Lightsticks and Candles

When the power goes out, we are essentially plunged back into the first century A.D. Preparing alternate sources of light for use during emergencies is a must. Light is especially vital in caring for children, the elderly, or those who may be ill, injured, or disabled.

One of the safest emergency lights available is the chemical lightstick. These small lights are normally activated by bending the stick, which sets off a chemical reaction inside that causes the unit to glow. Since there is no spark involved, these provide an added measure of safety when there is a chance of gas fumes being in the air. They usually last for 8 to 12 hours and are great for emergency kits.

8 to 12 hour lightsticks

Another form of emergency lighting is the candle. Candles are one of the most reliable sources of light - all you need is a match. One of the safest and longest-burning candles available is the 100-hour liquid paraffin candle. Liquid paraffin candles last much longer than wax candles. They are also smokeless, odorless, and have an indefinite shelf life.

100-Hour Plus Liquid Paraffin Emergency Candles

Here is what a recent customer had to say about the 100-Hour Plus Emergency Candles:

"I have these attractive little candles placed strategically around the house for emergency use, and they have served me well on numerous occasions when I have had an extended power outage. They give enough light to allow me to move around the house comfortably, and I have yet to use one up. I like them so well, and they are such a good bargain, that I distributed them to my kids for their emergency preparedness as well."      -Pat, Washington

Emergency Preparedness at School

Natural disasters and emergencies may not normally occur while you are at home where your emergency supplies and food storage are kept. Because of this, it is important to have an emergency plan for the various places your family spends time. Our homes, schools and workplaces should have site-specific preparations for an emergency.

Schools should already have an emergency plan to make sure your children are safe, but do you know enough about it to explain it to your children?

The following are ideas to help you and your children feel safe away from home during an emergency:

Classroom School Emergency Kit

Idea 1

Contact your school district to find out about their emergency plan and the policy on how children will be released from school. Some schools already have an emergency classroom kit that can be used in case of an emergency.

Idea 2

Even if your school is prepared, help your child prepare a small disaster kit for them to keep in their locker or desk. Remind them that this kit is only for an emergency.

This kit could include the following:

• Water - water pouches or juice boxes
• Food -  high calorie food bars, MRE's, granola bars, fruit bars, crackers, candy bars, fruit leather, raisins, nuts, prepackaged foods, etc.
• Shelter - emergency bag or blanket
• Protection - poncho
• Warmth - warm packs

Evac Pack™

You may want to add other items to this kit to personally customize it for your child such as:

• Mini first aid kit (adhesive bandages, rolled bandages for sprains, pain reliever, any medication you need, gauze, antiseptic wipes, antibiotic first aid cream, etc.) Make sure your child knows how to use these first aid items properly.
• Small flashlight with extra batteries or a lightstick
• An identification card with their name, address, telephone number, emergency telephone numbers and birth date
• Book or similar item for relief from stress, boredom or discouragement
• A note that you love them and to stay calm

Help your child understand when they are allowed to use their disaster kit and exactly how to use it.

Idea 3

Have an evening of fun and help them understand what to do in a disaster. Teach them how to use the items in their kit and review where to meet if they are away from the family. You could role-play the steps to take during a disaster with your children.

Remember, following these steps will help you and your children feel safe away from home during an unexpected emergency.

Look for an upcoming post concerning preparation in the workplace.

Spinach Mushroom Pizza

If your house is anything like mine, children and vegetables don't mix very well. It's always a challenge to make sure they get enough vegetable portions each day. Well, since pizza and children do mix well, here's a recipe to help with the veggies.

Spinach Mushroom Pizza

Bring on those veggies!

I like to make homemade pizza dough using my bread machine (the kids really like it). Here is the recipe if you want to give it a try:

Pizza Dough (for 1 pizza)
 
• 2/3 cup warm water
• 1 Tbsp oil
• 1 tsp honey
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 Tbsp cornmeal
• 1¾ cups flour
• ½ tsp baking powder
• ¼ tsp garlic salt or powder
• ½ tsp Italian seasoning
• 1 tsp yeast
 
Add ingredients in order to bread machine and run 'Dough' mode. When finished, place in a greased 9x13 pan and pre-bake for about 5 minutes.
 
The olive and sesame oil work well on this pizza. I thought that a white pizza sauce would go well with the spinach and mushrooms in place of the oils. Either one works great!
 
White Pizza Sauce (for 1 pizza)
 
• 1 Tbsp butter (1 Tbsp butter powder, 1 Tbsp water)
• 1½ Tbsp flour
• ½ cup powdered milk, reconstituted
• 1 tsp garlic powder or salt
• 1 Tbsp Italian seasoning
• ¼ cup Parmesan cheese
• salt and pepper to taste
 
Heat butter in a saucepan. Whisk in flour and mix well. Add milk. Stir in remaining ingredients and bring to a slow boil. Remove from heat and give it about 5 minutes to thicken.

 

Mushrooms, Cheese and Spinach

You can add more or less spinach according to your tastes

Cut and ready to eat

Insight Articles - A New Look

Have you had a chance recently to read any of our Insight Articles? They offer excellent and timely information on a wide variety of preparedness topics.

We are currently in the process of updating the look and feel of the articles. This is an excerpt from our Car Preparedness and Safety article. Click on the image below to view the entire article:

Click on image to view entire article

We highly recommend that you take a little time to read some of our Insight Articles. If you have questions about a specific preparedness topic, they are a great place to start. Remember that education is one of the first steps in getting prepared. Good reading!

MRE's - Meals Ready to Eat

We recently came across a news story documenting a Vietnam Veteran eating a 40 year-old 'C' Ration can of pound cake. He stated that it was "good" and "even a little moist." 'C' Rations have evolved over the years and are now called MRE's - Meals Ready to Eat.

Originally designed for the U.S. government, these compact pouches contain delicious ready to eat foods. MRE's have been used since the 1970's in the U.S. Space Program, Military, Forest Service and FEMA. In more recent years, many foreign governments have started using these versatile foods.


A main concern in the development and testing of rations for the U.S. government has always been shelf life. All MRE foods are packaged in triple-layer plastic/aluminum pouches that have better storage qualities than heavy cans, with no need for a can opener. The food in these pouches is precooked and sealed at a high temperature so that bacteria is neutralized and the food will be shelf stable even when stored at room temperature. Some of the best information available on MRE shelf life is the storage life chart (see below) compiled by the U.S. Army's Natick Research Laboratories. This chart provides a good overview and summary of the findings gathered from their testing of MRE products.

MRE Shelf Life

Note: Below 60° - not enough data yet collected, however, projections are the 130 month storage life will be extended. Time and temperature have a cumulative effect. For example, storage at 100° for 11 months then removed to storage at 70° would lose one-half of the 70° storage life. Also avoid fluctuating temperatures, in and out of freezing levels. Due to the cumulative effect of time and temperature, a regular rotation of MRE's within 5 to 7 years is recommended.

More About MRE Shelf Life

The shelf life ratings shown in the chart above were determined by taste panels -panels of "average" people, mostly office personnel - at the Natick lab. Their opinions were combined to determine when a particular component, or in this case the entire MRE ration, was no longer acceptable.

Chicken Pesto Pasta MRE

The shelf life determinations were made solely on the basis of taste, as it was discovered that acceptable nutritional content and basic product safety would extend way beyond the point where taste degradation would occur. This means the MRE's would be safe and give a high degree of food value long after the timing suggested in the chart.

MRE pouches have been tested and redesigned where necessary according to standards much stricter than for commercial food. They must be able to stand up to abuse tests such as obstacle course traversal in field clothing pockets; storage outdoors anywhere in the world; shipping under extremely rough circumstances (such as by truck over rocky terrain); 100% survival of parachute drops; 75% survival from free failure drops; severe repetitive vibration (1 hour at G vibration); 7,920 individual pouch drops from 20 inches; and individual pouches being subject to a static load of 200 pounds for three minutes.

Beef Ravioli in Meat Sauce MRE

Freezing an MRE retort pouch does not destroy the food inside, but repeated freezing increases the chance that the stretching and stressing of the pouch will cause a break on a layer of the laminated pouch. These pouches are made to withstand 1,000 flexes, but repetitive freezing does increase the failure rate by a small fraction of a percent. Also if MRE food is frozen, then thawed out, it must be used the same as if you had thawed commercial food from your own freezer at home.

Beef Brisket Entrée MRE

Click here to check out the many varieties of MRE's that we have to offer.

Extension of our $10 Gift Card Giveaway!

Due to the overwhelming response to our latest giveaway, we are going to extend it for another week! You now have until Wednesday, September 30th to put one of our Preparedness Pantry blog buttons on your blog or website. In return, we will send you a $10 Gift Card for free.

Click here to go to the original post for all the details, and don't forget to tell all of your family and friends so they can get a Gift Card as well!

Please note: One entry per household. All emails must be received by Wednesday, September 30th. We will be verifying the Preparedness Pantry Blog buttons and mailing out the Gift Cards in the next several weeks. We welcome entries from everyone; however, Gift Cards can only be mailed to an address within the 50 United States.

Chocolate Zucchini Cake

It's that time of the year again when I wonder what to do with all of my zucchini from the garden, let alone the ones that keep showing up on my porch from the neighbors!

This recipe was very easy to make and my children loved it.

Chocolate Zucchini Cake

Ingredients:

½ cup butter or maragine powder (½ cup powder plus ¼ cup water)

½ cup vegetable oil

1 ¾ cups sugar

2 Eggs (4 Tbsp whole egg powder plus 6 Tbsp water)

1 ½ tsp vanilla

½ cup buttermilk powder  (1½ Tbsp powder plus ½ cup water)

1/3 cup cocoa

2 ½ cups flour

1 ½ tsp baking soda

1 tsp salt

2 cups fresh grated zucchini

1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

¾ cup chopped walnuts

Directions:

1. Mix together butter or margarine, sugar, oil and eggs.

2. Add vanilla, buttermilk, cocoa, flour, baking soda and salt. Mix well.

3. Stir in chocolate chips and walnuts.

4. Pour into greased 9x13 pan.

5. Bake for about an hour at 325°.
6. Top with frosting or powdered sugar.

Ready to eat topped with powdered sugar

Closeout and Overstock Specials

Did you know that we have a section on our website (BePrepared.com) for Closeout and Overstock Specials? Simply click on the Closeout button in the upper right corner of our homepage to Save Big on select items.

Quantities are limited, so don't wait too long to take advantage of these great deals. And don't forget to check back every so often to see what's new in this section as our inventory changes.

Speaking of new, we also have a section that highlights our New Products. Check it out to see what new and exciting products we have to offer!

Hurricane Preparedness

The following is a checklist of information to use before, during and after a hurricane from the FEMA web site.

Before Hurricane Season Starts

1. Plan an evacuation route.

2. Learn safe routes inland.

• Be ready to drive 20 to 50 miles inland to locate a safe place
• Have disaster supplies on hand
• Flashlight and extra batteries
• Portable, battery-operated radio and extra batteries
• First aid kit and manual
• Emergency food and water
• Non-electric can opener
• Essential medicines
• Cash and credit cards
• Sturdy shoes

3. Make arrangements for pets.

• Pets may not be allowed into emergency shelters for health and space reasons.
• Contact your local humane society for information on local animal shelters.

4. Make sure that all family members know how to respond after a hurricane.

• Teach family members how and when to turn off gas, electricity, and water.

• Teach children how and when to call 9-1-1, police, or fire department and which radio station to tune to for emergency information.

5. Protect your windows.

• Permanent shutters are the best protection. A lower-cost approach is to put up plywood panels. Use 1/2 inch plywood--marine plywood is best--cut to fit each window. Remember to mark which board fits which window.
• Pre-drill holes every 18 inches for screws. Do this long before the storm.

6. Trim back dead or weak branches from trees.

7. Check into flood insurance.

• You can find out about the National Flood Insurance Program through your local insurance agent or emergency management office. There is normally a 30-day waiting period before a new policy becomes effective.
• Homeowners polices do not cover damage from the flooding that accompanies a hurricane.

8. Develop an emergency communication plan.

• In case family members are separated from one another during a disaster (a real possibility during the day when adults are at work and children are at school), have a plan for getting back together.
• Ask an out-of-state relative or friend to serve as the "family contact." After a disaster, it's often easier to call long distance. Make sure everyone in the family knows the name, address, and phone number of the contact person.

Hurricane Watches and Warnings

Education is one of the best forms of emergency preparedness. Knowing what a hurricane watch and a hurricane warning means is important. A hurricane watch is issued when there is a threat of hurricane conditions within 24-36 hours. A hurricane warning is issued when hurricane conditions (winds of 74 miles per hour or greater, or dangerously high water and rough seas) are expected in 24 hours or less.

During A Hurricane Watch

• Listen to a battery-operated radio or television for hurricane progress reports.
• Check emergency supplies.
• Fuel the car.

• Bring in outdoor objects such as lawn furniture, toys, and garden tools and anchor objects that cannot be brought inside.
• Secure buildings by closing and boarding up windows. Remove outside antennas.
• Turn refrigerator and freezer to coldest settings. Open only when absolutely necessary and close quickly.
• Store drinking water in clean bathtubs, jugs, bottles, and cooking utensils.
• Review evacuation plan.
• Moor boat securely or move it to a designated safe place. Use rope or chain to secure boat to trailer. Use tiedowns to anchor trailer to the ground or house.

During A Hurricane Warning

• Listen constantly to a battery-operated radio or television for official instructions.

• If in a mobile home, check tiedowns and evacuate immediately.
• Avoid elevators.
• If at home:
  • Stay inside, away from windows, skylights, and glass doors.
  • Keep a supply of flashlights and extra batteries handy. Avoid open flames, such as candles and kerosene lamps, as a source of light.
  • If power is lost, turn off major appliances to reduce power "surge" when electricity is restored.
• If officials indicate evacuation is necessary:
  • Leave as soon as possible. Avoid flooded roads and watch for washed-out bridges.
  • Secure your home by unplugging appliances and turning off electricity and the main water valve.
  • Tell someone outside of the storm area where you are going.
  • If time permits, and you live in an identified surge zone, elevate furniture to protect it from flooding or better yet, move it to a higher floor.
  • Bring pre-assembled emergency supplies and warm protective clothing.
  • Take blankets and sleeping bags to shelter.
  • Lock up home and leave.

After The Storm

• Stay tuned to local radio for information.
• Help injured or trapped persons.
• Give first aid where appropriate.
• Do not move seriously injured persons unless they are in immediate danger of further injury. Call for help.
• Return home only after authorities advise that it is safe to do so.
• Avoid loose or dangling power lines and report them immediately to the power company, police, or fire department.
• Enter your home with caution.
• Beware of snakes, insects, and animals driven to higher ground by flood water.
• Open windows and doors to ventilate and dry your home.
• Check refrigerated foods for spoilage.
• Take pictures of the damage, both to the house and its contents and for insurance claims.
• Drive only if absolutely necessary and avoid flooded roads and washed-out bridges.
• Use telephone only for emergency calls.
• Inspecting Utilities in a Damaged Home
  • Check for gas leaks--If you smell gas or hear blowing or hissing noise, open a window and quickly leave the building. Turn off the gas at the outside main valve if you can and call the gas company from a neighbor's home. If you turn off the gas for any reason, it must be turned back on by a professional.
  • Look for electrical system damage--If you see sparks or broken or frayed wires, or if you smell hot insulation, turn off the electricity at the main fuse box or circuit breaker. If you have to step in water to get to the fuse box or circuit breaker, call an electrician first for advice.
  • Check for sewage and water lines damage--If you suspect sewage lines are damaged avoid using the toilets and call a plumber. If water pipes are damaged, contact the water company and avoid the water from the tap. You can obtain safe water by melting ice cubes.

Hurricanes can create dangerous situations. Preparation by learning to recognize and respond to warning messages can lessen the damaging effects and reduce the chances of injury related to a hurricane.

Add Our Button to Your Blog or Website and Win!

Do you have your own blog or website? Have you been thinking about starting one? Simply put one of our Preparedness Pantry blog buttons (found on the right column of the blog) on your blog or website and we will send you a $10.00 Emergency Essentials® gift card for free!

How to claim your free $10.00 gift card:

1. Put one of our blog buttons (2 to choose from) on your blog or website.
2. Fill out the form at the bottom of this post.
3. That's it. Don't forget to let your friends and family know so that they can win a free gift card too.

Instructions for adding a button to your blog:

1. Copy the code in the white box under the button (on the right column) you want to add
2. Go to your blog Layout
3. Select Add a Gadget
4. Select HTML/JavaScript
5. Paste the button code into the Content window
6. Click Save

Please note: One entry per household. Free gift cards will be mailed after placement of Preparedness Pantry blog button has been verified. Please allow a few weeks for your card to arrive. We welcome entries from everyone; however, gift cards can only be mailed to an address within the 50 United States.

Spinach-Cheese Enchiladas

You won't believe how amazing these Spinach-Cheese Enchiladas taste. My 10 year-old couldn't get enough of them! They are so easy to make and only take 15-20 minutes to bake.

I didn't have a can of enchilada sauce so I just made some. Here's the recipe:

Homemade Enchilada Sauce

Ingredients:
2 Tbsp butter or margarine powder + 2 Tbsp water
2 Tbsp flour
3-5 tsp chili powder (depending on how spicy you want it)
1 tsp cumin
1-2 tsp garlic powder or garlic salt
2 Tsp tomato powder
about 2 cups water
salt and pepper

Directions:
1. Mix butter or margarine powder with 2 Tbsp water in saucepan; Heat over medium heat
2. Add flour and mix well (will be kind of like a paste)
3. Add chili powder, cumin, garlic powder and tomato powder; Mix well
4. Slowly add about 2 cups of water and mix well
5. Continue to simmer for a few minutes; Add salt and pepper to taste

Homemade sauce is made - onions, spinach and cheese are ready to reconstitute

I sautéed the onions and then mixed the remaining ingredients

Ready for the oven - put a little of the sauce in the bottom of the pan to prevent sticking

These are so good you can serve them by themselves!

Emergency Siphon™

The Emergency Siphon™ is a drinking water-safe hose with a one-way intake valve. It is a simple, economical tool to draw water from storage containers.




To begin the siphoning process, put the copper valve end of the hose down into the water and quickly thrust the hose up and down. After about 15-20 thrusts, the hose becomes pressurized and water begins to flow out the other end at the rate of about 2 gallons per minute.




Since the hose is 7 feet long, it reaches to the bottom of 3 foot tall 55 gallon barrels with ease. When finished, lift the copper end out of the water. Drain the water from the tubing. Coil the Emergency Siphon™ and place it into the zip top bag to keep it safe from bugs and dust until needed again.

To drain the water further away, the Siphon Hose Adaptor can attach a garden hose to the end of an Emergency Siphon™.

NOTE: Siphoning will only maintain its pressure if the outlet end is placed lower than the water level of the source container.

The following video shows how the Emergency Siphon™ works:

Emergency Siphon™ Video

New 3-Day Lite Emergency Kit Giveaway Winner

Congratulations to Denise from Kansas who is the winner of our New 3-Day Lite Emergency Kit Giveaway. Way to go Denise!

We have enjoyed reading your comments and input on facebook. Keep an eye out in the near future for special facebook sales and promotions, and don't forget to come back and visit our blog in the next few days to see what we have in store for our next giveaway!

Food Storage Analyzer™ Update - Gender & Age

We are very excited to announce the latest Food Storage Analyzer™ update. In response to the most requested modification to the Food Storage Analyzer™, you can now adjust your results according to the Gender and Age of each person in your food storage plan!

These calculations by The Food Storage Analyzer™ are based on the publication titled "Dietary Guidelines for Americans, 2005," published by the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services (HHS) in conjunction with the Department of Agriculture (USDA).

Simply log back into the Food Storage Analyzer™ to recalculate your results according to Age and Gender. Here is a quick walkthrough of how it works:

First, go to the front page of the Food Storage Analyzer™ and click on the Login button.

New front page of Food Storage Analyzer™ - Start by clicking on Login button


Now that you are logged on, click on the Who is in Your Food Storage Plan? button.

Click on the Who is in Your Food Storage Plan? button


This will bring you to the screen that allows you to enter the Gender and Age for each individual in your food storage plan.

New Food Storage Analyzer™ screen for Gender and Age


Enter the number of people in your plan and click the Submit button - I have 5 people in my family.

Enter the number of people in your food storage plan and click Submit


The Food Storage Analyzer™ now brings up this screen that allows you to enter the Gender and Age for each individual on your plan.

Screen for entering Gender and Age


Now simply click on Male or Female and enter each corresponding Age. When you are finished, click on the Calculate button.

Enter Gender and Age information and then click the Calculate button


The Food Storage Analyzer™ has now updated the Recommended Daily Calorie Requirements for each individual in my food storage plan. I need about 10,600 calories per day for my family. Now click on the Proceed to Analyzer button to see your new results.

Screen with your updated information - Click on Proceed to Analyzer button to see your new results


Now we're back on the Food Storage Analyzer™ page and can see our updated results. The Food Storage Analyzer™ is now calculating my results for 5 people and 10,600 calories per day.

Food Storage Analyzer™ now analyzing my food for 5 people and 10,600 calories per day


One of our employees recently updated the information for his family of 7 (infant to adult). He went from 207 days of food to 275 days. Now it's your turn to return to the Food Storage Analyzer™ and update your results!