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At BuyEmergencyFoods.com, we pride ourselves on being the online leader for emergency food and survival gear. We figured that we should also share some of our “other” survival skills and educate the masses on the most important techniques for staying alive. We hope that you enjoy our interactive survival guide. Please feel free to let us know some of your special skills so that we can incorporate the best ones into subsequent survival guides.
Check out this awesome “InstructoGraphic” and learn how to make a fun to eat treat for your kids. These tasty gummy worms are made using simple ingredients that almost every home has and are sure to bring a smile to your kids’ faces. By adding a little jello to your food storage, it could provide a huge lift in spirits if your family was ever in a disaster situation. We hope that you enjoy!
Several years ago, I was on a business trip in Colorado. My co-workers had arranged for us to stay at someone’s home up in the mountains. The first night was great, but the next morning, a water line had frozen and burst somewhere nearby, and the water was completely shut off to the home. For 3 days! We would have moved to a hotel, but we kept hearing that it would probably be on again in an hour or two. HA! No. But we optimistically stayed the entire time.
There were 6 adults in the home. We bought maybe 50 water bottles the first day, but that didn’t even begin to solve the problem. The biggest problem was that we had no way to flush the toilet. To be honest, I can’t remember what we did about that. I think I’ve blocked it out completely. Of course, there were no showers. We ordered take-out or ate at a restaurant every night. We had to use bottled water for brushing our teeth, washing our hands, washing our faces, everything. The second day, we bought about 50 more water bottles to get us through. We couldn’t wash dishes after meals, so we bought paper plates and plastic utensils. It was extremely inconvenient, to say the least. We were miserable and uncomfortable in this beautiful mountain home. And did I mention that we were even gone all day? We were out working during business hours, and the only time we were even at the house was in the early morning and evening. And it was horrible.
So, you may say we were wimps, but I never want to go through that again. I don’t know what we would have done had we not been able to purchase bottles of water the first and second day, and order out for food, and buy paper plates, and leave the house for most of the day!
This wasn’t a big earthquake or a dramatic disaster. This was just a neighborhood with a water problem. It could happen to anyone at any time. True, if I could do it again, I would have immediately checked into a hotel. But what if it had been a real disaster? What if there were no grocery stores with tons of bottled water just waiting for me to buy it? What if the restaurants were closed? What if it had been longer than 3 days? What did we do about flushing the toilet?!
Water is one of the most important things you can store…if not THE most important. Please make sure you have enough, and then some. My next blog will be about water storage, but for now, please just go buy some bottled water and store it under your bed. And even better than that, go get a water filtration bottle for under $35 that will give you the ability to always get good, clean water for way less than the cost of bottled water.
By the way, the water did eventually come back on at the house. But unfortunately, it was during the day and everyone was gone. Why was it unfortunate, you say? It was unfortunate because one of the homeowners had accidentally left the bathroom faucet turned on (and I was glad it was a homeowner and not me!), and the main floor bathroom flooded and then collapsed the floor through the ceiling of the basement and then completely flooded the basement…where we were staying. So VERY unfortunately, my laptop was sitting on the floor in the basement, and was ruined beyond what the hairdryer could repair. But FORTUNATELY, my hard drive was saved. And VERY fortunately, the homeowners’ insurance bought me a brand new MacBook, which was way nicer than my old computer. So it all turned out okay for me. And the homeowners also found a huge rats’ nest that had been in the ceiling of the basement, so they got rid of that too. I guess everyone was happy eventually, but I will never forget that trip. And that is not a good thing. So go buy some water filters or water bottles. And incidentally, if your water goes out, make sure you leave your faucets turned off. Trust me.
4 to 5 times per week, I join the masses that go to the gym. I am the type that has to get it done in the morning or it just won’t happen that day. Some people work out to impress others and draw attention, but that typically seems to be the mentality of a younger crowd. In talking to my fellow “gym rats”, I find that most people work out to “not be fat” and because it makes them feel good. I personally work out so that I can eat more treats and because I don’t want to be diabetic, I gave up impressing my wife years ago.It has always fascinated me what people eat to get “big and strong”. A favorite food to mix in protein shakes and sandwiches (mostly peanut butter sandwiches) are bananas. A lot of people will eat bananas for a recovery or pre work out food. Why do they eat bananas?
So you might be asking, how does this apply to emergency food supply and why should I eat like a monkey during an emergency? During an emergency or time of food shortage, it is wise to have a wide range of food types available to you. Many newcomers to food storage are just buying complete entrees and calling it good. Several companies only offer these new entrees and while they are great starts, they don’t quite round out your food storage. These additional food items are necessary because they add can additional calories and necessary nutritional supplements to make sure that your body will be able to function properly. During an emergency, with its accompanying high stress and physical activity, additional foods will be needed and it is best to eat foods that serve the purpose of keeping one healthy during stressful times.So now we come back full circle to bananas. Bananas provide good vitamins and nutrients needed for tough circumstances. As an added bonus, freeze dried bananas really do taste incredible. My kids will eat them as snacks, which says something huge, since they are the most finicky eaters on this planet. It is important to start thinking about finding other items that will complement food storage meals so that you have great tasting foods that will last and provide you with all the necessary vitamins and minerals your body needs during a crisis. So eat like a monkey, or at least be prepared and understand why you should!
In prepping for different types of disasters that can come and potentially affect our families, house fires often get overlooked, even though they are the cause of thousands of deaths in our country every single year. Winter months tend to see a larger number of house fires, which can be attributed to more frequent use of fires, heaters, space heaters, and even lights for the Holiday season. Let’s cover some of the basics so that you can start getting your family ready in case of emergency.
Finally, make sure that fire alarms are working by testing them frequently. Have a fire extinguisher handy, especially in places like kitchens and furnace rooms, where fires typically start. It also helps to have a survival kit in an easy to reach location that could be grabbed on the way out of the home, especially in places that are common escape routes. A backpack with a few snacks, small blankets, flashlights, and first aid kit should suffice.Don’t get caught unaware. Fires happen, tens of thousands of people are injured every year by them, and several thousand people die. Take the time to put together a family emergency preparedness plan for as many situations as you can think of, including a fire plan. Nothing helps a parent sleep better than knowing that your family is ready in case of emergency.
The cost associated with establishing an adequate emergency food supply is a legitimate concern for many people, and in fact, the added cost actually defers some families altogether from ever buying extra food that can be stored in case of an emergency. Unfortunately, the cost of food seems to be going in one direction, and one direction only.There’s been a lot of talk over the last year or so about record high gas prices, and there’s been a broad (although fragmented) political focus to make changes and adopt activities designed to help lower consumer prices at the pump while relieving our dependence on foreign oil. While this battle carries on in the public eye there’s a different kind of crisis that has been getting much less attention from mainstream media, and the problem seems to be spreading exponentially in this country, and around the world.A recent report issued by the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development and the U.N. Food and Agriculture Organization warns that if you haven’t noticed the increase in food prices already, whether in the grocery stores of when you go out to eat, you will soon enough. Researchers predict that over the next ten years the cost of buying food will increase on average by 30%.As staple crops such as corn, rice and wheat have almost doubled in price over recent years major American brands and manufacturers have been forced to pass on their increased costs to consumers. Indeed, the first quarter of 2011 saw food prices in the US rise by roughly four percent.The impact of political instability and corruption, changing seasonal weather patterns, natural disasters and increasing energy costs are all to blame for the increased costs of production and distribution. No food commodity will likely be immune to the effects of such a broad scale shift in pricing, and the pressures of increased demand will no doubt complicate things further.Of course these kinds of price increases will touch every sector of food production, including products that are utilized for emergency food storage. Most people wouldn’t think the usefulness of having an emergency food supply would manifest itself because of spiraling costs, but that may very well be the case now. People may be eating their food storage because it may actually save them a little money.I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again. The price of food will never again be as low as it is today, and it’s a good idea for people to think about how they might be able to take advantage of this new reality.
Emergency Preparedness can take on several forms, and harsh winter weather is definitely something to get prepared for. It seems like every year we get word of huge winter storms that cancel flights, shut down entire airports, cancel NFL games (much to my chagrin), knock out power, and keep people inside their homes for extended periods of time. Since we know the possibility of a huge storm is very real, take some time and spend a few hours prepping your home before the emergency happens.We did our homework to find a comprehensive checklist of items to think about and check off before winter comes, so get to work!1. Check on your outdoor snow removal equipment and make sure you have everything you need, i.e. shovels, rock salt, snow blowers, sand, or whatever else you may use.2. Are you ready for a possible extended period of isolation in your home?
3. Do you have proper insulation in the walls and attics? How does the caulking and weather-stripping on your doors and windows look? For areas of historically more volatile winter storms, do you have working storm windows?4. Clean out rain gutters, repair leaks in the roof, and get rid of tree branches that could potentially fall onto your home during particularly bad storms.5. Are your fire extinguishers in good working order and ready to be deployed in case of emergency?6. Know where your water shut off is and how to use it in case a pipe freezes and bursts.7. If your house is older and you have any concerns, hire a contractor to look at the structural security of your roof and it’s ability to the handle weight of snow accumulation.8. Make sure that your furnace is ready for the increased use. Change the filter, or have someone come and do a quick winter tune-up.While this list may not be everything you need to do to winterize your home, it is a very good starting point and can help you to think through other things that would be necessary to get through a tough storm. If I have learned anything about emergency preparedness, it is that taking the time to prepare ahead of time for an emergency is not something that I have ever regretted. Take an hour on a Saturday morning and run through this list, it may be the best thing you do this winter.
That special time of year, when it’s commonplace to give gifts to friends and loved ones, is just around the corner. The holiday season is one of my favorite times of the year, and I have a small confession… I have already started drinking eggnog and listening to the Holiday music. And so, in thinking about this special season, what better way to share the holiday spirit than by looking for great emergency preparedness gifts and items to give away to friends, co-workers, and family.
Stocking Stuffers – Great Gifts under $30 For those who don’t have unlimited resources, we understand your position and can empathize. Here are some really cool items that won’t break the bank:
Small Gifts under the Tree – $30-$200 Not wanting to go for broke for a special someone but have a bit more cash to spend, enjoy some great emergency product ideas at affordable prices:
The Big Ones – $200 on up Have someone that you are ready to lavish with gifts, consider these emergency items for high rollers like yourself:
We hope that these ideas are useful to you, please share your thoughts on other great products that could be used for holiday gifts. The season to give is a great opportunity to help your family and friends prepare and enjoy a little more security. We hope that everyone has a wonderful holiday season!
While talking about the major natural disasters that have occurred during the last several years (Japan earthquake, Haiti earthquake, and hurricane Katrina, just to name a few), we thought it would be interesting to look through the history archives of the past 100 years and see which world disasters had the biggest impacts. The results were surprising, especially on the number of people influenced and the monetary damages that the incidents caused.The graphic below displays type of disaster with a brief description of the disaster, number of people injured, lives lost, and monetary damage caused. We hope that this chart will serve as a gentle reminder that we should be prepared at all times for what emergencies may come, not only to help ourselves but also help those that are affected by disaster.(Click image to view larger.)
To embed this infographic to your own site, simply copy an paste the following code:
<a href="/blog/top-10-worlds-worst-disasters/" ><img src="/blog/wp-content/uploads/2011/11/world-disasters-infographic1.jpg" title="Top 10 Disasters" /></a><p>Image provided by: <a href="/blog/top-10-worlds-worst-disasters/">BuyEmergencyFoods.com</a><p>
If you live in an area that is prone to severe winter weather, such as blizzards, ice storms and subzero temperatures, then devising ways to keep warm during extended power outages should be part of your emergency preparedness, along with stocking water, survival food, and other gear to be self sufficient.Before winter arrives, be sure your house is well insulated, and that all cracks around doors and windows have been sealed. Stock up on wood if you have a fireplace or wood stove, or pellets if you have a pellet stove. Consider purchasing space heaters and a good gas powered generator that can run some appliances. Be sure to store gasoline, but do not store it inside your living space. Place the generator outside in a sheltered area and run power cords into your home.Another option for alternative power is a power inverter. When attached to a 12 volt battery, like an extra car battery, it can power small space heaters and heating pads. They can also be powered by rechargeable batteries for endless supply. Power inverters are good options because they don’t use combustible fuel to run.Because you cannot be certain how long your power will be out, start the warming process in ways that do not consume fuel, such as layering your clothing, while your home still has some warmth. Wearing a wool hat and wool socks will help retain body heat, as heat loss occurs rapidly through the head and feet. As the house cools down, add gloves and thermal underwear.Confine yourself to one area of the house and use towels or other items to seal cracks at doors. If possible, choose interior rooms, as opposed to rooms with exterior walls, because these will lose heat at a slower rate. Stock these rooms with blankets, sleeping bags, food and water to minimize opening the doors and letting heat escape. Close curtains and blinds over windows to help further insulate the rooms.Options abound for space heaters. Electric heaters can be used with a generator or power inverter, and heaters fueled by propane work well if ventilated to outside the home. Kerosene heaters provide a lot of heat, and may even be too hot for some rooms. Your space heater should put out around 10,000 BTUs for a comfortable room temperature. Remember to stock extra fuel for heaters as part of your emergency preparedness supplies, but remember that any heat source that uses combustible fuel must be properly ventilated. Carbon monoxide, an invisible, odorless gas is a byproduct of combustion and is deadly within minutes. It is important to recognize the signs of poisoning, and a list of symptoms can be obtained from your local fire department. Other ways to keep warm include burning candles or oil lamps, using chemical hand warmers that produce heat for 8 to 12 hours, using mylar space blankets, and heating large rocks or bricks on an outdoor grill to bring inside. If you have to cook food, do so outdoors on a grill or on a camp stove. Don’t forget to add hot chocolate packets to your survival food storage. It is a high calorie food and a great morale booster.If you do lose power for an extended period of time, it is important to stay hydrated and to eat high calorie energy food. Your body will burn more calories and lose more water trying to stay warm. Winter emergency preparedness should include reviewing your plan with family members so that everyone is ready in the event of a power outage. You may be a little uncomfortable, but your goal is to survive until the power returns.-Gary Jenkins-Gary Jenkins is a father and husband living in Oregon who is a wildlife rehabilitation and outdoor adventure enthusiast.
