Creating a Home Evacuation Plan - Part 2

We've talked about the importance of creating a physical map of your home and making sure that each member of your family understands how your plan will work.

The next step in creating an effective home evacuation plan is to practice your plan on a regular basis. According to the U.S. Fire Administration, "children as young as three years old can follow a fire escape plan they have practiced often. Yet, many families don't have detailed escape plans, and those that do usually don't practice them."

Some important steps to include while practicing your home evacuation plan are:

• Involve everyone. It is important for everyone in the family to learn how to escape. You may even want to teach your children how to escape out of windows in case the door is unavailable to exit. A good fire escape ladder is essential if your exit is through a second story window. 

Fire Escape Ladder

• Consider arranging the furniture in each room to make it easier to escape. A dresser or nightstand placed under a window could make escaping out of a basement much easier. 

• Place your 72-hour kits strategically near an exit so they are easy to grab in a hurry. When you practice, assign certain family members to be in charge of grabbing emergency kits.

3-Day Emergency Kit

• Practice turning off utilities (gas valves, water, etc.). A gas wrench is a useful tool to make sure you have on hand. Caution: Don't really turn off the gas when practicing. If you do, the gas company will have to come out and turn it on again.

Emergency Gas Wrench

• Practice other life-saving habits such as always leaving a pair of shoes, gloves and a flashlight or lightstick at each person's bedside.

Leather Gloves

• Practice with time in mind. Try running through your disaster plan at least 4 times each year and adjust your plan according to the changing ages of family members.

In part three, we will be talking about a few more tips to keep in mind as you are creating your home evacuation plan.

Click here for part one of the Creating a Home Evacuation Plan series.

Backordered Product FAQ

You may have noticed that we have many items listed on our website as being "Temporarily Backordered". We would like to answer a few frequently asked questions about what it means when a product is listed as being "Temporarily Backordered".

If an item is listed as being Temporarily Backordered can it still be ordered?

Yes!  We are receiving and shipping product daily. The best thing to do is place your order so that you will be placed in the queue to receive this product. Average expected shipping dates are currently ranging from 2 to 20 business days.

Should I wait until the item is “In Stock” on your website to place an order?

No! We suggest that you go ahead and place your order. The status of an item will only be changed to "In Stock" once it is no longer on backorder. Since people are constantly placing and receiving orders for these products, the status of an item could be listed as being “Temporarily Backordered” for an extended period of time. It is wise to get in line by placing your order because orders are generally processed in the order they were received.

What happens if I order ten items but two are Temporarily Backordered?

Ideally we would like to ship your order in full. If that is not possible, we may ship what we have in stock and then ship the items on backorder as soon as they come in. If we do ship your order in multiple shipments, you will only be charged the one low shipping fee.

Creating a Home Evacuation Plan - Part 1

Home Evacuation Plans can be useful for many different types of disasters: hurricanes, tsunamis, and statistically more common, house fires. Home Evacuation Plans can be life-saving for you and the ones you love.

Everyone in your family should know the plan, even the little ones, so set aside an evening when the whole family can get together to make your emergency escape plan. Follow these simple steps and you will be ready for evacuation.

Home Map Example

(click for free handout)

The first thing we are going to focus on is making a map of your home. On the map of your home you should consider including the following:

• Label every exit which may become a potential fire escape
• In every room, label the primary exit and a secondary exit in case the primary exit is blocked 
• Label every room where a family member sleeps
• Label the main shutoff valves of the gas, electricity, and water lines
• Establish a safe meeting place outside the home so everyone can be accounted for
• Label where all smoke detectors and fire extinguishers are located
• Try to limit evacuation procedures to three or four steps

The U.S. Fire Administration has a handout available that could be very helpful as you create your own Home Evacuation Plan. That handout and more reminders can be found here.

In part two we will talk about the importance of practicing your home escape plan.

Click here for part two of the Creating a Home Evacuation Plan series.

Tips for Rotating Dehydrated and Freeze-Dried Fruit

Do you have a preparedness or food storage experience, tip, recipe, product review, etc.? Become a guest blogger on Preparedness Pantry and earn a $20 Emergency Essentials gift card! Click here for details.

Tips for Rotating Dehydrated and Freeze-Dried Fruits

Since I started using my food storage on a regular basis to keep it rotated, I've come up with a couple of great ways to use my dried fruits like peaches and apples.

First, my kids don't like big chunks so I will chop a handful by hand or in the food processor. I then add some with the water (using a little extra water) to oatmeal for breakfast. I also add the smaller pieces to muffins, pancakes, waffles, and cookies of many kinds.

We also like to rehydrate them for crepes, toppings for ice cream, toppings for pancakes and french toast. They also make great peach and apple crisp.

Another time we love to have them with us is when we go on ATV rides and hikes.

--Tammy, Utah

Hiker Pro Water Filter Review

"I was given the Hiker Pro water filter as a gift, for emergency and backpacking use. I absolutely love it. It is easy to use, relatively quick, and it doesn't leave the water tasting funny. Provides enough safe and palatable water for for a group of nine in about 15 minutes."

--Anonymous, Washington

 Katadyn Hiker Pro Water Filter

The Katadyn Hiker Pro is perfect for pumping and filtering a supply of water during emergencies and on the trail. It's efficient, light-weight, and reliable. A removable filter protector extends cartridge life in challenging conditions and quick-connect fittings make installation and removal of input and output hoses easy.

Food Storage Analyzer Tip

Did you know that you can include foods that you have processed at home or items you've purchased at the grocery store in your food storage plan on our Food Storage Analyzer? There are a wide variety of food items you may have purchased at the grocery store that you can find under the "Grocery Store Canned Foods" tab. If something you've purchased isn't shown on that list, click on the "Add Your Own Items" tab. There you can add virtually anything to your food storage.

The Add Your Own Items section is designed so that you can add any food items to your food storage list. Just grab the nutritional label from the item you want to add and start typing the nutritional facts into the boxes. It's that easy. Don't worry about calculating -- we will do that for you. Enter your nutritional facts per serving using the unit of measurement displayed in parentheses after each nutritional fact (see example for clarification). If there is a nutritional fact that you don't want the analyzer to calculate just type a zero.

It is very simple to add your own items to your Food Storage Analyzer results. This will allow you to add more variety to your storage and verify that your storage is nutritionally balanced.

Emergency Essentials in the News

Between stories in the news about last week's earthquake and tsunami in Japan and all the problems Japan is facing with their nuclear facilities, it's no wonder that Emergency Preparedness has been pushed to the front of many of our minds.

Recently, KSL visited our South Jordan store location to report on the increased demand of emergency supplies. Click here for the text version of the article.

Video Courtesy of KSL.com

Freeze-Dried Mozzarella Cheese Review

"I am completely amazed at this (mozzarella) cheese! I rehydrated it and put it on my homemade pizza and was thrilled to see it melt just as if it was freshly grated. Super yummy too!"

--Brooki, California

During the entire month of March you can order a #10 can of Freeze-Dried Mozzarella Cheese for only $34.99.

3-Day Emergency Kit Giveaway Winner

Congratulations to Josh from Arizona who has won our 3-Day Emergency Kit! This kit will make a great start or addition to any emergency preparedness plan.

The 3-Day Emergency Kit is a great option to start your emergency plan and it is also a great resource to keep in your car in case of emergency. Remember the 3-Day Emergency Kit is on sale through the month of March for $49.99! Thanks to all who entered!

Why SuperPails?

Provident Pantry SuperPails are packaged in a six-gallon food grade plastic bucket and have a sealed metallized food grade plastic bag and oxygen absorbers to help food store longer and stay fresh. These  bags create a barrier to odors, which makes the bucket/bag combination perfect for storage. They are also wonderful at keeping out moisture and light.

New SuperPail Shipping Policy

Beginning this month, our shipping policy for SuperPails has changed. Any shipped order that included SuperPails used to have a minimum weight requirement of at least 200 pounds. Now, you don't need to meet a minimum weight in order to have SuperPails shipped.

Also starting this month, if you order four or more of any one type of SuperPail you will receive a quantity discount of up to 16%.

Since SuperPails can hold close to the same amount of food as eight #10 cans, purchasing food in SuperPails is a great way to save money as you are building up your food storage. The pails can also be stacked so they are a great option for storing in tight spaces.

Luxury in an Emergency

There are so many things that we appreciate in our daily lives. It may be our hot showers, clean clothes, chocolate, fresh fruit, or any other variety of things. It's important to keep these little conveniences in mind while you are preparing for any emergency.

There are many different ways that you can stock up on these luxuries to help maintain a sense of normalcy to your life in a potentially stressful situation. We have a variety of tasty pound cakes and brownie desserts available to satisfy any sweet tooth.You could also store a Solar Spray Portable Shower which will allow you to still take a hot shower in an emergency.

So this is where you come in. What luxury items do you currently have or would you like to have in order to make an emergency easier on you and your family? Please share in the comments, we would love to hear your ideas!

New Products - March 2011

It's always nice to get something new. Here at Emergency Essentials, we are continually evaluating and testing new products. You can always click on the "New" tab on the top right of our website (BePrepared.com) for a complete listing of our latest and greatest products.

Here are a few of the new products we have this month. Simply click on each picture for more information.

Freeze-Dried Salmon (Un-Cooked)

Heirloom Seed Combo Pack

25 MRE Dessert Combo

GoalØ Guide 10 Battery Pack

Twin Peaks Mountain Trails Tent

Rising Food Prices

There have been a lot of stories in the news recently about rising food prices. The World Bank recently came out with their Food Price Watch for February 2011 which stated that wheat, corn, sugar, and edible oil prices have all risen for reasons from increased demand to weather stunting crops and even export restrictions. The unexpected freezes across Mexico are also causing prices of fresh fruits and vegetables to rise across the United States.

According to the World Bank's Food Price Watch, higher food prices can impact nutrition in many ways. Those who are under the poverty line tend to purchase lower priced unhealthy foods instead of higher priced healthy foods. This substitution has the largest negative impact on infants who are age zero to two and pregnant women who need to be especially sure their nutrition is balanced.

Getting food storage put together for your family can act as an insurance policy against high food prices and will allow you to make decisions now that will help you and your family maintain a balanced diet in the future.

We have a variety of freeze-dried fruits and vegetables that will add necessary vitamins to food storage. For example, one serving of Freeze-Dried Strawberries will provide 170% of your suggested daily intake of Vitamin C and one serving of Freeze-Dried Spinach will provide 120% of your daily needs of Vitamin A along with high percentages of Vitamin C, Iron, and Calcium.

We also have high quality Freeze-Dried Meats and Textured Vegetable Proteins that will raise the amount of protein that you can store.

As you are creating your food storage plan, our free Food Storage Analyzer is a great tool to use to make sure your storage stays nutritionally balanced.

Free Food Storage Analyzer™

It is important to use the information that the World Bank has released and get prepared for any type of emergency. By taking the time to plan and prepare now, your family will be taken care of and have a well balanced diet even if food prices sky rocket or someone in your family loses a job.

Emergency Preparedness Guide -- Pocket Book Preparedness

You might not think that personal finance has much to do with preparedness, but in these rough economic times, it’s even more important to make sure you are financially ready as well as physically ready for an emergency!

If you are like many people in America, you may find yourself struggling to pay all the bills at the end of each month. You know -- too much month at the end of the money. Mounting debt can bring on your own personal emergency situation. Here are a few tips for staying afloat if you find yourself drowning in debt.

Click here to read the rest of the article>>

Group Specials for March

The group program is a way for families, friends, and neighbors to work together to obtain discounts on preparedness items. Group orders qualify for free shipping within the 48 contiguous states when the minimum purchase amounts are met.

The items available for group discount during the month of March are:

NEW 161-Piece First Aid Kit

This kit includes a great variety of first aid items in a compact zip top bag, making it easy to store with your other emergency items. Click here for a list of contents.

When you purchase at least 6 of the 161-Piece First Aid Kits, they are $15 each. That is a savings of 36% off the individual component price.

Whole Egg Powder

Keep powdered eggs on hand for use in an emergency or daily recipes. Ideal for cooking and baking. Weight: 40 oz.

When you purchase at least 12 cans of Whole Egg Powder, they are $14 each. That is a savings of 26% off the regular price. 

Freeze-Dried Strawberry Slices

Add the sweet taste of Provident Pantry Freeze-Dried Strawberry Slices to your oatmeal, cereal, smoothies, trail mixes, and more. They can be used as a natural sweetener, as well as being a great treat by themselves. Simply open the can and enjoy sliced strawberries anytime - all year round!

When you purchase at least 12 cans of Freeze-Dried Strawberry Slices, they are $13 each. That's a savings of 27% off regular price. 

Freeze-Dried Pork Patty Crumbles

Freeze-Dried Pork Patty Crumbles are a great size to use in your pasta, salad, casserole and burrito recipes. Also makes a great pizza topping.

When you purchase at least 6 cans of Freeze-Dried Pork Patty Crumbles, they are $24 each. That's a savings of 40% off regular price.

Click here for a blog article written about how the group program is organized and tips on how to organize your own groups.

Quantities are limited on all group products. To order, call toll-free 1-800-999-1863 or click here. Orders for group items should be placed by March 24, 2011. For more information on the Group Program, please click here. An additional charge will be added for orders shipped to Hawaii, Alaska, APOs & FPOs.