When Disaster Strikes- Ensign Jan. 1982

When I find good talks about Emergency Preparedness in the Ensign I am going to share them here.

Marvin K. Gardner, “When Disaster Strikes: Latter-day Saints Talk about Preparedness,” Ensign, Jan 1982, 67

http://www.lds.org/ldsorg/v/index.jsp?hideNav=1&locale=0&sourceId=c07eaeca0ea6b010VgnVCM1000004d82620a____&vgnextoid=2354fccf2b7db010VgnVCM1000004d82620aRCRD

Paul and Jean Kreiner of Sylmar, California, were glad they had a year’s supply when the earthquake hit. While others were standing in line for two or three hours every day to buy food and necessities, “I didn’t go to a store for a month,” Jean says.

Their biggest problem was water shortage—all their water containers broke in the earthquake. (They’ve since discovered that cans and bottles packed in cardboard boxes with cardboard dividers suffer little damage if not stacked too high.) “I was really glad for all the plastic utensils and paper cups and plates we had on hand because most of our dishes were broken and we didn’t want to waste water washing the ones that were left.”

The Kreiners learned other storage tips from the earthquake: (1) Store supplies in various locations in the house so if one part is damaged you still have something left. (2) Have some food available that doesn’t have to be cooked, and a variety of other foods—dehydrated, frozen, and canned. (3) Keep on hand a supply of medicines your family uses regularly, and some consecrated oil. If you wear glasses, have a spare pair, well-packed to prevent breakage.

Here are some more good tips from the article:

But what if you have faithfully stored a year’s supply and it’s washed away in a flood or carried away by a tornado or burned up in a fire?

“I found that the mental security of having a year’s food and fuel supply was even more important than the physical security,” says Ruth V. Tingey of Lincoln, Massachusetts. “If our year’s supply had been destroyed, then, having been prepared and having helped others to have their supply of food, I would have felt free to ask for their support, and they would have given it without bitterness. When the Lord promises that if we are prepared we shall not fear (see D&C 38:30), I think he means regardless.”

LDS families feel that by following the counsel to be prepared they are witnessing to the Lord that they are obedient and that they have faith in his promises. And many, unable to use their own storage, still receive the benefits of a year’s supply—that of friends and family who come to their rescue.

The experience of the Teton flood impressed many Saints with the need to have something in addition to a year’s supply: a portable emergency supply that’s ready to be thrown into the car at a moment’s notice. It should contain enough water, clothing, equipment, and ready-to-eat food for the family to survive on for seventy-two hours. Cash and important documents should also be handy. (See lists in Essentials of Home Production and Storage, pp. 7, 11.)

The car should always be in good repair and the tank at least half-filled with gas. And it’s a good idea to have an evacuation plan already decided upon as a family so you’ll know where to meet if family members are away from home when asked to evacuate.