{emergency preparedness}

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No niin, paljon parempi olo jo. Ajatukset suunnattu hyviin asioihin...

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Some of you might remember that we had a fire scare in our house not very long ago. Our fire alarm went off in the middle of the night and scared us. It was a false alarm but I ended up having nightmares that night that the fire was real or that we were dying from carbon monoxide poisoning etc. I'm happy to report that Jay changed our fire alarms. They are brand new and also include carbon monoxide alarms.

After that night, I put our very insufficient 72 hour emergency kit in our living room (two big plastic containers) and decided that they are going to stay there until I get my butt in gear and finish this important project. Our church has been teaching forever now about being prepared and I'm ashamed to say that even though I have felt it's very important, so far I haven't done much to be prepared. We see in the news more and more reasons why every family should have a preparedness plan and emergency kits. Here in Canada, there's been much talk about floods lately as there have been major floodings as snow has melted. Many people had to be evacuated. Soon the summer forest fire season will start and once again we'll hear stories of people having to leave their homes quickly. Our world is a fragile place and it gives you much peace of mind if you are as prepared as you can be. I'm determined to finally heed my church leaders (and the government) and do my best to get prepared. How about you? What have you done so far and do you have any tips for the rest of us?

Here are some web sites that can get you started:

Get Prepared by Canadian Government (the Emergency Guide is great)

72 hour emergency kit info by lds.about.com

emergency preparedness info by LDS church (includes tips on storing water, etc)

prepare your home and family by Red Cross (lots of great info, they even have prepardness lessons for children in each age group)

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So - start now. Start with a container and slowly accumulate things to put in it. I got Jay the crank up radio/flashlight as a gift one year and Jay bought the other items for our family for a Christmas gift last year. Who needs more junk. Peace of mind is a lovely gift. I'll keep updating you on my progress and maybe it'll motivate some of you to get started too.

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"Many more people could ride out the storm-tossed waves in their economic lives if they had their... supply of food... and were debt-free. Today we find that many have followed this counsel in reverse: they have at least a year's supply of debt and are food-free."

President Thomas S. Monson, Church News, May 12, 2001

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