When The "Storm" Hits you and your family - will you be ready?

Dear Folks,

I've written before about coping with life's challenges, but I REALLY want you to think about the answer to "WHAT IF...." for you and your family.  Are you prepared to have food, water, power and shelter access?

I personally try to plan for the what ifs, even if the likelihood is so remote as to be funny - but it is not really funny.

Just watching the news on the hurricanes, earthquakes, and wild fires is chilling enough and then the reality was brought home when I realized my cousin is living in Puerto Rico - through Hurricane Maria.  We now know she is okay, but one of the many who survived surrounded by ruins.  It took over 2 weeks for her to make contact with one of her daughters.  The process of her recovery is now starting still without enough access to the basic necessities, and power and cell service.  The videos being shared, one from NBC shows a man traveling long distances to a scrubbed together spring water pipe to fill any available container with water to deliver to others including the old, and frail and those with no vehicle, gas or a clear road to get there.  He said one official told him there is no aid available right now to them.

I realize the enormity of dealing with an entire island blackout, destroy towns, and many roads into the interior not passable.  There is a triage going on, of course, but the situation is one of back to scavenging for everything as if it was 100 years ago, for most of the population there.  What if . . .

This is my quote from 2011 when I posted (click here) a long, but I hope useful set of ideas to help YOU cope with serious challenges to your life.

"When we accept that only others can be the source of our necessities, then we risk having a roof made of paper, garment made of chemicals, or a meal of straw.  That is unsustainable." -- Catherine

"Prepper", "Survivalist", are words and images that may be strange sounding to "city folks" but we can all take some great tips from these "movements" on keeping food and water safe, repairing, mending and making do, when the time comes to need these skills or in having an emergency plan.  There are some great resources online for creating a stable (read no refrigeration required) food supply, how to store extra water.

But keep on tending your garden is the message I would suggest you keep in mind, while planning for the what ifs.  We are supremely lucky here in the Phoenix Metro area to be able to grow some or most of our own food or raise chickens for eggs and dairy goats for milk.

I mention those two beloved farmyard critters because in really challenged times, chickens can live on scraps and goats can browse on sticks and twigs as long as they have clean water, for a short period of time, allowing you to get more resources arranged.

Food, water, shelter, access to power and a way out and up from the challenge or disaster are what you need to know how to manage.

Stories are popping up in the news about having a "go bag", an emergency escape route planned, a source of the necessities, do some research for ideas that suit your needs.

Did you know our desert area is one of the BEST places to wind up if faced with a disaster that may be long term?  Why, because we do not have to deal with harsh winters and no plant foods.

Do you own research on what you would need and how to deal with the emergency whether it be staying put or needing to leave.  Short term or long term.  Make a plan, understand things like "making do" with what is available.

In addition to my post - here is a nice short list to consider for planning and even just basic principles applied to your every day life.

I have been re-watching one of the great period Farm Series from BBC, Wartime Farm, where over the course of a year the historians re-created a WWII farm in England which was faced with one of the worst times of war blockades of food and supplies.

I created a playlist on my youtube.com channel to have all of the episodes available in one spot.

It is 9 hours long, but I think it is worth watching to get a "feel" for how to deal with a shortage or restriction.

It is also a REAL wake up call on food sources.  Between WWI and WWII England chose to drop support for farmers, to encourage moving from the rural areas to cities and turned instead to relying on imported goods.  The impact was tremendous on them with the start of WWII.

And we have our own challenge here in the US, a country physically huge compared to the United Kingdom Island.

Not too long ago a government official here in the US, when discussing water rights for farmers vs. cities made the statement that we do not need farms here in the US - everything we need can be imported.  I wish I had made of note of the quote and person making it.  BUT . . .

LET THAT SINK IN!

We live in the Valley of The Sun - USE IT for goodness sakes!

Grow food.

Any sunny day 85 degrees or over can help you sun dry, fruits, vegetables and herbs for shelf storage.

Consider solar panels with convertors to generate power for fans, small coolers, appliances, cell phones, tablets and computers etc.

One smart resourceful lady following the impact of Irma in Florida went out and put together a small unit.

A note my Deane made - great idea, but a slightly larger panel and a direct inverter so you don't need the battery. This link shows an inverter.  Amazon link here.

We are making plans to include this type of setup to have on hand. It does not need to be set up until you need, that is the point of having the panel with the inveter - no charging needed as with a battery.

I don't want this post to go on and on, there is more reading and watching in the links above.

PLEASE really, really, understand what you and your family might be up against should you face a crisis, emergency or even suddenly being unemployed.

Take care of you!



-- Catherine, The Herb Lady

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