Planning Four Rows Deep and Four Columns Wide

Preparing for an emergency requires all sorts of unpleasant ideas like forethought, discipline, self-control and persistence. All kidding aside, our vigilance to protect our family and our property is fundamental to building a solid foundation on which to grow our lives and happiness. When we must replace, revamp, and recapture the tools and resources we have already acquired, we are behind the curve.  Preparation can save lives, money, resources, heartache, time and momentum in our lives, both in disasters and everyday.

We've shared already about PACE planning, having a Primary, Alternate, Contingency and Emergency plan for large and small functions in your home and life.  Whether it's making a phone call, opening a can or getting out of town, you need to have more than one plan in place to stay safe and sound.  PACE means that you

What's in your pantry?

I adore this post about stocking a pantry.  A friend recently introduced me to Lindsay's blog at www.theleangreenbean.com.  In her article, she lets us peak into her kitchen pantry, describes her inventory, shares her ideas, and posts pictures for those of us (like me) that think a picture is worth a thousand words.  At Everyday Providence, we talk a lot about stocking a pantry.  But the benefits of a well stocked pantry are often overlooked, and the getting started can seem overwhelming.  Check out these basic benefits and motivations for keeping a pantry in your kitchen.

Dalmatians, and Popcorn, and Fires, Oh My!

This year at the Illinois State Fair in Springfield, the many agencies promoting family safety messages overflowed.  My brain was packed full of information about staying safe around grain bins, electrical wires, on a bicycle, flying an airplane, driving a car, and by getting medical exams.  But every year my favorite location is always the fire safety tent next to the Illinois Fire Museum.

You don't have to go to school to learn these lessons!

As I plotted and planned with my "work group" on how we were going to save the world, I was shocked by a side-conversation with a classmate who is a local Emergency Manager. In his community, he had recently offered "FREE" disaster preparedness classes.  No one came.  For weeks he sat in his meeting room on Friday night and waited and waited and no one ever came.  He felt helpless, hopeless, and discouraged.  "People just don't care about preparing for disasters," he complained.

I disagree!

What's going to happen? How can I be ready?

I don't relish the idea of going days without power (or a shower).  Honestly, I hope to avoid it altogether, but let the record show that my home averages once a year without power or water at some point.  We are dependent on utilities, communications, and technology like never before, but still we need to function when they fail.  And we are each unique - with individual needs, certain resources and our own tolerance for mayhem.  Be certain that your own preparedness will support you and your family when our modern life caves in.  Hopefully these questions will help you begin or build your state of preparedness.

• Do you have a specific disaster kit at home that will support your family for three days without help (at least a flashlight and batteries, some food, bottled water, and a first aid kit)?

Smart Phones, Smart Users?

Americans have tipped the scales.  Surveys now indicate that the number of smart phones being used exceeds that of traditional cell phone styles. 

So what?

As smart phones become integrated into our everyday lives, we need to be aware of how we can (and already do) depend on this technology.