16 Ways To Teach People To Be Prepared And Survive
I want to share 16 ways to teach people to be prepared and survive any disaster or unforeseen emergency. I’m hoping this post will help others to teach their neighborhoods to be prepared for the unexpected. If you have watched the news or listened to the radio, you have to know our world is very unsettled.
My request to all those who teach people emergency prep would be to please read Ted Koppel’s book: “Lights Out”, Here’s the deal “One Second After” is a fictional book and it talks about losing power, but it was way below my preparedness level. I’m not being critical of the book, but I like to read things that have information to back up the truth. Ted Koppel nails it.
I bought the book and have read it (audible) several times, maybe ten times now. I learn something new every time. I mentioned I had the book to several friends and only one read it. Please, please, please read the book, it is not fictional. It is real. I highly recommend you buy one for all your family members. If you want to purchase the book just click on the picture below.
I was just talking to a reader and somehow she hadn’t heard I had been asked to write a book on emergency preparedness a couple of years ago. Here’s the book below. I wish every family had both of these books in their homes. If you want to purchase the book just click on the picture below.
If you are going to teach your family, friends, or church members please feel free to use the pictures below and all printables throughout my blog.
16 Ways To Teach People
1. Binder
Please collect all of your important documents and place them in an emergency binder. Be sure and place the binder in a safe and secure place in your home. If we lose power, the banks will not be open, in fact, they may never open if we have a grid down.
Our country is not prepared in any way to bring our power back to our homes if we are cyber attacked by Russia, for example. It could take 20-30 years to restore our country back to normal. Here is a link to my FREE binder download: Binder by Linda
2. 72-Hour Kits
I know you probably have heard this term for many many years. Here’s the deal, 72-Hour Kits are just a way to help you get through three days. Period. I still recommend them, but we really need so much more than just three days worth of food, water, etc. But it’s a good start. Here are the printables I designed for 72-hour kits.
3. Flashlights
I hate the dark, so I think I’m over the top in flashlights. I own it. Just so you know, I live in Southern Utah and I can’t keep batteries fresh for very long. It’s crazy, so I have mainly stored several solar flashlights and a few battery operated ones. The picture above is my Emergency Bed Bag. Here are some of my favorite flashlights: Solar Goal Zero or one with batteries Battery Flashlights
4. Water
The American Red Cross recommends one gallon of water per person per day. I recommend 4 gallons of water per person per day. I get thirsty just thinking I would only have one gallon of water per day. Yikes! We need water to hydrate ourselves, prepare meals, wash dishes, and for personal hygiene.
The picture above includes WaterBricks, A Lead-Free Hose (to fill containers), Berkey Sports Bottles, and my favorite one’s Blue Cans. Please remember to use Water Preserver so you only have to rotate the water every 5 years compared to every six months using bleach.
You can buy 55-gallon barrels at Walmart that are BPA-FREE, at least here in Utah. Please place all containers at least 2-inches off the concrete so the chemicals will not leach into your containers. Also, remember to purchase a pump to go with the barrels.
5. Food
I have said this before, I do not count calories when I store food for long-term storage. For that matter, I don’t for short-term food storage either. I refer to long-term food storage as in #10 cans of freeze-dried food such as fruits, vegetables, milk, meat, and cheese.
Every company is different, so please check the food you buy for shelf-life. I do not buy pre-made meals and I do not store food in mylar bags. I prefer commercially preserved foods for safety reasons. I highly recommend Thrive Life and Honeyville Grain. Please compare the price per ounce including shipping.
Please remember you do not have to buy only #10 cans, but you do need to buy some food for your pantry. Food storage can include food like mac and cheese, chili, beans, rice, pasta, canned meats, mayo, soups, etc. Please remember to buy the staples need to make biscuits, crackers, cookies, cakes, bread, pancakes, waffles, etc. Here are a few staples I recommend: Pantry Items by Linda
I like to teach people to buy food for storage based on what they eat at home for their meals every week and be sure to rotate as needed.
6. Cooking Stoves/Fuel
I realize a lot of food can be eaten right out of the can without being cooked, which reminds me, please store a few can openers in case one falls apart. Can openers can be found in any store. I have about six of these: Swing-a-way Can Opener
We still need some stoves to boil water, cook a few meals, and wash dishes in hot water. The stoves above are the ones I have. From left to right are:
Sun Oven: only uses sunshine to bake food. If you do not have a lot of sunshine where you live I would not recommend buying one of these. I was given one by Paul from Sun Oven, and I ended up purchasing a second one because I love them so much.
Thermal Cooker: it is a slow cooker without electricity. You just have to bring your food to a boil in the inside stainless steel pan, then place the pan inside the outer thermal cooker. You cannot bake frozen food on this “stove.”
It will cook the food for 6-8 hours and be hot when you take the pan out of the thermal cooker. How to use a thermal cooker by Linda
Volcano Stove: can use propane, charcoal, and wood to cook any meal. Volcano Stoves are sometimes sold at a hardware store, Costco, or Sam’s Club.
Butane stoves: are awesome, I gave all four of my daughters a butane stove with canisters of butane. It’s easy to store and easy to use. You can buy one here or at any hardware store. Butane Stove and Butane Fuel
Kelly Kettle is an awesome cooking source because you can use twigs, dried leaves, or pine cones to boil water and cook mac and cheese, to name one meal. You can make a small pot of soup on top of this gem. Kelly Kettle
The Camp Chef stove/oven combination is great for me when baking bread, making pancakes on the top griddle (accessory), baking casseroles, etc. Be sure and see what adaptor is included in the one you purchase. There is a propane adaptor available for the small canisters as well as the barbecue-size tanks. Camp Chef Stove
Dutch ovens: are awesome because all you need is wood or charcoal. I like the 6-quart size because it’s easy for me to lift and cook with it. It’s probably the least expensive “stove” you can buy. You can make casseroles in them, bread, biscuits, and many other yummy recipes. Lodge 6-quart Dutch Oven
7. Blankets
Please teach people to save all blankets and or quilts. You can use them to keep warm and partition off the sick from the people who are well in a pandemic. Extra sheets would work as well, but not as handy for the really cold days and nights.
8. First Aid Kits
You can start a first aid kit with the basics and expand it as your budget allows. I have several first aid kits to teach people what to purchase. This one is actually a Plano fishing tackle box. Plano Fishing Tackle Box. Here’s my post on what I put in this first aid kit. Fishing Tackle First Aid Kit
9. Emergency Toilets
This is a critical item since every family needs their own toilet. I will not share my emergency toilet with anyone, just giving you the heads up here. Please make one as soon as possible. If we lose power the sewer systems will not work.
Hopefully, the backup sewer systems are below your home or you may have sewage back up into your home. I called our county/city to find out where my neighborhood backs up system is. Thank goodness we are far away from it. It’s down the hill, whew!!!!
The picture above has a five-gallon bucket on the left which makes it harder to squat to use the bathroom. The taller six-gallon buckets in the middle work much better. You buy a toilet seat and fill the bucket with a bag of kitty litter, some ten-gallon bags (500 bags at Costco for about $10.00), toilet paper and hand sanitizer. The #10 can is a portable toilet for your car, with 4-gallon bags, toilet paper, and hand sanitizer. Duct tape would hold the bags in place on all containers. Toilet Lids
I had a friend, Debbie, show me a nifty trick with four five-gallon buckets stacked high enough and cheaper than a six-gallon bucket so we don’t have to squat down as far. The six-gallon buckets have gone sky-high in price.
10. Emergency Washing Machines
I’ve have said this before if we have an emergency I want to be able to have at least clean underwear. I think I can actually wash everything except for maybe jeans. Well, I could wash them but if it’s winter time it would take days for them to dry. Here are some ideas on how to wash your clothes should we lose power, and we will. Emergency Washing Machines by Linda
Please remember a clothesline and some good clothespins. These are my favorite one’s Kevins Clothespins
I have a YouTube on my Clotheline, I love it because its collapsible and I can store it when I’m not using it. My handsome son-in-law, Nate, helped me put in the ground.
11. Bread Making
Please teach people to make bread, if you know how to. Trust me, you will need this skill. If bread intimidates you then learn to make biscuits or crackers. You can survive on bread and soup, or rice and beans, you get what I’m saying. Here is my link on how to make bread. Anyone can make bread if your ingredients are fresh, I promise. Make Bread by Linda
12. Emergency Kitchen
I designed this Stanley Max Emergency Kitchen filled with just about everything I may need if I’m evacuated from my home. If I’m going to cook for the neighborhood at a school or parking lot, I have everything I need in this transportable kitchen. Woohoo! Portable Kitchen by Linda
13. Solar Power
If by chance you have a loved one or a neighbor that uses a CPAP or Nebulizer, please be sure and have a backup option for power, should you need it. I have heard people use batteries, but I like using Goal Zero products. Solar Power by Linda
It’s really nice knowing I can use Goal Zero Solar power when the power is out. Yes, we can even watch DVDs on a 32-inch TV. I love this! I realize all of us, particularly children, will be on edge if we are without power for days or weeks, so it’s nice to know we have the ability to divert the stress by watching a movie.
14. Radio
Please get a good radio that will give you the weather conditions in an emergency. I have yet to find one that I can recommend. Several companies have sent them to me and I have sent all of them back. Look for one with NOAA weather conditions.
15. Keep Cell Phones Charged
Please keep your cell phones charged and have a solar charger so you are able to charge your phone. This may be your only way to communicate with one another. You may only be able to text or email, but that’s better than no communication at all. Please teach people to be prepared.
16. Cash
Here’s the deal with cash, please keep small bills such as ones or fives. If we have a power outage you may only be able to purchase items with cash. Hopefully, you will have everything you need in your home. Please teach people that they will not want to have to stand in line for water at your local county or city buildings. You may not have water for days or weeks.
Thank you to all who will teach people to be prepared for emergencies in your area. May God bless this world. Please stay safe.
You forgot one, my friend! Send them to foodstoragemoms.com!
Hugs, Mare
Hi Mare, oh my gosh, you are the BEST!!! Love you tons! Hugs, Linda
Really enjoyed your article, I would like to suggest a button to make it a “printable” version. I am going to copy to a Word doc and print because of the side ads . It is an article I’d like to keep. Jan
Hi Twiddlebug Jan, I do have a Print button that excludes the ads. I added it several months ago. Thanks so much, Linda
Hi Jan, look for the GREEN Print button at the top of the post AFTER you click READ MORE, thanks Linda
Your recommendation on cash is excellent – otherwise you might be handing out $100 bills for stuff worth $10. Start with small bills, not large, or the interest your seller starts with suddenly activates their greed.
Thank you!
Oh, Dave, you are so right! We do NOT want to hand out $100.00 bills for a $10.00 item! Greed will, in fact, take over. Great comment, Linda
in regard to $$cash$$ – a whole envelope of crisp $1 and $5 bills for the newer vending machines is not a bad idea – especially for the BOB and/or GHB ….
Hi Illini, I totally agree with you on the crisp $1 and $5 dollar bills, Linda
I read “One Second After” and found it fascinating. One can take alot of what happened with a grain of salt, tho. As always, you have to personalize your preparedness to your local area. Not everything that happened in that book “will” or “can” happen. That being said, the author finally finished that book with “One Year After” and “The Final Day.” I mention that in case your readers have read only the first book and wondered how it concluded.
I read alot of “end of days” books, some mainstream, some LDS church-related. There is always something, somewhere to learn from these books. Most of them scare the heck outta me cuz I know just how possible it all is!!!! I had forgotten about Ted Koppel’s book so I immediately ordered it! Thanks for the reminder! I think it is so terribly important to read all you can to better gain knowledge. I love your site! I learn something new everytime I read a post. Mostly, I get overwhelmed and think about how I’m failing. Then I look in my basement and realize I’ve got a good head start! :o) As I look at the foot and half of snow Reno got over the weekend, I realize I can’t hang my clothes on the line today so I’m using my Lehman’s racks that I got with free shipping a few years ago! Yay! I’ve done something right, at least! :o)
Thank you so much for all you do. I’m going to go download and print off some of your material now.
Have a wonderful day!
Hi Robbie, you are so nice to me!! I thank you from the bottom of my heart. Here’s the deal, sometimes I think I am writing stuff I’ve written about before but it helps us all to remember just one thing we have done right, like your basement and then maybe we teach other one more thing. It’s one can at a time and of course, one clothes rack from Lehman’s!!! I love your comment! Linda
One thing I was concerned about was having enough water. We put in a well with a hand pump and now I have enough for everything. It was expensive but if things get really bad I’ll have water for us and our neighbors and maybe I can barter for other things when needed. Another concern I had was heat for the winter. We got a wood stove that we can heat the whole house. Upstairs gets quite warm but it is great for drying clothes in the winter. I can cook on the stove and I have tried baking bread. It burnt the first couple of times but if I cover the pan I can cook it on top. Turned out pretty good. I’ll keep practicing. I like making bannock bread. Simple and needs just a few ingredients.
I just ask myself if something happens what would I do? Can I do it? Or do I have to learn how to do it? What do I need to do next? Lots of things I can’t do but there are more things that I can do. I don’t have to know everything but I also don’t have to stop learning. It won’t be easy but it will be doable.
Those are the things I was most concerned about. I am in my 70’s so I remember how things were done without all the extras we have today. It will be doable. And… God is always by our side. That helps more than anything.
Oh, Mary, I LOVE your comment!!!! You are close to my age. I’m 68 years old and yes we have indeed done things without all the extras. First of all, I applaud you for putting out your hard earned money for a well with a pump. I’m also so excited to hear you have a wood stove!! I love your thoughts on hanging clothes upstairs, we all know heat rises! AWESOME idea for drying clothes. I love hearing about a bannock bread. I will have to Google that one! I make bread but love learning to make new ones. We all learn from each other, we can do anything if we put our mind to it. May God bless you for your wonderful attitude! Hugs, Linda
One of the reasons I chose bannock is because it has so few ingredients, if I don’t have eggs, yeast, milk or other fine things for bread how can I do it.? It is a heavy bread which is fine for soups and stews. Flour, water, baking powder, and sugar. And a bit of salt. I like it.
Hi Mary, I agree with you on the heavy bread, we will be happy to eat any bread when we are serving soup and chili to our family after a disaster! I love the tip! Linda
Dear Linda,
One thought on the “toilet” issue. My Mother went into a dementia home and couldn’t make it to the toilet because of her broken hip. The Physical Therapy nurse asked would we get her a bedside commode as it maybe easier for her to move or for someone else to help her. We got her the commode and it was an absolute hit. Unfortunately Mother went downhill from there and is now in Hospice care in an Adult Family Home (Adult Family Homes can be an absolute gift from God!) She no longer needs many of the things we got for her care and the commode is one of them. We were trying to think of where to donate it when my husband said “Why don’t we just put it in a box and save it under the house for emergencies?” Hello? Perfect solution! Easier to use as the height is adjustable. Could easily be used over the top of buckets!
I’m so glad you mentioned Ted Koppel’s book. I’ve worn out one, and am on my second copy. I recommend it to everyone. Your book is always front and center in my mind. I’m on my second copy (the first one is covered in Post It notes and highlighter). I’ve given my daughter a copy, our oldest granddaughter a copy (on her own in college), and the soon to be 17 year old granddaughter gets a copy for her birthday. Our 10 year old Grandson loves your book – he disappeared into his room with it during their last visit. He made sure to use a different color highlighter so my thoughts wouldn’t “be confused” with his!
Thank you for all your help and guidance. You are an absolute treasure!
Hi Cheryl, you made my day!!! I LOVE your comment on Ted Koppel’s book. Can I send you a few of my books to hand out? Please email your name, address and phone number to my email address: foodstoragemoms@yahoo.com When I was asked to write my book, I said I would not write anything about weapons. I wanted a child to be able to pick up my book and read it without fear or learning to be prepared. I love the toilet idea! I had one of those when I had my knees replaced. I gave it to someone who needed it. I need to get another one. Great tip! Hugs, Linda
On my covered back porch, I attached a retractable clothesline to two posts. I don’t even have to leave the porch to hang laundry….and yes, the sun dries them early morning or it takes a little longer after 9:00.
AND, I have dried clothesduring rain and not recovered them when it rains!!!
Good money spent for a retractable line.
HI JJ, you rock, everyone needs a clothesline!!! I LOVE hearing this, it’s one more step to being prepared for the unexpected!! Good job! Linda
Good day to everyone.
Thank you so much for all you share with us, we need it more than any of us know. I wanted to share a small experience we had with solar lights. Just to make you aware. We recently lived off grid in the wilderness of AZ for almost 2 years. We were assured that the solar lamps we purchased would last for a very long time… Apparently ” long time” is a relative term. None of our solar light lasted the entire time we needed. I would recommend that each take one and test it now in your home in a non emergency arena… test for problems – how does it charge on cloudy day? How long does it take on sunny day for charge? Be sure and be creative and put some kind of handle on them so they can hang or sit as you need. I found the best and safest light was the emergency 48 hour candles one makes themselves with a pint canning jar. As they burned down just remelt and re-pour. Wicks can be old shoe laces. I also found as a side note that my hunting shoes really kept my feet warm which is hard to do in the wilderness. Instead of glass or plastic pick up the medal coffee cups they can also double as soup bowls. Thanks. More if u want.
Hi Pamela, wow you lived off the grid for two years, I love hearing this!! Great comment to remind us to try out everything we purchase for a power outage! Great comment on the homemade candles in pint canning jars. I love hearing comments from people, thank you so much! Linda
Russia is in our power grid. If you haven’t read Lights Out, do so ASAP. We have spent the winter organizing our supplies. I hope we never need them, but I would rather have them, and not need them, than starve to death. When my mother died, no one wanted her blankets, so I took them, washed them, and put them in space bags.
Hi Janet, what do you mean Russia is our power grid? We have three power grids here in the US according to Ted Koppel as I remember that is extremely vulnerable to being targets and destroyed. Is that what you mean? I have read his book (audible about 8-10 times) I LOVe that book. You were so smart to grab those blankets from your mom. I will never part with my quilts and blankets. I know we will need them. I love hearing you read the book, it’s a good one! Linda
They have already infiltrated our grid. Here are a couple of links. Knowing what you know, I am sure this is important to you too. https://www.cnn.com/2018/03/21/opinions/russia-electric-grid-should-worry-americans-burke/index.html
https://www.usatoday.com/story/opinion/2018/03/22/russians-hack-electric-grid-escalating-threat-wheres-battle-plan-column/446478002/
https://www.npr.org/2018/03/16/594364441/russian-hackers-could-have-shut-down-u-s-power-plants-experts-say
Janet, oh I see what you are saying now. Yes, I have read one of these. Thanks for the links. I had read one of the ones about the hackers. You can never read too much, I am all over these. reading them now. Thank you, my friend, Linda P.S. Russia is one of our biggest threats for attacking our infrastructure and cyber attacks. I hope all readers read them. Linda
If we’re talking about opening people’s minds movies can be good for that, as they can be used as examples of what can happen and then we can provoke an analysis of what’s going on through conversation. I like using movies to point out the mistakes people make and also their use of the proper equipment and methods or execution of technique. Another idea would be a role playing game (RPG) or a board game with a survival theme such as the Worst Case Scenario Game.
There are also a few videos on YouTube which are actual TV shows dealing with prepping and societal breakdown and of course there are some cute ones about zombies.
You mentioned radios lack of durability or performance. Well, I have a few hand crank , solar and battery powered flashlights, radios, and lanterns. Few radios or solar flashlights are built of heavy or very durable materials…. they’re all housed in plastic cases/shells or bodies. But they are useful and portable. In the long run I agree that we should all strive to create a solar panel and battery system that will provide power to run medical equipment (You never know), appliances, tools and charge up devices quickly rather than just have to get by with a few minutes of operating time after taking hours and hours to charge. I love flashlights and I have some good tough models, but I still have candles and oil lamps in case I use all the batteries. Although they require power, my brother and I have those electric plasma lighters which are safer than carrying liquid fuel filled lighters and easily recharged along with our cell phones due to their low power requirements.
I was never a fan of those 36 or 72 hours kits or the entire concept as it’s terribly flawed. I believe in “go bags” and emergency kits, but most weather created emergencies always seem to put people out (Loss of power, water, lack of supplies in the stores, fuel shortages) for a week or two and longer. I would tell anybody to prepare for no less than a month. You can’t carry everything in a backpack, but you can have a kit, (important documents, cell phones, some gear and clothing) and then have large amounts of food, toiletries, fuel, etc., in your house, car, a trailer, a shed, or even at another location.
A week without power and running water can feel unbearable, but it doesn’t have to be so bad if you are prepared. I think that’s one of the best messages and lessons that prepared people can teach and pass onto those who still think it’s a waste of time, an unattainable task or just won’t bother to do anything.
Hi Frank, thank you for your awesome comment!!! I love it! I’m still on the lookout for a good radio that will work in my neighborhood. We can’t even get cell phones to work!! LOL! I have to sit on my coffee table in the living room to use it. I’m not sure any radio will give us the connection we need because we are in a pocket with a hill behind us. Great comment!!! Now, if we can get people to be prepared on their own for a month, we have done our job! Linda