The Peace of Mind Project –

With all of the natural disasters that have been occuring, I thought it would be a good idea to post this link.  The link will take you to FEMA’s website where they provide a free online book helping you get prepared for an emergency.  Check it out. . .it wouldn’t hurt right?

I have been in contact with the author of the “In Case of Emergency” blog, John Solomon, and I asked him if he would allow me to feature his blog in a post on this site.  You see, I have yet to find another blog on the web with SO much credible and valuable information aimed at helping us become better prepared for any number of emergencies. 

He has been working on a book which in his own words will:

“. . . take the point of view of an average citizen trying to ready and educate himself and his family about preparedness for terrorism, natural disasters and other major emergencies. Hopefully, this personal approach will be resonant to other citizens and serve as a guide and encouragement for them as they begin the preparedness process.”

Unfortunately, John has been busy fighting a battle with Leukemia and is preparing for a bone marrow transplant.  I am sure he would appreciate everybody’s thoughts and prayers.  I just want to encourage you to go read through his site, his archives are filled with rich content, all which will help us become more prepared for whatever emergency we may face.

Experts suggest that it is important that each family work on acquiring a full year food storage supply.  The task can seemdaunting!  How do you know how much food storage your family will need, where to store it, and what to buy.  All of the factors seem so overwhelming at times, that  many people ignore food storage altogether. 

If building your food storage supply happens to be on your list of things to do this year, I thought I would point you to some useful resources.

There are many ways to build your family’s food storage ranging from buying regular food in bulk to buying the pre-configured units all at once.  The web provides several great resources for tackling your food storage needs.  To start off, you can use one of the many food storage calculators available on the net.  Once you have a general estimate of how much your family will need, you can choose a plan that fits your need.  Food Storage Made Easy and Safely Gathered In are both sites that offer great suggestions for how to build your food storage a little at a time, as well as ways to prepare, store, and rotate your food storage. 

There are also many commercial sites that offer different food storage plans.  You can buy anything from a 1 month supply for one person to an 8 person one year supply.  Most of the sites offer traditional food storage packages which feature items like hard wheat,  tvp, and powdered dairy products.  There are also freeze dried meals available which only require you to add water.  Food Storage Depot is one commercial site that offers both.  The freeze dried meals are great for the ease.  They keep their nutritional value for around 25 years, and you don’t have to worry about knowing how to use a wheat grinder.

My suggestion is that if you don’t have enough money to go buy food storage in bulk, just start small.  Make a plan, and just chisel away at it a little at a time! 

I would love to hear your input!

Last time I posted the government’s recommendation for the first step we should take towards emergency preparedness.  Today I am going to feature step 2.  I got these stepes from ready.gov:

Your family may not be together when disaster strikes, so it is important to plan in advance: how you will contact one another; how you will get back together; and what you will do in different situations.

Family Emergency Plan

• Identify an out-of town contact.  It may be easier to make a long-distance phone call than to call across town, so an out-of-town contact may be in a better position to communicate among separated family members.
• Be sure every member of your family knows the phone number and has a cell phone, coins, or a prepaid phone card to call the emergency contact. If you have a cell phone, program that person(s) as “ICE” (In Case of Emergency) in your phone. If you are in an accident, emergency personnel will often check your ICE listings in order to get a hold of someone you know. Make sure to tell your family and friends that you’ve listed them as emergency contacts.
• Teach family members how to use text messaging (also knows as SMS or Short Message Service). Text messages can often get around network disruptions when a phone call might not be able to get through.
• Subscribe to alert services. Many communities now have systems that will send instant text alerts or e-mails to let you know about bad weather, road closings, local emergencies, etc. Sign up by visiting your local Office of Emergency Management web site.

Planning to Stay or Go

Depending on your circumstances and the nature of the emergency, the first important decision is whether you stay where you are or evacuate. You should understand and plan for both possibilities. Use common sense and available information, including what you are learning here, to determine if there is an immediate danger. In any emergency, local authorities may or may not immediately be able to provide information on what is happening and what you should do. However, you should watch TV, listen to the radio or check the Internet often for information or official instruction as it becomes available. For information on staying put or sheltering in place, click here.

Emergency Information

Find out what kinds of disasters, both natural and man-made, are most likely to occur in your area and how you will be notified. Methods of getting your attention vary from community to community. One common method is to broadcast via emergency radio and TV broadcasts. You might hear a special siren, or get a telephone call, or emergency workers may go door-to-door.

Emergency Plans

Use the New Online Family Emergency Planning Tool created by the Ready Campaign in conjunction with the Ad Council to prepare a printable Comprehensive Family Emergency Plan:

http://ready.adcouncil.org/beprepared/fep/index.jsp

Use the New Quick Share application to help your family in assembling a quick reference list of contact information for your family, and a meeting place for emergency situations:

http://ready.adcouncil.org/beprepared/quickshare.html

You may also want to inquire about emergency plans at places where your family spends time: work, daycare and school. If no plans exist, consider volunteering to help create one. Talk to your neighbors about how you can work together in the event of an emergency. You will be better prepared to safely reunite your family and loved ones during an emergency if you think ahead and communicate with others in advance. Read more: School and Workplace.