Prepared, not panicked

(said in my best monotone voice):

This is a test of your preparedness system.  This is only a test.  If it were a real emergency, you would be required to use your preparedness stores for survival. This is only a test.

Are you ready?

If nothing else, this past week with the swine flu (aka H1N1 virus) should have made you think more seriously about the status of your preparedness plans.  It is important to be prepared – not panicked.

What if this had been bad enough that everyone was required to be quarantined in their homes for a month?  Two months?  Six months?

Could it really get that bad?  Possibly.  Scientists have said for years we are due for another major pandemic. Hopefully this one won’t be it, but sooner or later it realistically could happen.

So my question to you is this…are you prepared?  Do you have ample food in your pantry?  Enough to last a month or even longer?  Do you have N95 masks?  Hand sanitizer?  Medications to help ease flu symptoms (such as ibuprofen/tylenol, nasal decongestants, cough syrup, etc)?  Kleenex?  Bleach?  Medications you need to take on  a regular basis?

These are all valid points to consider.  There may come a time when it is medically necessary to stay home from work/school in order to prevent a contagion from spreading.  If nothing else, this with the swine flu should be a wake up call.

If you have not prepared yet, yesterday was the time to do so.  Start immediately – your life and that of your family may depend on it in the future.

If you have already taken steps to prepare, go over your supplies – double check any areas you may be lacking.

No, you can’t think of everything, but doing SOMETHING is better than nothing.

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Emergency Buckets – “Grab & Go” Food

This should be part of every family’s emergency plans – food ready to go at a moment’s notice along with all of your other provisions (you do have a bag with a change of clothes and a toothbrush at the very least, right?  😀 ).

If you have to evacuate your home in a hurry, it pays to have an assortment of food storage in a bucket or two so you can literally “grab and go” without trying to decide what to take with you.

I took two of the orange “homer buckets” and divided up a variety of foods between them.  I don’t know how long this food will last for our family, but I can say with some confidence that it is at *least* a weeks’ worth, probably longer if we had to stretch it.  I’m using this only as an example – what you store in yours may be totally different.

(I also put a list in the top of each bucket in addition to listing on the outside for easy reference later – also make a note of rotation date, such as “rotate by 12/2010”.)

In bucket number one, we have the following:

(2) pkgs lima beans – dry (all pkgs vacuum sealed unless otherwise noted)
(1) large pkg pinto beans (dry)
5# bag white flour
4# bag white sugar
box of matches
powdered milk (probably 3 cups or so)
1# box baking soda
1/2 box instant potatoes (with instructions cut off of the box and included in pkg)
1 can vegetable shortening (inside a gallon ziploc bag)
1 large pkg popcorn kernels
1 pkg macaroni and cheese (removed from box, cheese packet vacuum sealed along with macaroni)

In bucket #2:

Vacuum sealed packet of dried onion / packet of chili powder
3 – pkgs macaroni and cheese
6 – pkgs ramen noodles
1# yeast
10 oz baking powder
1# salt
pepper
2 – DAK hams
1 – can tamales
2 – cans chili w/beans
1 – can rotel tomatoes
2 – 6oz cans tomato paste
4 – cans Spam
1 – LARGE bag of long grain white rice
1 – pkg of dehydrated mixed vegetables from a #10 can

From both of these buckets, you could make almost endless combinations of meals – everything from beans and rice, vegetable soup to bread, pancakes, biscuits, etc.

Hope this inspires you to get some “grab & go” food together for your family as well!  😀

UPDATE 4/12/09:  I also added 2 – 12.5 oz cans chicken breast and a ziploc bag of restaurant ketchup packets to the buckets.  There was a little bit of room left, and I wanted to make the most of it.   I’m estimating we could have at least one substantial meal a day for nearly two weeks from the contents of these two buckets.

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$5 Food Storage/Supplies

Outstanding list courtesy of Highlander at:  http://www.survivalistboards.com/showthread.php?t=36711

You could also buy ALL of the following items for around $200.00.  There is no excuse not to get started!

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For just $ 5.00 +/- you can buy the following storable things:

FOOD ITEMS

* Five packages of Idahoan instant potatoes (flavored)
* A case of ramen noodles (20 pkgs)
* five cans of sardines
* five gallons of purified water
* nearly two cases of bottled water
* four cans of peaches, pears or fruit cockatail
* 2 jars of mandarin oranges
* five pounds of rice
* three to four pounds of spaghetti
* Two cans of spaghetti sauce
* three bags of egg noodles
* eight packages of gravy mix
* four cans of whole or sliced new potatos
* four cans of green beans or at least three cans of carrots, greens, peas or mixed veggies
* Two cans of Yams
* six cans of pork and beans
* one 40 ounce can of Dinty Moore Beef Stew
* Two 12 ounce cans of chicken, tuna or roast beef
* One 1lb canned ham
* three cans of refried beans
* three 12 oz cans of raviolis or spaghetti O’s.
* Two 12.5 ounce cans of Salmon
* Five pounds of Oatmeal
* Four packages Dinty Moore heat and eat meals
* five packages of corn bread mix
* Four pounds of Sugar
* Five pound of Flour
* 1.5 quarts of cooking oil
* three one pound bags of dry beans
* two cans of apple juice
* a jar of peanut butter
* two boxes of yeast
* two bags of generic breakfast cereal
* 10 8 oz cans of tomato paste/tomato sauce
* four cans of soup
* four cans of Chunky soup
* 8-10 pounds of Iodized salt
* two bottles of garlic powder or other spices
* Two boxes of kool aid
* A can of coffee
* 2 bottles of powdered coffee creamer

Non-Food Items

* one manual can opener
* two bottles of camp stove fuel
* 100 rounds of .22lr ammo
* 25 rounds of 12 ga birdshot or small game loads
* 20 rounds of Monarch 7.62×39 ammo
* a spool of 12lb test monofilament fishing line
* 2 packages of hooks and some sinkers or corks.
* artificial lure
* two packages of soft plastic worms
* three Bic Lighters or two big boxes of matches
* A package of tea lights
* 50 ft of para cord
* a roll of duct tape
* a box of nails or other fasteners
* a flashlight
* two D-batteries, four AA or AAA batteries or two 9v batteries
* a toothbrush and tooth paste
* a bag of disposable razors
* eight bars of ivory soap (it floats)
* a box or tampons or bag of pads for the ladies
* two gallons of bleach
* needles and thread
* a ball of yarn
OTC Medications (at Dollar General)

* 2 bottles 1000 count 500 mg generic Tylenol (acetometaphin)
* 2 bottles 500 count 200 mg generic advil (ibuprofen)
* 2 boxes 24 cound 25 mg generic Benadryl (diphenhydramine HCI)–also available at walgreens under “sleep aids.”
* 4 bottles 500 count 325 mg aspirin
* 2 boxes of generic sudafed
* 4 bottles of alcohol
* a box of bandages (4×4)

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Prep a little every day…

If you look at everything that needs to be done to prepare your family for hard times, it can be almost overwhelming.  I’ve decided to break my “to do” list down into more manageable tasks, and focus on what I can realistically accomplish in a day.

Today, I’m dehydrating a#10 can of mixed vegetables.  The can originally weighed over 6 pounds (with liquid), and by the time it’s completely dried, it should easily fit into a pint size jar.  This saves valuable storage space and also extends the shelf life of the veggies.

Another day, I plan on pressure canning a batch of pinto beans so they’ll be handy whenever I need them.  I love storing dried beans, but there are times I’m running behind and forget to soak them.  Having a few jars canned will help make some quick meals later on.

I also need to take a day and break down some larger sized purchases into smaller bags and vacuum seal them.

A little here and there adds up in the grand scheme of things.   The important thing is to actually start.  At the end of the day, I have a sense of accomplishment knowing I’ve done something positive towards my goal of being self-sufficient.

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How to prepare for an ice storm

Having lived through one of the worst ice storms to hit Arkansas in 2000, I can offer some practical advice on how to prepare.  They are forcasting another storm for us currently, so I thought I’d share some tips.

• Make sure you have adequate food for several days, and also a way to heat it.  If you have a gas stove, you’re in good shape (unless you have one of the new ones with spark ignition which use electricity).  Have a Coleman camp stove or gas grill for backup if you have to.  (DO NOT use a gas or charcoal grill indoors!)
• Have alternative heat:  wood stove, gas heater, kerosene heater, etc.
• If you have a generator (a necessity in our neck of the woods), make sure you have several gallons of gas onhand.  Also, it’s a good idea to drag the generator out and make sure it will run.  You may need new spark plugs, oil, etc.
• Here’s one a lot of people neglect (I was guilty of this last time) – WASH AND DRY ALL OF YOUR LAUNDRY!  I was caught with several loads of laundry waiting to be run when the storm hit in 2000.  We wound up evacuating since at that time we had no backup heat, and the power was off for a solid week.  An emergency is not the time to worry about whether or not you have clean underwear.  😛
• On the same note:  run your dishwasher if you have one.
• If you believe the ice storm will be severe, you can fill the bathtubs with water, along with any other containers suitable to hold drinking water.  This can be used to flush toilets if nothing else (a #10 can of water is usually sufficient to flush the toilet if it is poured into the BOWL, not the tank).  If the power goes down for an extended period of time, you will eventually run out of water in the supply tanks if they are not gravity fed.  WARNING:  If you have small children, I would NOT fill bathtubs with water due to possible drowning hazard. Please take this into consideration. Fill 2 liter bottles or other containers instead as additional water supply.
• Fill up your vehicles with gas – can be used as backup fuel for your generator in an emergency (a siphon for $3 for $4 from Walmart is something everyone should have onhand).  Also check your antifreeze.
• Check on your elderly neighbors to see if they need anything.  Most of the older people are better prepared than most, but they might appreciate a loaf of bread or gallon of milk from the grocery store.
• Check batteries for lanterns/flashlights, lamp oil for lamps, matches, candles, etc.
• Get a good book or two to read, puzzles for the kids, games, etc.  This could be great family time if you’re stuck for a few days!

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