offered here as an “fyi” for those who are interested:
The Art and Science of Emergency Preparedness
By Phoenix Rising Star
This article is not meant to instill fear, but rather awareness.
Let’s face it.
The world has been seeing more natural and man-made disasters lately.
Tsunami’s, earthquakes, tornadoes, floods, nuclear radiation, solar flares, you name it.
It’s easy to say, oh, that only happens to someone else. It can’t happen to me!
But why couldn’t it?
And more importantly, what would you do if a disaster did happen to you?
Are you ready for any eventuality?
I always listen to my angels. And when they told me, “It’s time to stock-pile.” I listened.
I don’t have a clear idea why I’m stock piling. I just sense that there will be interruptions in power and transportation, leading to shortages, limitations, and lack.
It was interesting to me how I was not the only one to receive this information at this time. Friends and clients began calling me, asking me if I received the same message. We’re all sensing a six to nine month period of time where things will not be as we have known them — and that in order to prepare for this eventuality, it would be helpful to have food and water supplies. Maybe a separate emergency power supply and alternative methods of food preparation.
That’s when I began to do some research. There are different kinds of preparedness just as there are different kinds of emergencies.
There are evacuation emergencies, such as when you need to leave your home immediately, taking only what you can carry. These include tornados, fires (home or wildfire), tsunami’s, floods, volcano’s, earthquakes, storms, etc.
There are long-term emergencies, where the power is out for an indefinite amount of time and it’s not possible to buy food for a variety of reasons. Water is cut off. While any evacuation emergency could cause this, there are also solar flares, terrorism, or government shut downs that could contribute.
Again, I am here not to create fear, but awareness. These things happen. And when they happen to me, I want to know I’ve done everything I can to create ease and grace. Not hardship.
As I discussed the generalities with like-minded friends, I found a variety of responses of readiness. One friend said, “Well, I would run to the nearest hardware store and stock up on seeds.”
I thought for a moment and replied, “To do what? Eat sprouts for 90 days while you wait for the plants to grow?” I figured that would be too late.
Another friend said, “Well, I have all the containers I ever used for my clothes storage. You know, the plastic tubs? I’m going to store rice in them.”
I knew enough to say, “Yes, but those plastic tubs, if they’re not food-grade, have pesticides built into them. Are you sure you want to store your food in there?”
Still another said, “I think I’ll just go to the drugstore and stock up on nuts.”
I had to tell her, “Yes, but those are likely to have been roasted in a poor grade of oil, such as cottonseed, which is high in pesticides and insecticides. Do you want to depend on that as your sole source of nutrition? How long do you think that will last?”
There is so much to learn, it’s almost overwhelming. Where does one start?
The best piece of advice I found was: Make a list of all the food you prepare at home for one month, and list the ingredients. Make sure this list is only the foods you like the most. Once you have that list, you’ll know what to stock-pile.
If you don’t prepare food for yourself, maybe it’s time to learn.
An interesting piece of advice I found was: most doctors agree that healthy humans can go up to eight weeks without food as long as they have water. Assuming you’re in reasonable shape and in ideal conditions – that is, not in the heat or cold and not exerting, a human can probably live for about 3 to 5 days without any water. Healthier humans can live another day or so longer.
Oh great. Somehow that doesn’t make me feel very good. Angels, what exactly is going on here anyway?
So, while I was figuring out what I eat on a regular basis and listing ingredients, I did some additional research on water.
Assuming water supplies become scarce, contaminated, or dependent on my stock-piling, what do I need to know in order to survive?
For evacuation emergencies, it’s important to have portable amounts of stored, safe, clean water. There are ‘boxed water’ kits that provide water in juice-like boxes, easy to carry, store in a backpack and also can last five years in this format if necessary.
Now that’s what I call preparedness!
I can’t vouch for the taste, but it’s good to know. Here’s a good place to order them:www.quakekare.com.
And advice from the experts is that for a long term emergency plan you need two things: one is a way to make water safe for drinking and the other is a way of replenishing the water.
Ways to make safe drinking water include purification such as boiling, disinfecting or ultraviolet light. A combination of these will just about kill off anything that might make you sick or die, but boiling and ultraviolet light rely on some type of fuel source.
* Note to self: have a backup plan for your emergency plan.
If there’s no fuel, what type of disinfecting would take care of almost anything? Bleach, Chlorine Dioxide, Iodine, or Silver. For more information on this, visit this website:http://beprepared.com
Water filtration can also create safe drinking water. Using a filter or filter device, units strain the impurities from water. The larger the impurity, the easier it is to remove. The smaller, the harder it is to remove. And of course, the problem with filters is their short term use and need for replacement.
One unit I have found that both purifies and filters without replacement filters is the Clayton Nolte Natural Action Technologies unit. Complete with a life-time guarantee, these units structure water back to life, surround and shield anything that does not promote life, and thus prevent the body from taking on harmful elements. In talking with Clayton about a new prototype meant for small cities, he casually mentioned trying the prototype on sludgy, sewer water. He ran the sewer water one time through his unit, and proceeded to drink the clean, clear water that came through it without any ill effects.
Now that’s preparedness!
Unfortunately that particular unit is not available for the public yet, but you can still get a portable unit for evacuation or long term storage. More information may be found atwww.spiritofwater.org.
* Note to self: Begin with the cleanest water possible.
Regarding water storage, 14 gallons per person is recommended, both stationary and portable. Water weighs eight pounds per gallon. You do the math. Figure out what containers you might need for stationary and find smaller, lighter ones for portable.
Food grade materials, such as plastic are recommended, but not to be stored in sunlight. Barrels range from 14 to 55 gallons. More information on water storage can be found here:
http://beprepared.com Storage Options
and here: www.quakekare.com/emergency-water-supplies-c-15_17.html
Basically, don’t recycle milk containers for water containers. They don’t inhibit bacterial or algae growth. If you do use recycled soda pop containers, make sure they are clean and stored in a dark place. Use clean sturdy containers that protect against light penetration. BPA free. Glass is not recommended because it breaks easily during an emergency.
If you treat with bleach, use 2-4 drops of unscented per quart of water. For all other disinfectants, follow the directions provided with the product. If you are using tap water, and there’s chlorine in your water, you probably don’t need to add any other disinfectant.
Water free of microorganisms, in a tightly closed food grade container and kept from sunlight, will remain safe indefinitely.
How does one replenish water if the water supply has been cut off?
Rainwater collection or harvesting, storm water collection, ground water collection (from sump pumps), condensate from dehumidifiers (although if there’s no power…), reusing gray water (slightly used water such as shower water for toilets, landscapes, etc.), and solar stills (collecting water from organic sources while using a plastic or glass barrier to create a green-house effect).
* Note to self: start collecting rainwater now.
For information on rainwater collection products, I liked this site: http://raintankdepot.com. The prices are good, and they understand how to keep water fresh and potable through solar and other options.
More information on gray water can be found here: http://tlc.howstuffworks.com Find out why you shouldn’t use gray water on your vegetable or herb garden.
More information on solar stills can be found here: www.solaqua.com Solar stills have been around since the 1500’s!
By now, most of you are convinced I’m crazy, have already stopped reading this, and/or are reading this with a big question mark in your mind. Where is she going with all this? Is this for real?
For me it is real. I believe in angels. And when they tell me to prepare, that’s what I do.
Now you know how to prepare to stay alive with water.
You are creating preparation for food storage.
You might also build a basic supply kit for emergencies.
Choose from this list:
a three day supply of non-perishable food
a three day supply of water, 1 gallon per person, per day
flashlight and batteries
portable, battery powered radio or tv and batteries
cash
photocopies of important information
matches, lighters
first aid supplies
extra clothing
kitchen utensils for food, water
special needs accessories such as contact solutions, prescriptions, glasses, hearing aid batteries
items for infants and children
extra blankets (there are incredibly light weight ones available online)
anything else to meet your needs for three days
You can check out different survival packs from retailers such as REI (www.rei.com) to give you an idea of what to put in yours. Or purchase a ready-made one if you prefer. Be sure to shop around as different retailers offer a variety of emergency supplies for a variety of prices.
Just when I thought all I had to do was stock-pile food, water and an emergency pack, Drunvalo starts talking about the solar flares. They are becoming more and more intense and are expected to be so great by 2013, they may pose the greatest threat to humanity in a long time. They potentially interrupt computers and could potentially erase all hard drives, shutting down transportation, power, and literally everything. When solar flares hit the earth, people lose control because of the interruption in their personal fields.
* Note to self: Follow Drunvalo’s recommendations.
Drunvalo’s recommendation: Program your Merkaba for two programs.
1. God will protect me.
2. When solar flares occur, my MerKaBa field maintains my magnetic field I’m used to and slowly creates a re-alignment in my magnetic field that my bodies can handle with grace and ease.
With awareness, preparation, and empowerment
I am Phoenix
from: http://www.spiritofmaat.com/aug11/emergency_preparedness.html