physical preparations

John Havener December 23rd, 2006


Preparing yourself and your family with both the skills and resources to deal with emergency needs is time consuming, costly and vital. The amount of stress and misery that can be alievated, and the help that can be rendered to others is most substantial, but getting prepared takes some real effort. One thing is for sure: you are unwise to count on the Federal Government or any other group to meet the needs that develop in a disaster situation…particularly if the event is widespread. Our country’s emergency management philosophy is based on the idea that local and regional resources are called on first, and if these groups need to be augmented, the Federal Gov’t swings into action after 72 hours to help. When possible some Federal resources are prepositioned near a probable impact area, then other people and resources are drawn in from across the country. Problem: if the disaster is huge or very widespread, this whole theory begins to break down or go into slow motion (consider Hurricane Katrina of 2005). The things you need may be very slow in coming or not get there at all. Draw the essentials together now, as you can afford to, and practice where a skill is required. For example, you can supplement your food resources with a garden, BUT gardening is a real skill and it takes a big, successful garden to make much of a contibution to a family’s food needs. So, whatever the skill is…start learning/ practicing now. And build up your physical resources… to have three days worth of sustenance is better than nothing. You could even eat light and share with one or two other families!

It is helpful to think about physical preparations in light of certain clusters of activities and resources that have some common themes/ requirements. Be sure to check out some of the links provided in this site. For example, The Red Cross has huge experience in emergency preparation and much that is very practical can be learned from them and others. Here are a few clusters for your consideration: Sustenance Cluster- safe, nutritious food and clean water, for both drinking and cooking. Please see the outstanding 11/21/08 post on Food Storage as an example of in depth preparation (look below) Also to be considered: practical clothes ( especially comfortable shoes) and temporary shelter.. Mobility Cluster- dependable means to change location including transportation, fuel, passports or other docs permitting movement, and preplanned places to go and reconnect with those you love. Continuity Cluster- includes ways to continue to educate the kids if the schools are closed or too dangerous to attend, ways of getting vital information, having some reserve cash to resupply with if ATMs/ credit cards are not available, and ways to entertain and encourage the family if TV / video games unavailable (remember reading? table games?), caring for the pets, etc. More to come…

On Food Storage The following information is from our journey in the world of preparation and food storage. We have a lot to learn and there are countless resources on the web to help someone who desires to prepare. Even elsewhere on this website, there is great information that may be more specific than where our current journey has taking us. I encourage you to read what we have learned, then dive in and let God lead you down the path He has for you.

First and foremost, get God out of your “box”. Start learning how to ask Him for exactly what you need for your life and especially how He would have you to prepare. This is the most important step in preparation. When hard times, by any definition, come upon us, everyone will be desperate for his REAL help and guidance for our lives and provision for our families. Learning how to stop and listen for His voice is a good start. God wants to be intimately involved in the small things as well as the big things. With God there is total peace because He really is the one in control. So let Him tell you what to do. He will specifically prompt you and open doors that will continually amaze you.

The following is an extremely simplistic way of approaching food storage:The four H’s of Food Storage:

Health: Health is the ultimate goal.

Heat: Heat is required for food preparation.

H20: Water is essential.

Hope: Have no fear. God is in control.

The Game Plan
Start with a plan, even if it changes. Try to avoid just packing away meaningless stuff. Two ideas that should always prevail are variety and quantity. Without a variety of foods, you may be living on a meal plan that has only a few choices. Think about what it takes to prepare a simple meal, or what ingredients are in your best “food storage” bread recipe. (Try a book called Cooking with Home Storage by Viki Tate) Stock up on everything you will need. Then focus on quantity. Begin to proportionally increase your storage, based on the variety you have chosen. The Latter Day Saints have a website that calculates what they believe is necessary. It is useful, but is also an eye-opener: http://lds.about.com/library/bl/faq/blcalculator.htm.

You may also want to pick a scenario you will prepare for. For example, begin with storage for a week, with intermittent electricity at your disposal. From that point you could potentially increase to living indefinitely on your own “off the grid”. For most, it would be physically and financially impossible to achieve complete sustainability, but then again, don’t place limits on God’s wisdom and His love for you.

Lastly, store some items that will make life easier. Sweets, spices, even Gatorade or instant sweet tea are inexpensive and could go a long way and prevent “food fatigue”, which is when you would rather not eat than eat the same bland meal over and over.

In the following sections, we will discuss, Dry/Bulk Foods, Canned Foods, Water, Heat, Domestic Supplies and Gardening and Canning.

Dry Bulk Foods
Hard and soft wheat whole grains: Any wheat is useable, but there is a big difference in types of bread wheat. Most breads are made with hard wheat as opposed to soft wheat. If unsure, err on the side of the hard wheat. Store according to the methods outlined below. Wheat may be ground in an electric mill, but it is a good idea to get a hand mill as well, just as a backup. A good brand hand mill is the Family Grain Mill. You can order the mill at: www.pleasanthillgrain.com/family_grain_mills.aspx. The hand mill also may come with a roller attachment to process Oats as described below.Oats: Oats provide good variety to any storage. Oats have good nutritional value and like rice, do not require a large amount of secondary ingredients to produce a meal. Oats will obviously provide a reliable source for breakfasts.

Rice: Rice is cheap and easy to cook. A large amount of rice will jump start a food storage program.

Beans/Lentils: Pick varieties that are in your most common recipes. Store in same manner as grains and rice. Beans can be ordered in up to 50 lb bags. Store in smaller portions for convenience.

Sugar: Sugar does not need to be vacuum or nitrogen sealed, only stored in buckets that are pest-proof. For further protection, store in the same manner as grains and rice.

Noodles: Noodles may be stored like sugar mentioned above.

Salt: Salt may be stored like sugar mentioned above. Get a box for less than a dollar. And prepare in such a way to never run out.

Spices: Garlic Salt, Pepper, anything that you would normally use. Store like sugar mentioned above.

Dry Milk: Dry milk is good for up to one year. Store as sugar mentioned above or order by the gallon can. But be sure to use it up, or put in on the list of items to renew. Look for a brand called “Morning Moo” it has been reported to be slightly sweeter than generic dry milk and supposedly easier to tolerate.

Powdered Cheese: Best to store in a factory sealed can (typically comes in a #10 can).

Baking Powder/Soda: Store like sugar mentioned above.

Two ways to store dry foods:

Order pre-sealed and packaged for food storage. Grains may come nitrogen packed in 6 gallon buckets. Other items may be purchased in sealed cans. Walton Foods is one of the most popular outlets for food storage items. But be warned, orders may take months to arrive. Order as early as possible and never underestimate the cost of shipping, which can be substantial. The link to Walton Foods is: www.waltonfeed.com Begin to research and ask around, often times there are bakeries, or groups that place orders in bulk and save on shipping. We have never actually ordered directly from Walton, it has always been through a bakery or community group.
Order foods in bulk, by the bag from your local health food store or Walton Feed. Package and seal using Mylar bags and oxygen absorbers and store in plastic buckets. The plastic buckets do not need to be completely sterile and can be used. I wouldn’t recommend any bucket that was used to store paint or anything toxic, but most bakeries will sell used buckets. Drywall mud buckets are useful and easy to clean. Plastic bins are also an option, but use a smaller size, as they can become very heavy.
The best information for processing your own dry items and detailed instructions may be found on www.youtube.com. Search “food storage Mylar” or any similar search and you will have your choice of several videos. We found the person who posted video under the name “delta69alfa” to be the most informative source. The Oxygen and humidity absorbers can be ordered from www.sorbentsystems.com , which seems to be the most economical source we have found. There not many websites and virtually ZERO retailers that have the items you need to package your own food. We recommend doing as much research as possible before you undertake this. It is a very simple process, but without having the right information, it can be aggravating, especially if you cannot be confident that your work is done correctly and that your food is secure.

Organizing Your Stored Items, Part I – Justine
Several months ago, I began storing items, using the Mormon 52 Week List as my basic information guide.
(I liked its orderliness and unwieldy plan, because I did not know where to even begin such a huge task.)
It did not take me long to recognize 2 basic problems:
1. It looked like I would need a barn to store all the “stuff” in.
2. I needed a workable, simple PLAN to find what I had stored!!!!!!!
The barn was just not doable…so I had to work out an alternative.
This is the point where every person with whom I have ever discussed storing has said…”Oh, I could not do that…I don’t have enough room.” It DOES take a different mindset, but you do have lots more room in your house than you think or need.
PLEASE think through how you are going to do this before you start, and you will not be overwhelmed by week after week of storing items coming in to the house with your regular groceries. If you don’t plan, I guarantee you will just begin to put them with your regular pantry items and within a month will be looking for help…so will start putting stuff anywhere it will fit and, yikes, what do you have and where is it will be your lament! I just found my peaches and pears this week behind my gift wrap!
Here is what I did for increasing my household storing space – for stored items I would really care if varmints of any size got at or into:
I measured all of my closets and found on both ends on the floor that I had dead space that would just perfectly accommodate a 4 shelf bookcase…found at Target for around $20. each -sturdy, painted wire. This was basic. Note, I am not advertising for Target…but if you watch they will have these units on sale several times a year – esp. around “off to clg” time for the small ones…then within 2-3 weeks will have the large ones on sale.
Second Note, this dead space may be hard to get to – so, for mine, I bought 3 baskets packs with green handles at WalMart for $6. and filled them with items that fell off the shelves or couldn’t be easily reached…the baskets were just right.
Then I noticed that my AC/heater closet would hold a 6 foot high shelving unit – bought a plastic one which I could install IN the closet (Lowe’s, Home Depot, Target) – BUT soon found out it needed dowels in the middle of each shelf for bracing against the weight of each shelf’s contents – canned goods.
I looked at the contents of my closet shelves and decided to store more bedding and unused “stuff” in our unheated/unair-conditioned attic. This is not stuff that will be harmed by that environment – used roach stuff and cedar to fend off varmints…used covered plastic containers with clips on the ends to keep them from slipping open.
I looked under the beds and found lots of space there for things not able to go into the attic, but not needed in the closets. I use covered containers there.
All of my closets could accommodate one more shelf at the top. None of what I stored used all the space to the ceiling…so, most home building supply stores have that type of shelving – use the same spacing for the clips as the shelves below it and you should hit the same wood as the other shelves for your screws.
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AND,finally, I bought a large, heavy duty, metal shelving unit for our shed…about $80.at Target, on sale. There are a lot of things I can store there, such as detergent, fabric softener, dish detergent, cleaning supplies, and more.
Next part, I will explain my plan for knowing what items you bought, where it is stored, how many you bought and what each item’s expiration date is.
Happy planning!
Organizing Your Stored Items – Part 2- Justine
I began to purchase items using the Mormon 52 Week List…BUT, because I was compressing time and purchasing all over the List things got crazy quickly – where did I put the last items like these, have I purchased many of these items yet, where should I put these new purchases?
First, I stored in my existing pantry, then stacked stuff on the floor, anywhere I had floor space, FINALLY I bought shelving for the closets…please see Part 1.
Once the closets and other storage places were in place, I used 3×5 cards for items and amounts and location- those cards became another nightmare - cards lost, misfiled, dropped while using…thus evolved THE BOOK!
I had a hard-bound, 5×8″, “CASH” book which is set up as a ledger – perfect for my needs.
This book is a HUGE blessing, especially since I would rather use my memory for other things, and because other members of the family can use the book and find stored items without needing me.
I counted off 2 pages for each division(actually 4 sides)…first cover page to be a Master List of Locations, then each letter of the alphabet. (Use 3 pages for B,C, M and T – more later).
My Master List of Locations looks like this: ( what’s really located there examples in parenthesis – my partial list)
AT Attic (toilet paper, paper towels, bedding, off season clothes, decorations)
AC AC Closet (canned everything – meats, popcorn, veggies, beef stew,tins -chicken, corned bf)
CC C’s Closet (all med related items, coffee,salt,sugar,toiletries)
JC J’s Closet (cnd milk, dry milk,coffee mate, ziploc bags, all food wraps)
JBC J’s Bath Closet
JUB J-Under Bed (odd bath items – ace bandages, travel items, precious hand work,guest sheets)
OC Office Closet (lard, cnd pet meat, batteries, hand soap,candles)
S Shed (laundry and dish detergent, fabric softener, bleach, fabric aids, pest sprays, etc)
USK Under Sink-Kitchen
OS Over Stove (salt, unopened spices)
P Pantry (along with regular foodstuffs – beans, pasta, oddball condiments, puddings)
Use a pen or pencil for entries – BUT – use a pencil for amounts/numbers – you will add to and remove items over time. RULE FOR EVERYONE – CORRECT THE BOOK IF YOU REMOVE AN ITEM FROM STORAGE- and add it to the grocery list for replenishing.
Enter items alphabetically using the most important word to identify the item ..i.e., on the B page I entered “OC(location) – Batteries – with a separate line for each size and use a column for the number purchased/stored…the date of expiration. Ex. B page. Batteries item – C size – pkgs of 8 amount – 6 pkgs – 2016 exp date.
Date of expiration is a MUST – you will be crushed to find cans that have swollen that you should have used – very wasteful, too. When purchasing, watch for the longest exp dates – some will be short by pkging method -ex. coffee – cans store longer, so are best. Date spice using a magic marker on the bottom of spice container- when you first open it.
Where you actually store items is up to you. The above master list is a sample, and incomplete.
I store my most often used items closest to the kitchen – canned goods – I use them and replenish them frequently.
I also, found the over-the-door shoe bags(clear, if possible – WalMart) perfect for the ones or 2′s odd ball items, like steak sauces, conc. lemon juice, tapioca, mustard, etc. It fits on the back of my pantry door, and bathroom closet and doors.
The reason I told you to leave extra pages for B,C,M,T is because I grouped items that take up a lot of space, i.e. Toiletries on the T page, Bean types on the B page, Condiments on the C page, and Meds & Related items on the M page(with a note on T and M pages to cross-check for an item).
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I do watch for sales…I do use coupons… and I initially bought 3 or 4x my normal purchase. This is expensive to start, because I did not want to wait 52 weeks to do the whole sequence…but now that I have a good grasp of the process, I can add or plug in to the list as the market allows. I do try to at least buy double items like over the counter meds…esp with coupons when they are on sale!
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I have a small garden. Have bought seeds in advance of the season at my local feed and farm supply store. I plan to do even more intense gardening this season…and hope to can veggies and relishes(for gifting). I don’t have freezer space and am suspicious of energy supplies in the future.
Systematic accumulation of necessities- the “Mormon 52 Week Plan”

MORMON 52 WEEK LIST— May start with Week 1, start anywhere, or start at the
week for the date when you receive this list.
Week 1: Buy nuts (2 lbs/person). Buy them on sale after Christmas. Drug stores are often a good source. Dry roasted keep best. Freeze bagged ones.

Week 2: Buy detergents, bleaches, cleansers. Bleach-1 gl/person…laundry soap-20 lbs /person’

Wk 3: Medicine Chest: Feminine products, Pepto Bismol, cough syrup, Tylenol, Calamine Lotion, Kaopectate, Ipecac, sunscreen, bug spray, etc. Dispose of all outdated meds

4: Canned Meats: tuna, Spam, dried beef

5: First Aid Supplies: Bandaids, antibiotic ointment, Cortaid, ace bandages, sterile strips,

6. Peanut butter: 10 lbs/person

8. Solid vegetable shortening- 12 lbs/person

9. Juices: avoid watered products…get 100% juice.

10. Toiletries: Toothpaste, floss, mouthwash, razors, shaving cream

11. Mixes: cake, pancake, muffin, etc. Need annual total of 300 lbs of grain products/person. Purchase or make your own. Counts for part of grain requirement.

12. Spices and herbs: look for bargains at health and ethnic food stores.

13. Rice: buy 10, 15, or 20 lbs…counts toward grain total.

14. More first aid: gauze patches, swabs, cotton balls, tape, etc.

15. Pasta: select a variety…counts toward grain total.

16. Dry milk: 100 lbs/person/year.

17. Sewing kit: thread, pins, needles, buttons, snaps, zippers, tape measure, scissors –consider your family’s needs.

18. Flour: 50 lbs/person? Counts toward grain requirement.

19.Dry or canned soup.

20.Gelatin or pudding mixes.

21. Garden seeds: Buy locally, or mail order…only what you will eat, preserve or can.

22. More flour: 50 lbs/person…counts toward grain requirement.

23. Cord, twine, or light rope…flashlights and batteries.

24. Cheese: grate and freeze for casseroles and soups.

25. Paper towels, aluminum foil, garbage and freezer bags, etc.

26. Vinegar: if you make pickles – have several gallons on hand.

27.Condiments: Mustard, mayo, relish, Worcestershire, etc

28. Jams and jellies: buy what you will not make.

29. Canned goods: vegs-150 lbs/person, fruits- 80 quarts/person

30. Canned milk: 100 lbs/person/year.

31. Back to school and office supplies.

32. Baking pwdr, cornstarch-2 lbs/person…baking soda- 3 lbs/person.

33. Tomatoes: juice, sauce, whole, paste-buy or make – counts as part of vegs.

34. Canned fruit: 80qts/ person. Buy it or can it.

35.More canned fruits and vegs: vegs-150 lbs/person, fruits-80qts/person.

36.Sugar-extra- 100 lbs/person total…buy an extra 25 lbs.

37.Vegetables: can or freeze from garden, purchase fresh, or buy more canned.

38. Dried beans, peas: 100 lbs/person.

39. Sweeteners: honey, molasses, etc – counts toward sugar.

40. Iodized salt: 10 or more containers…for canning, get canning salt.

41. Personal Products: soap, deod, toilet paper, shampoo, etc. Hand soap-15/person. Toilet paper-one roll/week/person.

42. Canned soup: counts toward vegs.

43. Can something with apples.

44. Hard candy: also good addition to your 72 hour emergency kit.

45.Vitamins: 365 vitamins/person. Get extra C and Calcium

46.Baking items: cocoa, coconut, nuts, choc chips, etc.

47. Rolled oats, corn meal, cream of wheat – counts as grains.

48. Sugars: brown, white, powdered – counts twrd 100lbs/person total.

49. Vegetable and olive oils: 12 lbs/person. Get good quality.

50. Candles and matches: keep in sturdy, fireproof box, readily handy in the dark.

51. Popcorn: Purchase large bags – counts toward grains.

52. Merry Christmas! Give yourself a great gift – SECURITY.

3 Responses to “physical preparations”

  1. # ericaon 21 Aug 2007 at 7:16 am

    Thanks for the helpful info!
    I had not thought of a continuity cluster as part of our preparations. And you’re right about gardening being a real skill to develop. There is a way to have a sustainable garden for a family, even when you have very little or no yard. Check out http://www.squarefootgardening.com. It’s a wonderful resource.

  2. # ginaon 25 Oct 2009 at 12:57 am

    Do not eat Oreos or shellfish. Jesus will be opposed. Bless you for your helpful ideas. Our five-year old twins LOVE your site! Do not eat Trans Fats, either.

  3. # Niels Pripon 24 Nov 2009 at 1:15 pm

    John,

    Very helpful info -thanks.

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