Preparedness

September is National Emergency Preparedness Month and the perfect time to closely examine what you have done and what you are doing to improve. You may be new to preparing and considered it unnecessary in the past. Whether you are a newcomer, or a seasoned pro, take time to plan and move forward.

Have you heard others say:

“I feel like it’s time to prepare so I’m ordering some freeze-dried food” or “I’ve just got a feeling I should get prepared so I’m going to order some cases of food from the church”.  No! Those are terrible approaches but for those new or those who are just rethinking their self-reliance goals where should you begin? Let’s go back to the beginning and the basics.

You cannot build a house without a firm foundation, and you cannot become truly self-reliant without a firm foundation. What are the pillars of a great self-reliance plan?

Pillar #1:  A plan

What are you preparing for? Does it matter?  The answer, yes and no.

Yes. There are some things that should be done for a specific disaster. In hurricane country, it is important to have supplies to board up windows. In earthquake country, you should have brackets to secure furniture.

No. In general once you are prepared for job loss, food shortages, power outages, and evacuation you are prepared for most emergencies. No matter where you live everyone should prepare with those four possibilities in mind.

Step one:

Develop a plan.

• Create a list of possible disasters.
• Create a budget. Determine how much you will allocate to preparing each month.
• Prepare a plan for where you will you store your food, water and tools.

This week, as we left the church parking lot following our meetings we commented on the difference in the cars. During the 1950s and 1960s cars were used and driven until they died.  Now we have new cars we trade in after a few years. We live in bigger homes and redecorate every few years. Could it be time to rethink our priorities and devote more of our finances and time to becoming more self-reliant like our grandparents were? Are we as prepared as they were for a depression, a job loss or even a war? Have we forgotten the shortages during the pandemic? Are you struggling with higher prices? What if inflation gets even worse?

President Monson counseled “Decisions Determine Destiny” Decide now!

Pillar#2: Assets

Begin building your assets, the items you have on hand to help you thrive during a difficult time.

What assets do you need to do to be ready for a job loss?

Financial Stability:

• Savings account
• Being free from debt

What assets do you need to prepare for food and other shortages?

• Water enough to drink, prepare food, clean, do laundry and keep a garden alive
• Foods you normally eat and knowing how to prepare
• Hygiene items
• Cleaning supplies
• Medications
• A place to store everything

What do you need for a power outage?

• A way to cook/eat off grid
• A way to provide light
• A way to stay warm/cool
• A way to do laundry
• A way to communicate

Pillar #3:  Training

Do you know how to use the items you have?  Can you use a Dutch to cook off grid?

Do you know how to use the items needed to preserve food?

Do you know how to set up a tent or use a fire extinguisher?

A vital pillar of any great plan is training. No matter the goal, training is necessary for success. This holds true for a successful career, success as a leader or coach and self-reliance is no exception. All the great gear, food, water and books will never prepare you as well as training. Seek out those who can train you now whether it be canning, car repair, camping or hair cutting now is the time to construct this pillar.

Pillar #4: Practice

If you live in earthquake country does your family know how to duck, cover and hold on? Does the family know how to roll out of bed during an earthquake? There is a skill to doing it correctly. Do you practice fire drills, just in case? Do you practice evacuating?

Those who study human behavior tell us people who think thru a situation are more likely to react quickly and correctly when the situation arises. It is not paranoia to think about how you will get the family safely out of the house if a fire arises during the night. It is not pessimistic to think about what you will do if you lose a job.

When a sudden threat arises, the brain goes through several stages. Simplified to just three stages: Stage one, disbelief, “this can’t be happening to me”. Stage two, “what do I do now” and Stage three, you take action. There are several small stages in between but those are the basics. Following disasters, it is common to see people who never move on to stage three. They are stuck. Research confirms those who have thought though a disaster move quickly and correctly to stage three. You are not a fear monger or paranoid or pessimistic because you plan for disasters, you are wise.

Pillar #5: Communication

How will you know the latest about your disaster and where you should go, or not go?

How will you keep in touch with family and friends?

You may want to get a HAM radio license. You may choose to get a solar/battery powered radio. You may design a phone tree to keep in touch with loved ones. There are many good solutions to explore and then choose the best ones for your family.

Pillar #6: Spiritual strength

You may think this should have been first but just as it is with a table when any leg is missing the table falls. All the pillars provide needed support, and all should be considered and strengthened.

Where is your focus as a family? When small things go wrong do you turn to the Savior for guidance and support? Do you pray often as a family and individually and are those prayers sincere, heartfelt and filled with thanks for the good in your lives? Do you have pictures of the savior in your home and uplifting books around the house?

Consider these common beginner mistakes

• Buying off-the-shelf kits. It is always less expensive to build one yourself. Kits you build can be designed with your specific needs in mind.
• You prepare for Armageddon.  Remember the pillars and prepare for the things most likely to happen.
• You let prepping overwhelm you. Small steps taken regularly will get you to your goals faster. Small and steady wins the race.
• You take advice from online sources that are unproven. Check to understand what experience the author has, what credentials do they have, how many survivors have they interviewed? Many of these sites are full of misinformation and make recommendations based on money they make by selling items including, but not limited to, dehydrated and freeze-dried foods.
• You store food recommended online that is not balanced and does not include all food groups, spices, condiments and even desserts.
• You purchase a supply of one food. Buying a 3-month supply of peanut butter may seem like a great idea when it is on sale but if your emergency happens tomorrow do you have the jam and crackers or the yeast to make bread? Purchase a one-week supply that includes all food groups, then add another week until you have a three-month supply.
• You purchase emergency bars or MREs or off brands at a dollar store. None of these are bad solutions but just buy one, take it home, see if the family likes it and then stock up. I have been known to buy an item, pay for it take it, out to the car and try it, and then return to the store to buy more.
• You believe Facebook. Facebook sites can be very helpful however, I have seen terrible advice. Those who have been preparing for awhile may think they have answers, and many times they do, but they are also susceptible to bad information when they don’t do their own research.
• You go it alone. Include family and friends and partner up. Help each other find deals, learn skills, budget and stick to it!
• You forget kits are not meant for just fleeing your home. During the pandemic I received messages a few times from people grateful they had N95 face masks in their kits. A daughter faced a days long power outage with temperatures over 100 degrees and she raided her kits to use the mylar blankets in windows and sliding doors to reduce the heat in her home. Don’t forget to use the items in your kit for any emergency.
• You don’t resupply. When using your food storage or items from kits keep a list of those items and replace them on a regular basis. Choose a day each month to check the list and resupply.
• Most of us our working with a budget. Remember it is better to buy fewer high-quality things than cheap ones that will fail when you need them most.
• Most emergencies will have you hunkering down at home, others will require you to evacuate. Be prepared for both options. We just don’t know. An earthquake may require leaving your home if it is unstable although we rarely think an earthquake will require evacuating. A hurricane may mean you hunker down although most times you will need to evacuate. There are so many variables during emergencies so have a plan for staying home and one for leaving.
• You forget cash. Create a bank in your home. During power outages cash is king. Begin by adding 2 $1.00 bills each week or a $5 or $10 to your stash. Do not store in denominations over $10.00.  During on outage businesses may not have change for larger bills meaning a case of much needed water could cost $20.00 or you go home without.
• The biggest mistake…You don’t begin. Don’t let this overwhelm you. Preparing is fun. When you watch your pantry supplies grow it’s such a great feeling of accomplishment and peace. When you learn a new skill and practice it as a family it makes for amazing memories.

Now is the time to begin or to step up your efforts. Choose one small thing you can do from each of the pillars of a great self-reliance plan. It doesn’t need to be grand, it just needs to be consistent.

For help in meeting all your self-reliance goals join Carolyn at http://facebook.com/TotallyReady or her blog at Totallyready.com. Help with weekly challenges for preparing and storing food and disaster preparation are available on both sites. Carolyn’s Totally Ready Emergency Binder is available to purchase and download at Totallyready.com and can be purchased complete or one section at a time. Message Carolyn at the Totally Ready or Operation Ornaments Facebook page.