How To Be Prepared For Any Emergency

Do you know how to be prepared for any emergency? Could you use some ideas? Today, I’m sharing some tips I use when I’m asked to speak (teach) about food storage and emergency preparedness. By now you probably know, I do not discuss weapons in my book or on my blog. My blog and book are family-friendly and I love it that way. Prepare Your Family for Survival: How to Be Ready for Any Emergency or Disaster Situation 

How To Be Prepared For Any Emergency

Here’s the deal, I used to drag a sample of all my preparedness and food storage items to show people. I no longer do that. It’s too hard for me to haul all of it. I have made some pictures and now use these pictures to teach classes. You are welcome to copy these pictures (please give me credit for them, thank you) to help your neighborhood or community be prepared for the unexpected. I feel God asked me to teach the world, and therefore I share everything with my readers and love the comments they share with me. We learn from each other, and I thank you all for your wonderful ideas!

Now, keep in mind this is not everything people need to know to be prepared for the unexpected,  but it’s a darn good start. I had them printed at Costco on 11″ by 14″ photo print (low luster). They cost about $48.00 in total, but I use them over and over again. I’m not a professional photographer, but they work for me. I had them laminated at Fed-Ex. We don’t have a lot of options here in Southern Utah, but Costco and Fed-Ex were great to work with and the cost was minimal.

Water is #1 for any emergency:

How much water to store:

• 1 gallon per day per person to stay hydrated. If you live in a HOT area you might need more.
• 4 gallons per day, per person, allows for personal hygiene, washing of dishes, etc.
• 5 to 12 gallons per day would be needed for a conventional toilet.
• 1/2 to two gallons for a pour flush latrine.

Storing water-boiling water for use:

• Boil filtered and settled water vigorously for one minute (at altitudes above one mile, boil for three minutes).
• To improve the flat taste of boiled water, aerate it by pouring it back and forth from one container to another and allowing it to stand for a few hours, or add a pinch of salt for each quart or liter of boiled water.

Storing water-bleaching/purifying water:

• Information from Clorox: “When boiling water for 1 minute is not possible in an emergency situation, you can disinfect your drinking water with Clorox^®Regular-Bleach as follows:
• Remove suspended particles by filtering or letting particles settle to the bottom.
• Pour clear water into a clean container.
• Add 8 drops of Clorox^® Regular-Bleach (not scented or Clorox^® Plus^® bleach) to one gallon of water (2 drops to 1 quart). For cloudy water, use 16 drops per gallon of water (4 drops to 1 quart).
• Allow the treated water to stand for 30 minutes. Water should have a slight bleach odor. If not, repeat and wait another 15 minutes. The treated water can then be made palatable by pouring it between clean containers several times”.
• Clorox: Clorox Website

Water Preserver (rotate every 5 years):

55 Gallon Water Preserver Concentrate 5 Year Emergency Disaster Preparedness, Survival Kits, Emergency Water Storage, Earthquake, Hurricane, Safety

• Water Preserver is recommended by Top Emergency Professionals.
• It is approved by the EPA.

72-Hour Kits for any emergency:

Here are two printables you can print and hand out or review for your own use. Keep in mind, the lists are extremely long and this doesn’t mean you need to add all of these items to your bags, box, or large bucket. Choose the ones you need for your family and add other items you want to your containers.

FSM 72-Hour Kits For Adults

FSM 72-Hour Kits For Children

Food for my 72-hour kits:

I chose this bag to hold my food inside my house because of the heat here in Southern Utah. I keep my 72-hour bags with water in the garage ready to grab and go when needed. I have tags attached to the 72-hour kits to remind me to grab my prescriptions and my emergency binder with my critical documents with pictures I don’t want to leave behind. These are the bags: Richards Homewares – Set of 4 Md Chests 12 Guage Vinyl 12x16x8 each, Kitchen I purchased the food from ThriveLife in canisters or pouches. You choose the food you want and the servings. I don’t count calories as I prepare and eat meals since I just make sure I’m eating lots of fruits and vegetables. So, I don’t count them as I pack these bags either.  I chose fruit, vegetables, yogurt, beans, some chicken, soup, and cheese. Yes, it is expensive, but I only have to rotate a small amount of these every 8 years or 25 years depending on the products. This bag contains enough food for 13 days for Mark and me to survive very well on the water I have stored. I prefer buying freeze-dried food because, in most cases, I can eat it right out of the can. Please remember a can opener: Swing-A-Way 407RD Portable Can Opener, Red

72-Hour Kits For Pets:

FSM 72-Hour Kits For Pets

Food Storage For The Pantry:

These are the usual food items we have in our pantry. Most of us have a few cans of our favorite foods and some soup bases in #10 cans. Augason Farms Creamy Potato Soup Mix 10 Can, 58 oz and Augason Farms Cheesy Broccoli Soup Mix 10 Can, 54 oz

Food Storage in #10 Cans For The Pantry:

My favorite places to purchase fruits, vegetables, and meat in #10 cans would be Honeyville and ThriveLife for long-term food storage. If you prefer storing meals I highly recommend Valley Food Storage.

Cooking Devices I Recommend:

My favorite emergency cooking devices would be a Kelly Kettle: Kelly Kettle Large Stainless Steel Base Camp Basic Kit or a Butane stove: Camp Chef Butane 1 Burner Stove with Camping Case or a Sun Oven: All American Sun Oven- The Ultimate Solar Appliance and a Lodge Dutch Oven with charcoal works awesome: Lodge L12CO3 Camp Dutch Oven, 6-Quart

Fuels I Feel Are Critical To Store:

Of course, these are just a few fuels to consider. Most of us have a gas barbecue so propane tanks are a given for us. The pictures below are from left to right, Kingsford’s charcoal briquettes without the starter fluid chemicals, lump charcoal, pinecones ( I washed, baked and store), and freshly cut pine pieces of wood with zero varnish, or paint. I buy my 5-gallon colored buckets and Gamma lids that match from Pleasant Hill Grain.

Emergency Toilets and Tips:

We all have to think about using the bathroom, so here is a tip for several emergency toilet ideas. You can use some 33-gallon bags with kitty litter in a regular toilet. I would tape the handle with duct tape so no one accidentally flushes it if the sewer lines are not working. You can use a #10 can with a lid, toilet paper, and 4-gallon bags Glad Small Garbage Bags, 4 Gallon Bags, 2 – 30 Packs (60 Total) with a container of hand sanitizer all in one container. I prefer a six-gallon bucket for the portable toilet so we don’t have to squat down as far, just giving you the heads up here. Tote-Able Toilet 6 gal w/ 2 Enzyme Packets I buy these bags for this toilet: Kirkland Signature 10 Gallon Clear Wastebasket Liner 500 Count

Emergency Washing Machine:

I use two 5-gallon buckets for this contraption to wash clothes. I make another identical set for rinsing clothes as well. I drilled holes inside the middle buckets to give some friction for washing and rinsing clothes. I buy green Gamma lids and drill a 2-inch hole in the center for the handle of the mobile washer: Breathing Mobile Washer – Handheld, portable, non-electric, mobile, manual clothes washing machine. Handle Included. and Gamma Seal Lid – Green – For 3.5 to 7 Gallon Buckets or Pails Gamma2 Here’s the link to the post so you can see how I made these: Emergency Washing Machine by Food Storage Moms

First Aid Kit:

I bought this container from Amazon to hold some of my first aid kit supplies: Stanley 020800R FatMax 4-in1 Mobile Work Station for Tools and Parts Here is my first aid kit list: First Aid Kit Checklist by Food Storage Moms

Mobile Portable Kitchen:

Here’s my kitchen on wheels: Mobile-Portable-Kitchen-by-Food-Storage-Moms 2016

Final Word

Please remember I am only showing you a few emergency tips today. These will help teach classes to those that need a little nudge to get started with water, food, etc. The government can’t help everyone after a disaster or unforeseen emergency. We must be self-reliant and at least be able to hydrate our family, feed our family and have an evacuation plan in place. May God Bless this World, Linda