Week 22

We are getting so close to having our 72 hour kits complete. This week and the next few weeks we will concentrate on completing those and building supplies for our cars and a kit to “grab and go” in case of an evacuation. Don’t forget about food storage. Now is the time of the year to get great buys on fresh foods and to preserve them. With rising food prices take advantage of any and every opportunity to store food. If that means putting off some of the steps from our Seven Steps just highlight the ones you need to go back and catch up on later. I know funds are limited so use them wisely. Only you know which areas of preparedness you need to prioritize.

1. Add a comb and brush to all 72 hour kits. You can probably find enough of these around the house if you search through drawers. If you need to buy a few try a dollar store. These are for an emergency after all.

2. Purchase a 3 month supply of pancake syrup. This may sound like a lot but by now you should have a good idea how much you actually use, since it is an item you should have dated when we began. I purchase a gallon size bottle and refill a small bottle I have used for a couple of years. I just wash the small bottle well each time we empty it and then refill from the gallon. You do not need to refrigerate the syrup so this works very well. Unless you have a large family a gallon of syrup should last 3 months.

3. Begin a Grab and Go Evacuation kit by purchasing a port-a-potty. You don’t need to spend lots of money on this. Potty seats are not very expensive and can be used on any 5 gallon bucket lined with a plastic bag, preferably a bio-hazard bag.

4. Add pet medications to their 72 hour kits.

5. Add travel games, crossword puzzle books or other fun items which will help pass the time during an emergency evacuation, to your 72 hour kits.

6. Add one can of fruit and one can of vegetables per person, to your food storage.

7. Prepare to add a “family uniform” to your 72 hour kits. What? During evacuations it is not uncommon for children to be separated from parents, or even for parents to become separated from the family. Having unique clothing can make your search much easier. Spend time this week formulating a plan. You may consider purchasing plain t shirts and embellishing them. If you do this, do not pick a white, black or grey shirt. They are too common. Choose a bright color. Hold a family competition and design a shirt. Use fabric pens or fabric crayons and make matching shirts. People will notice and remember a colored shirt far more easily than “just another” 5 year old, wearing jeans, who has brown hair and brown eyes. There could be dozens of them, but only one wearing your funky shirt. This is also a great tip when vacationing at an amusement park. Distinctive clothing will get your child noticed more quickly if you are separated. Never, put a child’s name, or your family name, on the outside of your shirt. Predators love having this information.

*If you are a grandparent consider ordering matching shirts for your grandchildren and their parents for gift. Then if there is an emergency and you are trying to find them you can describe the shirts to relief workers.

Week 21

We are preparing for disasters of all kinds so we don’t find ourselves panicked when they come.

1. We are continuing our quest to prepare for the needs of our pets. This week add pet food to your pet’s 72 hour kit. Food should be canned as opposed to dry for the first few days. We need to consider our pet’s needs as we would our own. There will be little water available the first few days, at least, after most emergencies. Dry food will increase a pet’s thirst so store canned foods. If you have older MREs they would be great as pet food. MREs have been government tested and found to be safe after 20 years. The taste may change a little but they are still safe for pets even if they are not very appealing to adults anymore. You can often find MREs on sale as they near expiration dates which is a great time to pick up a few. They are lighter weight and easier to open and use that canned food.

2. Purchase 5 pounds of flour.

3. Purchase 5 pounds of rice or pasta or a combination of both. You should be storing grains based on your 10 favorite meals. In other words, if those meals rely more on pasta than rice, store more pasta than rice. Since it is our goal to rotate these foods and thus save money, as well as being prepared for an emergency, you will want a variety of ingredients available to you.

4. Purchase masks. I hesitate to say dust masks because it is far more prudent to store N98 Triosyn medical masks. These can be used not only when cleaning up after an earthquake, tornado or other disaster but also can be used when caring for those who are ill during a pandemic. These masks will filter out smaller dust particles and also air born particles such as those released when we cough.

5. Practice splinting an arm, leg, finger, or ankle. Get out the slings you made a few weeks ago and use those to practice applying a sling. This is a great family activity.

6. Purchase a prepaid phone card for your 72 hour kit. Often after a disaster cell phones are of no use. Cell towers are down and ironically only land lines are working. Get a phone card, just in case. It doesn’t need to have more than an hour or two on it as you can always have a contact return your call but you will want to be prepared to communicate, by any means, if the opportunity should present itself.

7. Share what you are learning and how you are preparing with everyone you know. They may think you are a little crazy but just ask them to take a look at our plan and then listen to the news for a week and form their own conclusions.

Week 20

Once we have a complete 3 month supply you will never have to purchase food unless it is on sale! Get a lemonade and enjoy your accomplishments.

Here goes:

1st: You now have a binder where you can keep all your preparedness information. It includes article on: 72 hour kits, saving money, seasonal bargains, evacuation and water storage. In addition you have a list of items you need to have in case of a power outage, a list of favorite foods and a list of favorite desserts and a list of the ingredients to make all of them. Plus personal items relevant to your family situation.

2nd: We have worked on our 72 hour kits and almost completed them. They include: mylar blankets, food, water, glow sticks and flashlights, hat, multi-purpose tool, emergency info card, whistles, clothing, batteries, paper plates, TP, diapers, safety pins, sun glasses, keys, toys, cash, prescriptions, first aid kit, sling, toothpaste and toothbrush, vitamins, pain relievers, anti diarrheal meds, eye wash, insect repellent, sun screen, sewing kit and biohazard bag.

3rd: We have researched how our schools plan to deal with an emergency and reviewed those plans with our family.

4th: We have prepared to evacuate by; posting a list of items to take, gathering items and placing them together, and assigning family member responsibilities. We have also held an evacuation drill with our families. We have determined a “secret” place to leave a message if we evacuate, discussed that with our family and sent that information to our contact out of state.

5th: We have begun a 72 hour kit for our pets and added: a collar, food and water dishes, and biohazard bags.

6th: We have stored water.

7th: We have determined which TV and radio stations will broadcast emergency information specific to our area.

8th: We have created a phone tree for neighbors, family and friends and established an out of state contact person. We have mailed our contact copies of important documents, the location of our message place and family photos.

9th: We have copied important document and sent them to our contact and placed them in our 72 hour kits. They include: birth certificates, drivers license, pink slips, passport, social security cards, health insurance, life insurance, marriage license, credit card, death certificates, military records, and wills.

10th: We have discussed “What if” scenarios with our family and held a family fire drill.

11th: We have taken individual and family photos, including pets, and added those to our 72 hour kits and mailed them to our contact.

12th: We have replaced the batteries in our smoke/carbon monoxide detectors.

13th: We have made a list of skills and items we can offer for barter and we have created a list of friends and family who have items we may need, who we can trade with.

14th: We have inventoried and gathered first aid supplies.

15th: We have discarded expired medications and replaced them.

16th: We have completed a room by room household inventory and mailed a copy to our out of state contact.

17th: We have prepared for life after an emergency be purchasing and storing, bleach, insect repellent, mouse traps and insect spray.

18th: We have prepared for a power outage by storing items to replace: washer and dryer, dish washing, lighting, cooking and heating. And we have discussed and prepared for summer power outages.

19th: Around the house we have: Placed a light source and shoes next to our beds, placed emergency phone numbers by all our phones, strapped our water heaters to the wall, made room for food storage, dated the cans of food we had in our cupboards. We have dated items that we don’t consume in one use to determine how many we would need to store for a 3 month supply. We have made a list of our 10 favorite meals and 5 favorite desserts and compiled a list of the ingredients needed to make those.

20th: Deep breathe! We have begun our food storage and now have the ingredients to make 13 complete meals and 8 desserts. In addition we have: 2 cans of fruit and 2 cans of vegetables per person, paper plates, oatmeal and/or cream of wheat, pancake mix, rice, pasta, flour, spices, oil, vinegar, mayonnaise, mustard, salad dressing, 1 can of soup per person, 1 can or jar of protein per person, white sugar, brown sugar, powdered sugar, baking soda, baking powder, cornstarch, 10 sauces, 1 bottle of juice per family member, hand soap, TP, shampoo and toothpaste! In other words… a 3-4 week supply of food. Almost a 1/3 of the way to a complete 3 month supply!

You deserve a break! Take the week off. Make a copy of this post, place it in your binder. Even if you are a little behind concentrate on all you have accomplished and use this week to catch up in a few areas.

Week 19

1. Add hand towels to all 72 hour kits. Hand towels take up much less room than a full size towel but are still adequate to dry off if you are fortunate enough to have water to bathe. They are also useful as compresses and even a diaper.

2. Add collars to your pet’s 72 hour kit(s).

3. Purchase a container of baking soda, baking powder, and cornstarch for your food storage.

4. Purchase the ingredients for 5 desserts.

5. Strap your water heater to the wall.

6. Add sewing kits to your 72 hour kits. You can add the small ones you receive during a hotel stay or just a spool of white and a spool of black thread and a few sewing needles.

7. Do a little more rearranging and make more room for your food storage or 72 hour kits.

… next week. It is another check our progress week and you are going to be astonished at all you have done! A few steps each week means huge results in a short period of time.

Week 18

Each week the news of emergencies seems to grow. I feel great when I look at my preparations and I hope you are feeling the same way. This week:

1. Add prescription eye glasses to all 72 hour kits, when appropriate. I have my old pair in mine but I also have a pair of magnifiers in my car.

2. Purchase or find a container to hold your pet’s 72 hour kit. This could be a back pack, messenger bag, or even a bucket with a lid.

3. Add biohazard bags, both large and small, to your 72 hour kits and also to your car kit. Biohazard bags are wonderful because they are red in color and say hazardous materials right on the side. You will want top use these to line a port-a-potty. It is easy to tell children the stuff in the red bag is dangerous so don’t touch it, keeping them safe. If you use a regular plastic garbage bag be sure you label it clearly and brightly so everyone can tell the difference between these bags and bags of trash or debris.

4. Sweeten things up! Add 10 pounds of white sugar, 2 pounds of brown sugar and 2 pounds of powdered sugar to your storage.

5. Add two gallons of water to your supply. You can fill bleach bottles, canning jars or other containers with a tight fitting lid or you can purchase water at the store.

6. Go over the Water Storage article . Study it and add it to your binder.

7. Add a one month supply of hand soap to your storage and a small bar to your 72 hour kits. This is one of the items you should have dated and if you did, you will know how many to purchase for a month.

We all need to be ready for whatever comes. I am amazed how many people have told me they are feeling a real need to prepare.
If you fail to plan you plan to fail! (Benjamin Franklin)

Week 17

This week we are going to spend a few days focusing on our other family members, our pets, as well as a few more odds and ends.

1. Purchase vitamins. You know what you normally use so stock up. This is easy as it will tell you right on the bottle how many days a bottle will last. If you have someone on other supplements make sure you include those also. Watch your newspaper ads as these are often on sale buy one get one free at Longs, Rite Aid and the like. During a time of stress our bodies need more nutrients and they may not be available in the form of foods so don’t ignore vitamins.

2. Purchase sun screen for your 72 hour kits. Sunscreen wipes are also available and will not leak in your kits.

3. Begin a 72 hour kit for your pets. Use an old backpack or even a box. This week, purchase food and water dishes. These can be any kind of a cheap plastic dish. Don’t get expensive ones.

4. Copy all of your pet’s immunization and other medical records. Add these to your 72 hour kit and also place a copy in the envelope to mail to your out of state contact.

5. Copy your will and any wills for family members such as parents. You know what to do with them, same as always.

6. Purchase one bottle of 100% juice for each family member. These will not only count as a fruit in your 3 month storage plan but also as water storage when you calculate the amount of water you need to store for each person. Any juice will count as water but only 100% juice will count as fruit so buy the good stuff. Soda and alcohol will dehydrate you so they never count as anything!

7. Place all those copies you have been collecting and any other discs with copies of photos or other important info, into your envelope and mail it to your out of state contact.

Good luck!

Week 16

This week we will:

1. Add eye wash to your 72 hour, car and office kits. Also add some to your medical supplies in your home.

2. Add insect repellent to your kits and home.

3. Purchase the ingredients for 5 of your favorite meals. Calculate exactly how much more of each item in your storage you will need to purchase to reach a 3 month supply.

4. Copy all the death certificates and military record in your possession and add them to your adult 72 hour kits and add a set to the envelope to mail off to your contact person.

5. Move all your photos, journals and scrap books to one area in your home, making them easier to grab if you should have to evacuate.

6. You have spoken with your family about evacuating and have a plan. Now is the time to check the plans. You will need to enlist the help of a friend to accomplish this goal. Ask a friend to call your home and inform your family that they need to evacuate (use any excuse that sounds viable in your area, tornado, hurricane, wild fire..). You have 15 minutes to get out. Set a timer and go… When the timer goes off everyone can take whatever is in their hands and anything they have already put in the car, but nothing else. Pile in the car and drive to a park, your friend’s home, or even to grandma’s and evaluate how you have done. Did you all fit in the car or did you have to throw some items out so you would all fit? Did you remember the fish and bird? Do you have your 72 hour kits? Does everyone have both shoes? How about photos, favorite toy, important documents, backup computer files? Ask everyone if they could never return home do they have everything they need or would want. What do they wish they had taken? When you have evaluated what you need to plan for when the “real” emergency happens, pile back in the car and go for milk shakes.

7. It’s been a busy week so relax and watch a movie with the kids.

Have a great week