Emergency Preparedness

Myself and my daughter Chloe went to Dave Canterbury’s Pathfinder Basics Class this past weekend. Dave posted this video of her.

There are a ton more pictures from the class at:
Dave Canterbury’s Facebook Page

Attention everyone! The world is going to end December 21, 2012!

Or wait, make that May 21, 2011.

Um, hold on, how about October 16, 2011?

Whether they are talking about the end of times as predicted in Revelations, a comet getting too close to Earth, pole shift, or just some sort of galactic reset button being hit, predicting the end of the world has become a rather popular cottage industry online.

The only safe bet is the world will indeed end…someday. Beyond that, no one can possibly know with absolute certainty exactly when.

For me personally, I’m Christian. The Bible tells me know man shall know the hour nor the day. Therefore, any time I see hard dates being predicted, I breathe easy knowing those particular days are all but guaranteed to be nice and quiet.

Another reason I don’t mind all these various and sundry predictions is they might give some people that final little nudge they need to start prepping. Ok, I’ll admit perhaps they end up prepping under false pretenses but, as far as I’m concerned, anything that gets folks off their butts and learning skills, stockpiling supplies, and looking for ways to protect their families is just fine in my book. If a family starts prepping because Daddy thinks the Haldon Collider is going to open a dimensional rift, allowing demons to invade Earth, and those preps end up actually being used to save lives during the aftermath of a hurricane, I’m cool with that.

Of course, the downside to these predictions is they have the effect of portraying survivalists and preppers as Class 1000 Whack Jobs. Naturally, that makes it all the more difficult to convince family and friends that they should do something to prepare for emergencies. They hear you talking about putting aside a few weeks worth of food and instantly think of an old guy, scraggly beard, walking up and down the street with a sign saying, “The End is Nigh!” Not much you can do to counteract that though. What I do is readily acknowledge the fringe element is pretty “out there” but the fact of the matter is, we have natural disasters all over the world, every single day. Some huge, some small, but all have an impact and many can be mitigated by preparing properly.

Like I always say though, you can lead a person to knowledge but you can’t make them think.

The takeaway here is, don’t buy into all these various end of the world predictions at the drop of a hat. Do your own research and make your own conclusion as to how realistic the prediction is. Use that lump between your ears for something more than a hat rack.

It happens to most if not all of us at some point or another. We’ve prepped and prepped for every contingency we can think of, yet there’s still so much more to do. You might start second guessing yourself.

Will 100lbs of salt be nearly enough?

How long will 200 gallons of water really last?

Will my food storage provide for the three months it is designed for?

It can get overwhelming and the stress piles up. We just get burned out on the whole thing.

When that happens, it is ok to take a break. Step back, take a few deep breaths, maybe go for a walk to clear your head a bit. Take a couple days off and relax. Rome wasn’t built in a day and you can’t possibly do it all at once.

The source for some of the stress is the idea that prepping is a one time thing. That somehow you’ll get to a point where there’s nothing left to do. This isn’t a math problem or a science project, where there is a distinct goal to achieve and then you’re done. Prepping is, or should be, more of a lifestyle. It is a mindset to acquire and utilize.

Truth is, you’re never done. There will always be more “stuff” you’ll want to get and more skills to learn and perfect. Then there’s the rotation of your supplies, ensuring you use it up before it goes bad.

The finish line in this marathon comes when disaster strikes and you’ll rely on your preps to see you and your family through. Until then, pace yourself so you’re able to make that final sprint at the end.

Every Monday I will give you a weekly assignment. This homework is designed to keep you thinking about preparedness and working toward it. No one will be looking over your shoulder to make sure you complete each week’s assignment. But, by following along and completing the tasks, you’ll be all the better for it.

This week, I’d like to have all my readers check their home safety equipment. All the preps you have stored won’t do you much good if your house burns down, right?

Start with your smoke detectors. Check the batteries and make sure they all work as they should. You should have one smoke detector in the kitchen, at least one in the basement, and one on each level of your home. Putting one near the bedrooms is advisable as well.

If you don’t have a carbon monoxide detector, get one ASAP. Place it near your furnace area.

Every home should have a fire extinguisher in the kitchen. Keep it under your sink or somewhere else you can access it easily. If you already have one, check the expiration date on it and get a new one if need be.

You should also have a list of important emergency phone numbers near your phone. If you’re one of those who only have cell service and no land lines, make sure you have those numbers programmed in your cell. Police, fire, rescue, poison control, as well as your immediate neighbors.

Please comment below with how you did with this assignment.

Many of my readers are likely to be familiar with square foot gardening. But for those of you new to the idea, here are the nuts and bolts of this great space saving way to garden.

Mel Bartholomew is probably the most recognized proponent of this garden system. I can’t say for sure whether he invented it or not but he’s written about it extensively. You can find his book(s) in just about any library and I recommend them.

The basic idea is to plant a large amount of stuff in a relatively small space. Each garden bed is sectioned off into, you guessed it, square feet. Each square is devoted to a plant or group of plants. Ideally, the plants in one bed will complement one another, either by positioning them so they aren’t shaded by their taller neighbors or by the time it takes the plants to grow.

Raised beds are ideal for this method. We made ours from 2″ x 12″ cedar planks. If you’re growing vegetables, it is best to avoid treated lumber, but you do need something that is rot resistant. The simplest way is to just make a square, four feet on each side. Nail or screw the boards together, put the bed where you want it, and fill the box with soil. Some sources recommend putting down a weed barrier first.

Using raised beds like this is great for areas with poor soil. You can easily add soil amendments like compost to the dirt in the boxes, working it in so it is thoroughly mixed.

Another advantage is you can leave space around all four sides of your beds, making it easy to weed as well as harvest when the time comes. You won’t have to trample the soil to be able to reach the plants.

Also, for those like me who live in northern climes, you might find it necessary to cover the seedlings at night until the weather truly warms up. It is very easy to drape your covering over boxes like this and just weigh down the edges with rocks or bricks to keep it from blowing away.

For plants that climb, such as beans, adding a trellis to one side of the box is very easy.

In his books and found elsewhere online are lists of veggies that do very well with this system, as well as planting guides to show you how many seeds of each variety should be planted in a given square.

Unless you live someplace where you have zero access to the outdoors, there is no reason you can’t adapt this system to your location.