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Friday, April 23, 2010

Expanding Your Preparedness Efforts

Preparedness in general can be overwhelming due to the many facets involved in preparing.  You not only have to be in constance with your food storage program but you also have to be aware and knowledgeable of what and how you store items. The Shelf life of differing food items coincide with climate and temperatures according to where you live in the United States, the colder it is the longer the shelf life.  Living in Hawaii we have a shorter shelf life for many food storage items because of the climate, since we live in the tropics it's pretty hot and sunny all year round and we have to deal with the humidity and moisture as well.  Homes here do not come equipped with basements unless you have built one within the home from the start.  Having knowledge in storing dehydrated, freezedried, canned and fresh foods is one of the most important things to understand and know when it comes to storing up food.  There is a great deal of books and online info out there that can overwhelm you just as well and then theres always the trial and error effect where you get the hands on learning skills which I think most of us can account for.  Knowledge is power and every step of the way we are learning and growing in the much needed skills of preparing.

Gardening and farming is another area that not only expands beyond the moon and stars its just plain endless like the sky.  Theres so much that goes into gardening I'm tired just thinking about it, from Non-Hybrid Seeds to hybrid seeds, soil, mulch, composting, Beneficial Insects, raised gardens, rain barrels etc. need I say more.
And farming is even tougher its hard work.  You not only have a variety of animals to feed but you also have to know how to care and feed them and raise and butcher them and defend and protect them from other wildlife critters that want to eat them as well.  I don't know didley squat about farming but I'm sure it is extremely labour intensive work and I admire and appreciate those who do have farms and homesteads who are able to do these things because you have a great deal of knowledge and know-how, to me you have an edge above urban and suburbanites.  Therefore I shall always seek your wisdom and knowledge regarding many prepper topics and issues.

Having a first-aid kit is a must for every household but what also should be implemented with it is some basic skills of administering first-aid when an emergency arises.  Taking a basic training course in First-Aid from the Red Cross would be very helpful in the event you find yourself facing an unpredictable emergency it may just save someones life or all it may take is a bandaid and some ointment, what ever the case may be you will be prepared to spring into action if need be.  You can also take a course in the training program called CERT Community Emergency Response Team, the class is FREE, you learn how to respond to emergencies and disasters within your community helping neighbors and family members as well as at work.  In the event emergency reponders are spread thin and they won't reach people after 72-hours have passed.  An ideal class and course for neighborhood communities, churches, schools, families, employers, employees, and EVERYONE.

I have not even begun to scratch the surface on every single prepapredness topic that there is to scratch but this just gives you an idea of how much each entails and within each one there are gazillions of research and knowledge that can be learned expanding evermore into the abyss of the world of preparedness.  Theres so much to learn and grow from here that I don't think I'll even learn it all before I leave this planet for good.  But what can also be done in addition to this never ending "prepper" adventure and discovery is the ability to teach others and share the wisdom and knowledge that you have gained throughout this journey.  Never think you aren't good enough or that you don't have what it takes to inspire and help others with what you know.  We all have gifts, although some of us may not hold official college degrees in our hands but we each do have skills in other areas that can help implement others that are lacking in different areas where a need is seeked out by another.  That's the beauty of teaching and learning.  And when you're stumped for a guest speaker for your churches preparedness functions or fairs utilize the members that have the know-how in each category when it comes to emergency preparedness events.  I believe you would be empowering one another and strengthening the "prepper" connections.  As time goes on you will have expanded your preparedness efforts by leaps and bounds just by planting one seed and watching it grow infinitely.    

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