Winter Weather To Do List

This is a re-post from 2011 but the ideas are still relevant.  Keep warm and safe in the cold weather.  It was -22 this morning where I live.  Be prepared before the storm!

I think winter may be on its way!!  It snowed today and my kids thought it was really fun, but as adults we know how long winter can be.  When it gets colder I always think about how we would cope if the power went out.  I personally don't enjoy being cold and having no heat would sure make life uncomfortable.  There are many ways of preparing for a cold weather emergency and I want to give you some ideas of what you could do before hand so you are well prepared.


Winter Preparation To Do List:

• Have a portable heater, such as a Mr. Buddy heater, kerosene heater and lamps with oil, or wood for a wood burning stove.
• Emergency radio:  crank or battery operated.  Store it in a location that is easy to access and always have extra batteries.
• If possible have a generator.  A 5000 watt generator will run almost any appliance.  It has a 6 gallon gas tank that will run for 14 hours.
• During the winter if it is cold enough outside you can put food in coolers and leave them by your back door.  Store coolers that will fit the food you typically have in your freezer and fridge.
• A great way to stay warm is to pitch a tent in your living room or other room with a heat source.  The kids will probably enjoy this, but it is to keep the most heat in the area you are all sleeping.  
• Sleeping bags and warm weather clothing.  I recently stood in line for 2 hours (by choice) in a snow storm and wore long underwear to keep warm.  I thought I was going to be cold but I didn't feel cold and I know it was the long underwear. Have a pair for everyone in your family.  Wool socks also kept my toes from freezing!  Hats, gloves, coats, scarves, socks, and warm sleeping bags are all important for every member of your family.  
• A To Do Box of non-electric games, toys, coloring books, cards, jump ropes, paper, pens, pencils, etc to keep everyone occupied during a power outage.  I know that my kids nagging me with "I'm bored" would literally drive me insane if I had to hear it all day long.  Keep a box ready for power outages or emergencies to save everyone from boredom.
• A great idea that I got from somewhere (I can't remember, sorry) is to have a menu written out, BEFORE the emergency, with the meals you could make if the power was out.  Have at least a weeks worth ready to go.  If you have a small butane stove you would probably have meals like soups, stews, or rice dishes.  Or if you have a Volcano Stove you could grill, or bake a dish.  Knowing what your menu will be will alleviate the stress of making food when it is cold, dark, and miserable!!
• Have a corded land line phone in your home.  When the power goes out so do your cordless phones.  Cell phones may or may not work in an emergency.   
• Snow shovels are also an item that will be gone from stores when a storm hits.  Have 1 or 2 shovels ready in your garage.

Before the Storm:
If you know a storm is approaching there are a few things you can do to prepare your family.  I am assuming you already will have food and water.

• Put gas in your car.
• Do the laundry and dishes and put away.  Folding laundry in the dark is never fun :)
• Charge all phones, DS games, computers, dvd players, ipods, etc.
• If you have a wood burning stove or fireplace, have all the wood cut and placed in an area that is easy to access.
• Get out all flashlights, batteries, candles, and matches so you aren't searching in the dark for light.
• Bathe and shower the kids and yourself.  Starting off clean will make life more pleasant for everyone.  :)
• Make sandwiches, gather some soup cans, or cook some food if the power is expected to go out.  I would pull out some snacks and keep them out so we don't have to search in the dark for food. 

IF you aren't prepared for any emergency I would then tell you to get yourself to the store and buy food, water, flashlights, and batteries.  Although so will most of the general population, so go early to get any kind of a selection.

If you travel frequently during the winter months it is important to have a car kit in your vehicle.  Click HERE to view a previous post on winter weather preparation and car kits.


"Have faith, unemcomber your life, lay up in store"-Keith B. McMullen

Self-Reliant Saturday-- Car Kits

Inventory and organizing have been my thing lately.  Once I get on a roll I tend to organize everything in sight.  I finished with the storage room and decided to pull out our car kit to update it as well. 

I should be embarrassed to tell you that I hadn't updated the car kit since we moved two years ago.  It was kind of scary.

I pulled everything out of the dirty bag and then checked the dates on the granola bars and fruit snacks.  They were years beyond their expiration dates.  And with them stored in a heated/cooled car all the time, I decided it was best to dispose of them.  

Reason #1 to go through your car kits every six months:  food does expire.  It seems that the kids also eat the food in the car kits.  I have 7 people in my family and only 1 fruit snack and 5 granola bars remained in my car kit.  In an emergency I would have to pick my favorite kid to feed.  (kidding)

Everything got sorted and cleaned and I decided to put "like" things in resealable bags.  Mittens/gloves in one bag, toilet paper, diapers, sanitizer in another bag, etc. 

Then it all got tucked away into the back of the car again.  I hid the food at the bottom of the bag, now maybe my backseat riders won't be able to reach it so easily. 

Items to have in a Car Kit 

• Water
• Food (granola bars, emergency bars, no chocolate-it melts)
• Cold weather gear (hats, mittens, blankets, tarp)
• Small shovel
• Took kit
• Flashlights
• Baby supplies
• Wipes, sanitizer, toilet paper
• Paper and pens
• Map of your area with multiple ways out of where you live
• Hand heaters
• Can heater (click HERE for instructions on how to make one)
• First aid kit (we always have ibuprofen in ours!)
• Poncho
• Emergency blankets (the shiny mylar ones)
• Emergency radio

Any other personal items that you may need or want can go in your kit.  Personalize it to fit your family's needs.  Take a few minutes and update your car kit, or put together a car kit for the cars in your household.  My husband drives down a canyon to get to work everyday.  I don't want him stranded and not have a way to survive.  I usually have 4-5 kids with me when I am driving around and we inevitably need water or snacks or baby wipes.  Emergencies big and small can be remedied by having a well stocked car kit.  

(click HERE to view a previous post on using your car as a shelter)

Preparedness Begins With You!

Images from Hurricane Sandy are everywhere and they are shocking!  The nightly news is filled with victims who are in shock and don't know how they are going to start their lives over again.  My heart goes out to all of these people and I hope some sense of normalcy will come to their lives soon!  

While watching one news story I listened to a woman who lived on the 19th floor of an apartment building and she had to walk down 19 flights of stairs to try and find water.  When she got to her neighborhood store there wasn't any water to buy.  

Gas stations are out of gas!  Cars are lined up for miles waiting because news of more gas was coming, but none has shown up yet.  
 Homes are literally gone in some areas.  One woman walked a mile to finally find what was left of her home among the debris.   

 Each of these stories led to an angry rant from the people in them.  They were yelling at the cameras that the government needed to be there to help them immediately! I couldn't get that out of my mind.  Yes, these people were in shock, but to blame the government for not being there the next morning to fix everything, was not going to solve anything !!  Being prepared will allow you to survive the days and weeks following a disaster.  YOU will be responsible for your own well-being, not someone else or some agency.  The woman who lived on the 19th floor had proper forewarning of the storm, but didn't she think that she would need enough water for a week or so after the storm?  Did she not play the what if game?  What if the power goes out?  How many times will I need to walk up and down 19 flights of stairs?  If the whole city is in chaos will I have enough food and water until there is help on the way? How will I get my dog outside for bathroom breaks? And the questions could go on and on!!  I don't think many of these people asked themselves the basic questions like these, or even thought they would be without power or gas!!  I thought Katrina was a wake-up call, but it obviously didn't wake up too many people in America.  It CAN happen, it CAN happen to you, and YOU need to be prepared!!!!! 

Have a 72-hour kit ready to go! Many people left their homes with nothing but the clothes on their backs!  Keep a car kit in your vehicle!!  If you were working in downtown New York and the subways were flooded, how would you survive until you got home?  These situations can be applied to more than just a hurricane.  I live in earthquake territory and the same applies here too.  My husband and children could very well be at work and school when an earhtquake hits.  They need emergency kits!!  Think ahead, plan ahead, and be prepared!! YOU can do it!!  YOU can help yourself and your family!!  

After watching several news stories I was watching a late night talk show and Jamie Lee Curtis was a guest.  She came out onto the set with a backpack filled with emergency supplies that you should keep under your bed for an emergency situation.  I was so excited that she was promoting this on national television!! Maybe, just maybe, people in America will start to get prepared!!  Watch the video clip below.

For more information:
Before The Disaster Strikes  
Preparedness 101  
Cold Weather Preparedness  
Several posts on preparedness...

Or check out the 72-Hour kit list on the side bar of this blog.

Grab-n-Go Evacuation Preparedness

We have had quite the fire season here in Utah and there have been several mandatory evacuations.  If you had to immediately leave your home would you be able to grab the most important items and leave??  If I wasn't prepared for that I would probably be running around like a chicken with it's head cut off.  My family has lists hanging on our hall closet door, and we had a family night meeting to practice our grab-n-go lists.  Just like a fire, tornado, or earthquake drill you have to practice.  We timed ourselves and tried to get everything on our list. It was fun but I know that isn't how it will play out in an emergency.  I made a few different lists because we may have 5 minutes, or maybe up to a days notice of an evacuation.  Start with the most basic and important items such as birth certificates, SS cards, purses, computers, pets, etc. and then add the extras if you have more time.  I even let my children add what they wanted to take if we had the time to grab it and added them to the lists.   

You'll see that my lists are not fancy and I hand wrote them onto note cards.  They are divided up into 5 minute, 1 hour, and the third card is if we have longer than 1 hour to grab things.  I also noticed that I need to update my cards because my daughter's hamsters died a few months ago and I need to take them off.  Also my children's ideas of what is important to them change and I need to update that as well.

Everyone's lists will be different, but my list 5 minute list says:

• Bird and food
• File Folder Box
• Laptop
• 72-hour kits
• Water under stairs
• Mom's purse & Dad's planner
• Cooler with fridge items (milk for toddler and other food)

This is a great video showing 2 different families and how they were prepared, or not, to be evacuated.

 In a stressful situation you will not be thinking clearly at all!  Have a list all written out and know where your most important items are.  We have a file folder box with all of our important papers in it.  We will just grab it and leave.  Also, think about storing your photos on flash drives and store them in the file folder box as well.  It will be too hard to try and save every family photo album, plus they will take up precious space in a car.  Decide now what items will make the lists and who will be in charge of getting them.  There would be no way I could gather everything by myself, so we divided up the duties of who will grab what and in what rooms of the house each of us is in charge of.  

mapofutah.net

Another great tip is to have a map of your area with more than one route out.  Know where the local high schools are, or churches, because that will probably be where you'll be instructed to go.  Keep the map in your car along with your car kit.  


This is also a great time to go over your Family Emergency Plan.  Talk with your family about a meeting place if they are not at home during an evacuation.  How would your husband, or you, get home from work?  Make sure to have an Out Of State Contact (OSC) and let that person know they have been chosen :)  My sister knows that she will be our contact and my children are to call her and let them know if they are ok and where they are located.  During an emergency the local phone lines will be tied up, but calling out of state will give you better chances of getting through.  My sister will be our home base for me to check in and see how everyone is doing.  Giving your OSC a copy of important papers is also a good idea, just in case you aren't home during an evacuation.   

Click HERE to see a very detailed family emergency plan. 

 And click THIS LINK to print off family information cards.


Click HERE to see a great grab and go list from preparedldsfamily.blogspot.com

Water Storage

 I was watching the news today to see what the forecast for next week was and something the weatherman said caught my attention.  He said that May is generally the wettest month out of the year in Utah and we haven't had any rain showers yet.  No rain in May and that equals a summer of limited water usage.  It was a reminder to make sure my water storage is up to the level it needs to be.  

 I store my water in many different types of containers and also in different locations throughout my home and yard.  I have water bottles in my car kits, 72-hour kits, under the stairs, and in the storage room.  My 55 gallon drums are clearly staying outside while my juice and detergent (yes, laundry detergent bottles are great water storage containers.  Don't rinse them, just fill up and use for cleaning water.  Make sure to label them as water.) bottles are stored in the kitchen and storage room.  I don't want to lose all of my water supply in case of an earthquake by storing all of my water in one location.  

Rinse your juice/soda bottles with a little bleach and fill with tap water. Another myth out there about water storage is that you need to empty your water containers and refill them every six months.  Guess what...you don't need to do that!  The only situation that I would recommend changing the water is, if you have containers that sit in the sun and they go from extreme hot to cold.  But other than that you can leave your water in a container for much longer than previously thought. (yes I know there are expiration dates on water bottles, but come on, water doesn't expire)  If the water needs to be consumed and it tastes stale just pour it between 2 containers to add some air back to it and it will taste better. 

If you have no storage whatsoever, get water today!!!!!  It is simple and in most cases free.  We don't drink soda or juice so I ask at family parties for the empty soda and juice bottles.  It is also a great way to be green and re-purpose an item.

Click HERE  for other posts on water.

Your Car As A Shelter

There are many stories of people who have been stranded in their cars and had to survive with only the supplies they had in their vehicles.  How well could you survive right now with what is in your car??  I have suggested making a car kit before (check it out HERE), so get those car kits assembled and placed in all of your vehicles.  If you have college students that travel back and forth on weekends and holidays, they especially need to have a car kit with them.  


If you do get stranded and have to use your car as a shelter there are a few things that you can do that will help you stay warm until you are rescued.

• First and foremost, stay where you are!!  Don't start wandering off!!  You will most likely get lost and make a rescue even harder.

• Only run your car heater every 10 minutes out of every hour and only do this if your exhaust pipe is clear.  Crack a window open as well.
• Don't place your head right against the window.  Use a blanket or other item to block the cold.
• You can use the stuffing from the seats of your car to keep warm.  Stuff them in your socks, sleeves, and pants to stay warm.
• If you have enough blankets, use one to make a partition between you and the back seat to keep the most heat around you.
• If you can't access the trunk from inside your car, you will need to get out quickly and get everything you'll need from your trunk.

• If you travel in rural areas you may consider carrying a common flare so aerial searchers will be able to see you. 

• Tie something to your antenna so searchers will see you.
• Staying warm is important, move your arms and legs to keep the circulation going. 
• This one is for the ladies:  keep a pair of hiking or running shoes in your car.  Your cute heels will only get you so far :)
• Always be driving on the top half of a tank of gas.  This is great advice not only for winter driving, but for all year driving.  If there was an earthquake or other disaster you would want to have a full tank to be able to drive to safety.

One way to stay warm is to make a heater out of a #10 can or a new paint can.  They are cheap and simple to make.  They also make great gifts.  Follow the instructions HERE or HERE to make one for your car. The second link even has a great printout label to use if you are making your heater as a gift.  

If you need blankets for your car kits, IKEA sells some inexpensive fleece blankets for around $2.30. They aren't fancy but will work great for a car kit.  Keep one for every person that normally travels in your car.  Click HERE to see where I heard of them.


Planning ahead will save your life!!  I can't imagine I will ever be driving in the middle of nowhere during a snowstorm and get stranded, but stranger things have happened!!  I have used my car kits for first aid (kids go through so many band aids),blankets for cold kids in the back seat, water bottles for my kids after soccer, a diaper for the baby (totally an emergency when I realized I didn't have one in my purse!!) and even food for a snack when I have forgotten the kid's snacks.  I have needed my kit for everyday "emergencies"  and have been grateful for it every time I have used it!!

Complete Proteins and More!

This month we are storing grains.  As a vegetarian I love grains, but I also need to make sure I get enough protein in my diet.  I am sure that many of you know that if you eat beans and rice together you are eating a complete protein. Longer term storage is kind of tricky when you need to store meats and dairy products.  In the event we don't have meat, fish, poultry, eggs, and fresh milk products you can eat grains along with a complementing protein, and have a protein equivalent to meat!

From peaceofpreparedness.com:

"Planning meals around these complementary food combinations will provide the complete proteins needed by the body.  In many cases it will be better than a meat protein.  Complementing proteins should be eaten withing the same day."
WHEAT + BEANS                         RICE + LEGUMES
WHEAT + MILK                            RICE + MILK
BEANS + MILK               
CEREAL + MILK                         

WATER STORAGE GOALS: 
Have you stored any water this week?

3-MONTH STORAGE GOAL: 

Store  your water in different containers as well as in different locations.  If you keep all your water in your basement and your house collapses, where are you going to get your water from.  Keep water in your car, basement, kitchen, backyard, under the stairs, etc.

I found a great recipe this week for Creamy Chicken Taquitos and it uses mostly items that you would have in your 3-month storage.  Remember that your 3-month storage includes the food in your refrigerator and freezer.  Items like green onions and cilantro would be in my fridge because I use them quite often.  Don't think of your 3-month storage as only items in a can or box!!
Click HERE To see this yummy recipe from Our Best Bites! 

 EMERGENCY PREPAREDNESS GOAL:

How are your car kits coming along?  Have you thought of how you would stay warm?  I made a #10 can heater to keep in my car.  It is VERY easy to put together and requires just some household ingredients.  CLICK HERE to see the instructions from Food Storage Made Easy!! Just a note, they use a hot cocoa can in the picture and that won't work for a heater as the can in not made out of metal.  You need a metal can like a #10 can.  For a more advanced heater check out their post HERE.  


FINANCIAL GOAL:

Did you put away a few extra dollars this week?  Keep your money in your 72-hour kits or another safe place.  Have your money in small bills only.  You don't want to have to pay for something with a $20 because you don't have a smaller bill, assume you won't be able to get change. 

Click HERE to view the complete list of goals for January.  You can get most of them accomplished by shopping at the case lot sales!! Grains, water, and 3-month supply items are all on sale!!!
 



Enjoy the journey!
Enjoy the blessings!
Feel the peace!

Earthquake Survival Night Re-Cap!!

Earthquake survival night was a success! Thank you to everyone who came and thank you to all who helped put this together. I tried to get some pictures of the information that was presented so those who were unable to attend could still benefit from the information that was presented.

Maralin Hoff was a wonderful presenter and was quite comical as well. I will highlight some of the things that I found interesting.


If you need more information click here to get to the bereadyutah.org website or click on the link on the right hand side of the blog.



Maralin had great ideas when it comes to preparing for the "big one", but I loved her little suggestions. In the picture she is holding a grocery cart and she explained that if you are in the store when an earthquake is happening that the cart is your friend. You can tuck your head underneath the cart or even tip it on the side and get your head covered that way. Always put a child or baby in first and then yourself.

She also went through car kits and how important it is to have one. If there is an earthquake it may take HOURS to get home. You will need water, food, shovel, flashlight, batteries, matches, etc. in your car. Don't forget to rotate your items as well. A great tip she shared is to wrap your water in one of the foil blankets and it will help to keep it from going bad as quickly. Maralin also suggested to buy a mylar insulated lunch box from the dollar store to keep your first aid items in. The mylar will help regulate the temperature and you won't loose your band aids or first aid ointment to the heat. The lunch box will also save your duct tape as well.

• Use the Hot/Cold bags found at the grocery store to grab food quickly out of the fridge/freezer in an evacuation.
• Put nylon grip liners on all your shelves to prevent things from sliding.
• Use sticky velcro on the back of pictures to keep them hanging straight in an earthquake.
• Use bungee cords on storage shelving to keep contents in tact.
• Place cardboard between mason jars to prevent breakage.
• Tie whistles to wheel chairs, strollers, anywhere someone may need one to call for help.

Make sure your water heater is secure using the proper metal fasteners.
This is probably my favorite idea from the whole presentation. Keep kitty litter in a 2-liter bottle to sprinkle in your portable potty. I have been debating on what to use for our portable potty and this is so much easier than all the chemicals. Maralin reminded us all to NEVER use kitty litter in ANY toilets. It will clog your plumbing like cement. Maralin gave portable potty's to all of her family for Christmas. Giving preparedness items as gifts is a great way to help family members get prepared.




The displays were so complete and a great visual on how much, and what to put in the different kits. The kit above is a 72-hour kit with all the goodies that go inside.


Another kit that you should have is a workplace kit. The chances of an earthquake happening while you are at work is very likely. Being prepared with first aid items and water and food will help you until you are able to get home.

***If you click on the photos they will pull up in another screen and they are a little bigger. That way you can see some of the smaller items on the boards.

I thought that this evening was so informative and it was so great to have so many of you come. I hope you were able to take away some great ideas. We will be having a block captain meeting in the near future to follow up on what still needs to be collected.

Gear Up For Winter Driving

"Gear up for winter driving" on page D6 of the Sunday Tribune. Just thought I would let you all know. It has a list of items to keep in your car. Get ready, the snow is coming.

Cold Weather Preparedness

As we head into winter weather, I thought that we should all take inventory of our winter necessities.


Living in Utah means living in cold weather territory and with that comes snow, ice, and sometimes power outages. We need to be prepared for many situations in our homes, cars, and even our workplace for an emergency situation. Think of how many hours of the day you are not home. I know that I run errands almost everyday and am gone from my home for several hours at a time. An emergency is not going to happen conveniently when we are all in our homes so I found some ideas to help us all be ready.

CARS~

• Everyone needs to have a car kit of some kind
• Click HERE to view a great list of items for a kit
• Keep water and granola bars if nothing else
• Keep an extra blanket in winter along with gloves
• Always travel with your coat and proper winter shoes
• (I personally have been stuck at the bottom of Hilltop Rd and had to walk with 3 little children in the snow and none of us were wearing snow shoes and I didn't have a coat. I never leave home without a coat now)
• Keep your car at least half filled with gas at all times. (No electricity means no gas pumps)

WORK PLACE~

• Have a kit like your car kit at your place of work
• Emergencies can happen anywhere, anytime

HOME~

• 72-HOUR KITS- We all must have them!
• Flashlights in every bedroom and have them accessible with batteries
• Keep your cell phone charged
• Have disposable plates, utensils, baby wipes on hand in case of a power outage
• Have menus/meals that are simple and require little cooking for a power outage-crackers, peanut butter, canned chili, soup, etc.
• Fire places cleaned out and usable. Have firewood available
• Dutch ovens cook wonderfully on a wood stove or in a fire place, know how to cook with one.
• Have a heat source: fireplace, kerosene heater, wood stove, generator, etc.
• Click HERE to learn how to cook in a fireplace.
• Click HERE to learn how to roast a chicken on a string.
• Click HERE to cook rotissere style in your fireplace.
• Click HERE to cook with a fireplace grill.
• Click HERE to review Dutch Oven cooking in your fireplace.

I read several accounts from families that were affected by the ice storms in the Midwest last winter and had no power for over a week. Their biggest advice was to be prepared with a generator, batteries, flashlights, candles and meals ready to eat. Many of them tried to go to the store only to find empty shelves. They had to rely on family to help them out. We need to figure out how to react in situations like this and be prepared before they happen.

If you are feeling adventurous plan out 2 weeks worth of easy meals with crackers, canned goods and simple to prepare items like soup or chili. Keep these items along with flashlights and batteries in a Rubbermaid container for power outage situations. Click HERE to view some ideas on meals that won't need to be cooked before eating.  To help plan even further, see how long you could go without using any electricity. It is amazing how much we depend on it. Especially for heating our homes!

Hopefully we will never have to go through a major power outage, but being prepared for one is all the more important as we head into winter. As you get out your winter coats, make sure everyone has coats, hats, gloves/mittens, scarves, long underwear, and boots that fit and are great at keeping them warm. This Christmas I am asking for sleeping bags (good ones) that would keep my family warm if we had no heat. 

For your next family home evening have everyone think of situations and emergency's and try to make a plan of how to get the family reunited. If the children were at school and mom and dad are at work, where and how would you all get back together? Being prepared temporally will allow us to grow spiritually.