You can't take ALL of that WITH you!

You know, I was looking through my Disaster prep stuff, which I keep in a loft area right by the front door, and rethinking my trunk space.  I've taken to leaving my trunk as empty as possible because I have a lot to put in there! 

I've redoubled my efforts to make sure we are able to evacuate with everything we need, but not be so bogged down we can't take the important things and light out for a safe zone.

Its easier to think that you'll just buy one of those First Aid Backpacks, a tent and those Survival Food Buckets with pre-done entrees and 2 containers of water and that's okay. 

But you can't take ALL that WITH you if you have to evacuate by car or on foot.  Have you ever read what is actually in those buckets?  I have.  They include a bunch of things that my family isn't going to eat! Some of those items can be re-heated, but others have to be re-hydrated, which will cut into your water supply.

There is a finite amount of space in the trunk of your car.  If you're like most people, you always have a bunch of stuff in your trunk.  You may want to think of cleaning it out, before you end up having to toss stuff out without sorting it in case of an emergency.  Everything you haul increases the weight of your car and will affect your gas mileage.  We have recommendations in the book series that will help you break down your needs and what you should carry regularly in the car, to your job, that your family should take to work and school so that you are all prepared in case of an emergency. 

We tell you how to work with the interior of your car, once you load in your family. You can continue the way you are, but make sure whatever you plan, it will fit a shelter-in-place scenario, evacuate by car scenario AND an evacuate on foot scenario.  My system helps prepare you for all of those occurrences and at the same time, declutter and clean your home so you can become more organized.

Get your copies of Disaster Prepping for Procrastinators on Amazon now.  Make sure you get the Forms Book and your choice of the Shopping List Books, they come with Scriptural references and without.  Click the link below to start ordering!

Disaster Prepping for Procrastinators Series

More questions about dehydrating food?

If you have further questions about dehydrating food using a Dehydrating Machine, this is a very good website that will give you more in-depth information on the process, temperature settings, types of food to dehydrate, etc. You don’t know until you try!

Tips on Dehydrating food with a Dehydration Machine, link below:

https://www.rei.com/blog/hike/how-to-dehydrate-food

Freeze Dry at home now!

Well, it seems everyday that more signs are being given to us to prepare for a disaster. You need food, water, clothing, shelter and a way to make money to take care of your bills.

Lets tackle the food thing today. This is the month you need to stock up on canned goods. JUST canned goods that you actually EAT. 

Better than that, how about Freeze Drying some CHEAP frozen vegetables and fruit NOW,, so you KNOW you’ll have enough on hand to feed yourself and your family in case of an emergency?

Freeze dried food can last on your shelf for decades, if done correctly. So get a dehydrator, buy frozen food, and put it in there! Keep notes about how long it takes to do each vegetable, meat or fruit. Get the Mylar bags and oxygen absorbers from Amazon and find a cool place to store your food. Preferably the basement where temperature swings are uncommon. Store the bags in sealed mason jars to keep out pests.

Prepare for pennies now, so you don’t have to pay through the nose in an emergency.

How the recent Furlough imitated a Natural Disaster

There were some warnings that a Furlough was on the way, even though many people denied things would go that far for so long.  Most Natural Disasters hit without much warning.  Do you think that the 30 Day plus Furlough wasn't as devastating as a Natural Disaster to the workers, Agencies and supporting businesses as a Natural Disaster may have been?  They have many parallels.

Natural Disasters cause major disruptions in the lives of those who live wherever they strike.  Workplaces are often highly affected by Natural Disasters.  When Businesses are damaged or shuttered, then workers aren't paid, which affects how they eat, pay their bills and their shelter. 

It's January, and if you began to work your way through Disaster Prepping for Procrastinators this past Fall, you would have accomplished several things that may have helped slightly with the Furlough.  For one, you'd have 4 to 5 months of Food, water, and other survival items stored by now.  They would be things that were nearing their rotation date!  They would be items that your family normally ate.  And they would keep you from having to spend a great deal of your very limited income on food purchases.  Having to only buy fresh fruit, vegetables and bread would certainly help in the short term.

You would have your Important Papers gathered by now, which really help when it comes to seeing where your money is going each month if there is something you can cut back on or something that could be sold that you've hesitated about selling. With the threat of another shutdown, what can you do to help yourself and your family with the back pay that you will receive?  First, put the bulk of every dime you can into savings.  Of course secondly, you should catch up your bills.  I say do the bills second because if not, almost all of your back pay will go towards catching up your bills and there won't be anything left over for savings, or to use as a hedge in case the next shutdown comes on the 15th of February as expected.

 Contact creditors and see if they will look at your circumstances and not put late payments on your credit.  If it isn't possible to sway them, then include a statement in your credit file.  It will help when you apply for credit, and also jog your own memory as to why things were late.  See if there is a way to skip a payment, or put another payment at the end of a term, like with your Mortgage or Auto notes.  Put that money into savings.

You would also be wise to stockpile some food, water and anything you ran short on during the shutdown.  You should look at this situation as a warning, and see what you can learn from it that may help you if it happens again. 

While you have a viable job now, think about taking out a Home Equity Line of Credit to help you over the hump if this happens again.  You would only take out what you needed to tide you over if no money is coming in, then when you receive back pay, pay that money back immediately. Also, it may help to start working that 'Side Gig' you have always dreamed about.  It may not bring in your full salary, but might keep you afloat and not totally behind. 

If the chance of this happening again is too much to take, if you are near retirement age, you should consider all of your options. 

Sometimes it is best to get the money while you can and save it, purchasing things and planning for shortfalls before they occur.  It is estimated that many programs that are relied upon for retirement might well be insolvent in coming years, so plan wisely. 

Treat the Furlough as a Natural Disaster and look down the road to anything that might make your ability to earn money and pay your bills stutter or stop and start.  Don't wait for that rainy day to come suddenly, it is starting to rain more frequently, and without warning.  Don't procrastinate, look ahead and make a plan.

You can find our entire series of books on Disaster Prepping for Procrastinators on its own Amazon.com page at the following link:  Disaster Prepping for Procrastinators Page

Are you listening yet?

I just saw the Ready.gov commercial about Disaster Preparation on TV.  It touches on all of the high points in a stark enough way to make you think, 'What do I have ready to help me and my family recover if there is an unforeseen disaster in our lives?'  Worse still, if the business you work at is damaged, how will you manage until it comes back online?  What if it never recovers from the disaster that comes?  Ready.gov has an excellent amount of videos that business owners and workers can refer to that will assist them in Disaster Recovery.  Don't wait until its too late to make a plan.

https://youtu.be/2U0EFYKGn50

Recent California Fires and Mudslides to come

In the Face of Disaster, Architects Are Redesigning Their Role

The recent Camp Fire Disaster in California has been simply devastating to watch unfold.  Reports of people able to flee with only the clothes on their backs have really hammered home the need for a better warning system in Fire Emergencies.  Please donate to local charities to help those affected and grieving over lost and missing loved ones.  If you are looking for family members, please be patient with local services, they were not prepared for devastation on this scale and have never faced a situation such as this.  They are learning on the job how to best help those in their care.

After writing "Disaster Prepping for Procrastinators", it makes me very sad to see people now living in campsites without adequate supplies to see them through until new housing arrangements are made.  Many of them have lost everything, not able to take as much as a family picture with them.

The time to prepare for an Emergency is before it happens.  These fires are now almost a weekly occurrence in California, which is suffering from a prolonged drought of over 7 years.

I would encourage those in California not to take it for granted that in case of a fire you will have enough time to gather ANYTHING to evacuate.  Please keep your vehicle stocked with the items we have set out in months 1-3, so you have food, water, clothing, medical supplies, important papers and family keepsakes already in your car.  That way, you only have to gather your family and flee.

Please also make a list of people you need to contact to say you are safe.  If you have to wonder if loved ones who are Seniors or Differently Abled will be safe if fires were to reach them, err on the side of caution and pick them up for a few days until you can see if containment measures are working.

Keep an eye on the television, have your local radio station on and every half an hour, go take a look outside.  You don't have to wait to feel the heat and see the flames within a mile, to evacuate.  Fire moves unbelievably fast through dry brush and the fuel of homes and their belongings makes it move even faster.

We have the main book available in Black and White, after Seniors asked for a lower cost version.  Please get motivated to put your house in order, gather your important papers, and prepare for Disaster while your home and life are intact.

I've already have had a customer ask me, "Why don't you just sell me what I need?"  Sigh.  I can do that, but the whole premise of 'Disaster Prepping for Procrastinators' is to stop ourselves from procrastinating when preparing for disaster.  There are a ton of different options available online for anything from a 1-day Survival Backpack or 72 Hour Bucket, to full-scale Armageddon preparation available.

However, NONE of those prepping ideas will help you clean and prepare your house to store your Emergency Supplies.  None of them will change your tendency to put important tasks off until tomorrow, rather than tackle things today.

Its important for ALL of us to prepare for disaster.  You will make your life go smoother if you have copies of important papers in one spot so you can contact the bank, insurance companies, and loved ones if your phone is lost or damaged.

Family pictures, heirlooms, and children's keepsakes may not seem a necessity for saving in case of an evacuation order, but having grown up in the military, to children, they are important.  They help you feel grounded, safe and important. 

Each time we rotated to a new base, our keepsakes gained from the new place we lived were by and large tossed out.  We grew into adults without any underpinning of the past.  We didn't have past treasures we could hold and look upon to remember good times, accomplishments and hopes we had penned for our future.  Don't let your procrastination and apathy rob your children of the underpinning hopes of memories and treasured keepsakes.