Sunday, November 4, 2012

What We all Should Learn from Hurricane Sandy

Ok, it's taken me a couple of days to pull my thoughts together before writing this post.  I know that people are suffering and that saddens me greatly.  I also want to start off by saying that no matter how prepared we are, misfortune can befall us, and we can find ourselves in desperate circumstances that are not our fault.

That being said, there is a lot we can learn from Hurricane Sandy.  I suppose it's human nature to assume that nothing bad will happen to us and we will always have time to prepare.  However, history has proven otherwise.  Over, and over, and over, again.

I read with some dismay about how many people had decided to stay in harms way and were running out of food within only a couple of days after the storm.  Many had to be rescued and others had to sit around waiting for the govt to come in with food and water.  What a horrible, avoidable, position to be in.

When the unfortunate happens there are two kinds of people, those that are dependent on others for their survival and comfort, and those that can take care of themselves.  In most cases the only difference between the former and the latter is preparation.

I read a good article called False expectations add to East Coast disaster angst  In it they give some realistic information should you be caught in a disaster:

"It could be a week before you get help," he said, adding that the division has been telling residents in Utah for years to be prepared for any situation. It advises having both an emergency kit that can be grabbed quickly, in case of evacuation, as well as a stock of longer term resources at home.

"At the very minimum, you should have a week's worth of food and water storage, as well as other necessities," Dougherty said."

Preparation is not a "Mormon" thing, or a crazy "Apocalypse" thing, it's simply acknowledging that our futures are uncertain and we prefer not to be victims, and not to have to wait on others for the care and well being of our families.  Who knows when help will come?  It may never come.  We are responsible for our ourselves and should plan accordingly.

So, what can we do right now?  If you haven't already, here is a priority list.  Start with number one, and when that is done, do number 2, etc:

  1. GET WATER!!  In almost every natural disaster scenario, clean water is an issue.  Buy 50 gallon barrels and fill them up.  You should have 14 gallons per person available to you.  That is roughly a 2 week supply.
  2. Get 72 hours kits together.  One kit per person with food, water, clothing, shelter, and cooking utensils for at least 3 days. Put in a backpack or something portable in case you must evacuate.  Oh, and if you know a storm is coming and you are told to evacuate, DO IT!
  3. You should ALWAYS have at least 1 week's worth of food on hand but you also need to build up a 3 month supply.  This could be used if you had to shelter in place for any reason.  These should be shelf stable foods in case you lose power.  Also take some time to think how you would cook without power.  You could lose power for a week or more.  In other words, don't store up 3 months worth of microwave dinners in the freezer.  :)
  4. When those are done, work on a year's supply of long terms foods.  To many people this seems overkill but I would rather have food I don't need, than not have food I do need.  Also, I can use this food to help friends and neighbors that might need it.
  5. Lastly, don't forget to stock up on other necessities like toothpaste, TP, hygiene items, fuel for cooking, first aid stuff, etc.
You don't have to do everything in a day, but do SOMETHING. Today.

Let us be wise and learn from the experiences of others so that when our day of challenge comes we can not only help ourselves but help those around us as well.

27 comments:

  1. I have found that for long term disasters and or civil turmoil where you will be surviving in your home from 1 month to a year, you want food storage of things that you normally stock in your panty for making normal meals for your family.

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  2. Absolutely, your 3 months supply should be foods you regularly eat. Keep in mind though that they need to be shelf stable recipes as we never know if we will have electricity, or access to fresh produce and dairy.

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    1. Hi I just came across your blog and I love it! That is so cool that you lived off your food storage for a year! :) Way to GO! I would love to talk with you more about where you get your food. what you like? don't like? I live the motto, store what you eat...and eat what you store!! I love my food storage, it's quick and easy to cook with, it's nutritious too! but i'd love to hear what you use. email me marcispratt@gmail.com.

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  3. Love that you are chiming in. My thoughts. Maybe I should blog them too. I lived throught Hurricane IKE. There was more damage more money out more homes lost and less help than Katrina. It was the largest storm on record EVER. Including Sandy. There was not day after day of media. It is getting so much media attention due to the fact that it is one of the media capitals of the United states. I am glad they are covering it. BUT, the people were warned! They made bad choices. Our local mayor said come see some of our beaches. There is absoutly nothing left not even foundation. My point is people should have listened they are listening now! I do not know my mind is all over the place. I wish poeple would have prepared even with some extra water and food.
    Melissa

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  4. "You don't have to do everything in a day, but do SOMETHING. Today."

    I completely agree. One of the things we do is when we're buying groceries.... Say you're going to buy 2 cans of corn, we buy 3 or 4. 2 for the pantry and 1 or 2 for storage. Let's say there is a HECK of a deal on sliced carrots. If you don't regualrly buy and eat them DON'T buy them. Regardless of how good of a deal they are. Buy what you use now.

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  5. I really enjoy your blog. I have a link from my blog to yours. I love gardening and preserving what I grow. I am in charge of teaching emergency preparedness at church and am really focusing on getting what I know and glean from people like you to the attention of others who are trying to learn. Thanks for all post. You can find me at simplifyitexemplifyit.blogspot.com

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  6. Great article. I've been privileged to have a storage in Mesa where the climate is very dry. I won't have to buy things as frequently! Thanks again for these tips.

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  7. Thank you so much for sharing this food storage. It is very important to us because we need to protect our foods to be longer in our refrigerator. And these kinds of tips are very informative. Keep on sharing!

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  8. This is great article frozen food is now part of our life, we also always like to store our food for more time then cold storage is the only option, thanks for this post...!
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  9. That is some very good advice. Nobody every knows when a emergency may come up. My motto is to always be prepared. Start working today to get some things put away, so that when the time comes, you are ready for whatever comes your way.

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  10. Thanks for this. I've become quite thankful for the storage facility here in Collingwood. Everyone should use these!

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  11. I love your blog! We really do need more food storage then 72 - 96 hours. Some people affected by Sandy needed to be prepared for a month. I agree we need to start preparing today. Start small and keep adding.

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  12. I have been all over your blog and worked all day making "meatballs" because I was so inspired by you!! We are having them tomorrow for dinner. Thanks so much for all the fabulous tutorials and awesome insight. I have been canning butter (pressure canning 12 lbs pressure 90 minutes, which they tell me is safe for meat) and it's terrific. Thanks again for your awesome blog!!

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  13. Replies
    1. Thanks Heidi! I keep falling off the blogging wagon but I actually have several things I need to get on here. :)

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  14. Thanks for sharing your insights! I love reading about your experience with your storage. I hope I can recreate this in Milton, WA.

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  15. Thanks for sharing! This page was very informative and I enjoyed it.Storage Ipswich MA

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  16. I enjoyed your blog. I have an infograph that I think your readers will enjoy. It is entitled, "Are we headed for a food shortage?" Let me know if you would like to post it as a blog entry.
    Lori
    juicelori@yahoo.com
    www.FreeLegacyFood.com
    Free Legacy Food

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  17. A regret that we have heard from past customers is they wished they had thought more long range and purchased a building that could have housed their future needs as well.

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  18. Really enjoyed your blog and the fact that you talk about keeping your 72 hour kits ready but having your food storage in order as well. I am a big 72 hour kit person but also have a room in the basement with floor to ceiling shelves that are always being stocked, used, and refilled so that nothing runs out of it's expiration date. We are also licensed ham radio operators.

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  19. thanks for sharing this one, it helps me a lot, because as of now im currently looking for good Storage System . that i can use.

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  20. A good blog seems to lives forever. You first posted in 2012, and here I am commenting in 2015. Anyway, I appreciate all your good information and advice and have subscribed to your blog. Thanks.

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  21. Great blog and I love what you have to say and I think I will tweet this out to my friends so they can check it out as well. I like what you have to say
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  22. re you the lady that was looking for spice storage devices that she couldn't find anymore? If you are, go on amazon and search decobros or decobrothers. What they have isnt exactly like yours, but they said it would hold some big jars. Good luck!

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  23. re you the lady that was looking for spice storage devices that she couldn't find anymore? If you are, go on amazon and search decobros or decobrothers. What they have isnt exactly like yours, but they said it would hold some big jars. Good luck!

    ReplyDelete