September is National Preparedness Month. It’s a great time to evaluate your own level of preparedness and see what preparedness plans and services your city or county has. How are you going to celebrate National Preparedness Month? Here are some ideas: Find out about Preparedness plans in  your area. Every community should have an Emergency Response…

…unless you have a Winter Kit in your car. Seriously. Look at these temps for today and the next few days. Please. Don’t go driving in this weather unless you are properly prepared. Winter is serious business,  especially here in the upper Midwest. Anyone who goes out in severe weather without a good Winter Kit is…

The time to prepare is now As sure as winter follows autumn, winter is sure to bring at least one power outage to someone this year. There can hardly be a worse time to be without heat or light than during the winter. Prepare now for those winter outages by storing non-electric heat and light.…

We often talk about the need for heat and light during an outage. This is especially important if the outage occurs during the winter, when going without heat could be dangerous. It seems like a generator would be the natural answer to this kind of emergency, right? But a generator can be expensive and it’s…

Reading isn’t for everyone. Sometimes you’re on the go and would like to listen to something in the car. Or you do better with visual information. You’re in luck! I’ve just finished recording to videos on the first steps to getting prepared. These videos are based on a couple webinars that I recently did for…

How will you and your family communicate if there is a local disaster or regional crisis? We’ve become so accustomed to phones, especially cell phones, that we almost never give a second thought to how we might communicate if phone service were disrupted. It’s more common now to bury phone landlines, which makes them less…

If you read Part One and decided that a generator should be part of your preparedness plans, you now need to decide what kind of generator to get. Basically there are three types of generators: 1.  A camp generator. These are the smallest and the cheapest, and they run on gasoline. They will not provide…

Thinking about putting together a 72-hour kit for family members? In addition to the basics found in this post, let me give you a few pointers to take your kit to the next level. In no particular order, here are few tips and tricks to help you build an awesome 72-hour kit. Pictures Those who…

If you’re not sure you need a generator, read Part One. Don’t know what generator to buy? Read Part Two. If you have a generator, read this BEFORE you need to use it. Rule Number One: Be ready now. Get your generator now. Don’t wait until winter comes to buy a generator And for heaven’s…

Be sure to read Part 1: Preparing for a Quarantine When a quarantine is in place A quarantine will be much less stressful if you have prepared ahead of time, making sure that you have supplies on hand and are knowledgeable about caring for the sick. Here are some things that will help you get…

A creative Wonderbox My sister, Cynthihah, had some red fabric that came to her free. So she used it to make a Wonderbox. But she thought this red was just a little too…RED. So, since she lives in Washington, she did the only logical thing: she turned it into an apple! How creative is that?…

There are two types of water emergencies: Lack of water and compromised water. In Part 1, we covered how to store water in cases where there is a water shortage. Here we will cover what to do in case your water safety is compromised. A break in the water pipes that allows dirt to get…

Cold at any temperature can be harmful. but extreme cold is dangerous, especially if you are not wearing good insulating and protective clothing. You’re driving along in your warm and well-tuned car during one of our famous -40° winter days and you get a flat tire. What will you do? Cold is a serious matter…

What are you preparing for? Getting food storage, preparing a 72-hour kit, stocking up on first aid supplies, having a generator or alternate heat source, planting a garden and putting food up… Is all of this really necessary? Why are you doing these things? What is it exactly that you’re preparing for? In preparation for the…

This week I happened across a video of what I think is the BEST Emergency Paracord (the creator calls it a Parafob): What is paracord? Paracord is a contraction of Parachute Cord. It is a lightweight nylon rope that was first used in military applications, such as secure parachutes to the harness. But since it…

This is important! You need to talk to your neighbors about preparedness. Don’t wait. You can not do emergency preparedness by yourself. You might, maybe be able to get through a small, very localized crisis without relying on neighbors or without neighbors needing your help. But if you experience any kind of major disaster in…