Emergency & Long-Term Preparedness

For those questions and discussions on the McDougall program that don’t seem to fit in any other forum.

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Re: Emergency & Long-Term Preparedness

Postby Clary » Wed Jun 08, 2011 9:11 am

A long time friend of mine from high school days who lives farther south than me sent me this today from an acquaintance who was a victim in the recent horrific Alabama/TN tornadoes:

"Love me Some Rednecks"--by anonymous
Most all of us around here have borne the brunt of remarks from people outside Alabama about being rednecks. Well, I'm here to tell you right now that I love me some Alabama rednecks!

Rednecks have Polan chainsaws, bulldozers, four-wheelers and big ole trucks - and they know how to use 'em. They aren't afraid of getting dirty or of hard work.

As soon as the wind died down, they were the first ones out there, clearing the roads for emergency vehicles to get to where they needed to be. They were standing up to their knees in debris so that people could get out of their driveways. They were checking on neighbors who lived in the hardest hit areas where cars and normal vehicles didn't stand a chance.

If you were the victim of the storm and found your driveway miraculously cleared, you can thank a redneck. If you have a brush pile a mile high and you didn't do it yourself, you can thank a redneck. If someone brought you a shirt to put on your back that day, or hauled your furniture to a storage facility, you can probably thank a redneck.

Those good ole boys waded through water filled with gas and glass, nails and torn tin roofs and no telling what else to offer assistance to people stranded in the rubble of their homes. They wore camo jackets and John Deere caps and spit tobacco but they got the job done. They are still out there cutting up trees and burning brush long into the night, just as they have been doing ever since the storms hit.

They didn't wait to be asked...they just 'got 'ER done' in the true sense of the phrase. They didn't stand around jawing and waiting for someone else to take charge, or for the government to show up. They went to work doing what they do best - moving earth, pushing aside massive trees with root systems as big around as a VW, and tossing aside boards with splinters the size of kitchen knives.

And they did all this without any thought of their own comfort or safety. They put their scuffed cowboy boots and worn work boots on the around and tread across roof beams and unsteady floors to make sure there was no one left inside the wreckage of everything from two -story brick houses to mobile home and barns. They already had a flashlight and a pocket knife with them.

They rounded up their neighbor's cattle and horses and coaxed kittens out of trees where the wind had tossed them and they cried like babies when they found a neighbor that didn't make it or found his hunting dog broken and bleeding.

They waded into poultry houses and caught terrified chickens and tossed mountains of dead ones onto piles to burn. They began to hang tarps and nail plywood over broken windows to save their cousins' and other kinfolk's belongings. They didn't stop for hours on end, hooking chains to cars, trees and any and everything that had landed helter-skelter as the tornadoes tore through.

Rednecks just show up when there is work to be done. They drive up and with a silent nod, they just pitch in, salvaging refrigerators and hooking up generators. They don't care if they look cool and they don't have to shave before they leave the house. They are tough as nails and love their mamas fiercely. They still say, "Yes, ma'am" and "No, sir," to anyone older than they are. They eat cornbread and pinto beans and drink tea so sweet a spoon will stand straight up in the glass.

They sweat and have grease under their nails sometimes. They can deliver a calf and half an hour later be sitting in church, scrubbed to a fare-the-well. And did they ever save the day when the thunder rolled and the lightning flashed and the wind knocked down the houses where they were born!

They don't do it for the glory, and wouldn't dream of taking a dime for it, and are sometimes even offended if someone asks how much they are owed 'cause that's what rednecks do - they drive loud trucks, bobcats and front-end loaders, they crank cantankerous chain saws and they know the feel of rope burns and blistered faces. They get those red necks from the sun beating down relentlessly as they labor in the dust and smoke from all the brush fires. They think sunscreen is for sissies and they don't worry much about anti-bacterial soap or drink fruit- flavored water.

Give me an Alabama redneck any day when trouble comes - when fences get blown over and the lights go out, and there are trees and houses strewn like matchsticks as far as the eye can see. What in the world would we do without these rednecks?

Thanks to all of you dear rednecks, you deserve medals for what you have done in the past few weeks. And don't think the world didn't notice. They did. In fact, somebody is probably writing a country song about you as you read this."
"LIFE always begins again." --Edmond Bordeaux Székely
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Re: Emergency & Long-Term Preparedness

Postby Atom » Wed Jun 08, 2011 11:53 am

My family and I are Latter-Day Saints (aka Mormon) and we have about a year supply of food on hand in case of emergencies. Food storage and the McDougall program go hand-in-hand because the long-term storageable foods (30+ year shelf life) are grains and dehydrated vegetables. We store wheat, beans, soy beans (to make soy milk), flour, several varieties of rice, deydrated fruits, vegetables and dehydrated potato flakes (fat free). We also keep a lot of seasonings, sugar, non-fat dry milk, soy sauce (for baking primarily), tomato sauces, pancake mix (for the kids--this has a shorter shelf life) to keep things going. We try to "use what we store/store what we use". The LDS Home Storage Centers are great places. Ask an LDS friend to take you along sometime. Some of them are open to the public and you don't have to be a memeber of the church to use it. --Atom
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Re: Emergency & Long-Term Preparedness

Postby fostermom3 » Wed Jun 08, 2011 9:05 pm

Clary, that was a very moving tribute to "Rednecks." Thanks for posting it.
I have a question for you. I have a lot of stuff collected but not too sure of the best way to organize it. (If I keep a bunch of stuff in my trunk it will hurt my gas mileage and also be subjected to heat of over 100 degrees during these summer days in TX.)
(A tornado could wipe out all stored stuff anywhere it's kept. I know someone who lost everything in the Jopin tornado.) I have a backpack full but am sure that I'd be unable to carry it on my back due to pretty severe back problems already. I've purchased stuff for an emergency (that I have no use for in my daily life) but know that there are huge gaps in my preparedness still. There are so many possible scenarios.
How does one prioritize and organize??
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Re: Emergency & Long-Term Preparedness

Postby gokkasten » Thu Jun 09, 2011 3:55 am

Wow... it's frightening reading material here.

I live in The Netherlands, close to the ocean. We don't have to fear tornado's, just (little) floods. Nevertheless, almost all people in our village have a disaster kit of some sort.

I can point you to Dutch resources, but that would be silly :)

I found something on the Internet though - perhaps that can help:
http://www.insureme.com/home-insurance/home-disaster-kit. BTW, if you read Dutch, you may want to check out this site about bedrijfsfilm.

Or else Google for "home disaster kit": you'll find piles of prioritized lists.
Last edited by gokkasten on Sat Sep 24, 2011 2:22 am, edited 3 times in total.
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Re: Emergency & Long-Term Preparedness

Postby Clary » Thu Jun 09, 2011 12:26 pm

Atom wrote: The LDS Home Storage Centers are great places. Ask an LDS friend to take you along sometime. Some of them are open to the public and you don't have to be a memeber of the church to use it. --Atom


--if interested to find out more about the Home Storage Centers, check this out. It may still be current information:
Locations and contact info of the Home Storage Centers:
http://providentliving.org/location/map ... -4,00.html

Order Form for Home Storage Centers
http://providentliving.org/channel/0,11 ... -1,00.html
"LIFE always begins again." --Edmond Bordeaux Székely
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Re: Emergency & Long-Term Preparedness

Postby Clary » Thu Jun 09, 2011 1:36 pm

fostermom3 wrote:Clary that was a very moving tribute to "Rednecks." Thanks for posting it.

Yes, I thought so, too--and true. I know these people, and some ARE my people, and they are good people who pretty much mind their own business and leave others to their own business, but in a time of need, they are the first on the scene. The article also was a reminder of just how destructive the tornadoes in Alabama were and what people are still dealing with.

fostermom3 wrote: I have a question for you. I have a lot of stuff collected but not too sure of the best way to organize it. (If I keep a bunch of stuff in my trunk it will hurt my gas mileage and also be subjected to heat of over 100 degrees during these summer days in TX.)
(A tornado could wipe out all stored stuff anywhere it's kept. I know someone who lost everything in the Jopin tornado.) I have a backpack full but am sure that I'd be unable to carry it on my back due to pretty severe back problems already. I've purchased stuff for an emergency (that I have no use for in my daily life) but know that there are huge gaps in my preparedness still.

There are so many possible scenarios.
How does one prioritize and organize??


Some unusual and practical info that might be helpfull to you, here:
http://www.bevscountrycottage.com/prepare/72hour.html

~Consider an underground shelter and storage area to get to quickly, if you are in an area where "basements" and other underground spaces can be constructed. If interested, do a search for "Storey Country Wisdom Bulletins "and look for these two pamphlets:
"Build Your Own Underground Root Cellar," which cellar can be used also as a storm shelter.
"Cold Storage for Fruits & Vegetables" (can be built in your basement, if you have one).

~I suggest also ordering the "Storey Publishing" FREE hard copy catalog, an oversized softcover 88 pp. catalog listing 100's of useful books, booklets, and pamphlets.

~And do a search right HERE on the website for the specific prep subject you have questions about. There are "tons" of really good posts with information in this thread, alone, from many different people here on the board over the past couple years, who have prepared in a number of different ways, and contributed answers to questions and offered links, etc.

I remember one Board Member posted about packing her families bug out stuff in buckets. --another in plastic crates—easy to grab and toss into the car, (or into a wheelbarrow!) etc. Someone packed her 72 hr. and first-aid kits in roller suitcases.

~If you read through this entire thread (as you have time) you will find help and suggestions and links on what and how much to store/prepare, how to store/prepare, where to store/prepare, etc. --as well as how to deal with specific conditions, etc.

~Chile, one of our long time members here on the McDougall Board has a blog with useful information and personal experiences on Emergency Preparedness:
http://chilechews.blogspot.com

Some areas to consider for home storage and preparation are:
--A three month's supply of everyday food that you can prepare with minimum cooking or prep or water (like canned foods). --foods to have on hand, use, rotate, and replace regularly.
--A year’s supply of food to sustain life—like wheat and rice; and of fuel, if possible and if needed. --a calculator to give you “ideas” for the amount of “survival” food for long-term storage. (Not all of the foods are McDougaller foods.), here:
http://lds.about.com/library/bl/faq/blcalculator.htm
--Water.
--GET OUT OF DEBT.
There are details, discussions, and links to all those subjects in this thread.

Dave Ramsey is a good source to learn how to pay off debts and become Debt Free.

Two good books:
BUG OUT, by Scott B. Williams
WHEN ALL HELL BREAKS LOOSE, by Cody Lundin

If you are just getting started on your Emergency Preparations, there will never be a better time than today.

--and a favorite quote of mine:
“…we all need to begin to improve, starting from where we are (not from where we should be, or where someone else is, or even from where others may think we are).

“Be Prepared, not Scared”
"LIFE always begins again." --Edmond Bordeaux Székely
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Re: Emergency & Long-Term Preparedness

Postby Clary » Thu Jun 09, 2011 1:55 pm

AnnaS wrote:Hi, Clary--
I just wanted to say that I don't think anyone can possibly grasp this kind of devastation until they've seen it themselves. I have some sense of how long it will take to get things back to 'normal'--a long, long time. Years. We had a small town of 300 homes completely demolished by an F4-F5 tornado a few years ago--this is only ten miles from my home.

The first responders on the ground that night? Mennonites. They arrived DURING THE STORM with supplies, personnel, a bus to take people to shelter, and cash to help people get through the next few days (motel bills, etc.) It still brings tears to my eyes to think of this.

It took volunteer efforts and donations from the nearby city and around the state, plus FEMA's help, to put this town back on the map. What if that city had been hit, too?? With widespread devastation such as we're seeing this year the task is beyond imagining.


I agree, Anna. My outlook and my life will never be the same again since I lived through what I have come to think of as "The Day of the Tornadoes" and have followed what is happening in the aftermath.

25 or so miles down the road from me on I-65 are still traffic snarls at getting off work time because of tree limbs and debris that have gone unattended because of higher priorities. Took my daughter over an hour to travel 20 miles. (Remember, this is NOT Los Angeles or NY. It is basically “country.”)
At the other extreme from traffic jams, there are people who have lost their homes and everything, EVERYTHING, they owned and are surviving, and living, entirely different lives than before the tornadoes. --and other examples of this all over our country due to mudslides, earthquakes, wildfires, tornadoes, floods, etc. and now comes the hurricane season. My heart is heavy with compassion.
"LIFE always begins again." --Edmond Bordeaux Székely
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Re: Emergency & Long-Term Preparedness

Postby AnnaS » Sat Jun 11, 2011 8:14 am

Clary wrote:My heart is heavy with compassion.

Yeah...me too. I follow the Joplin story a little more closely because it's nearer to us and we know people in Mo. I read yesterday that some people whose wounds were treated in the aftermath are getting fungal infections, sometimes fatal. It just goes on and on.

In my state we are hearing every night on the news about the Missouri River's rising floodwaters, which are predicted to break records (worse than 1993 ???) and over the next few months homes, businesses, whole towns will be lost and let's hope the two aging nuclear power plants manage to avoid disaster. One town near the river already had its wastewater plant destroyed and is sending raw sewage into the river. Already the major highways I take when driving to Mo. are impassable due to flooding, and that situation will not improve until late fall. West of the Missouri the Platte River is flooding dramatically too, all across Nebraska, but you won't hear much about that on national news as the population is less out there. For once, our local news is fascinating with aerial views of the flooding, discussion of dam control, interviews with city planners, business owners, homeowners, etc.

One local TV station actually aired a piece about "how to cope when you've lost everything." This is in ADVANCE of the worst flooding...I'm sorry, I couldn't watch it, I had to turn it off. It's too heartbreaking to take a practical view right now.
on the McD program since 2002: age=65, BMI=18, b/p=110/70, tc=126, McD=100%.
diagnosed with lyme disease March 2010

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Re: Emergency & Long-Term Preparedness

Postby Chile » Sat Jun 11, 2011 8:59 am

Clary wrote:~Chile, one of our long time members here on the McDougall Board has a blog with useful information and personal experiences on Emergency Preparedness:
http://chilechews.blogspot.com


Thanks for the shout-out, Clary. To make it easier for people to find the relevant information on my blog (which has almost 1,000 posts on it), be sure to click on the "emergencies" tab in the sidebar index to posts.

Re 72-hour bags, we have our packed in backpacks. I am working on getting in good enough shape to carry mine, although one possible alternative for us is to put them on our Xtracycles (bikes with HUGE panniers and lots of carrying capacity).

One final bit of advice for preparation:
~Get in shape if you are not phsyically fit at this time. In an emergency, you may very well end up on foot carrying what you can yourself.
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