I have yet to speak with anyone who doesn’t know someone who has been laid off from work, had their hours cut, or has had to get back into the work force to supplement reduced income. No doubt about it, times are tough for many people we know and it may be awhile before the economy gets back to “normal”.
There are things that we can do to prepare ourselves for any unforeseen eventuality — whether it is a bad economy, quarantine due to swine flu, or national disaster. So for the next several weeks, I will present information on how you can prepare yourself, and your family, to live independent of any outside means, should the need arise. There will be information on everything from water storage, food storage, first aid, cooking without gas/electricity, sanitation, etc.
When I lived in California, it was imperative that everyone have a 72 hour kit for each member of the family. We were told on no uncertain terms by the police, fire rescue, and health officials that in the eventuality of an earthquake, it would be 3 days—or more! — before help would come. Hurricane Katrina taught us the truth of that statement.
Many people I know, including my own family, are looking seriously at our personal ability to care for ourselves during a disaster. What if we couldn’t get to a grocery store, or a doctor? What if there was no gas, electricity, or cellular service? What if the water was contaminated?
What if we, like those in fire-ravaged California, had to leave our home on a moment’s notice? In short, how would we cope?
I know of many people who are looking at self-sustainable items to give as gifts this holiday season. The thought is, if the items are never used, we are blessed. However, if one is in need, these personal preparedness items could mean the difference between coping, and despair.
To get us started, below is a list of “Preparedness Gifts” that someone sent me via e-mail. This is basic and will be elaborated on in the upcoming weeks. Many are free, with graduated monetary outlays for other items. I am going to do this exercise with you! If any of you know of any good preparedness web-sites, or would like to share your own experiences, please let me know. We are all in this together and being able to help each other is always a great gift.
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Ideas for Preparedness Gifts:
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Free (or almost)
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Stocking Stuffer
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10-20
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20-50
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Major
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Education
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Red Cross pamphlets,
various topics
Library books
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"Essentials of
Home Production and Storage"
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Any number of good
books on preparedness
Classes
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More extensive
classes
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Pay for
a child to go to college
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Water
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Fill your empty canning jars w/ water & process
Fill pop containers
with water
Share seeds from your
garden
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5-gallon water
storage jug, $5
(OK, so you need a
big stocking)
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Water purification tools or system
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55-gallon water
barrels
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Travel
to help a 3rd world country install a water supply
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Food
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Sit down and make a
plan for what you want to store, then commit to do it.
Inventory your
existing supplies
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Garden seeds
Salt
25 lb flour ($5)
25 lb sugar ($8)
5 lbs honey
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50 lbs wheat
1-4 gals oil
50 lbs oatmeal
Etc, etc, etc, --
there are tons of food
storage items in this
category
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Just buy bigger
quantities
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Complete year's
supply of very basic foods ($250 per adult)
Year's supply of
foods of your choice
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Food preparation
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A gift certificate
entitling the bearer to a canning lesson, cooking lesson, or any other skill
they'd like to learn
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Can opener
Paper plates
Plastic utensils
Thermos Freezer bags
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Canning supplies
Sprouting kit
Propane tank
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Hand grain grinder
Dutch oven
Canner
Pressure cooker
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Electric wheat
grinder
Bread mixer
Propane stove
Freezer
Dehydrator
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Tools
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A gift certificate
entitling the bearer to a lesson on any type of home/car maintenance skill
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Wrench
Screwdrivers
Etc.
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Gardening tools
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Axe
Shovel
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Rototiller &
fuel
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Toiletries/
Sanitation
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4-pack of toilet paper
Toothbrush
Toothpaste
Soap, shampoo, Etc,
etc, etc
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Case of toilet
paper/paper towels
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Year's supply of
most any toiletry would fit here, or even cost less
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First aid
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Some classes Library books
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Inexpensive first aid kit
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More expensive first
aid kit
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Fuel/Heat
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Scavenge firewood
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Matches
Heat packs
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Blankets
Heavy coats
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Wood/Coal Sleeping
bags
Fireplace tools
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Generator
Wood, coal, propane
stoves
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Light
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Learn to make
candles
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Flashlight
Batteries
Candles
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Inexpensive Lantern
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More expensive
lantern
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Misc.
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Many classes
(gift to yourself, or
bring a friend)
Clean out clutter -
give items to others you DON'T use
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Transistor radio
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Smoke detector
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72-hr kit
Emergency car kit
Fire Extinguisher
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