GOT YOUR 3'S?

Today I'm writing about “if a natural disaster happened keeping you home” emergency survival. I won't go into every detail of the what, how and how much because it's out there everywhere – Google it. But some friends have made comments such as “I just can't afford to stock up like that – it's too much” and “wow, that's a lot of water”. So, I thought I'd put out some tips on what I do.

You know your 3's, right?

In extreme situations:

• you can't survive without air for more than 3 minutes;
• without shelter for more than 3 hours;
• without water for more than 3 days;
• without food for more than 3 weeks.

AIR

Learn to breathe through your nose! It might sound ridiculous to note but, coming from a habitual mouth-breather, it's not. I can't survive without air for more than 30 seconds, let alone 3 minutes...I'm already in trouble! Time yourself while holding your breath and see how you do. I'm re-training myself to breathe through my nose, increasing my oxygen intake, blood circulation and lung capacity. I've been reading a lot about breathing though the nose and here's a really in depth and interesting article: http://www.breathing.com/articles/nose-breathing.htm

SHELTER

When I think of “shelter”, one of the things that comes to mind is heat. Fireplaces are good - if you have one; space heaters are good - if you have electricity; generators are good - but you need to keep that outside while running and hope no one steals it; kerosene heaters - scary at first but yes, I've decided I like it. You can buy “odorless” fuel for it – I can still smell it but only for a moment. READ ALL INSTRUCTIONS! We haven't had a problem with it at all – very impressed.

What about floods and tornadoes? Do you have a plan if you need to get out or hunker down in? You might want to think about that. What kind of shelter or escape plan do you have? Which reminds me.....get or make a B.O.B. (bug out bag) – you'll be glad you have it when things get dicey quick. Carry one in your vehicle too – as well as a blanket or sleeping bag. You never know when Mother Nature might strike. We get tornadoes and crazy wind in the area a few times a year. We have a basement and supplies at the ready: candles, food/water, flashlights (battery powered and wind up), battery backup system ready to power the police scanner and charge cell phones, etc., etc. If you don't have a basement where will you take shelter? I don't need to make suggestions, just Google it. I just want you to think about these things before they happen – so while you're thinking, do some net surfing. Better to be prepared and nothing happens than suffer when it all comes down.

WATER

Are you thirsty? Yes? You're already dehydrating. Yeah, I read that a long time ago and I've been freaked out about it ever since. I ALWAYS have my water bottle with me – sipping, sipping, sipping... Now, you don't have to be a nut like me but what's your plan when there's a main break; contaminated water; well runs dry; etc., and you can't just get it at the store? ONE Gallon of water per person (and per pet – cat/dog size), per day. How many days are you ready for? Listen, every time you go to the grocery store spend a couple extra bucks and buy some jugs of water, we usually buy 2-4. Before you know it you'll be ready. Now, go Google how to prepare unclean water, you might need to dip into the neighbor's pond (but ask first).

FOOD

A stocked freezer is always nice – until you lose power. Gotta think ahead! You should really have a variety of storage types.

I keep my freezer limited to bi-weekly supplies, I do some canning and dehydrate fruits and vegetables, and I purchase canned goods. Just like water, every time you head to the grocery store, pick up a little extra. By purchasing a couple cans of this, that and the other on your normal grocery trips, your storage adds up quicker than you'd think. By the way, if you have cats, dual purpose food: Tuna. I definitely pick up a four pack of tuna when I shop – so if I run out of cat food there's always tuna, and if I don't run out, I can eat tuna!

Speaking of cats. I generally buy ours organic feed BUT, for emergency stock, I grab up the coupons for certain non-organic stuff, cheaper to stock up. I figure, temporarily, they can eat less than the good stuff (that goes for us too – husband likes the Chef Boyardee – blech!)

So, there you go. Think about every possible scenario (even if it seems impossible) and make a plan for how you're going to cope with “the 3's”.