What Do I Do During a Flood?

If you are living in one of the many areas of the country that is expecting floods this spring due to weather or higher than normal snow pack, you might have asked yourself what you should do once a flood has arrived. We have four tips that would be helpful to become familiar with and keep in mind just in case you do find yourself in the middle of a flood.

#1: Do not drive through a flooded area. If you come upon a flooded road, turn around and go another way. More people drown in their cars than anywhere else. You can keep a tool in your car, like our Auto Buddy Emergency Light and Tool, that has a window spike and seat belt cutter just in case you do get stuck in your car.

Auto Buddy Emergency Light and Tool

#2: Do not walk through flooded areas. As little as six inches of moving water can knock you off your feet.

#3: Stay away from downed power lines and electrical wires. Electrocution is another major source of deaths in floods. Electric current passes easily through water.

#4: Look out for animals -- especially snakes. Animals lose their homes in floods too and they may seek shelter in your home.

Disaster Pudding Video

Learn how to make this simple and quick dessert using Peanut Butter Powder, Instant Chocolate Pudding Mix, Oatmeal, and other ingredients from your Food Storage! 

What Makes Superpails So Super?

In our latest video, learn what a SuperPail is and the benefits of using SuperPails for your food storage.

Bosch Mother's Day Special

Preparing for a Flood

There are many areas around the country that are having major problems with flooding. The rising flood levels in the Midwest have been a popular topic in the news recently. This news story reports that 1,000 residents of a southern Missouri town were forced to evacuate due to heavy rains and saturated grounds that could potentially cause a catastrophic failure of a levee along the Black River. Many others, living in flood-prone parts of the Midwest are packing up and heading for higher ground.

It's times like this that serve as a great reminder of the importance of having an Emergency Kit that is easy to grab if you are just given minutes to evacuate your home. A little bit of planning before you are asked to leave can make a very stressful situation much easier to handle.

Here are some tips on how to prepare for possible flooding. These are especially important if you live in an area that is prone to flooding.

Before a Flood

• Keep a battery-powered radio tuned to a local station, and follow emergency instructions.
• If the waters start to rise inside your house before you have evacuated, retreat to the second floor, the attic, and if necessary, the roof. Take dry clothing, a flashlight and a portable radio with you. Then, wait for help. Don't try to swim to safety; wait for rescuers to come to you

Buy Flood Insurance

• One of the most import things you can do to financially protect your home and family before a flood is to purchase a flood insurance policy.
• You can obtain one through your insurance company or agent. Flood insurance is guaranteed through the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP), administered by the Federal Emergency Management Agency. Your homeowners insurance does not cover flood damage.
• Don't wait until a flood is coming to purchase your policy. It normally takes 30 days after purchase for a flood insurance policy to go into effect.

If time permits, here are some other steps that you can take before the flood waters come:

• Turn off all utilities at the main power switch and close the main gas valve if evacuation appears necessary.
• Move valuables, such as papers, electronics, jewelry, and family heirlooms to upper floors or higher elevations.
• Fill bathtubs, sinks and plastic soda bottles with clean water. Sanitize the sinks and tubs first by using bleach. Rinse, then fill with clean water.
• Bring outdoor possessions, such as lawn furniture, grills and trash cans inside, or tie them down securely.

Outdoor Cooking Tip #5

In preparation for warmer weather and all of the great outdoor cooking opportunities, we have five tips to help you stay safe and have a much better experience with outdoor cooking.

Click here for Tip #1
Click here for Tip #2
Click here for Tip #3
Click here for Tip #4

Tip #5: Be sure to leave the camp area in better condition than you found it. Before pulling up camp, thoroughly douse your fire, mix it around with a stick or shovel, and then douse it again. Refill your pit or scatter your fire bed. When you are all packed up, scan the area to make sure that nothing is left behind.

We hope these tips have helped you prepare to cook safely outdoors this summer. It's always a good idea to learn alternative cooking methods and ways to prepare food while camping so you will be even better prepared in an emergency.

Outdoor Cooking Tip #4

In preparation for warmer weather and all of the great outdoor cooking opportunities, we have five tips to help you stay safe and have a much better experience with outdoor cooking.

Click here for Tip #1
Click here for Tip #2
Click here for Tip #3

Tip #4: Remember to properly cook your food. To ensure that you have a successful foil dinner, follow these steps. First, make sure you use two layers of heavy foil and use tight folds to trap the moisture inside. Make sure that you cook on charcoal or the hot coals of a wood fire, never on flames. Occasionally turn over the foil packet to cook evenly and prevent burnt food. Remember, every foil dinner needs a source of moisture like onion slices, soup, salad dressings, seasoning sauces, butter, vegetable stock, or a spoonful of water. Cooking depends on the amount of heat in the coals, but a good average is fifteen to twenty minutes for hamburger, at least twenty minutes for chicken, and longer for solid meats like steak. Use caution because cooking too long can burn or char the food, but undercooking can become a health hazard. Check one meal before pulling out the other meals if you are cooking more than one. Hard veggies will take longer to cook.

Celebrate Spring Giveaway Winner

Congratulations to Nikki G. from California who has won our Celebrate Spring Giveaway! The Freeze-Dried Raspberries and Freeze-Dried Banana Dices will make a great addition to her food storage.

Freeze-Dried Whole Raspberries allow you to have delicious raspberries even when they aren't in season. They are on sale for the rest of the month of April for only $25.99.

Freeze-Dried Banana Dices are the perfect size to add to your favorite dessert recipes or just to snack on right out of they can. They are on Group Special through the end of April and are only $16.00 each when you buy at least 12 cans. If you want to place an order for these we suggest you place the order by April 26, 2011.

Outdoor Cooking Tip #3

In preparation for warmer weather and all of the great outdoor cooking opportunities, we have five tips to help you stay safe and have a much better experience with outdoor cooking.

Click here for Tip #1
Click here for Tip #2

 Tip #3: Whether you are cooking with a stove or an open fire, it might not be a bad idea to locate your cooking area 30 or 40 yards downwind from any tents or shelters in which you will sleep. Curious animals might be attracted by the smells of your food and you don't want them sniffing around your tent at night.

Sealing Metallized Bags & Storing Your Food Video

Learn how to store your own food using Metallized Liners, Plastic Buckets, Lids and Oxygen Absorbers in our latest video! If you've ever wondered about packing your own food storage, this video has some great tips.

Outdoor Cooking Tip #2

In preparation for warmer weather and all of the great outdoor cooking opportunities, we have five tips to help you stay safe and have a much better experience with outdoor cooking.

Click here for Tip #1.

Tip #2: Set up a cooking fly. An old tarp of heavy fire-resistant blanket strung between two trees, poles, or walking sticks can provide protection from the elements for your cooking area. Always face the fly away from the wind. This will provide maximum protection from unexpected wind, rain, sleet or snow. Be sure to dig your fire pit about ten feet in front of the fly, far enough from the fly that sparks won't harm the fabric, but close enough that you can step beneath when weather is bad.

If you will be using a camp stove, be sure to plan ahead. You will need to pack more fuel than your stove will carry, unless your trip is very short. Be sure to pack flammable fuels in high quality metal containers and always mark them to keep them separate from drinking water and other liquids. Also, be sure that fuel containers are airtight so that there is no leakage of fuel or fumes. Any leaks might prove disastrous later on. Store extra fuel far away from your cooking area. This will provide extra safety and peace of mind.

You may want to bring a small table or some wooden blocks to put your stove on. Many stoves have their own stands, but others will need to be kept off the ground and away from potentially flammable materials.

When lighting your stove, be sure to follow the manufacturer's recommendations. Never use a stove in or near a tent. Never open fuel containers on or near a hot stove, and never try to refuel a stove that is hot or still burning.

Outdoor Cooking Tip #1

Cooking out in the open is a great way to enjoy the outdoors. It is also a wonderful way to prepare your family for emergencies by learning how to cook without electricity. Cooking and eating outdoors does take some knowledge and preparation.

With that in mind, we have a series of five tips that will help make your outdoor cooking experience a good one.

Tip #1: Decide what you will use to prepare your outdoor meal. Will it be a gas powered camping stove, an open fire, charcoal briquettes or some other method? Before you decide how to heat your meal, be sure to check any local restrictions in your camping area. Are open pit fires allowed? If not, you may need to bring a camping stove or some other alternative cooking method.

If open pit fires are allowed and you plan on using one, be sure to only build fires in designated fire pits. If there are no designated fire pits, find an open area away from low hanging branches, miscellaneous groundcover, and dry vegetation. Clear a ten-foot circle around the area where you will build a fire and then create a fire bed or fire pit. Fire beds can be made of rocks, silt, clay, sand or any other non-flammable materials available. A small pit, approximately 4 to 10 inches deep can serve quite well as a fire bed. Surrounding your pit with small rocks and provide an extra layer of protection.

Come back next week for the rest of our outdoor cooking tips that will help you have more fun cooking outdoors this summer.

Car Preparedness and Safety

With road trip season coming up it's important to remember to pack a few items that could be helpful in an emergency.

The following is a recommendation of items to put in an emergency car kit:

• Water for drinking
• Food and snacks (high energy snack bars are excellent because of their ability to withstand most car temperatures)
• Flashlight with extra batteries
• First aid kit with burn care dressings and gel
• Sanitation and sundry items including soap or hand sanitizer
• Maps and a compass
• AM/FM radio - we recommend having a radio with more than one source of power, or hand crank radios
• Chemical lightsticks are recommended because of their safety
• Road flares
• Candle with windproof/waterproof matches
• Emergency blanket or sleeping bag
• Extra clothing

Some other useful items to remember:

• Jumper cables
• Car repair kit
• Try to always maintain at least one-half tank of gas
• Cell phone to report any emergencies
• Fire extinguisher
• Paper and pencil for leaving notes
• Toys and any other special items for children
• Books and games for entertainment

Lemon Pepper Salmon and Festive Vegetable Rice Video

Learn how to cook Freeze-Dried Uncooked Salmon and Festive Vegetable Rice in our latest video. Our Festive Vegetable Rice recipe is a perfect way to use the Freeze-Dried or Dehydrated Vegetables in your food storage. It is fully customizable so your family will be sure to enjoy it.

Importance of Water Storage

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.

Importance of Water Storage

Remember August 14th, 2003? I do. In fact, I doubt I will ever forget it. My husband and I were living near Detroit then, and we lost power for almost a week. Detroit Edison was always slow to restore power back then, so as soon as we knew the extent of the problem we, and everybody else, knew it wasn't going to be an outage measured in hours, but in days.

The Detroit water system, which services the area of Southeast Michigan from Flint to Ypsilanti, shut down. We were two of the lucky people, because we had stored drinking water. “No problem,” you say. “Just run out to the store and get some when something happens. No need to store it.” I beg to differ. Within 24 hours all the water was gone from the store shelves. Within 48 hours all the gas stations were out of gasoline. If you were there, you were stuck with what you had on hand.

2 weeks ago we had a water main break near our home. First the water was contaminated and needed to be boiled before drinking. It was discolored and smelled funky. Then the water was shut off entirely for a day while they made the repair on the water main. We continued our daily life, unaffected, because we had water stored. We were even able to offer water to our neighbors who had no water.

We didn't need to use our stored food for either of these events. How much greater our need for stored water would have been if we had needed to use our dehydrated or freeze-dried food! I cannot imagine the emotions one would feel if they had rows and rows of food they were unable to consume due to a lack of water. In survival training, the military teaches that the amount of food you allow yourself to consume is limited by the amount of water available to drink.

You cannot eat and not drink. I strongly recommend you have water on hand at your house.

--Cathy, Michigan 

Emergency Phone Number List

There are many reasons to have a list of important phone numbers close to each phone in your home as well as in your 72-hour kit. Having important names and phone numbers on hand may save valuable time and energy during a disaster, especially in a stressful situation when it is difficult to think clearly.

One of the insight articles on our website, Emergency Phone Numbers Bring Quick Response, has some great examples of why it can be crucial to have these phone numbers easily accessible and to make sure that each family member knows where they are located.

A former employee shared the following experience:

"When I was in junior high school, I was home watching my youngest brother while my mom went to the buss stop to pick up my sister. We lived in a rural area, so it was a bit of a drive to the bus stop. It was always more fun with some company along, so my mom took my four-year-old brother and our dog with her.

After about 20 minutes I started to worry about my mom because she hadn't returned with my brother. A few minutes later, my neighbor called to tell me that my mom had been in an accident.

At the bus stop, she and my brother had gotten out of our Jeep. As they waited, the Jeep began to roll down the hill toward where my brother was playing with our dog.

My mom ran after the Jeep to stop it from rolling down the hill. As she grabbed the steering wheel to hop inside, the door hit her, knocking her under the vehicle. As she fell, she turned the steering wheel, which caused the Jeep to turn into the trees, saving my younger brother.

When I heard this from my neighbor, I was scared and anxious to know if my mom was safe. I knew we had my dad's work number, as well as my grandparents' numbers on our phone list. I was able to contact my grandma and let her know what had happened. Hearing my grandma's voice put me at ease and I knew we would be taken care of.

My dad, a firefighter, was called to the scene of the accident while on duty. Upon arriving at the scene, he learned it was my mom who had been injured. He immediately drove her to the emergency room."

We have an easy-to-use form available here with our suggestions of important numbers to have, as well as spaces for your own numbers. Please take a moment to brainstorm a list of possible people or agencies that you or your children would want to communicate with in a variety of emergencies. Make sure your children know where these phone numbers are listed and regularly review possible situations where you would need to use them.

Some recommended emergency contact numbers are:

Any Emergency -- 9-1-1

Poison Control Center

Out-of-State Friends

Local Friends or Relatives

Insurance Contact

Work Numbers

Family Doctor

Dentist

Electric Company

Gas Company

Other suggestions:

Fire Station

Police Station

Animal Control

School Numbers

Neighbors

American Red Cross

Federal Emergency Management Agency

Earthquake Preparedness

Earthquakes can happen at anytime and in any season. Identifying potential hazards ahead of time and advance planning can reduce the chances of death, serious injury, or property damage.

FEMA has the following important tips on their website about what to do during an earthquake if you are caught in different situations. It's good to have these tips always in the back of your mind so you won't be caught off guard.

What to do if indoors:
- DROP to the ground; take COVER by getting under a sturdy table or other piece of furniture; and HOLD ON until the shaking stops. If there isn't a table or desk near you, cover your face and head with your arms and crouch in an inside corner of the building.
- Stay away from glass, windows, outside doors and walls, and anything that could fall, such as lighting fixtures or furniture.
- Stay in bed if you are there when the earthquake strikes. Hold on and protect your head with a pillow, unless you are under a heavy light fixture that could fall. In that case, move to the nearest safe place.
- Use a doorway for shelter only if it is in close proximity to you and if you know it is a strongly supported, loadbearing doorway.
- Stay inside until the shaking stops and it is safe to go outside. Research has shown that most injuries occur when people in buildings attempt to move to a different location inside the building or try to leave.
- Be aware that the electricity may go out or the sprinkler systems or fire alarms may turn on.
- DO NOT use the elevators.

What to do if outdoors:
- Stay there.
- Move away from buildings, streetlights, and utility wires.
- Once in the open, stay there until the shaking stops. The greatest danger exists directly outside buildings, at exits and alongside exterior walls. Many of the 120 fatalities from the 1933 Long Beach earthquake occurred when people ran outside of buildings only to be killed by falling debris from collapsing walls. Ground movement during an earthquake is seldom the direct cause of death or injury. Most earthquake-related casualties result from collapsing walls, flying glass, and falling objects.

What to do if in a moving vehicle:
- Stop as quickly as safety permits and stay in the vehicle. Avoid stopping near or under buildings, trees, overpasses, and utility wires.
- Proceed cautiously once the earthquake has stopped. Avoid roads, bridges, or ramps that might have been damaged by the earthquake.

What to do if trapped under debris:
- Do not light a match.
- Do not move about or kick up dust.
- Cover your mouth with a handkerchief or clothing.
- Tap on a pipe or wall so rescuers can locate you. Use a whistle if one is available. Shout only as a last resort. Shouting can cause you to inhale dangerous amounts of dust.

Since assistance from local fire and police departments may not be available immediately following an earthquake, it's important to have emergency supplies prepared and easily accessible. When preparing for an earthquake, plan on having enough food, water, clothing, medical supplies and other necessary equipment for you and your family for at least 72 hours.

Special Announcement - Iosat Tablets

Special announcement: We have some Iosat Potassium Iodide Tablets in transit that are scheduled to arrive early next week. After we have filled all backorders, a limited quantity of additional tablets will be available. Order today and you’ll be put into the queue for this shipment. We’ll stop taking orders after this shipment is sold out. We do have more on order, but we don’t have a time table for when they will arrive. Be sure to order some today!

Freeze-Dried Salmon Review

"I am always looking for new and unique items to enhance my food storage. This Freeze-Dried Salmon is WONDERFUL, the flavor was better than any canned I have ever had. It rehydrated very easy, I made salmon patties and also used the chunks for blackened salmon. I added pineapple and soy sauce and baked my Hawaiian salmon. With the remaining I used it in a salmon pasta salad that everyone raved about."

--Jackie Lynn, Georgia

Creating a Home Evacuation Plan - Part 3

While you are working on creating your home evacuation plan there are many other things that are important to keep in mind.

First, designate an out-of-town and an out-of-state contact person for your family to call in case you get separated. Have emergency and contact numbers posted by a phone and have everyone memorize the phone numbers.

Second, practice actually using your 72-hour kit supplies. Make sure you are familiar with everything in your kit and also insure that you include a good first-aid kit, including Burnfree pain relieving gel.

Some other tips from the U.S. Fire Administration that are important to remember are:

• Practicing a fire escape plan and fire-safe behaviors on a regular basis can mean the difference between life and death.
• Plan for each member of your family, including babies and toddlers who may be unable to escape on their own.
• Keep exits clear of debris and toys
• Keep your child's bedroom door closed. If a hallway fire occurs, a closed door may hinder the smoke from overpowering your baby or toddler, giving firefighters extra time for rescue.
• Teach toddlers not to hide from firefighters. Their uniforms can be scary in times of crisis. Teach children that that firefighters are there to help in an emergency. Take children for a tour at your local fire station so that they can see a firefighter in full gear.
• Teach your children how to crawl under the smoke to reduce smoke inhalation.
• Teach your children how to touch closed doors to see if they are hot before opening. If so, use an alternate escape route.
• Have a safe meeting place outside the home and teach children never to go back inside.

Watching the Family Emergency Preparedness Plan DVD can be very helpful in designing your plan. Evacuation plans can be life-saving for you and the ones you love. Disasters don't just happen to other people. They are very real and can happen to anyone at anytime. Take the time to plan and prepare and you will be very grateful you did.

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

My Tool All-In-One Outdoor Tool Giveaway Winners

Congratulations to Mary Jane from California, Katie from Illinois, and Natalie from California! They have each won a My Tool All-In-One Outdoor Tool in our latest giveaway. This tool will be a great addition to their emergency supplies!

My Tool All-In-One Outdoor Tool

The My Tool All-In-One Outdoor Tool is a useful tool to have in your car, boat, or RV and also can be helpful around camp, home, or your garden.