Welcome

This blog has grown out of my weekly newspaper column. Enjoy.
A prudent person forsees danger and takes precautions. The simpleton goes blindly on and suffers the consequences. Proverbs 22:3 (NLT)

Friday, July 26, 2013

Jump Starting Your Food Supply


    Whenever a person thinks of prepping, the first topic that usually comes to mind is food.  What to store, how much to store, how to store, and which store to go to?  There are all kinds of food packages you can purchase.  You can get a year’s supply of dehydrated or freeze-dried fare for $4,000 or a 72 hour kit for one person at WalMart for $64.00.
    In this week’s column I’m going to give you a list of items you can buy at your local grocery store, things that you would probably have on hand anyway.  The dehydrated kits you buy generally tout a 25-year shelf life.  So the normal things you purchase, should be rotated out every few months or so.  One rule of thumb when it comes to storing up food is;  buy food that your body is accustomed to eating!  During a disaster, your system will be on overload anyway, and there is no benefit to introducing a whole new menu to your gastric system in a time of crisis.  
    Some people lay in backpacking freeze-dried food to be eaten when the time comes.  That is all well and good, unless you have never tried those entrees and you experience a revolt of sorts when you’re already stressed out anyway.  Store food to which your body is accustomed!   
Here’s the beginning of a shopping list:  (The second half will come next week.)
1.  20 lbs of rice.  Rice seems pretty boring, but it is filling, nutritious and adaptable to a wide variety of entrees.
2.  20 lbs of pinto beans.  Beans are also a valuable part of every storage plan.  Combined with rice they fulfill a protein need in your menu.
3.  20 cans of vegetables.  Green beans, peas, corn and canned tomatoes are a good start.  Buy what you already eat and enjoy.
4.  20 cans of fruit.  Peaches, pears, pineapple, fruit cocktail, all to your taste.  
5.  20 cans of meat.  Chicken, tuna, shrimp, salmon, vienna sausages, beef stew and don’t forget Spam.  Those square cans fit really well on the shelf and if it’s fried, you can make the kids believe it is “camping bacon.”  It worked for my kids anyway.  I even recently found some canned roast beef.
6.  4 lbs of oats.  A warm bowl of oatmeal can be a welcome meal any time of day.  Topped with some canned fruit, it makes a refreshing treat.
7. 2 (or more) large jars of peanut butter.  A good source of protein and surprisingly filling.  Tastes good too!
8.  Pick up a supply of powdered drink mix.  Tang, Crystal Light or similar product.  Make sure it’s loaded with vitamin C.
9.  5 lbs of powdered milk.  It’s great protein and is loaded with other nutrients.  It’s filling and can be used on that oatmeal as well.
10.  5 lbs of salt.  Salt is an essential for survival as well as a food enhancer.  Our bodies need salt to survive.
    You don’t need to fill this shopping list all at once.  Watch for sales.  Pay attention to the “buy one, get one” promotions.  Use coupons.  One reader told me she saved several thousand dollars in just one year by using coupons.  At the same time she built a substantial pantry for use in a disaster.  
    As always, send your comments and questions to disasterprep.dave@gmail.com

Tuesday, July 16, 2013

Earthquake Zone!


    If you have ever taken the time to actually read those newspaper articles about the likelihood of a major earthquake off our coast, then you’ve read about tectonic plates.  Tectonic plates are those giant puzzle pieces that make up the earth’s crust that are constantly in motion, rubbing against each other and creating havoc when they collide or try to slide past one another.  The colliding and sliding past isn’t so bad, it’s when they collide, push, build tension, then suddenly release that causes an earthquake.  If the sudden release is at sea, then a tsunami is generated and we all remember watching the videos of Japan’s tsunami after their earthquake on March 11, 2011.  
    Even as we speak, two tectonic plates are entangled in a dance off our coast that will result in a cataclysmic upheaval which will result in an earthquake the likes of which we have never seen.
In January 1700 a similar quake rocked the entire northwest. That was 100 years before Lewis & Clark found their way to the mouth of the Columbia River.  Before any white man showed up with a clipboard to keep records of what happened.  The Japanese, of course were keeping records and recorded an orphan tsunami which wiped out a portion of their coast, washing at least one fishing village out to sea.  It wasn’t until just recently estuary core samples revealed major tsunami activity along the Oregon and Washington coasts at that same time. It has been determined that the entire coastline of Oregon and Washington had dropped anywhere between three and ten feet.  Farther up north red cedar stumps can be found in salt water marshes along the coast.  Everybody knows red cedar trees don’t grow in salt water so logic says “something” had to happen to lower the landscape enough so that those stumps are now surrounded by salt water.  
    Some of those same experts have determined that the Juan de Fuca tectonic plate is pushing its way under the Continental plate.  This part is normal, but when the plates get hung up on each other, there is a tension generated which bends the entire plate.  Some have likened this to pushing a fishing rod along the ground until it hangs up on something.  Sooner or later something lets go and great energy is  released.  Such will be the case when the two plates off our coast let loose.  I should also add that the experts stress this is not a matter of “if”, but most certainly a matter of “when.”  
    This set of facts is the best reason I can think of for prepping.  When this quake strikes,there will be no roads in and out of our entire region.  Bridges closed, highways blocked and busted pavement will shape our travel plans for weeks.  Grocery stores will be sold out within hours of the event with no means to replenish.  Electrical grid down for weeks on end and the emergency responders unable to answer your 911 calls which aren’t going through anyway because all cell phone systems are down as well.
    Now is the time to store up some food, supplies and check out your camping gear.
Is that old camp stove still working?  Lantern, candles, extra water?  If you have a generator, will it start?   Do you have enough gas to run it as long as you need it?
As always, send your questions and comments to disasterprep.dave@gmail.com.  

Saturday, July 13, 2013

Great Resources

    When I began writing this column nearly two years ago, Disaster Preparedness was virtually looked upon as akin to joining a cult. “You believe what?”  “You’re going to do what?”  “That’s a little weird!” Those are all comments that preppers used to hear from their non-prepping friends.  In the past couple of years, Disaster Preparedness has gained some respectability with the help from National Geographic’s “Doomsday Preppers” and a couple of dozen articles in the local media regarding the earthquake danger in our region.  While I’m not exactly in full agreement with the case studies on “Doomsday Preppers” there are some things to be learned from them.  In my opinion most of the groups depicted on there have settled on a favorite disaster scenario and focused totally on that particular perceived threat.  You can get good ideas from their plan-making and incorporate their experience into your own preparations.  I can’t imagine the disappointment of the group who gets hit with a hurricane and all their planning has been how they’re going to survive a nuclear holocaust.  That may be just a tad bit facetious, but you get the hint.  I believe that you should prepare for natural disasters that are common in your area.  For example, here on the Oregon Coast, we rarely see tornados, so it would be foolish to build an underground “safe” room to go to in case of tornado.  Rather the threats here are of high wind storms, (and the ensuing power outages) local flooding,(and the accompanying road closures) and of course earthquake.  
    Some have decided there will be a collapse of society through the demise of our economic system, political structure or a worldwide meltdown of both.  Those folks tend to be a bit more hard-core than simply storing up a couple cases of Spam and  some Ramen noodles.
    If preparing for a disaster interests you, I have collected some websites that could be of value.  Surprisingly one of the best sites is www.ready.gov.  This site is sponsored by FEMA and is continually updated with accurate and valuable information.  This site has links for individuals, businesses and even an area for kids.  Included in the kids’ section are some resources for teachers and parents.  Another is www.redcross.org.  The focus of The American Red Cross has always been emergency relief, but one of their primary missions is to provide training for anyone wants to improve their skills in First Aid, Caregiving and even Life Guarding.  They even provide services for people who are displaced in disasters so they can re-connect with loved ones.
    Our own Coos County Emergency Management is a division of the Coos County Sheriff’s Office.  Their website is well-designed and very informative.  My favorite part is the “Are You Ready” booklet.  This little booklet can be downloaded and assembled for your own reference.  The best part of the booklet is the week-by-week Disaster Supply Llist that, if followed, will take you from Zero to well prepared in a six-month period.  
    The best time to prepare is before disaster strikes.  That time is NOW!  
    As always, send your questions and comments to disasterprep.dave@gmail.com.

Tuesday, July 9, 2013

Timely Tips
Part II


    Last week I began a list of Disaster Prep tips that are quick little things we can do, but can have a huge impact in case of a disaster.  Thorough, comprehensive disaster preparedness can take significant amounts of time, but these tips will save you a ton of grief when the time comes.  If you missed the first installment, you may either check last week’s column or visit my blog in a couple of weeks.
    Tip #13 Make a list of all prescription medications, including dosages.  Keep the list in your wallet or purse and a copy in your emergency kit.
    Tip #14  Take digital photos of every room in your house.  Make a video if you have the capability and spend five minutes in every room.  This will facilitate any after the fact insurance claims.
    Tip # 15  Write down your insurance policy numbers and your agent’s phone number.  Also place them in your wallet or purse and a copy in your emergency kit.
Tip #16  Add $1.00 per week ($5.00 if you can afford it) to your emergency cash fund.  Remember ATMS and credit card systems will be useless if the power grid goes down.
Tip #17  Make digital copies of your important documents and store them on a flash drive.
Tip #18  Make a backup copy of the data on your hard drive and store at a friend’s house or a safe deposit box.
Tip #19  Locate a source of water outside your home such as a lake, pond or stream
Tip #20  Learn to cook a pot of rice.
Tip #21  Download free prepping, survival and homesteading e-books from Amazon as they become available.  Check the Backdoor Survival facebook page for almost daily announcements of books that are currently available--often for just a day or two.
Tip #22  Call (800-480-2520) or email FEMA (fema-publications-warehouse@fema.gov) to order a free copy of their excellent book “Are You Ready Guide to Preparedness”.  
Tip #23 Practice starting a fire using dryer lint or a cotton ball tinged with petroleum jelly using a flint and steel.  
Tip #24  Sow some seeds, fruits and veggies, that is.
There you go.  Two dozen, five-minute ideas that will get you started on your disaster preparedness plan.  None of these ideas will break your bank, nor do they require a high skill level in the art of disaster preparedness. Good luck.  As always send your questions and comments to disasterprep.dave@gmail.com

Friday, July 5, 2013

Timely Tips

Timely Tips



Of the many (mostly lame) excuses I hear for not prepping, one of the most common is that it takes too much time.  Now I won’t mislead you. There is some time involved.  It also takes some thought, some effort, some planning and some expense. But there are plenty of things you can do that will get you going in your preparations, that won’t take up much time.  This week’s column will give you some simple tips that take little time but are invaluable in the event of a disaster.
Tip #1  Purchase a notebook for accumulating information, phone numbers, insurance policies, and the like for reference in case of an emergency.
Tip #2  Wash out some empty juice jugs.  Swish a bit of bleach, rinse and fill with water for an emergency.  Be sure to date them and refill after a year.  Another idea is to put some of these (not quite full) in your freezer so when you lose power you can transfer certain items to an ice chest and the frozen jugs will keep things cool for a few days.  Then when the ice melts, you can still drink the water.
Tip #3  Place a plastic garbage bag under your bed containing, shoes, socks, work  gloves, and a flashlight with batteries (or light sticks).  If you wish to include a pair of jeans and sweatshirt, that’s always a good idea in case you have to leave your house quickly.  Some folks tie them to the leg of their bed so it doesn’t get misplaced.
Tip #4  Discuss with the rest of the family where you will meet up after a disaster.  Pick  three or four locations and play “what if.”  Cell phones may not be working and communication can be limited and getting re-connected with loved ones is vital after a disaster.  
Tip #5  Choose an out-of-state relative with whom you can relay messages if necessary.  Often it is easier to get a message out-of-state than it is to get connected locally.
Tip #6  Introduce yourself to a neighbor you have not met.  Exchange phone numbers.  Don’t worry about what he might think.  He’s probably been wanting to meet you anyway.
Tip #7  Purchase a manual can opener on your next visit to the store.
Tip #8  Check out the website at FoodSafety.gov.  Print off the food safety charts and attach them to the inside of a cupboard door.  They will tell you how long you can safely store certain foods without refrigeration.  
Tip #9  Mark your canned goods as you purchase to remind you to rotate them out one year from now.  
Tip #10  Pick up a few extra canned goods each time you visit the grocery store.
Tip #11  Locate your utility shut-off valves and review the instructions for turning them off.  Affix a shut-off tool nearby.
Tip #12  Test your smoke alarms.  
Individually these tips take very little time.  So set aside five minutes each day and start checking off items on your list.  The list will continue next week but if you have any suggestions or questions you may email me at disasterprep.dave@gmail.com.