Where to Begin

Getting started on your 72 hour kit can be overwhelming. This blog has some great ideas on how to get started and it breaks it up in to an 8 week process. 

Stocking up for Food Storage

Here is a good resource to get weekly updates for the best deals on groceries so that you can start to build your food storage. 

pricematchwithrachel.com

What's Your Style?

This blog has different ideas for 72 hour kit styles to help you decide what will work best for you and your family.

Gluten Free 72 Hour Kit

Ideas for building a gluten free 72 hour kit can be found here.

72 Hour Kit Water Options

1. Water Pouch

• Price - 4.2 oz 35¢
• Pros - Easy to fit into packs, lasts up to 5 years
• Cons - Hard to open without spilling, must be held while drinking, must purchase online, could be punctured

2. Aqua Blox

• Price - 8.45 oz .85¢ or 33.8 oz $2.95
• Pros - Small, durable, lasts up to 5 years
• Cons - Can be bulky, pricey, must purchase online

3. Water Bottles

• Price - 16.9 oz .10-15¢ (case price)
• Pros - Easy to find, cheap, drink mixes enhance flavor (crystal light, etc)
• Cons - Bulky, should rotate 1-1 ½1 years

4. Water Filtration Bottle

• Price - 28 oz. $16.50 (with 2 filters - $22.00)
• Pros - Filters 100 gallons per filter, discounted price if purchased through LDS Distribution Center
• Cons - Must find water to filter

 *All this information can be found here.

Creating a Family Emergency Plan

I can't take any of the credit for this, but this is a great resource for creating a Family Emergency plan.  This is what it looks like, and you can find all the printable handouts here.

Prepare for an evacuation

I stumbled upon this great post on someone's blog.  She has done all the work to print out your own copies of..
  ADVANCE EMERGENCY PLAN
  GO PACKET CHECK LIST
  WHAT TO TAKE WITH YOU
  EMERGENCY CHECKLIST FOR PETS
  DURING EVACUATION
  WHAT TO DO AFTER EVACUATION
  EMERGENCY CONTACT INFORMATION
  FAMILY INFORMATION
  CONTACTS

  then all you have to do is fill in the blanks and start preparing!

Click HERE to see this information.

Do the Wave!

DO THE WAVE!

by Patrick Henderson

            Ever wonder what you could do to get to know your neighbors better?  Like to know an easy method to develop a sense of friendliness in the community?  Want a way to scare off the burglars?  Here it is: simply wave.

            The fact is we communicate non-verbally whether we want to or not.  Politely waving to neighbors, passing cars, children, and yes, even strangers, sends several non-verbal messages.  To a neighbor it says, “Hi.  I’d like to get to know you better.  I am approachable.  I am friendly.”  To strangers it says, “I see you.  I am watching.  This is a friendly neighborhood.”  To a passing car it says, “I see your car and I see you.  I may notice your license plate number.  This is a nice neighborhood where people know each other and are suspicious of strangers.  If you stop or slow down or go too fast people will notice.”  To the children it says,  “Hi. I am your neighbor and I know where you live.  I want to be your friend.  I will notice if you do something wrong and will probably tell your parents.”  Guess what?  A simple wave of the hand is worth a thousand words too.

            Ever wave “hello” to your local law enforcement officer?  Try it.  Do you think they will wave back?  You bet they will.  Why?  Because they know how important it is to maintain good community relations.  They want you to know that they are real people too.  Even though they have been sworn to protect and to serve, they sincerely care about the community and the people in it and are always looking for an opportunity to show it. The message you send when you wave to an Officer or Sheriff is, “I am glad you are around.  I‘m on your side.  I support law enforcement.”

            There is a strategy in the “wave” idea.  Waving gives you an excuse or reason to look at people; to notice their clothing, their cars, which home they are at, and who their friends are.  Strangers are identified and put on notice.  A burglar casing the area will want to avoid the “eyes and ears” of the neighborhood.  New people are welcomed and feel accepted instead of feeling ignored, isolated or disregarded.  The children and young people, one of the most important connections of a neighborhood network, learn civic responsibility and feel included.  Long time residents will feel supported and secure.  Of course the impact of the “wave” principle will be much greater if everybody in the neighborhood gets into the act.  Just get it started and it becomes contagious.

            What if someone doesn’t wave back?  If it’s a stranger, just be aware and make a mental note to remember who they are, just in case you see them again.  Is it a neighbor?  They were probably so shocked that you acknowledged their existence, they didn’t know how to respond or they didn’t notice your greeting or maybe it has just been a bad day.  Give it time and keep trying!  It’s a fact that the lack of communication among neighbors is probably the biggest reason that some neighborhoods are easy targets for the criminal element.  It’s not that people don’t care; they just don’t show how much they do care.  Waving is a way to let others know that you are out there and that you will stand with them.   Somewhere along the way many seem to have lost or forgotten what it means to be a community, to be neighborly, and to take care of their own.  Waving at each other can help change all that by breaking the ice and opening long neglected or strained lines of communication.  A little wave can help begin to smooth over years of contention or frustration between neighbors and create new bonds of friendliness, kindness and support.  If problems should arise between neighbors, they will be easier to solve if you have a track record of cheerful waving.

            Well, there you have it.  A simple, easy, non-contact way to meet your neighbors and fight crime at the same time.  There is no telling how much goodwill you could manufacture if you were to add a smile and a few words of positive greeting to your wave. 

There are many ways to wave.  What is your style?  Here are a few: a parade queen’s figure eight, wiggling all of your fingers, a military style salute, a robotic jerk of the hand, tip of the hat, or just the flash of the palm.  No matter what your style, try the “wave” and see for yourself if it doesn’t make a difference for good and become a wonderful and meaningful habit.

Open House

Come to the Stake Center tonight to learn more on how you can prepare for an emergency!

7:00-8:30 PM

**Kathy Bray and Jan Barker the authors of Not My Mother's Food Storage (http://www.notyourmothersfoodstorage.com/) will be speaking in the RS room. They will be giving a 15 minute presentation starting at 7:30 and 8:00.

Hope to see you there!

Be Prepared!

What can happen if a 7.0 magnitude earthquake strikes the Wasatch Fault?

This video, produced for the Great Utah ShakeOut, happening April 17, 2012, tells you what can happen and how to prepare your home or business for a major quake.

After you watch, head over to http://shakeout.org/utah and register your family, school, business, community or faith-based or other group to participate. All your preparedness information, as always, lives at the new and improved http://bereadyutah.gov.

YOUR family emergency plan

As of right now I do not have a plan for my family.  If there were a disaster to happen tomorrow and we were not together when it happened, I would want to know where I could go to meet up with my family.  I'm ready to start a plan, I want to BE READY!  Do you?

Click on this link to start your own plan...

http://bereadyutahplan.utah.gov/fep/

You may not be able to fill out this form today, but gather some information, talk with your family and make a plan!  You will need to gather information on each family member (info of where they work or go to school), also make a set plan of meeting places:  in the neighborhood, outside the neighborhood and out of town, collect phone numbers such as police, fire, hospital and so forth.

After you are able to completely fill out the form you can print out your plan and also save it to your computer and email it to family and friends.

CHECK IT OUT

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•  Enter your email address.  You will receive an email every time the blog is updated.
• Helpful EMERGENCY PHONE NUMBERS
• Under PAGES you will find personal information on your COMMITTEE and BLOCK CAPTAINS
• Under WHAT ARE YOU LOOKING FOR?  We have organized the posts into categories for you.

The Great Utah Shake OUt

We are encouraging all individuals and families, and wards in the stake to participate and register for the Great Utah Shake Out, The largest Utah Earth Quake drill in history. April 17th at 10:15 a.m. 

For more info go to: http://www.shakeout.org/utah/

To register go to: http://www.shakeout.org/utah/register/

Neighborhood Disaster Plan

In case of a wide scale emergency, the following is a brief overview of what to do in an emergency-

• Your family is your first priority, assess their needs
• If possible, check on neighbors, assess their needs
• Check in at the neighborhood command post/meeting center (LDS Meeting House located at 11777 S. Willow Wood Dr.) to relay your needs
• Once checked in, those capable will be sent in teams to assess the needs of those who have not checked in
• The command post will be coordinating with local and city authorities to address needs and manage resources

We are told in a wild scale disaster we should plan on being on our own for at least three days before emergency responders will be available.

Emergency Contacts

Place the letters 'ICE' (in case of emergency) in front of the names of your emergency contacts on your cell phone so responders will know who to call.

Make a Family Emergency Plan

Here's a link to a great site. It has tips on making your family plan and also forms for you to download and print so you don't have to create your own.
http://www.ready.gov/america/makeaplan/