I mentioned a while ago that I was concerned about emergency preparation, and though it’s something that I think about almost daily, I keep pushing off sharing my thoughts here with you. I’m a positive person in general, and I don’t want to sound negative. But I feel it’s not any kindness not to share something that could be important for your family. So here goes. 🙂
About four months ago, I bumped into someone I hadn’t seen for a while, and asked how things were. He told me about his new position, writing up emergency preparation plans for the county in which he lived. This involved a very large amount of research (I think he said nine months’ worth), and then he prepared his recommendation for the public, based on all his research. I was very interested in what were the suggestions for an emergency were, as well as what could precipitate the kind of emergency that would necessitate using those suggestions.
Firstly, the suggestions: have three days of whatever you need in your house at any given time (food, medicine, water, hygiene products, etc). I commented that three days of supplies didn’t seem like a very large cushion to me. He agreed, and said that the recommendation is made based on what they think people will be able to hear, not on what will actually be most appropriate. He said that provisions for a month would really be the kind of recommendation they might want to make, but know that most people would hear that number and it would seem so intimidating that they give up before even starting. So they give a number that will give most people something to strive for, but something they feel is doable and realistic, because it’s better than nothing.
I understood this reasoning (though all of us would be wise to understand how much more than three days of supplies we really need than that), but I found it alarming to consider that most of the American population doesn’t have even three days of food in their home. We live in a time of so much affluence, yet have become dependent on constant trips to the store for whatever we need, relying on the retailers to provide us with what we need when we need it. We’re very fortunate to live in a world in which our food comes to use regularly through the various channels and with remarkably little interruption.
But have you ever thought about what would happen if there were even a small disruption in one part of the supply chain? Each part is so linked to the next that even a small problem in one area could become a very big problem. We can’t plan for every eventuality, and I don’t believe in living in fear and anxiety about what could go wrong. But I do think that we need to make our best effort to be prepared for whatever eventualities may come our way.
What does this mean for me personally? I try to have at least a month’s supply of food stored, working towards more (but with the increases in food costs, I’m finding it a challenge to get my pantry built up further while maintaining my current food budget). Foods like grains and beans keep well for long term storage, as well as canned fruits, veggies, and fish. Some recent things I’m doing with this in mind: I’ve started a garden so as to be less dependent on retailers, am learning about foods that grow locally in the wild, and have just bought a pressure canner and jars, so that I can preserve foods that will stay without electricity (we would lose all the food in the freezer if we lost power for more than a day or two), and are cooked and ready to eat with no additional prepping necessary. I have bottled water stored in gallon jugs – not nearly enough for a long term emergency, but enough for two or three days for our family. My concern about insufficient water is part of what made me decide it’s time to learn to can, because having lots of dried beans on hand only helps if you have the water to cook them in! But with a canner, I can preserve soups, chilis, beans, meat, fruits and veggies – in a ready to eat form, for long term storage. (It also makes it convenient to have something cooked I can just pull out for dinner – I’n not thinking of it being useful only in case of a catastrophe!).
Last week, we had a tornado watch in our area, and when residual parts of the storm hit here, it was scary. But after a minute of panicked thinking, I mentally checked off: we have food (stored), water (bottled), light (candles and flashlights), etc – and that gave me peace of mind that I had done my best to be prepared.
Do I think that we’re going to have an emergency that will necessitate using these things? I certainly hope not! But I do believe that being prepared keeps an emergency from feeling like an emergency for you. Life happens – illness, natural disasters, terrorism, layoffs. I don’t believe that it’s possible to plan for every eventuality, and it’s not my goal. I believe that G-d is in charge and I try my best to be a responsible steward of our resources for the sake of my family, who depend on me.
Avivah
