accepted cash due to the lack of power. Yes, I did have flashlights, tons of candles, guns, and quite a bit of food, but, I believe that I went into that disaster completely unprepared for what we were going to have to face.

Since then, I have been researching different ways that I could be ready for disaster. Tornados are not uncommon around here and we live on a very large fault line that has been predominantly inactive in my lifetime. Anything can happen though. FEMA states that in a state of emergency that it can take them three days to be at ground zero ready to help. I, for one, cannot wait three days. I have children and a wife who depend on me to keep them safe, fed, and as comfortable as possible. Three days without drinkable water can be fatal depending on the temperature. Yes, three days without food is doable, but who wants to go through that? It makes sense for every family to have enough supplies for themselves for a minimum of three days so that they don’t end up worse off than they should be.

What does three days of supplies mean? Obviously it means food, water, and shelter.

Food.

You need to have enough food to feed yourself and anyone who lives with you and a way to prepare it. Now, that may not be too much of a struggle depending on the climate at the time. Things from your refrigerator and you freezer can be eaten either over a gas stove, a campfire, or a charcoal or propane barbeque grill. If it’s not that big of a disaster (like a power outage due to a storm) it’s actually kind of nice to sit outside on the patio and grill some steaks that you were saving for a special occasion. Canned goods are also good to have. These can range from soups and vegetables that you would buy at your local supermarket or fresh fruits and vegetables that were canned in mason jars right after harvesting. Either is great and will go a long way in making sure that you stay well fed. They also have a very long shelf life so having a few extra sitting on your pantry shelves shouldn’t be that big of an inconvenience. Making sure that you consume a sufficient number of calories is critical. If you have to clear out your road with a chainsaw so help can even get to you, you’re going to burn calories. The less you eat, the more exhausting even the smallest chores can be during a time like that.