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Showing posts with label Emergency. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Emergency. Show all posts

Wednesday, March 3, 2010

The still, small voice of warning.

Chilean Missionaries - photo from Meridian Magazine - click photo to read article

Click here to read a story of the Lord's warning for missionaries about the Chilean earthquake. With the warning, they were able to help others because they were prepared. The Lord's hand is everywhere and His spirit will prompt us if we listen. This is worth reading.

Such tragedy in the world. From the Deseret News:

Early fatality reports indicate three members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints died in the wake of the quake and ensuing tsunami. More than a half-million LDS members reside in Chile.

Much of the damage from the earthquake — with its epicenter off the central coast of Chile — and the tsunami centered the cities of Concepcion and Santiago and surrounding regions. Shortly after the quake, local LDS leaders and members began relief efforts by distributing food and water already located in Concepcion.

Food, water, tents, blankets, hygiene kits and sleeping mats have been identified by church leaders as the most critical commodities needed to assist those in the affected region.

We need to learn from these experiences of others and prepare ourselves for future catastrophe which is sure to occur. And, we need to reach out. I think we'll be making many more hygiene kits!

Friday, January 1, 2010

A resolution for the new year

I plan to become prepared for possible disasters. We have been informed of required furlough days at work (10 hours every month without pay or compensation). This will cut into my budget significantly. I read this article and recommitted to doing as the prophets have asked (and as Joseph did in Egypt) and will complete my storage this year. It will be challenging, of course, along with the pay cuts. But, as the woman in the story said, obedience brings blessings. Obviously this means more than wheat in the basement. We attend seminars in emergency planning at work and the number one advice for us there is to get our own homes in order. See Be Ready Utah. There is no way to supply the demand for an entire community in a disaster. There is no room to store for all as in ancient Egypt. But, if every home has a supply of food and other needs, we can survive and render assistance to others in need.

There are hundreds of sites to help. Here are a few: The church has an online food storage calculator here. More information on disaster planning and survival can be found here. Some bulk buying tips can be found here. Shelf life is listed here. Red Cross kits are here. Once you get going you will get lost in all the available helps and information from the Red Cross, FEMA, CDC, etc.

Out with the Old

When looking at Debbie Harman’s food storage recipes, consider your own supplies.

Often we are quick to assume that our unperishables are . . . unperishable. But many of those items sitting in your food storage will not last forever. Here are guidelines for when some of the basics need to be thrown out:

Pancake mix: 6-9 months

Crackers: 6 months

Pasta (without egg solids): 1 year

Cereals: 6-12 months (but they can go stale quickly if opened)

Plain white rice, in airtight container: 2 years

Popcorn: 1-2 years

Canned fruit: 12-18 months (unopened)

Baking powder and soda: 6 months (opened)

Flour: 6-8 months

Sugar: 2 years (indefinite if kept free of moisture)

Prepared cake, pudding, and biscuit mixes: 9-12 months

Shortening: 18 months (unopened)

Vanilla extract: 1 year (opened)

(Source: LDS Living)