Week 9

There is no season for disasters. In past years Katrina occurred in August, Southern California fires in October, tornadoes in the south in February, blizzards and power outages in December and January. Of course we are not JUST preparing for natural disasters. Job losses continue to pile up. If you are tempted to give up please don’t. Can’t get to all the seven steps each week? Just do a few. With the prices of food skyrocketing now may be the time to concentrate on that, but don’t forget the others.
This week:

1. This is the week to add food to your 72 hour kit. I suggest using high calorie energy bars rated for extended shelf life, 3-5 years. These will remain good long past these dates. I recommend you ask around or experiment as some of these taste like cardboard and some like cookies. Children will eat anything if you call it a cookie and it tastes like a cookie. If you want “real food” I suggest MREs. These are light weight, come in lots of varieties, and last far longer than the 5 years they are dated. Do not add salty foods such as jerky, chips, and salted nuts to your kits. Water will be limited and you do not want to increase your thirst. Don’t store instant foods for the same reason, no water to rehydrate them. NEVER add foods in glass to your kits, one fall could spell disaster. I would not add canned foods because of their weight.

2. Inventory bathrooms, office and family room. Be sure if you have books, CDs or DVDs that you take photos that enable you to read the titles. If you have any collector books open them to the copyright page and take a picture of that also. Be sure you open all doors and drawers and “shoot” the contents.



3. Invite another family to a photo shoot. Have the other family take group photos of your family, including your pets. Also take individual pictures of each family member. You will need these if you are ever separated during an emergency. The individual photos may be given to rescue workers and the family group shots will establish your relationship when you are reunited. Now return the favor and take pictures of the other family. Add these photos to all 72 hour kits and place a copy in the envelope to be mailed to your out of state contact.

4. Copy health and life insurance policies. Place a copy in adult 72 hour kits and place one in the envelope to mail off.


5. Make a list of friends and family who may be able to help with some of your preparedness needs. This is a great dinner activity. Children have great ideas and they also know what their friends’ families may have. Think about those who garden, can teach you to sew, can, or repair a lawn mover. Is their a contractor who make have scrap lumber to build a food storage shelf or to use as firewood? Empty nesters may have canning jars they no longer use. Think Creatively! When you have completed that list begin a list of things you can offer in trade to someone else. Take inventory pictures for an elderly couple, teach someone to can, fix a computer problem…..


6. Purchase 1 can of protein per family member. These may include canned tuna, chicken, beef, salmon, chili, hash or peanut butter.


7. Add small toys, books, crayons, or other items to your children’s 72 hour kits. It is also important for adults to have items in their kits to help pass the time or calm nerves after a long stressful day. Add books, cross word puzzles, travel size games and scriptures.

Are you getting discouraged because you haven’t done all 7 steps each week? DON’T BE!!!! Are you further ahead now than you were 9 weeks ago? Then you are succeeding!!! If you have not already done so, run off a copy of each week’s steps and place them in your binder. Assign each area of preparedness a color (red-72 hour kits, blue-food storage, yellow-important documents, green-family training….and so on) now take a highlighter or colored pencil and mark each step you have completed with that color. You will be amazed just how much you have done!