2024 Preparedness - Week 45: Calendar Week 44

November 4th

Monday:

This is an important week for the future of our country. If you have not voted be sure to vote and if you are still confused, please do your own research. As you vote please remember the importance of local elections. Those people affect your way of life in profound ways. The federal government can’t come in and kick gangs out of apartment buildings being occupied by squatters, keep offenders in jail, increase the number of police, or control utility costs, property and gas taxes, and so much more, those are all local elected officials and judges.

Tuesday:

VOTE! (It's Election Day in the US)

Did you know only 40% of the people in the United States have done anything at all to prepare for future challenges like weather disasters, job loss, unexpected medical expenses, etc. Of those only 12% are really preparing for all eventualities. The rest of the 40% may have a week’s supply of food or a generator but not much more. With 22% inflation over the past 4 years and job losses that last months not weeks, it baffles me why more people aren’t preparing. (Nicole knows people who have been unemployed for 15 or more months and they have degrees and years of experience.)

For the next several days we will concentrate on preparing in ways you can afford and make sense for your situation. This is a great way to encourage friends and family. They may think preparing is too complicated or too expensive and for them, and maybe for you as well, beginning with Plan C or D may be the answer.

Be sure as you evaluate each day, to make notes of the items you will need to add to have at least a Plan C or D ready in your home.

Remember your Totally Ready Binder will have instructions for many of the things mentioned so be sure to refer to that.

Wednesday:

There is always an inexpensive plan to get you started as you save for a better one. The important thing is to get busy. If you can only afford the methods outlined here as a plan C do it. A plan C is always better than no plan at all.

Power outage: (cooking)

Almost all natural disasters and firestorms result in power outages. We have spoken about power outages many times in the past, now let’s consider Plan A, Plan B, and the Plan C for cooking during a power outage.

Plan A: Your Plan A for cooking will probably be an outdoor propane grill, and/or a camp stove using propane or butane. These are great options; however, propane and butane will eventually run out making a Plan B an absolute necessity. Part of a plan A you may not have considered should be information. The fuel you had stored has now run out what is your Plan B?

Plan B: Your next option should be one that does not depend on a fuel source that needs to be purchased and will run out. Plan B may include items like a fire pit, and a BBQ grill that normally uses charcoal but may also be used with wood. Unfortunately, after most disasters, there is a lot of wood available from trees that are down and homes that are destroyed.

Plan C: If you have gotten to this point the information you have stored and the skills you have learned will be the things you will need to lean on. Do you know how to use a number 10 can to make a stove? Do you know how to stack bricks to construct a rocket stove? Do you know how to make a hay box cooker? Now is a good time to practice constructing creative ways to cook before the need arises.

Plan D: if you should be unfortunate enough to be in an area where there are gas leaks you will not be able to use any of the methods we have already discussed. This is the time when what you have stored in your food storage is critical. You should have canned foods that can be eaten cold and without adding water, emergency survival bars, and or MREs. Remember, when you are out of water, the liquid in canned foods is safe to drink. Be sure you are familiar with which foods are safe and which should be discarded following a flood.

To be prepared to thrive during a prolonged power outage, you will need additional equipment no matter which plan you end up using. Be sure to have cookware such as a Dutch oven that can withstand the high heat of a grill or fire pit. Consider the purchase of pie irons, and long camp forks. Stock up on fire-resistant oven mitts, matches, long-handled Barbecue tools, and aluminum foil.

Thursday:

Power outage: (lighting, heating, cooling)

Plan A: You may dream of a whole house generator, but a more realistic Plan A goal may be a smaller generator. A portable generator should be one capable of running on several fuel sources, natural gas, propane, and gasoline. A small generator will allow you to preserve the food in the fridge and freezer, run a few lights, and charge devices. Fuel will run out during a prolonged disaster and a Plan B is essential.

Plan B: Battery-operated models are available for fans, lanterns, heaters, lamps, and flashlights. Plug-in flashlights are inexpensive and serve many needs. They charge when you have power and the second the power goes off they come on. Purchase the ones with motion detectors for use as night lights. Plug-in flashlights may be turned off should your outage begin during the day thus preserving the charge for nighttime use. With a prolonged outage, batteries will run down, and new ones will not be available to purchase.

Plan C: With no more batteries and no fuel for a generator, you will need to rely on your Plan C preparations. Glow sticks, solar outdoor lighting, solar lanterns, candles, and oil lamps and lanterns are all options. Solar landscape lighting can be charged during the day and brought in at night. Solar lanterns are easy to store as the can be blown up when needed and then deflated for storage. Glow sticks can be made to glow more brightly for increased light. Candles, oil lamps and lanterns should be your last option as they are easy to tip, can be forgotten when going to bed or leaving the house, and can be dangerous with children in the home.  Also, any open flame should never be used if a gas leak is possible.

Friday:

Food storage:

Plan A: We have long preached storing the foods you normally eat. A great plan includes desserts, seasoning, canned foods, frozen foods, and everything you would need to make a familiar meal. Following Hurricane Helene, many found themselves with no food or with no way to prepare food. Plan A includes food that may be eaten without cooking. The liquid in canned foods may be consumed when clean water is not available helping to avoid dehydration. A three-month supply of these foods may not last more than a week when your emergency includes all your neighbors. On to Plan B, which becomes less obvious.

Plan B: (If you have clean water, Plan C if you do not) Long-term grains, beans, dehydrated and freeze-dried foods may seem like the most logical next step but without water, none of these are any good. None can be prepared and consumed without water. Dehydrated and freeze-dried foods must be reconstituted before eating to avoid dehydration.

Plan C: (if you do not have potable water, Plan B if you have clean water) MREs and survival bars, garden, fruit trees, and berry bushes. There are some really tasty survival bars, but others taste like cardboard, or at least how I imagine cardboard would taste. Purchase a few different bars and sample them before buying a family-size supply. Remember NEVER eat food from the garden, fruit trees, or berry bushes that have been exposed to flood water. There is a page in your Totally Ready Binder addressing this.

Saturday:

Shop. As you considered your plans this week and made your list of items you can afford to add now, go get one or a few. As you add items to your your in-home General Store take a minute to step back and appreciate the progress you are making. Remember how you eat an elephant, one bite at a time.