Although we can be given warning of a potential natural disaster (like a possible flood for those of us in the Fraser Valley),  or a hurricane, tornado, earthquake, tsunami, fire, etc. none of us really KNOW when it could or even, IF it will happen.

SO HOW DO WE PREPARE?

We can store some of the essentials that we would need to survive if we suddenly could not buy food at the grocery store.  It is estimated that the grocery shelves would be emptied in ONE day if there was a real emergency. 

NOW IS THE TIME TO PREPARE BECAUSE WHEN THE TIME OF NEED ARRIVES, IT IS TOO LATE!

Let me ask you a question:

HOW LONG COULD YOUR FAMILY SURVIVE ON WHAT YOU HAVE STORED IN YOUR HOUSE RIGHT NOW?

I remember watching the Tom Cruise movie, “War of the Worlds”, where he had to grab his two children and run.  He had his son fill a box with the food in his kitchen.  When they opened the box later, all they found were jars of mustard, ketchup, salad dressing and peanut butter.

WHAT DO YOU STORE?

That depends on the needs of your family and what you can afford.  Anything is better than nothing. 

A wonderful resource to help you determine what to store and how to store it, is FOOD STORAGE and EMERGENCY PREPAREDNESS:  http://www.debidawn.com/Fdstrgbklt.htm

(To go directly to this above page, copy this link, past it in the URL space above and hit enter.)

ANOTHER IMPORTANT ASPECT OF EMERGENCY PREPAREDNESS IS TO HAVE A 72 – HOUR  KIT for each person in your home; something that you can grab and take with you, if you knew that you had to get out fast.  Once again, if you wait until the need is there, it is too late.

In an emergency situation, people are not thinking rationally.  All too often, vitally important things are forgotten: food, water, change of clothing, some type of shelter, vital medications, baby supplies, important papers like personal identification, insurance papers, wills, medical information, money (bank and credit cards probably won’t work), contact phone numbers, etc.

Another wonderful resource to help you know  WHAT TO PUT IN A 72 – HOUR EMERGENCY KIT is: http://lds.about.com/od/preparednessfoodstorage/a/72_hour_kit.pdf.

((To go directly to this above page, copy this link, past it in the URL space above and hit enter.)

When you have a good supply of food, water and basic essentials, as well as having 72 hour kits for each person in your family,  then you know that you are physically prepared to handle a natural disaster.  That physical preparation will go a long way in helping to reduce your stress and fear about a potential natural disaster.

There is wonderful truth in the scripture: “IF YE ARE PREPARED, YE SHALL NOT FEAR”. (Doctrine and Covenants 38:30).

If you haven’t do so already, I strongly encourage you to START TODAY, BECAUSE YOU NEVER KNOW WHAT TOMORROW WILL BRING!

In my next article, I will talk about how fear stops you from thinking clearly, making it harder to prepare for the possible threat of a natural disaster.