It’s Never Too Late To Be Prepared
July 4, 2011 by Peggy Layton
http://plimages.blob.core.windows.ne...d630_image.jpgDisaster can strike at any time. Are you prepared?
How prepared are you? How long could you live away from your home? What if you were given 10 minutes to evacuate? Are you prepared to be without a grocery store and pharmacy for a few weeks? Would you have enough food and water to survive for a few days, even a few weeks, in the event it took this long to get help?
This has happened to thousands of people across the United States. Do you believe natural disasters could not happen to you or your family? Maybe it is time to ask yourself: What am I prepared for?
We have heard much about recent natural disasters, such as tornadoes, droughts, flooding, earthquakes and tsunamis. The price of oil has gone up, causing the price of gas to rise. The cost of some commodities has doubled. Some parts of the world are experiencing terrible droughts, while other places have been hit with massive flooding, which may result in no food being grown there for many seasons. What are these people going to do?
Demand for preparedness items is also on the rise. There is no better time to prepare for a disaster than now. Don’t make the mistake of thinking events like those described above will not affect you. Now is the time to make a plan and prepare for any disasters or hard economic situations your family could face. If you don’t act now, you may regret it later.
Food Storage Brings A Sense Of Security
Creating a stable storage of food will give you a greater sense of security. There is an LDS scripture from the Doctrine and Covenants, which reads: “if ye are prepared ye shall not fear” (D&C 38:30). It is important to do your best to be prepared, so your family can eat healthy and nutritious food — no matter what happens.
I always think of my adult children, living in city apartments. Security and peace of mind in times of a disaster or crisis can be one of the greatest assets we have. An adequate and well-balanced food supply, including clean water, is a major part of economic security, and possibly the greatest key to survival.
Self-Reliance
People unite in hard times when they share or trade food and other supplies. When a tornado struck our community, I was amazed at how we pulled together to help one other. The Federal Emergency Management Agency had to tell our city to stop cleaning up the mess so they could assess the damage.
With proper food storage, we are better prepared to endure times of hardship without becoming dependent upon the government, church, family or others. I believe I need to prepare for my family first, and then prepare for others who may need my help.
Acquiring the skills to produce and prepare food and other items essential for life in a disaster creates the security and stability our families need. If a disaster does occur and we are forced to temporarily change our normal lifestyles, we can do so with a minimum amount of stress and panic if we have prepared.
Basic Food Storage
I recommend having a two-week to three-month supply of food on hand for an emergency. Emergency food is quick and easy to fix, usually requiring only water and cooking to prepare. Some emergency meals are ready to eat, such as MREs and canned tuna or other fish.
Start with basic food storage. These foods include items such as dehydrated fruits and vegetables; beans and other legumes; wheat and other grains; powdered milk and other dried dairy products; premade mixes; baking items such as salt, sweeteners and oil; and enough non-hybrid garden seeds to grow a garden for at least five years. It is best to store foods you know your family will eat, ensuring that no food is wasted. In other words, store what you eat and eat what you store. It is a good idea to become familiar with dried foods and the healthy and nutritious ways they can be prepared. I have written a series of cookbooks on the subject; they are available here.
http://plimages.blob.core.windows.ne...hen_Pantry.jpgYour kitchen pantry should be filled with things you use on a daily basis to prepare meals and paper products. An extended pantry can be created in another part of the house or garage, and it should contain larger quantities of food and paper products as well as personal hygiene products, first aid items and medicines. Long-term food storage items are sealed for 15 years or more; they can be stored in a basement or cool dark room away from the kitchen. Set up your pantry, extended pantry and long-term food storage as if it were your very own grocery store and pharmacy.
To figure out how many food and non-food items you need to store, keep inventory of what you use and how long it lasts, and then figure out how much a three-month, six-month and a one-year supply would be. If you use one can of coffee per month, then you know you need to stock three cans for a three-month supply, six cans for a six-month supply and 12 cans for a year’s supply. Keep track of your inventory of laundry detergent, soaps, personal hygiene products, first aid items and paper products (like toilet paper, paper towels, paper plates, tissues, napkins, etc.) as well. You will want to stock up on anything that improves your quality of life and would be difficult to obtain in an emergency.
Also, remember to store enough pet food to last in a crisis. Animals are like children to most people; they need to be fed as well.
Water Is No. 1
Without clean, potable water, the dehydrated food storage products you store cannot be reconstituted. It is imperative that you make sure you have a water storage plan in place to provide at least a couple weeks of water for your family. I recommend you store a minimum of 1-2 gallons of water per day, per person. You will be glad you did.
In other parts of the world they regularly deal with illness and death due to a lack of clean drinking water. Make sure you have water storage containers made from heavy, food-grade plastic to ensure your family is getting the safest water possible. I purchased a water storage tank that holds 250 gallons of clean, potable water. This tank takes up a minimum amount of space, and the heavy plastic will not collapse or break down due to sunlight or harsh weather.
ION Water Treatment
ION is a stabilized oxygen product that is very effective in water treatment. Many studies found that ION will kill giardia, cholera and dysentery within a few minutes. It doesn’t have any of the harmful side effects associated with chlorine or Iodine. ION contains a high concentration of oxygen; high levels of oxygen kill harmful bacteria.
My husband and I take ION to Mexico and other countries when we go on vacation. We use it in all of our drinks, and we do not get sick when others in our group do.
I do not claim that ION will cure anything, however I personally would not be without it in my medicine chest or medical kit.
ION water treatment will keep my water safe for five years or longer. It will kill bad bacteria in the water. I am so impressed with my water tank and the ION to go in it that I sell them on my website. The water tanks and ION water treatment can be purchased from www.peggylayton.com.
Dirty Water From A Lake Or Pond
What do you do when you only have water from ponds, lakes, rainwater or irrigation, and it is not safe to drink? Boil the water, of course. Boiling will kill pathogens, sterilizing your water. If the water is dirty, strain it through a dishtowel into a bowl or cup before boiling it or adding ION. This can remove much of the dirt and debris before the water is sterilized.
Storable Gourmet Meals That You Can Serve or Store For The Future
Many times, I have been asked: “What is the quickest and easiest way to build up food reserves for three months to a year?” I’ve been testing a line of nutritious and easy gourmet meals from eFoods Global, which can be stored for a minimum of 15 years. They offer a new concept: storable foods that are delicious, nutritious, affordable, clean and convenient for daily use. It reminds me of the pre-packaged food from the grocery store, such as soup mixes, Hamburger Helper® and Rice-A-Roni®.
Features of eFoods Global include:
- Food dehydrated from premium-grade, fresh raw fruits, vegetables, dairy products, grains and legumes.
- Meals complete as they are — all you do is add water.
- Meals can be used every day for fast, convenient and healthy food.
- Meals contain no genetically modified (GMOs) foods.
- No added monosodium glutamate (MSG).
- No imports from countries using illegal fertilizers and insecticides.
- No hydrogenated oils.
- Meals are packaged for long-term storage in Mylar® pouches.
The company lets you try before you buy. Simply go to www.peggylayton.efoodsglobal.com, take the Food Freedom Tour and claim your free samples of eFoods to test and try before you buy. You will receive three packages of sample food, which will feed two to four people per package. Just pay for shipping.
I am very impressed with their food, especially the fact that it contains no MSG. I am very sensitive to MSG and get sick within 20 minutes if I eat foods containing this additive. I have never gotten sick eating meals from eFoods Global.
It is dehydrated, not freeze-dried, so the prices are very reasonable. Each meal takes only 15 to 20 minutes to cook, and the cooking instructions are on each package. The food is delicious!
I like to store them in the heavy-duty boxes they come in. However, another good way to store these meals is in 5-gallon buckets with tight-fitting lids.
The packages include soups like cheddar broccoli, Italian chicken, vegetable beef, tortilla, corn chowder, minestrone, chicken noodle, chili and potato cheddar. Entrées and other baking items include chicken pasta Alfredo, cheesy chicken rice casserole, beef stroganoff, au gratin potatoes, seasoned instant potatoes, pancake mix, corn muffin mix, cornmeal dumplings, granola, powdered milk, wheat bread mix and buttermilk biscuit mix.
For most of us it is not too late to get prepared for an emergency. Stocking up now will save money for the future when the prices go up.
To purchase any of the seven books I have written, dehydrated food, water storage, water purification or preparedness products go to www.peggylayton.com. Or e-mail me at splayton@sisna.com.
http://www.personalliberty.com/survi...o-be-prepared/