It's a Matter of Shelf Stable Meals....What are they really like?

Okay, I was curious.  I have seen these shelf stable entrees that supposedly have "everything" inside.  I was particularly curious about the "Self Heating" part.  I have wondered how they would work, taste, etc.  So, I purchased several different types of these shelf-stable meals.  I thought I would review this one for you today.  Please know that I do not receive any remuneration for this review.  

I have wondered if these are good options for 72 hour kits, the office, or your vehicle.

What are Shelf-Stable Meals really like?

I was intrigued with the idea that this meal was 'self heating', aren't you?  Here is how it went......

When you remove the contents, there is a tray, a packet of water and the entree. The instructions stated that you pour the water on to the Styrofoam tray.

You are then instructed to turn the entree upside-down on to the tray.

It doesn't take long for the Styrofoam try to steam and heat the entree.

After steaming for the suggested amount of time, you are instructed to turn the entree over.

You are instructed to carefully peel the top covering off as the entree is now heated.

I wanted to see how hot it really was after heating.  It was over 100 degrees.

The container also has salt, pepper, a "Spork", and a napkin.

So, you may wonder how it tasted.....

• Temperature:  not too hot
• Texture:  it was very mushy. Although you can see the noodles etc, once it was in my mouth it felt like refried beans.
• Taste:  It needed some spices from my cupboard.
• Convenience:  No doubt, it is a self-contained meal with everything you need.  In a pinch, it would be easy to make.
• Kid Preference:  Some of you may know that I specialize in feeding and swallowing disorders in children. This is a large portion of my caseload at the hospital where I work.  I have a some concerns for a child.
• If the child were not used to this type of food or even this flavor, they most likely will refuse.  Children do not eat even if they are hungry if the food is unfamiliar or concerning to them at all.
• The color and texture may be difficult for them to tolerate if they are used to more dense solids in their diets.
• And finally, the research demonstrates that children will choose to starve rather than eat something that is not familiar or preferred. So the logic that they will eat if they are hungry enough just isn't valid.

I am going to keep a few of these in my 72 kit, and my offices.  They could work for me as an adult.

It's a Matter of......Emergency Kits.

The Following Post is written to celebrate National Preparedness month in September by focusing on a different topic for the "30 Days of Preparedness " sponsored by the amazing folks at Prepared Bloggers.  Please watch Prepared Bloggers every day in September to learn about many different aspects of being prepared and how you can begin, or add to your existing knowledge and skills sets.  This post is Day #8

Isn't it a beautiful setting?  Wouldn't you like to spend a few relaxing days or weeks here?  Perhaps you could view this in a different light, perhaps this might be a destination not for relaxation, but to seek shelter in light of an emergency. I believe that we all would like to think that we could quickly seek shelter in such a wonderful cabin, but in reality this may not be an option.

Many different things in life can happen, and too many are unforeseen. Although we cannot always know what the future holds, we can take steps to be prepared for the unforeseen not only for ourselves individually, but also for those we love and care for.  Take a minute to look at this video and see if any of it sound familiar.

Having had to live through several natural and man-made disasters, I have learned to appreciate the peace of mind that comes from having Emergency Kits.  Today, I will touch on a few for you. The purpose of this article is to get you thinking and to get you to spring into action.  When you are in the throws of a challenging situation, trying to locate all the parts and pieces is nearly impossible. We will start with 'doable' and then I will suggest 'suggested items' that you may want to consider and gather over time.  (The lists that I provide overall will be from a public source that allows sharing without violating copyright laws).

72 hour kit:

Hopefully you have heard of a "72 hour kit". The premise behind this kit is to have the supplies to survive for up to 3 days while waiting or seeking additional help from private or public resources.  These kits can be purchased from commercial suppliers, but you may be surprised at how easy they are to put together and customize for yourself.  

The following list is a good, but basic list that comes from "Be Ready Utah"

Note that there are suggested items for food, water, clothing, hygiene, and shelter.  As you look at the list, I am guessing that you may be pleasantly surprised that you have many of these items around the house. Although the suggested containers to hold the kit vary in this list, I would encourage you to consider using a container that is easy to carry and move. For example, if you use a chest to store your items, how difficult will this be to move and carry by foot if you cannot drive.

I am going to show you some of the items I have included in our 72-hour kits that you may want to consider.

First of all, we have ours in individual Backpacks for each family member. Hopefully you can see that we keep these in our pantry, which is near our garage door.  In an emergency, we can quickly grab our kits and go.  They are ready and we do not have to spend extra time looking for needed items.  Would you like to see some of the things we have inside?

In an outside pocket, we have many hygiene items.  In the green container, we have a toothbrush that comes with toothpaste on the bristles. We have enough for 3 days. See the razor?  There are wipes as well. See the small zippered pocket on the upper right of this picture?  Let me show you the contents:

These are travel sized soap and deodorant.  They are small and fit very well into this small pocket.  

Each kits contains medications etc.  This kit has "Dental gum" which also can be used to 'brush' your teeth as well.  It is a very small compartmented box traditionally used for small fishing lures.  It works well for this purpose.

Although I preferred to use a wool blanket, I have included a Mylar blanket. The orange item is a small tent that can be set up for a basic shelter.  It is small and easily fits inside the large compartment of the Backpack.

Because space is minimal, I have included "Tooblite" in addition to a small flashlight.  These tubes absorb light during the day and glow all night.  They can be used over and over again.  See the chain, I can hang the tube on the outside of my Backpack to allow it to 'charge' during the day as I move along.

I have included this Fresnel lens, which is essentially a large but flexible magnifying glass. This can be used for a variety of uses including starting fires. Matches are important as are lighters, but they require fuel to work.  This device can be used again and again to start a fire in the daylight hours.  

Each 72-hour kit has a small military type stove.  This is light-weight fuel that can easily be carried and is dry.  If you are traveling during the rain or snow, finding dry fuel may be very difficult.

I am including these photos of the "Universal Portable Urinal Unisex". Although unpleasant to think about, you really need to think of the hygiene aspects of the 72-hour kit. The red part is for males. The bottom picture shows the attachment that you would place on top of the red part of the device for females to use.  Also, don't forget to include toilet paper and or baby wipes.

You will need copies of your important documents.  Although this information from "Be Ready Utah" suggests paper copies, I have chosen to use a Memory Stick/Flash Drive to keep these important documents.  Remember, space is at a premium.  You will also need cash, in small bills and some change. Remember, in the case of an emergency no one is going to have lots of change. If you have large bills, you may have to trade the bill for a needed items and loose the change you normally would get back.  You should also consider maps and a First Aid/Emergency Preparedness book such as a Boy Scout book.

Finally, you cannot be to careful about water.  Our 72-hour kits do have water, but carrying 72 hours worth (1-2 gallons a day) is impractical.  We have two items in our kits. This is a type of water-bottle with a filter.  We also have "Life Straws" which are compact, light-weight and can filter some pretty nasty water.  

Car Kits:

There will be times that you won't be home....just think about your daily routine. Few of us are able to be home all day.  This is why having a Car Kit is very important.  Here is a list from Be Ready Car Survival and Emergency Kit.

Again, notice that there are items for emergencies of all types, including car related emergencies.  As stated above, this list is a good starting point and you most likely have many of the items on the list.  I would like to highlight a few items for you to consider:

I have a number of things in my car kit.  It is contained in one container and I often have a wool blanket that covers the top.  

I have 2 very small 72-hour kits in the boxes, water, a tent, life straw, wipes, whistle with matches, paper, pen, and shoes with socks in this side of the kit.  I often wear heels to work, and walking miles in them does not appeal to me.  

The back section has a Battery Charger, jumper cables, oil, a foldable shovel, "Fix a Flat", WD-40, an air pump and other items. I plan to add a container of light-weight Kitty Litter to help me during the winter should I need it. 

Sanitation Kit:

If you have the luxury of traveling in a car, or don't mind hauling yet another item, consider a Sanitation Kit.  

This is the "Waterless Gotta Go Toilet".  It collapses into this flat container and has 7 bags to catch the 'waste'. The green circular item behind it is a pop-up tent for this item to provide privacy. Again, it is light-weight and could be carried if desired. There are other options as well such as the "Luggable Loo", but it is a bit more awkward to carry if you are on foot.

Other items that you will need for Sanitation are a collapsable shovel to bury waste, toilet paper or baby wipes, bleach, Feminine hygiene products, hand sanitizer, and possibly paper towels.

School Kits:

It is that time of year again.  Our children are going back to school.  Students spend 6 hours or more a day at school and are away from their parents. Although schools are encouraged to have emergency plans for various scenarios, it is still important to have individual emergency kits in your child's Backpack.  These could be placed in a Zip Lock baggie.  However, I would encourage you to seal the kit in a "Food Saver" type bag to hopefully deter inquiring minds from playing with the whistle, and getting the funds you may put in there for emergencies.

Here is a list form Be Ready Utah:

• 1 7" x 8" size zip lock bag to place emergency items in
• 1 emergency (Mylar) blanket
• 1 emergency poncho (one size fits all and children's sizes also available at any stores with a camping section)
• 1 or more hand/body warmer (usually comes 2 per packet at any stores in the camping section)
• Trial size tooth paste and toot brush (great to use if you are checking them out of school and going to the dentist!)
• Trial size hand/body moisture lotions.
• 4 moist hand wipes/small package of baby wipes
• 4 sterile alcohol swabs to clean wounds or cuts
• variety size band aids
• 2 pocket size facial tissues
• Various sized safety pins (in case you pop a button or a broken zipper)
• 1 blow whistle with lanyard to hand on Backpack).

I would add, some food items like granola bars, and a few dollars in cash.  

So, take the challenge to get started today.  Gather items that you may have around your home already and begin to put your 72-hour kit together first. Teach your family members not only to help put these kits together, but also when to use them.

The time to prepare....is now!  Good Luck!

 

Thanks for joining the Prepared Bloggers as we work our way through 30 Days of Preparedness. September is National Preparedness Month so you will find everything you need to get your preparedness knowledge and skills into shape. Take one post each day, learn as much as you can about the topic and make it a part of your preparedness plan.

Day 1 - Ready, Set, Get Prepared! Welcome to 30 Days of Preparedness from PreparednessMama 
Day 2 - The Family Meeting Place and Escape from Laughingbear Adventures
Day 3 - I'm Safe! How to Communicate with Family in an Emergency from PreparednessMama
Day 4 - Does Your Family Have a Fire Escape Plan? from Home Ready Home
Day 5 - Preparedness For Pets from The Busy B Homemaker
Day 6 - The Escape Exercise from Laughingbear Adventures
Day 7 - It all Falls Apart Without Mental Preparedness from PreparednessMama
Day 8 - It's a Matter of Emergency Kits from A Matter of Preparedness
Day 9 - Nine Great Emergency Light Sources Other Than Flashlights from Food Storage & Survival
Day 10 - Cooking Without Power from Mama Kautz
Day 11 - The Importance of a Shelter & Staying Warm and Dry from Trayer Wilderness
Day 12 - The Importance of Having The Right Tools In Your Pack from Trayer Wilderness
Day 13 - Practice Living Without Electricity from Food Storage Made Easy
Day 14 - How We Choose The Right Gear - (including the MultiFlame Tool) from Trayer Wilderness
Day 15 - Water Storage & Purification from The Busy B Homemaker
Day 16 - Food and Water for a 72 Hour "Go Bag" from Homestead Dreamer
Day 17 - 8 Foods You Should Be Storing and How from Melissa K Norris
Day 18 - Planning Your Pantry from The Organic Prepper
Day 19 - Stocking Up on Non-Food Items from Living in Rural Iowa
Day 20 - Dutch Oven Cooking: Off-Grid Before Off-Grid Was Cool from The Backyard Pioneer
Day 21 - Pressure Canning the Harvest from Timber Creek Farm
Day 22 - Personal Protection & Awareness from Living in Rural Iowa
Day 23 - KISS First Aid from Herbal Prepper
Day 24 - Mommy, I have to go Potty! from Mom With a Prep
Day 25 - Fire Starting 101: The Why and How of Lighting a Fire for Survival from Food Storage & Survival
Day 26 - How to Filter and Purify Water from Prepared Housewives
Day 27 - How To Make A Shelter from Trayer Wilderness
Day 28 - Put Your Preps to the Test with 24 Hours Unplugged from The Organic Prepper
Day 29 - What Is Char and Why You Should Have It To Start A Fire from Trayer Wilderness
Day 30 - How To Utilize Bushcraft Skills and Forage From The Wild from Trayer Wilderness

It's a Matter of Preparing your Young Single Adult for Emergencies when they are away at School

Do you remember when you left home to begin your big adventure at school or your first 'grown-up' job?  Chances are, if you are a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, that following your move you were a member of a Young-Single Adult (YSA) Ward. As you can see from the above picture, in my area, the YSA wards number in the hundreds.  

During this time of life, many are on their own for the first time.  They are trying to balance school, work, dating, friendships, church service...and just surviving it all.  As my husband and I serve in a YSA ward, we see so much goodness and potential in all of the YSA's.  Sometimes the balancing is not so graceful and course corrections are in order. 

With all that activity, do you think that preparedness and emergency plans are anywhere on the horizon?  I can tell you honestly, it is probably one of the furthest thoughts from their minds.  So, enter the Emergency Preparedness plan for each ward and Stake.

This is actually a photo that I took while in one of our student's apartments.  It is the Stake/Ward Emergency Preparedness plan.  But this is only one aspect.

There is actually a lot of planning that goes into the YSA Emergency Preparedness plan.  I will include some excerpts:

"Church guidance for YSA Stakes:  “ As stake presidents, we should counsel our members that while they do not need to accumulate food that would supply their long-term needs, they should have a short-term supply as recommended in the current pamphlet, All Is Safely Gathered In. You should feel free to counsel your members appropriately.  (Elder Osguthorpe memo to Stake Presidents, April 27, 2008)"

Does this sound familiar?

 Establish and maintain means of emergency communications.
A. Develop and maintain a communication plan that will enable:
(1) Members communicating with their respective ward leadership.

(2) Wards communicating with their respective Stake leadership.
(3) Stakes communicating with the University's Emergency Operations Center.
(4) Stakes communicating as needed with others outside the stake or wards.
B. Periodically test this communications system.

So, how do you test the "Communication System" in a YSA Ward and Stake? You have a drill!

In our Stake, a drill is held during Family Home Evening twice within a school year. This is announced ahead of time.  All members of the ward gather in one place (parking lot, volleyball court...some central location) at 7:00 at night. Each apartment number is called out by a member of the Ward Emergency Preparedness Committee. Those who reside in the apartment report who is currently on site, and the location of anyone who is not.  If they don't know where everyone is, these roommates are asked to text/call/contact to learn the location of everyone in their apartment. It sounds simple enough doesn't it?  Believe it or not, response is not quick. Sometimes the Bishopric calls as well.  The entire YSA ward stays until hopefully the location of everyone is known.  Then, the information is relayed to a Stake representative until the Stake President is informed about the whereabouts of his flock.  There are times when not all members can be found.  When this occurs, an action plan is put in place to help ensure this would not happen in the case of a real emergency. Frankly, this is why they have these drills. 

Then what?  A little training with a very captive audience.  Remember not all young adults are single.

Here are guidelines for personal preparation that are offered.  Notice that the YSA's are encouraged to have enough money on hand to get home.  Sometimes that may involve a tank of gas, however it often it involves a flight.

Personal Emergency Response Plan
Guidelines for Provo Utah YSA & Married Student Stakes
Food$ Keep at least one week's worth of groceries on hand at all times, along with food for emergencies (granola bars, etc.).
$ Keep at least a three-day supply of emergency water (one gallon per person per day).

Transportation
$ Keep your car's gas tank at least half full at all times.
Money
$ Have enough money available to get to your parents= home (if that is where you would go in case of a major emergency) or other place of retreat.
Communication
$ Have your cell phone programmed to call family and other important people in your life. Program an ICE (In Case of Emergency) number in your cell-phone directory.
$ Designate an out-of-area family member as a family-communication contact.
$ Keep your roommates/spouse apprised of your whereabouts.
$ Know about emergency information sources, including KSL AM 1160 and FM 102.7 and KBYU FM 89.1 and 89.5.  Remember that your car radio is a source for emergency information.
Other emergency items
$ Designate a place for meeting your roommates, or your spouse and children (right outside your home for emergencies such as fires, and outside your neighborhood if you can=t get home).
$ Be aware of your ward=s emergency response plan, especially the ward emergency-meeting locations.
$ Identify primary and alternate escape routes out of your home, and conduct drills with your family/roommates.
$ Keep all needed medications readily available (one-week supply).
$ Have items available for warmth in cold weather (coats, blankets, etc.)
$ Keep insurance policies (policy number and contact information) available, along with any other important documents, such as birth certificates and marriage licenses.
$ Learn what to do for the different hazards that could impact you or your family.  See General Emergency Guidelines at http://risk.byu.edu/emergency/generalDownloads.php.
$ Go to http://risk.byu.edu/emergency for more information.
11 August 2008

This next part seems Herculean for many young adults.  Again, they are often just learning how to live on their own and have traditionally relied on their parents to be mindful of emergency preparedness items.  Here are instructions on making a kit for emergencies (FYI, this would be a good outline for a parent to prepare a kit for their YSA to take with them).

Get A Kit You may need to survive on your own after an emergency. This means having your own food, water, and other supplies in sufficient quantity to last for at least three days. Local officials and relief workers will be on the scene after a disaster, but they cannot reach everyone immediately. You could get help in hours, or it might take days. In addition, basic services such as electricity, gas, water, sewage treatment, and telephones may be cut off for days, or even a week or longer.
Recommended Items to Include in a Basic Emergency Supply Kit:
• Water, one gallon of water per person per day for at least three days, for drinking and sanitation
• Food, at least a three-day supply of non-perishable food
• Battery-powered or hand crank radio and a NOAA Weather Radio with tone alert and extra batteries for both
• Flashlight and extra batteries
• First aid kit
• Whistle to signal for help
• Dust mask, to help filter contaminated air and plastic sheeting and duct tape to shelter-in-place
• Moist towelettes, garbage bags and plastic ties for personal sanitation
• Wrench or pliers to turn off utilities
• Can opener for food (if kit contains canned food)
• Local maps
• Cell phone with chargers, inverter or solar charger
Additional Items to Consider Adding to an Emergency Supply Kit:
• Prescription medications and glasses
• Infant formula and diapers
• Pet food and extra water for your pet
• Important family documents such as copies of insurance policies, identification and bank account records in a waterproof, portable container
• Cash or traveler's checks and change
• Important family documents such as copies of insurance policies, identification and bank account records in a waterproof, portable container. You can use the EFFAK Emergency Financial First Aid Kit - PDF, 277Kb) developed by Operation Hope, FEMA and Citizen Corps to help you organize your information
• Emergency reference material such as a first aid book or information from www.ready.gov
• Sleeping bag or warm blanket for each person. Consider additional bedding if you live in a cold-weather climate.
• Complete change of clothing including a long sleeved shirt, long pants and sturdy shoes. Consider additional clothing if you live in a cold-weather climate.
• Household chlorine bleach and medicine dropper – When diluted nine parts water to one part bleach, bleach can be used as a disinfectant. Or in an emergency, you can use it to treat water by using 16 drops of regular household liquid bleach per gallon of water. Do not use scented, color safe or bleaches with added cleaners.
• Fire Extinguisher
• Matches in a waterproof container
• Feminine supplies and personal hygiene items
• Mess kits, paper cups, plates and plastic utensils, paper towels
• Paper and pencil
• Books, games, puzzles or other activities for children
Find out how to keep food safe during and after and emergency by visiting: http://www.foodsafety.gov/keep/ 

How do you end this informative Family Home Evening?  With fun, games, and food!  

Parents Take-Home Message:

• Teach your children basic preparedness skills before they leave home. This includes how to cook from scratch, clean and how to do laundry.  You seriously handicap your child if they do not have these basic skills....no matter how many times they roll their eyes and complain.
• Teach your children basic survival skills such as those listed above.  This is for their safety and also so that you can sleep at night while they are gone:)
• Teach them to respond when members of their ward call or text them.  This is not only a courtesy, but in the case of an emergency it is a safety issue.  Too many YSA's do not respond when they are contacted by either peers or leadership.  Then, if they do respond, it may have been days since the initial contact. Also, teach them to look at their email.....regularly.  All communication does not come in the form of a text.  If some of the above information were to be sent as an attachment, honestly some of our YSA's would never see it even though they have email.
• Teach them basic First Aid skills.
• Teach them budgeting skills.  One of the requirements above was to have enough money to get home.  Some of our YSA's don't even know where they are going to get enough money to eat for the next week because they live in the present. This is only true for some of them.
• Have an out-of-state person for them to contact in case of an emergency. I would recommend that you have this stipulated before they leave home.

Emergency Preparedness skills are necessary during all phases of life.  Please don't forget those folks who probably consider themselves to be exempt from having to even consider this important topic just because of their station in life.

Be Safe!

Another One of My Favorite Things......

Image Courtesy of Bling Berry

Continuing in the series of my "Favorite Things", here is yet another one.  This is a collapsible bottle that can easily fit in a purse, 72 hour kit, or any bag.  I like the fact that it has a clip that can be placed on a backpack, or a belt loop if you desire.

This bottle holds 16 oz. and comes in different colors.  It also has a strip to write a person's name or to label the contents.  You can order them from Bling Berry directly.

This is is a great gift or stocking stuffer.

Consider it.

A Few of My Favorite Things....Shedding Light on the Subject

Image Courtesy of Dollar Tree

I am continuing my little series of "my favorite things" that can be used as gifts for yourself or for others.  We have all seen these little solar lights for the yard. I even picked some of them up at the Dollar Store a couple of years ago. Why would I have these for Emergency Preparedness?  Well, they recharge with sunlight....and can be a light for you if your power goes out.  They can be placed in a tall glass on the counter/table to help light up your room.  There are no oils, flames, or additional equipment required.  These happen to be small, but you can purchase larger ones.  And, an added bonus, they can charge your rechargeable batteries during the day if you need to use them for something else at night.  Such a little work-horse for a very small price.

Consider it!

A Few of My Favorite Things....Continued

Image courtesy of apartmentherapy

I recently purchased these "go towels" for my 72 hour kit.  They aren't baby wipes, but a cloth made of bamboo that expands to 20" x 15" when it gets wet.  They are sturdy as well and reportedly can be used over again.  I just haven't tried to do that yet.  They can be obtained from several sources ranging from $11.00 to $15.00 for a pack of 10. 

Just another little gift that could just as easily fit into a stocking as it can a 72 hour kit!

Consider it!

A Bright Little Light.....

I have been in the "gadget getting mode" lately and have a number of posts planned....at least in my head.  This is one of those.  These are nothing beautiful to look at...or are they?

You may be asking what they are. They are called "Tooblite glowstick" and really quite nice.  I purchased these for our 72 hour kits because:

• They give off light...and don't require batteries
• They are reusable.  Simply leave them in the sunlight for a few minutes, use an LED flashlight to charge for a few seconds, or hold them in front of your car's headlights.
• You can hang them up (they come with a chain) in a tent, or mark a spot on a trail
• They are really light weight.

So, I put them in my window and then at night, I took this picture...

It's pretty hard to get my camera to take a night-time picture....and keep the flash off.  Actually, they were amazing bright.  The light lasted for hours.

They cost just under $7.00 each. What is also amazing is that this is a family business and they they make other products that glow at night like a necklace and Nightlights.  If you are a Scuba diver, they also have "Scooblite" with a lanyard.

I felt that this was worth the investment. It takes little time to charge, and are reusable.  I don't have to be concerned with having a supply of batteries for light in my 72 hour kit...or when I am just enjoying the outdoors at night.

Here is there website:  http://www.uvpaqlite.com/tooblite.html

Consider it!

Outside my front door.....

Quail Fire in Alpine Utah

Yes, I actually took this photo outside of my front door at about 6:30 p.m.  This huge fire only started at 2:30 p.m.  Where was I at that 2:30 p.m......not home!  I was working at the hospital. The mother of one of my patients was talking about the Quail Fire...and I didn't put two and two together.  She then asked me where I lived and I told her.  She encouraged me to find out if we needed to evacuate.  

Yes, as soon as they left, I fired off a call to my husband....who was not home!  After checking the news online, our area wasn't evacuated yet, but just north of us 500 people were being evacuated.  I couldn't finish work fast enough, the drive home seemed even longer.

When I got home, I checked our 72 hour kits, our water cubes, our emergency 'pouch' of information that we would take and got ready to grab them, my photo albums, and my computer in case we were evacuated.  Luckily, we didn't need to leave our home, and I am grateful to the heroic Firefighters who are battling this and other blazes.

There have been around 400 fires in Utah alone this summer. We really didn't have much of a winter in regard to precipitation, and the same was true for the spring. The grounds and canyons are just so dry....and it is July Fourth today.  

Here is a view of the fire just now....but the trees are blocking much of the view.  It is red on the mountainside.

I was pleased to see the following notice emailed to my email by my city:

July 3, 2012 5:37 PMFIREWORKS RESTRICTION REQUESTED due to Quail Fire - EVACUATION INFORMATION updated on alpinecity.orgIt is requested that residents in Highland, Cedar Hills and Alpine refrain from lighting fireworks until further notice. All resources are currently being used to fight the Quail Fire.Due to the nature of the Quail Fire in Alpine City it is requested that residents in Highland, Cedar Hills and Alpine* refrain from lighting fireworks until further notice. All resources are currently being used to fight the Quail Fire. 
There have been no evacuations issued for Highland residents at this time. Residents are encouraged to utilize the City website (www.highlandcity.org) for up to date information. Subscribing to the "Notify Me" feature from the website will provide email updates as they are available.
FOR CURRENT EVACUATION INFORMATION, please visit the Alpine City website at www.alpinecity.org
(*NOTE: there is a mandatory ban on ALL fireworks in Alpine City)

Our Governor has been pleading with citizens of our State to use "common sense" and not put our lands or our people at risk.  Even with common sense, there are lightning strikes, and accidents (machinery, catalytic converters, etc)

Take home message for our family today:  

• Have everything backed up on our computers.....off site!  Had we not been able to get to our home, our important documents would have been protected.  I recently changed platforms with the purchase of a new computer.  I have been battling my back-up service to remember that I don't have a PC anymore. I will be calling to correct this asap.
• Keep my car kit current.  If I had to live out of the items I keep in my car, I would have been fine....except for the clothes and baby wipes thing.  Note to self....fix that!
• My 'pouch' of important info was at the house.  I need to scan the information to store off site.
• Keep at least a half of a tank of gas in our vehicles.  I am usually the one harping on this...and today my tank was nearly empty.  I need to do better!
• Notify the key, out of state person, that we are okay.  I had calls from family members inquiring as to our status.  If we were evacuating, I may not have been able to answer or would not have had the time to answer.  The out-of-state contact could have let everyone know we where we were and how we were.

If I were to grade our efforts today, I would give us a "B", but not an "A".  We could have survived and most of the information in the "Pouch" could have been replaced after a great deal of inconvenience.  Today was a wake-up call for us.  

Please pray for the safety of our brave Firefighters and Service men and women who answer the call to protect us all.

And.....Use Common Sense!!!!!

Review of "The Emergency App" for Kindle Fire

The day of the electronic Tablet certainly has arrived. I own a Kindle Fire. There are many things I like about, but today I am going to post my review of an "App" I have installed on my device.  It is call The Emergency App.    (We can talk about emergency power for this at a future date!)

Something new for my 72-hour kit....

You may wonder what this is. Well, it is a new addition to my 72 hour kit.

This is one end.

And, if you haven't guessed by now by looking at this end.....it is a USB device.

This is how it is meant to be used....as a bracelet.  This particular device is called a "USB Bracelet" by Snap-on Gear.  I first saw it as an advertised deal from one of the sites I follow.  At the time, it  was on sale for $10.00 a bracelet, but it is normally priced at $20.00.  This device can hold 4GB of information.  

I plan to upload all my important files to it.  In an emergency, I could ensure that I have all my information with me and just in case my 72-kit/backpack gets lost or stolen, I still would have my information with me. It's flexible and is made from a water repellent material.  It also comes in 5 different colors.

As you can see, it is one-size-fits-all.  It is actually big for my wrist, but will not fall off over my hand.  If you wanted to have one of these for a child, and depending upon the size of the child, you would most likely have to attach it to their ankle.

I love this item and look forward to stocking it up with needed information.  It will be ready at a moment's notice, is water resistant, and is not heavy.

Just another thought on your journey to prepare....