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Get Prepped Newsletter: May 18, 2012

MESSAGE FROM TESS

Greetings and Salutations,

By now, most of you that have utilized the 52-Weeks to Preparedness suggestions can feel more secure about going through a disaster. With 7 weeks left, there is still a lot of information to cover! So, I hope that you will continue to stay with me and continue reading about how you can get prepped.

At this point in our preparedness endeavors, we need to begin preparing our backups to our backups. What if a disaster lasts longer than expected? What would you do if lasts for years? We have to anticipate this and prepare for it. I want all of you to be ready for whatever may come your way. This week we will be discussing different examples of long-term food and water sources and the preparedness measures that can go along with it.

Next week, the subject on long-term food and water will be revisited, but with an emphasis on why having a survival cache is the ultimate in back up plans. We will also touch on what items would be best to include in a cache and ways to waterproof containers that will be buried.

For those of you around the Colorado area, a Self Reliance Expo [1] will be held in Colorado Springs, Colorado on May 18th and 19th. There will be some great preparedness and self-reliant vendors there, as well as educational workshops.

What’s the best piece of advice you can give a fellow prepper? Your preparedness story [2] or advice could make a profound difference for someone just beginning to prepare or move into their next stage of preparedness. Why not take a moment and leave your story.

If you haven’t already, follow us on Twitter [3] or Facebook [4]. I love to interact with the preparedness community, because after all, we are all in this together!

Best,

Tess Pennington

 

Be the change you wish to see in the world.


PREP OF THE WEEK

Week 45 of 52: Long-Term Food and Water Needs

Let’s assume for a moment that a devastating disaster occurred and you have realized that the life you formerly knew has ended. You are now in a fight for survival. Luckily, unlike many of those around you, you have provisions in place and have planned accordingly for a long-term emergency. But, the longstanding disaster is now threatening to exceed your food supply. What do you eat after your food supply is depleted or, if it is ruined by insects [5] and rodents [6]?

Like any preparedness plan we must plan for the unexpected by finding foods and supplies that can withstand the test of time. It is my hope that by now your preparedness supplies are diverse and large enough to cover both short-term and long-term emergencies.

From the start, my goal with this series was for you to be prepared enough to survive the above scenario. In order for you to get through this relatively unscathed, you must prepare for the worst.

Listed below are some examples of long-term food sources. If you are planning for emergencies such as EMPs, nuclear attacks, economic collapse, grid-down scenarios, apocalyptic epidemics, etc., then I would strongly encourage you to invest in the following prep items.

For many of us, our core beliefs are to provide for our family and keep them safe. But, according to societal mores we should only provide safety up to a certain extent. It is a societal taboo to think in terms of worst case scenarios. But sometimes, we must break through societal codes to do what is best for our family. In the case of preparedness, thinking in worst case scenarios may help you better prepare. Unexpected events will happen during SHTF scenarios, and it will be up to you to be ready for them.

Preps to Buy:

[In Quantity]

Action Items:

  1. Ensure that you have enough food supplies to last for a long-term emergency. Refer to the Ready Nutrition Food Calculator [21] to make sure.
  2. Research ways that you can conserve water or harvest water on your property.
  3. Look for natural water sources, and underground reservoirs to turn to for an emergency water supply.
  4. Practice necessary skills that will help you thrive during long-term emergencies. Skills such as gardening, food preservation, and water harvesting.

 WHAT WE’RE UP TO

In the Home:

Our official move out date is at the end of next month. So, packing and cleaning has kicked into high gear! One great aspect of packing up is getting rid of the clutter. We have already made multiple donations of toys and outgrown clothing. I am also taking much pleasure in my new “You Drop It, I Box It” policy being enforced in the house. My kids are horrible about leaving their toys on the floor. Although the kids are not happy with this new policy, it is an effective way to get them to clean up after themselves.

Family Preps:

As many of you know, moving can be quite expensive. Therefore, every extra penny this month is going towards the moving vans, extra boxes, etc. I am also continuing to use our short-term food supply so that it can be replenished after we move.

In the Garden:

I have some sad news. I am going to have to find homes from my potted fruit trees, fruit vines, and herbs. Apparently, it is against the law to import plants into the state we are moving. Some family members are going be very lucky!

 


 RECENT ARTICLES

Continuous Kombucha for Post-Collapse Wellness [22]

It Tastes Just Like Chicken! [23]

The Mass Casualty Incident: Triage, Part 1 [24]

 


 

STATS AND FACTS

It’s a fact of modern wilderness life: Any back country water source, no matter how high or remote, is susceptible to contamination due to unsanitary practices of the creatures that visit it — from birds and bears to possums and humans. Many experienced wilderness travelers recognize the need to play it safe with back country water and thus treat every drop before they drink.

Here are some tips for selecting safe drinking water:

Source [25]


 

LETTERS TO TESS

Do you have a preparedness question? One of the perks of my job at Ready Nutrition is to address questions and/or concerns that you may have with your prepping endeavors. Feel free to ask anything that is on your mind because no question is too big or small. You can email questions to: getprepped@readynutrition.com [26]

This week’s question addresses the importance of a generator:

Hello Tess,

I keep going back and forth about getting a generator. There are sound arguments for both sides. In your opinion do you feel that buying a generator is a valid investment for your preps?

J.R.

Answer:

J.R.,

I will admit from personal experience that during bouts of short-term power disruptions I have gone through, a generator is a great convenience to have. But paying obscene fuel prices to power the generators makes me question the need.

To answer your question, I think it really boils down to personal preference. In my opinion, if you have someone that has medical or health issues and is dependent on electricity to power breathing machines, etc., then investing in a generator would be seen as a necessity.

Those that are prepping for long-term emergencies or are taking steps to living a more self-reliant lifestyle may not see the practicality in having a generator because they want to conserve their fuel sources and not waste it on running a generator. Also, they have more than likely stocked up on manual or off-grid devices to compensate. There is also the concern about drawing unwanted attention from a well-lit home or from the noise  generators put off when they are on. On the other hand, there are solar powered and humless generators on the market that can eliminate the noise issue.

If you are planning on investing in a generator, make sure that you have spare parts in case the motor or cords break. Also, having a manual or knowing how to fix it would also be a good skill to have.

I’m sorry that I can’t provide a concrete answer on whether you should invest in a generator, but there are a lot of factors to consider. I do hope that I have given you some points to think about before you make your decision.

Best of luck,

Tess