Emergency Preparedness and Self-Reliant Living: Hard Copies ....

Monday, February 22, 2010

Hard Copies ....

For those of us who are hoping for the best and preparing for the worst, stocking up on food and supplies, etc. what will happen if we really do lose electricity and internet? What if that EMP attack occurs and we no longer have computer access to everything we want to know all at our fingertips? What if we cannot even get our computers to turn on?

When I buy books at the used bookstore, I am really buying hard copies of information that somebody has cared enough to put on paper. Now I have begun printing out stuff of off the computer and the internet for my hard copies too. How to make candles. How to sew diapers. How to make your own infant formula. How to can. How to use herbs and homeopathic meds. Lyrics to Jimmy Buffett songs. Lyrics to church songs. Phone numbers for landlines (just in case they will still work). Whatever is dear to your heart ... write it down, print it off and file it away. If you do it now, it will be there when you want to use it.

I was reading an article in magazine the other day about organization. Organization is dear to my heart, but going paperless is not. The author suggested that you scan your recipes from your favorite cookbook into your computer and get rid of the cookbook. Are these people crazy? Even if your hard drive crashed you would be in trouble there.

There are so many great blogs and websites out there, full of information on self-reliant living and emergency preparedness. Glean from those that interest you the most, and print out what ever you think will come in handy as you hope for the best and prepare for the worst. I have been posting cool blogs that I find on the sidebar, and then check out their links to find new websites. Please let me know if you have sites that you would like listed. It's all free!

~ Kathy

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Tips:

* When a wind or snow storm is on the way and you live in the country, fill up the bathtub with water. That way, you can fill up a bucket with water and use it to flush the toilet if the electricity goes out and the pump quits working. You can also use the water from your hot tub if you have one.

* Keep an old phone (with a cord) around the house to use in case the power goes out - for when your cordless phone will not work. For other reasons, your cell phone may not work either in case of a disaster. Make sure to have a list of phone numbers written down (in addition to having them stored on speed dials).

* Stock up! Some people strive for 3 days worth of food and water, others 3 months, others 2 years. Remember, you may be asked to share with others, so start preparing now.

* Have kerosene oil lamps and lamp oil on hand. They look pretty in the home, and give good lighting when the power goes out.

* Make cheap and easy lanterns by filling a canning jar halfway up with sand and placing an emergency candle in it. You can put a lid on it for easy storage in the cupboard until it is needed.

* Keep a couple of those long lighters (used for BBQ's) in your home for lighting candles and lanterns.

* Have the number of the electric company in an easy location. Call as soon as your power goes out (using your old phone or your cell phone)... don't assume that somebody else already has. I have been the first one to call several times, and after one really bad windstorm I had to call again the next day because they thought that everybody had been taken care of, but we were not.

* If you experience a "brown-out", where the lights dim, unplug your refrigerator and freezer! We had the motor burn out of our fridge one time due to a brown-out and had to buy a whole new fridge.

* Learn about cooking with cast iron dutch ovens and how to use charcoal as a heat sorce for them. There is a link on the bottom of this page with information about this.

* Buy boxed soy and rice milk to have with your extra food supplies. They stay good for quite a while and you are not stuck with only powdered milk.

* If you have a baby in diapers, have a several dozen cloth
diapers on hand, along with diaper pins, plastic pants or diaper wraps. If you can't go to the store to buy more disposables, you can always wash and reuse the cloth ones.

* Just think about what your grandparents or great-grandparents must have done or used when thinking about emergency preparedness ... make it fun when it is not an emergency. Get creative! Share your ideas with friends, and email them to me so that I can put them on here. Thanks!