Week 26

1. Place a pot in your grab and go pile. Make sure the pot is heavy as you will probably be using in on an open fire, camp stove, or barbecue grill. You will only be adding one pot as during an emergency you won’t want to be carrying more than that. A lid for the pot is also important and with limited water you may need to reuse any water you have used to cook your food and you definitely don’t want water evaporating.
2. It time to think shelter. If you have a small 3 man tent they are great and light weight. Tube tents are not the best. They are flimsy, small, open at both ends and easily carried away in a wind. If you purchased a 72 hour kit with one please don’t count on that for an emergency. Tarps are good. Added rope to your GGK (Grab and Go Kit) and with the addition of a tarp or two you can make a much bigger and more  sturdy shelter. Tarps can be used as a tent, lean to, dining cover, ground cover, to temporarily repair a leaky roof and even to haul debris. They are much less expensive than a tent and much easier to carry. If you have a large  family add a few tarps and extra rope.
3. Clear a ten foot area around your propane tank and your barbecue grill. We often hear about clearing a defensible space around our homes but most of us think we are safe because we don’t live in a wooded area. Propane tanks and barbecue grills can be very dangerous. Tanks can and will explode during a weather emergency and barbecue grill can easily create a grease fire with dangerous flame. Grills have also been know to tip over and catch lawns and lawn furniture on fire. Give yourself plenty of space away from your house so you have time to put out the fire before it can cause major damage.
4. Purchase one can or container of protein per family member. This may include; tuna and other fish, meats, peanut butter or beans. This is not the only time we will add protein to our food storage so check the sales this week and add items that are on sale.
5. Move heavy items to bottom shelves. This is especially important during a tornado or earthquake. You do not want heavy items falling out of shelves on to family members. Anything that is heavy or with sharp edges should be on bottom shelves.
6. Check you garage and area around heaters and water heaters and move any items that are flammable away from heat sources. If you have a shed store propane bottles, cleaners, lawn mowers (they are flammable) in the shed. Also move any weed killers and pesticides away from heat sources. They can become deadly if they are exposed to a fire.
7. Draw a floor plan or your home. Using markers or colored pencils mark at least two escape routes from each room in case of a fire. Spend time this week walking through those options with your family. Practice good fire safety techniques, low to the ground, feel the door before opening and always practice meeting at your designated meeting place.

week 25

1. Add cleaning supplies to your preparedness and your Grab and Go Kit. Add a bucket, a small bottle of bleach and rags to your kit. Be sure this is separate from the bucket and rags you have in your home. If you need to evacuate for a fire, hurricane, tornado, flood, or earthquake you may come home to a home that is no longer intact. You will need cleaning supplies. Be sure you have a good push broom and a good mop. It is not feasible to take these in a Grab n Go Kit but not all emergencies will destroy your home.
2. Get online and print off a copy of your credit reports. Be sure to check all three credit reporting agencies ,Trans Union, Equifax, and Experian. If you find anything that is incorrect change it now. Don’t be caught off guard. Fix any mistakes now!
3. Add clothes pins to your Grab and Go Kit (GGK). Last week we added rope. With the addition of clothes pins we are now ready to dry clothing, photos, important papers, and even build a shelter. We will talk more about all their uses in coming weeks.
4. Add an ax to you GGK.
5. Gather, count and clean all sleeping bags. If you don’t have one per family member this may make a good gift.
6. Add 1 bottle of juice per family member to your food storage. Remember only 100% juice counts as a fruit so make it 100% juice.
7. Copy your tax returns for at least the last 2 years and add them to your adult 72 hour kits and add to the envelope to mail to your contact person. If you don’t want to share this info with your out of state contact place them in a sealed envelope before mailing them off.
We are to the point now where you are developing quite a good food storage.

We have the opportunity to buy pears form the LDs Medford Pear Orchard They are 42 lbs boxes for $19.00.
The deadline to order and turn in your money is July 28th we will not be able to accept any order after that date.  We have been told to include neighbors and friends in this. There will be Plenty.  I have included a link if you are intrested in viewing information on the pears.
http://www.thepearguy.com

Week 24

This week a Grab and Go Kit. A Grab and Go Kit (GGK) differs from a 72 hour kits because it contains supplies that you may need following a disaster, however each family member will not need each item. One will be adequate for the whole family. You will keep you GGK with your 72 hour kit and when told to evacuate you will “grab” this and “go”. We will begin to purchase or gather items for the kit and then when we have our items and know exactly how bulky they are, you will purchase an appropriate carrier.  Kits will be of different sizes depending on the size of your family.
1. Begin your GGK by gathering or purchasing one large roll of duct tape and a rope at least 75 feet long.*
2. Add 10 $1.00 bills to adult 72 hour kits. Next, check the sofa and chair cushions, under the sofa and chairs, the floor in the car, the bottom of your purse and coat pockets, for change. Place all the change you find in a zip lock bag in your adult 72 hour kits.
3. Add a toy for your pet to their kit.
4. Learn to use the manual release on the garage door. In case of a power outage you want to be able to get the car out of the garage if you need to evacuate.
5. Make a family uniform  If all you can do for now is purchase a yard or two of a crazy fabric and make bandannas, do it. You can always add shirts later. Remember you will need something for three days.**
6. Add baby needs to an adult 72 hour kit. Don’t spend any money on this one. You have these items around the house if you have small children. Add a pacifier, bibs, bottle, spoon, toy, and a hat.
7. Try a new recipe made from food storage. Remember we are storing a 3 month supply of things we eat so this recipe should include the items in your 3 month supply and only those items.

Week 23

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 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.

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.

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. You can purchase chemical toilets for about $50.00 but it is not necessary to spend that much money unless you are doing lots of camping and will use it for occasions other than emergencies.

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. 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. If you want to purchase unique shirts consider tie dye. During the evacuation of Louisiana there were many families separated. Think what a difference it would make to be able to ask people if they had seen a child or a family all wearing the same shirt you are wearing. People will notice and remember a wild 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, never, put a child’s name or your family name on a 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 22

1. 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. You need to consider your pet’s needs as we would your 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 than 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.
4. Purchase masks. N95 medical masks are great. 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.
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 this information with at least  5 friends and family. Corn prices are 4 times higher today than they were two years ago and more than twice last year’s prices. This is a global problem, not just a concern in the United States. Flooding, drought, cyclones, earthquakes, tornadoes, are occurring world wide. Please share what you are learning and how you are preparing with everyone you know. “If you fail to plan you plan to fail”

week 21

Accomplishments so far
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: You have worked on your 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, Toilet Paper, diapers, safety pins, sun glasses, keys, toys, cash, prescriptions, first aid kit, sling, toothpaste and toothbrush, vitamins, pain relievers, anti diarrhea medicines, eye wash, insect repellent, sun screen, sewing kit and biohazard bag.
3rd: You have researched how your schools plan to deal with a emergency and reviewed those plans with your family.
4th: You have prepared to evacuate by; posting a list of items to take, gathering items and placing them together, and assigning family member responsibilities. You have also held an evacuation drill with your families. You have determined a “secret” place to leave a message if we evacuate, discussed that with your family and sent that information to your contact out of state.
5th: You have begun a 72 hour kit for your pets and added: a collar, food and water dishes, and biohazard bags.
6th: You have stored water.
7th: You have determined which TV and radio stations will broadcast emergency information specific to your area.
8th: you have created a phone tree for neighbors, family and friends and established an out of state contact person. You have mailed your contact copies of important documents, the location of your message place and family photos.
9th: you have copied important document and sent them to your contact and placed them in your 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: You have discussed “What if” scenarios with your family and held a family fire drill.
11th: You have taken individual and family photos, including pets, and added those to your 72 hour kits and mailed them to your contact.
12th: You have replaced the batteries in your smoke/carbon monoxide detectors.
13th: You have made a list of skills and items you can offer for barter and you have created a list of friends and family who have items you may need, who you can trade with.
14th: You have inventoried and gathered first aid supplies.
15th: You have discarded expired medications and replaced them.
16th: You have completed a room by room household inventory and mailed a copy to your out of state contact.
17th: You have prepared for life after an emergency be purchasing and storing, bleach, insect repellent, mouse traps and insect spray.
18th: You have prepared for a power outage by storing items to replace: washer and dryer, dish washing, lighting, cooking and heating. And you have discussed and prepared for summer power outages.
19th: Around the house you have: Placed a light source and shoes next to your beds. Placed emergency phone numbers by all your phones. Strapped your water heaters to the wall. Made room for food storage. Dated the cans of food you had in your cupboards. You have dated items that you don’t consume in one use to determine how many You would need to store for a 3 month supply. You have made a list of your 10 favorite meals and 5 favorite desserts and compiled a list of the ingredients needed to make those.
20th: You have begun your food storage and now have the ingredients to make 13 complete meals and 8 desserts. In addition You 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, Toilet Paper, 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!
Take the week off. Make a copy of this post, place it in your binder and share it with family and friends. Even if you are a little behind concentrate on all you have accomplished and use this week to catch up in a few areas.
As you contemplate hurricanes, floods, power outages, food shortages, rising gas prices, earthquakes, tornadoes, wild fires, truckers strikes and terrorist attacks you can breathe a little easier because you are getting prepared.