Sunday, February 15, 2015

Some More Ideas

Sorry that it has been so long since I added to this blog. Life happens. I'll do better.

I have been thinking about things that can be included in emergency preparedness, things that may not be as obvious. We all know about food, 72 hour kits, first aid kits, emergency cash, etc. What are some things that often get over-looked? Here is what I have come up with (and by no means is it a complete list). Some are for your 72 hour kits, some for your year supply, some can be for either.

1. Extra garments (for those endowed). I would suggest going to the distribution center and buy a couple sets to be packed with your 72 hour kit. Keep them in the plastic.

2. Batteries. Have non-rechargeable batteries (you may not have the power to recharge the rechargeable ones) of a variety of sizes. Definitely keep some AA and AAA. Take a quick inventory of what batteries you would need in an emergency, and store them somewhere dry. You can buy the ones that can be stored for up to 8 or 10 years now.

3. Toiletries. In your year supply, do you have toothpaste? Soap? Deodorant? Toothbrushes? Tampons? While they may not be on the top of your priority list, it never hurts to plan to be a bit comfortable. The nice thing is many of these products have a good long shelf life.

4. Phone numbers. I mentioned it before, but it bears repeating. Have a list of emergency phone numbers handy with your 72 hour kit. This includes police, neighbours, family, home teachers, friends, your bishop. Have these numbers on a piece of paper in addition to in your phone. You can't guarantee that your phone will be charged or on your person in an emergency, but likely you will find a phone somewhere that you can use.

5. Kids stuff. You don't need a whole toy chest full of stuff, but you may want to throw together a small kit with some simple games, toys, and story books. Things to prevent your little ones from becoming totally bored. I would not recommend their favourite toys (they want to play with those), but some small things like a ball or two, some simple card games (Old Maid, Go Fish, etc), a couple toy cars or little dolls.

6. Pet food. If you have any four-legged members of the family, don't forget about them. Have a supply of their food as well as your own.

Sunday, March 9, 2014

Cooking Without Power

This was printed in today's ward bulletin. I'll add something after.

"Disruption of gas and/or electrical power means that most stoves will be out of commission. The most common alternative is a propane BBQ. Ensure that you have a second bottle of propane safely stored for backup. Or store wood, especially if you have a wood burning fireplace. You can cook with a Dutch oven in your fireplace, or with briquettes outside. NEVER BURN BRIQUETTES INSIDE. Attend a lesson on Dutch oven cooking. There are other fuel sources that can be stored safely (e.g. wet fire fuel), but realistically a BBQ and a Dutch oven will get you through."

On the warning of briquette use indoors, this is largely due to the amount of carbon monoxide that they can produce. For more information, check out the following link: http://www.ehow.com/info_8122802_dangers-charcoal-briquettes.html

For some Dutch oven recipes, check out Dutch Oven Dude. Lots of good stuff there. Feel free to leave some of your own in the comments.

Monday, February 17, 2014

72 Hour Kit Part 2

Time for Part 2 of what to include in your 72 hour kits.


  • Enough food for each person in your household for 72 hours. Naturally this is food that is non-perishable. While eating gourmet meals is not the goal, neither is a box of granola bars per person. Also, if you have a baby or two in the family, make sure that you have sufficient formula mix for them
  • A manual can opener. Having canned food means nothing if you can't get into it
  • Water. Each person should have 2 L of water per day, or 6 L of water total. This will easily become the heaviest part in your kit, so if you have more than one kit, spread the water around in smaller bottles.
  • Emergency contact numbers. You may think that your cell phone will be enough for all emergency numbers, but do not count on that being your only source for those numbers. A small pad of paper with emergency numbers on it will be perfect if something happens to your phone. Keeping the pad in a Ziploc bag is a cheap and easy way to water proof it
  • A whistle to get people's attention
  •  An extra set of keys for your house and at least one vehicle
  • An emergency reflective blanket
As always, keep your kits in an easy to reach part of your home and make sure that all members of the household know how to access it. For the food and water, make sure you go through and rotate each item. I would suggest that each 6 months take half of what you have in your kits and use them, replacing them with fresh food and water. If you get in the habit of this, you won't find the food has spoiled when you need it the most.



Sunday, January 26, 2014

What to include in your 72 hour kits

Aside from the usual food and drinking water needed for each member of your household for the 72 hour period, here are some things that come highly recommended:


  • first aid kit/supplies 
  • medicine as required, ranging from headache and cold medication for general use to specifics such as insulin for diabetics
  • a change of clothing for each person
  • cold weather clothes such as hats, mittens, woolen socks, etc.
  • matches (waterproof is best)
  • some cash (at least $100,. best to have it in small bills. Travelers checks are good too)
  • Flashlight (if it is one that requires batteries, include extra batteries as well
There are several more good ideas to put in our kit, but make sure that the kit is in a spot that is easy to get to and that you can carry with you very easily. Some suggestions that I have heard include a large suitcase, backpacks, and duffle bags. You may also want to consider having the kit divided into two or more kits, depending on how many able-bodied people in your home that could carry a bag.

Post if you have questions or comments!

Sunday, January 12, 2014

Welcome to the Rockyview Ward Emergency Preparedness Blog

Welcome to the blog! It is my intent to keep this blog up to date with all you need to prepare your family and yourself for emergency situations.

This year the Stake Presidency has asked that all members of the Calgary Alberta West Stake to have their 72 hour kits ready. A 72 hour kit should include enough food, water, medicine, clothing, and emergency supplies for every member of your household for three days. This kit can be divided into separate kits so that more than one member of the family can carry them. These kits should be easy to transport and accessible in an emergency. You can look at the links below for more information.

http://www.lds.org/topics/food-storage/frequently-asked-questions?lang=eng#10