Being Prepared is an Important Part of Self Reliance

Great tips on homesteading, frugal living, and self reliance.
	Being Prepared in the Face of Disaster Being prepared is a crucial element of not only self reliance, but pure survival. Hurricane Katrina should have been a wake up call for every single American. Our government is simply not equipped to take care of us in the wake of a disaster, and as far as I’m concerned, they shouldn’t be. That’s our job. Hurricanes, earthquakes, or what’s more likely in our neck of the woods – ice storms – could leave you without power for days, sometimes even weeks. If you live in the country, your well won’t run without power so no power means no water. And those are just the natural disasters. Then there are potential man-made disasters as well. Rioting, terrorist attacks and the most frightening of all – a possible economic collapse. So How Can You Prepare? It is absolutely essential that you have sufficient water, food, medicine and personal items such as toilet paper, diapers and feminine hygiene products on hand to last you for three weeks at the very least and preferably longer. Ideally, you should have enough of these items on hand to last you for at least three months. So, Should You Go Out and Buy Everything At Once? If disaster struck tomorrow, you’d certainly be glad you did, but let’s face it; few can afford it. Instead, make it your goal to collect at least a few of these items each month. Always buy more than you need. Rotate what you have so that the older items are at the front of your shelf where you’ll use them first, and the newer things are at the back. What Should You Get First? The average human can live without food for up to three weeks. But if we go without water for three days we will die. So obviously the first items you must invest in are quality containers that will hold sufficient drinking water to last you and your family members for up to two weeks. At the very minimum, you should store one gallon per person per day or 14 gallons per family member. For our family of five, being prepared means we should always have 70 gallons of water on hand. What Next? Once you have sufficient water stored, you should next start storing food. Start with bulk grains first and then move on to gathering other types of food. It seems silly to say it, but be sure to store the type of food you are used to eating. For example, if you buy a 50 pound sack of wheat, then be sure to find lots of whole grain recipes and start eating them now. That way, your family will be used to them if a disaster strikes. Even after you buy that 50 pound sack, continue to buy wheat and other food on a regular basis and rotate, rotate, rotate. An important part of being prepared is having food on hand that isn't stale. Fuels, Batteries and Candles Once you have sufficient water and food on hand, you should start laying in a supply of fuel items, such as kerosene, gasoline, batteries and candles. All of these things will be crucial in being prepared should the power go out. Personal Items Keep at least a three month supply of toilet paper, diapers, feminine products, soap and other personal items on hand as well. It's an important part of being prepared. You never know when you will be unable to reach a grocery store, either because of financial reasons, inclement weather, or other disaster. Other Preparedness Links Build Your Own Emergency Supply Kit Dealing With an Unwanted Houseguest in an Emergency Fast Emergency Preparation A Delicious, Wholesome Soup Recipe Using Cooked Wheat Berries Learn to Cook Wheat Berries for a Variety of Dishes Methods for Storing Bulk Grain Tips on buying bulk grains Tips on Storing Water Return to the Home Page	Subscribe to my free ezine! Successful Homesteading is a bi-weekly e-zine covering everything about self-reliance and the healthy, frugal life. Imagine! Great tips on organic gardening, self reliance, frugal living and frugal recipes on a regular basis and sent straight to your ebox! Click here to subscribe.
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