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By mrs. patsi @ A Working Pantry
Wagon clipart link …
https://clipart-library.com/clipart/713877.htm
(For those just popping in, this is an imaginary scenario that's part of a class we are doing and not real life.)
Hello everyone,
First, I want to thank everyone for their participation, I’ve
been very pleasantly surprised at the response.
We have only finished week 1, and the circling of the wagons has been
amazing.
I am really trying to get around to acknowledging/commenting on each comment, but I am just one person with a busy life in the real world. Please extend grace and patience to me as I work my way through your comments. I appreciate each and every one and am learning so much, thank you for the time you're putting into this class!
Let me give you a little ‘outline’ of what to expect from
this class in terms of length. This
class has 3 levels with each level lasting about 3 weeks, give or take a few
days either way, obviously we are on level one, and with each level the
scenario will intensify, building upon the last level. Between each level we will take a 1- 2 week
break to allow everyone to take stock of where they are, get their disaster notebook caught up, work around the
holidays and get a little break. Speaking
of holidays, when asked for ideas for gifts for yourself, have your
preparedness ‘want/need’ list ready to hand them. I’m a very practical person, so this kind of
gift giving suits me perfectly!
We are all set to walk back into our imaginary scenario, but
before we do that, I’d like to have everyone pause and summarize week #1.
What did you learn about your preparedness after just one
week of having only one hour of power? This hour of power was not and is not a daily
occurrence, it was a one time, one and done thing!
What did you write in your disaster notebook?
What's on your 'to-do' list?
Okay, let’s do this, and then we’ll jump back into our
imaginary scenario … oh, wait … maybe ‘jump’ wasn’t exactly the right word to
use … Hint! Hint!
She looketh well to the ways of her household … Proverbs 31:27
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What did we learn?
ReplyDeleteYears of travelling and camping off grid have paid off. We are well set up with generators, portable solar systems, a full pantry and some basic survival skills.
We know how to entertain ourselves.
Early to bed, early to rise is true and this time of year it's not so hard. Winter would be harder.
Some neighbours have skills, some want to learn and some want anyone but them to be responsible for their well being.
What did I write?
Mostly notes about how each day played out. What happened, what the challenges were and how we dealt with them, how we dealt with neighbours (being in suburbia is slightly different to being on acreage or rural).
What's on the to do list?
Get the neighbourhood together to dig a rubbish dump.
Get the neighbourhood thinking about a community toilet - a long drop - in case the sewer backs up or the water goes off completely.
Sow more seeds to keep the garden producing.
Hunt out more canning jars.
Cath, love your observations and your to-do list!
DeleteWhat did you learn about your preparedness after just one week of having only one hour of power?
ReplyDeleteIn many way, I am preparered, in others I am not. I think the long we are without power the easier it is. I decided to use the hour for research, getting water from the well faster and quickly recharging phones. From experience, trying to wash would not work due to quality of water.
What did you write in your disaster notebook?
Notes, my ideas and your ideas.
What's on your 'to-do' list?
Build a rain barrel stand.
DIY 3 gallon bucket washer.
Get a used 40 gallon water heater for storage?
Amy, like you, we are prepared in some ways and in others there is room for improvement.
DeleteJust like you used to have a phone tree back in the day, you should have an emergency plan. Maybe among family or neighbors, someone would be responsible for getting fuel, someone for food or other things needed to be replaced in a long time outage. This way all bases can be covered over the course of the outage in an efficient manner. How do you contact family who only have cell phones if the towers are down indefinitely. What if the hour you have power does not match your family. What about city services? Will there be mail, trash pick up on the burbs, banks and stores open and where do we find these answers? The media (at least in my area) has gotten away from reporting updates on the radio like they used to. Their answer is to stream their news report on your phone or tablet. So glad you are doing this, lots to think about.
ReplyDeleteAnonymous, I like the idea of a family/friends/neighbors 'phone tree.' Divide and conquer!
DeleteI think the biggest lesson I have learnt is that we are quite well set up to cope with temporary losses of power or water, as we have experienced those in the past. Coping with a much longer break in supplies would bring some serious challenges. It has made me think about how my family coped during the UK power cuts of the 1970's (strikes meant that electricity was cut off on a rota system for a couple of months) and how people turned to alternative fuel sources, such as paraffin heaters and used old-style cooking methods. My father made a hay-box cooker, which worked really well. We used candles for lighting, played board games for entertainment and early nights with a hot-water bottle (filled before the power went off) were very much the order of the day. My mother would also make sure that thermos flasks were filled with boiling water at times when we did have power, so that the grown-ups could always enjoy a hot cup of tea.
ReplyDeleteMy notebook contains the idea of draining water off the water tanks in the house, if needed. I would never have thought of that previously. Also using wet wipes to freshen up with, with is something I knew, but had forgotten about. The ladies taking part here are certainly a mine of information!
The things I rushed to do in the one hour of electricity (shower and do some laundry) has made me think about how we would cope without that 1 hour reprieve. I am going to look at buying a camping shower and have a serious think about how I would cope with washing for 3 people without electricity.
One thing I won't be investing in is a generator, as several years ago we had a power cut lasting more than a day, due to high winds bringing down power lines. A neighbour ran a generator to power his household. It was extremely noisy and could be heard all over our otherwise silent village. It did not make him very popular and he has never used it again!
Tracy, like you, I think we are set up fairly well for short term, it's the long term that gives me some concern!
DeleteI found tha that I'm ok as far as light is concerned and I would be ok heat wise for a few days at least. Refrigeration is an issue as I live in an apt. so no generator. If I had a balcony I would have a cooler filled with ice as a backup but not possible so trying to figure out how to keep food cold is an issue.
ReplyDeleteI can easily keep myself entertained - I am a reader and still have umpteen books on hand to get through. I also have puzzles, journals and a hand cranked radio.
Cooking would be an issue since I just have a fondue pot as a possibility. However, I have ordered a folding Coghlan camping stove (just the one burner) and it runs on the canned fuel used by caterers. I have some fuel already - but will order more - and the stove should arrive this week. I will feel more comfortable once that arrives.
I should try to find more open & serve type of food and it wouldn't hurt to get more food that just needs to be reheated into the freezer. A few more snack type foods (granola bars) would also be helpful.
Didn't really write in a disaster book but I am updating general and emergency info in an existing book and have contacted my sisters for some info I was lacking from their families.
We learned during Helene and seven days without power or water that we are well prepared. The only thing I wished for was a camp shower and I have purchased one for the next need.
ReplyDeleteThere is another storm forming up in the Gulf of Mexico and it is all too familiar. For a couple weeks they have said it was not threat and now it is supposed to just be a tropical storm, just like Helene. This morning we are checking all our supplies just in case. All the propane tanks are refilled and ready.
Lana, we are keeping our eyes on that same storm!
DeleteWhat did you learn about your preparedness after just one week of having only one hour of power?
ReplyDelete-- The need to prioritize and multitask is essential, and to be able to quickly determine what is most important to long-term survival.
What did you write in your disaster notebook?
-- Make sure to store emergency essentials together. And store all water together in a place that's easily accessible. Right now I "think" I know where I put my solar charger, but need to double-check to make sure. I have plenty of matches and lighters, but if I needed them in an emergency in the middle of the night, how long would it take me to locate them? Plenty of candles around the house and in my china cabinet, so those are readily available.
What's on your 'to-do' list?
-- Needed to shift some things in the garage this past week, and my bike has a flat tire and wouldn't hold air. Need to get that to the repair shop soon. Also remembered that I have an ice rink just south of me, across the main road. Need to find out if they have bagged or block ice available for sale.
Lori, good organization is crucial, isn't it? If we don't know where our supplies are or can't get to them, then we don't really have them do we ... in a way that is useful!
DeleteI learned that in some ways we are ok. I do need to get my pantry back up to a better stocked one. My husband has been doing the shopping. He shops different than I!. I also need to look at some emergency supplies and where to store them. I have been wanting to do this for a while now. Dealing with my work injury has put a hold on somethings. Learning that is just how life can be at times.
ReplyDeleteAnonymous, maintaining a well-stocked pantry is the foundation for all our preparedness, isn't it!
Delete