Are We Ready??

[susieSA]

A few weeks ago I was chatting to a friend of mine who grew up in Zimbabwe...
Her parents are still there...
I was curious about a few things so I asked her about her parents & how they are managing to survive & if they had electricity etc...

I am not sure how many of you are fully aware of what is really going on in Zimbabwe at the moment or what has been happening the past 5 years...

But anyway...

When I asked her how her parents are managing to survive as far as food is conserned.. She said that her parents are surviving on thier food storage...

So this got me thinking...

Would we be able to survive on what we have as food storage now?

What do we need to do to change it so we can?

I think with how things are going now as far as the cost of foods is going that it might be a good thing to think about..

[Bookmeister]

Zimbabwe is just one of the many places where we can see the value of long term preparation. Food storage, an accumulation of basic necessities, and the ability to live in "reduced" circumstances can help keep the wolves from the door for extended periods. This is a good reminder that what can happen in "foreign places" can happen where each of us live, and this is why heeding the counsel of the Prophet and our other leaders is so important.

Thanks for sharing this with us, Susie.

[Misshalfway]

You know, if I wasn't LDS, I would prolly be flying by the seat of my pants!

[hmsw]

This is such a great topic - food storage is SO IMPORTANT but it's also incredibly overwhelming. Where to start, what do I need, how much will it cost? There are just so many things to consider. My friend and I recently started a step-by-step blog to getting your food storage and emergency preparedness in order. Check it out! I hope it will be beneficial to you.

-Hannah
Safely Gathered In

Well, In my opinion, I think the priorities should be the following ....

1) Survival Kit / Also known as 72 hour kit
2) 3 Month Supply
3) Long Term Supply

However, before you start, I think people should think about emergecy preparedness, then I think things will fall into place; What to store? how much it will cost? where to store it?

I have plenty of links on my website with links into provident living as well.

This is how I did it. And, this is how I encourage members of my branch to do it. I hope this also works for you.

[HoosierGuy]

WordFLOOD, as you know or remember, I'm the Emergency Response Coordinator for my ward. I believe you are also the same for your ward, correct? Do you have a list of all the items on your list? Like - generators, sleeping bags, tents, etc...? I would like to compare my list of items with the one you have and see if I need to add anything. I'm not talking about names of who has what - just the items on your list like tents, grills, trucks, etc...

Thanks!

[hankpac]

The reason it seems so overwhelming for so many people is because so many DO have to start from scratch. Because they don't camp or hike of have any experience in the outdoors, they have to buy all that stuff since they don't have it (and worse don't know how to use it), Next, they never canned or stored food for two years, as they were growing up, so that is not a part of their lives (we have always canned our garden produce, so we have always had in mind, that it had to be used up and replaced in no more than two years). Since we garden every year, we put up stuff every year, and that means nothing is ever over two years old.
finally, some of the other stuff like generators are just a huge expense to those who don['t camp, since they never use them other wise, but I wear one out about every 5-7 years. We have a 1200 watt and a 7 thousand watt gen-set.
Because we live in the country and always have, we know the power goes out with regularity, and may not come back on for two or three days. Each person living int he house knows how to shut off the water heater, and how to drain all pipes in case of a freeze, and how to run up the RV trailer that we keep stoked and charged up, so we can move into it in moments.
Also, a subject that so many LDS people wont discuss, everyone in the household has their own firearms, knows how to use all the firearms, and can clean load, and do minor repair of all the arms.
many LDS people simply by a packaged two year supply of wheat salt and honey, put it in the garage and never give it another thought.
Finally, the real important issue is that we need to be able to respond to the needs of the community in an emergency. We are going to be looked to for help and assistance, since we are supposed to have it together.
We are not preparing to just ride it out, we are preparing to man the pumps, staff the relief centers, organize the sheltering and feeding of hundreds or thousands, because we are supposed to be informed and prepared to do so.
Instead of worrying about will hordes of people come to my home to take my storage, we should be considering that our local Sheriff will come to your house and ask us to lead a team of neighbors in searching the homes in our block for earthquake survivors, or Asking the Bishop to put together a team of people to staff the kitchen of the relief effort every third day. Not all scenarios are just hunkering it out or running like refugees. We need to be creative, and helpful in maintaining order and restoring the community.
Bet you hadn't thought of that?

[prospectmom]

hankpac,

Your right about all you said....... We need to prepare of course for ourselves but also for anyone we are asked to help or need to help. I too live in the country , Mountains to be exact but know many older people Our family will check on and help in times of need. This last year we had power out for almost 5 days . It was ok for us we were prepared. We shared our sterno so our neighbor could heat up soup. We had an outside fire and cooked on it . So did our neighbors.

You know what I know I am short on??? Toilet paper :}

[susieSA]

You make some valid points....

However... There are a few things that I do not agree with you on..


"The reason it seems so overwhelming for so many people is because so many DO have to start from scratch. Because they don't camp or hike of have any experience in the outdoors, they have to buy all that stuff since they don't have it (and worse don't know how to use it), Next, they never canned or stored food for two years, as they were growing up, so that is not a part of their lives"

Personally I have had to start from scratch a few times with food storage... Due to moving or having to use the food storage I had left. Not camping or being experienced in the outdoors does not mean that a person will not have what is needed for food storage...
The church provides & helps us to learn how to have & maintain a food storage... If I remember correctly.. The church counsels us to start off slowly... Meaning.. Work at having a month & then move on from there... It is impossible to just go out & buy enough food storage for 2 years...
The church also provides I with resources to know how to use & store our food storage... The church even provides ways to learn the skills on how to can foods...
Also there are people like Wordflood, Hoosierguy & hmsw (see posts 4-6) who also provide websites & resources.... There is also the internet...

"finally, some of the other stuff like generators are just a huge expense to those who don['t camp, since they never use them other wise"

I live in a country where it is now normal to have a generator due to power cuts... And no.. that is not in the country... But the city...
I live in a country where what has & is happening in Zimbabwe is a real possibility...
I also live in a country where the chances of you getting shot with your own firearm is bigger than getting shot with someone elses...

"many LDS people simply by a packaged two year supply of wheat salt and honey, put it in the garage and never give it another thought. "

The church very much encourages us to rotate our food storage... That way we are eating what we have as food storage & also so that when the time comes we can acutally eat what we have & have it not be off or past the expiry dates.
Another thing to consider is that if we were to just put stuff into our garages & have it as food storage but not eat it.. .We could actually get very sick because our bodies are not used to it.

I also feel that if we live what we are taught we will be able to help those around us in need.... Also we will be prepared for almost anything... Because that is what we are taught...
We are also from a very young age taught about service to others & esepcailly our communities.... Part of me thinks that this is in "practise" for something like this...

I know that a few months ago members all over the continant of Africa had a day of service...

Originally Posted by HoosierGuy

WordFLOOD, as you know or remember, I'm the Emergency Response Coordinator for my ward. I believe you are also the same for your ward, correct? Do you have a list of all the items on your list? Like - generators, sleeping bags, tents, etc...? I would like to compare my list of items with the one you have and see if I need to add anything. I'm not talking about names of who has what - just the items on your list like tents, grills, trucks, etc...

Thanks!

HG,

My ward is an apartment complex. We have 50% turnover every 6 months. Only about 15% are what I would call "fixed" or "long term". And those folks are retired living in 1 or 2 bedroom small apartments. We dont have a lot of people that stay, so I dont have a list of items that people have.