Can Organizers

This looks like a great product.
http://canorganizer.com/index.php?p=home

Panic buying in Northeast

Mac Slavo has written an article about the panic buying going on in the Northeast right now, ahead of Hurricane Sandy's arrival.  I urge you to stock up on preparedness items now, so when a big disaster hits our area someday, you won't have to deal with these kinds of crowds.

http://www.shtfplan.com/headline-news/panic-buying-grips-the-east-coast-mad-rush-for-supplies-ahead-of-mega-storm_10292012

Great supplies to buy at the Dollar Store

Here is a great article written by Calamity Jane about emergency preparedness supplies you can buy for just a few dollars each.

http://www.calamityjanet.com/the-doomsday-five--dime.html

Advice for Hurricane Sandy

One of my favorite blogs, FoodStorageMadeEasy.net, has asked readers to share tips on how to prepare for Hurricane Sandy.  These are really great comments, please check it out!

https://www.facebook.com/foodstoragemadeeasy/posts/10151197704023666

Laundry and Dishwashing during a disaster

"Survival Mom" gives some good instructions about how to do your housework when you have no electricity or running water.

http://thesurvivalmom.com/2012/03/21/cleaning-house-teotwawki-style/

She gives a lot of advice about doing laundry during a disaster.

Here is part of the instruction:
Have at least two very large buckets (you can pick up some 20 gallon tubs at the big box store for just a few dollars), a Rapid Washer, a wash board, and wringer if possible.  If you don’t have the funds to purchase an actual clothes wringer, a mop bucket wringer will work as well.  You need something that will get as much water out as possible to help the clothes dry quicker. You will also need to have a clothes line outside or some sort of rack inside to hand the clothes out to dry.

She also tells about doing dishes:  

Washing dishes would be similar to washing your clothes. Fill one bucket or side of the sink about half full with very warm water and let the dishes soak a bit, wash, then rinse.  A bit of vinegar in your rinse water will cut down on soap suds for both clothes and dishes.


Please read the rest of her article.

Mom's Survival kit for the car

I watched a video of "the Survival Mom"  http://thesurvivalmom.com/ but the link to the video was bad so I can't give it to you.

Anyway, she talked about the categories of things for moms to always keep in your car.
She called them "the five S's":  Sanitation, Sustenance, Survival, Security, and Sanity.

She ran out of time on the video to talk about all of them, so I will just wing it from here on, with stuff I came up with in those categories.

(My ideas)

Sanitation:  
To wash hands- a clean sodapop bottle filled with water, some paper towels OR a package of WetWipes.

Do your kids get motion sickness?  Carry extra large paper cups with snap on lids. Extra clothing.

Potty problems:  extra underwear for your little kids,  diapers.

A way for your children to go to the bathroom.  Does your toddler need his potty seat?

Toilet paper (the Survival Mom showed some TP she had taken the cardboard tube out of, and then sealed inside a Vacuum Sealer bag for longer term storage.)

Sustenance:
Moms know that they need some food in the car for every day emergencies.

The hotter your climate, the shorter your food will last in a hot car.  She suggested only keeping things like hard candy.

Another option would be to have a small totebag of snacks that you carry in and out of the car each day in the hottest months.  This would keep the food safe longer.

Another option is to rotate the food quickly.  Only put in enough granola bars or juice boxes for the next few days.

Bring LOTS OF WATER.  She keeps a couple of sodapop bottles filled with water under the back seat. also a case of commercially bottled water.

Bringing water in the car with me has been one of the best habits I have ever had.  With 6 kids, I used the water to clean them up, to refill the radiator, and to drink.  It was a lifesaver.

Survival:
The only thing I heard Survival Mom say about this one was to keep good walking shoes and socks in the car for every family member.  She said if your car breaks down, you need to be able to walk.

I recommend having a flashlight, matches, flares, camping knife, cell phone charger, maps, and big pieces of paper and markers to write a message to passing cars.

Security:
If you don't have a concealed carry license, maybe you want some pepper spray, mace or bear spray (whichever one is legal in your state).  Even wasp/hornet spray that shoots 10 feet would work if you need to spray some attacker in the face.  I even saw a self defense show once that said to put your auto fire extinguisher up to the window and spray out the window into the attacker's face.  That little bit of knowledge makes a fire extinguisher even more useful.

But of course its better not to get yourself into a dangerous situation.  Keep your cell phone charged, learn how to change a tire, keep your car repaired.  Always let a loved one know where you are going and when you are going to be back.

Sanity:
For kids, you need something for them to do.
While driving:  Don't you just love those DVD players?
While stopped.  If your vehicle is in a traffic jam, or it is broken down, or if your errand requires you to sit in a waiting room for hours, keep toys, gadgets, books, snacks, etc. ready to go.  That will save your sanity as well as the children's.

October's Challenge was to practice your skills at the Ward Campout.

At our recent ward campout, what did you learn?   Did you realize that while you were camping you were using the same skills and supplies necessary for coping with a disaster?  For example, you cooked without electricity, slept without your normal bed, had no fridge or freezer, and lit your tent without electricity.

Now ask yourselves:  

Did you pack enough food for your family, and were you successful at preparing it outdoors?

Did you have enough lighting, did your tent protect you from bugs and from the weather, was your bedding adequate?

Did you have the right type of gear, or do you need to obtain something better?

We are all familiar with that statement “If ye are prepared, ye shall not fear.”  (Doctrine and Covenants 38:30).  But we must also bear in mind that this most powerful statement has an equally powerful but completely opposite meaning—“If ye are NOT prepared, ye SHALL fear.”

You might think camping is no fun, but when you look at it as a dry run for a disaster, you can practice your skills and test out your equipment, and know that each camping trip is making your family more prepared.

Cool Propane Oven

 Our ward campout was last night, and one of the greatest things I saw there was the C. family's propane oven.

It is a self-contained unit which attaches to a small propane bottle.  They baked a batch of chocolate chip cookies in it, and generously shared them.

What a great piece of equipment!

John C. baking chocolate chip cookies at the Ward Campout in a propane oven.
(Photo taken by Heidi C.)

An Emergency Kit to keep under your bed

Calamity Janet describes the kit she keeps under her bed, in case there is ever another earthquake or train wreck in her town.  This is really a great idea, and you could tweak her supply list to cope with disasters which are common in North Carolina, like ice storms, tornadoes, and hurricanes.

http://www.calamityjanet.com/oh-sht-kit.html