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Preparedness - How To Prepare Your Home For Winter
If
nature gives any indication of the coming seasons then like the squirrel,
we too, should start getting prepared and be Being prepared increases our sense of security and can help to make difficult situations go by smoother and with less distress. Use
the following four steps to prepare yourself and your home for adverse
winter weather conditions, emergencies or the usual 1) Stock your herbal/first aid medicine cabinet. Sometimes
it is impossible to get to a doctor, whether because of extreme weather
conditions, no transporation or an emergency Having
a supply of herbal remedies for times of sickness and emergencies is
important. If these situations should arise you will be able to respond
immediately instead of needing to make a trip to town to get medicine
or waiting for a doctors Stock up on remedies that treat colds, flus, coughs, skin wounds, muscle wounds and intestinal upset. For a list of tried and true remedies that you can add to your home medicine cabinet go to: http://www.naturalfamilyhome.com/medicinecab.html Herb books are an important resource to own. They can help you make informed decisions concerning you and your families health care. Also important is a First-Aid manual. They are indispensable for knowing how to deal with accidents such as broken bones, electrical shock, concussions, etc. Take a first-aid class. Most hospitals offer community education first-aid/CPR classes at reasonable prices. What you learn could save a life. 2) Stock your food pantry. Keeping extra food on hand is a regular practise in our home. It's nice to have the food on hand and not just for emergency purposes but also for times when the budget gets too tight! Make
it a regular habit while grocery shopping to purchase a few extra items
that store well and put them away in a designated surplus cupboard or
in a box under the bed. Take note regularly of what you have stored
and organize it in a manner so the food Purchase foods that store well, will keep for long periods of time and do not require alot of heat energy to prepare. The following are some basic examples: *All
types of canned goods. These store the best. When
storing flour and grains first put them in your freezer for at least
3 days before putting them away in your cupboard. Purchase a hand held non-electric can opener. Paper plates and cups will also come in handy, especially when water is unavailable or limited for washing. Buying
food in bulk through a co-op is an economical way to build up your food
storage. Below are a few co-op websites that serve different areas of
the U.S. To meet their minimums you can get together with your friends
and neighbors and combine an Azure
Standard R-Food
Club Ozark
Cooperative Warehouse Northeast
Cooperatives For
other companies that sell food storage systems, vaccume 3) Store water. Water is the most important resource we can have. When water gets cut off or wells run dry it is a major setback for everyone. In this type of situation your whole household must be diligent to conserve whatever water you have available. Having a storage of drinking water is crucial. A general rule of thumb is one gallon of water per person per day. Personally, I have found this to be more than enough water. In fact, when fresh running water is not available you will quickly learn to make each drop count. Some
tips for storing your drinking water: If you are forced to use a water source that you are unsure about it's purity then definitely purify the water before consuming or storing it. To purify water, follow these steps. *Filter
the water to remove as many solids. Here
are some helpful water conservation tips to use during times of water
shortages: Several
companies have water storage barrels and systems to help make storing
water convenient. Go to the Family Homesteading Advocate's Home Preparedness
Links page for resources: 4) Gather non-electric sources for lighting, cooking and for warmth. Power
outages tend to be a common occurance in our area during the winter.
By being prepared, these outages, instead of being stressful and worrisome
times, have created some fond memories for our family...sitting around
the kitchen table playing games Some of those power outages continued for 5 days! Since most of our homes need electricity to function, being prepared for a power outage is important and can help alleviate the fear and stress that these situations can create. A) Non-electric sources for lighting. The following are excellent sources for non-electric lighting. Put these items in an easy to get to place, one that you will remember and be able to find safely in the dark. *A
box of matchbooks. B) Non-electric sources for cooking Cooking without electricity can be just like cooking while camping. A Coleman campstove is a good investment. They are fairly inexpensive and most use the disposable propane canisters which make them convenient and less messy. One will fit on the kitchen counters nicely. When using camp stoves in the house be sure to have a window partially open for some ventilation. When done cooking put the stove outside right away as most tend to leak propane when not in use. DO NOT use charcoal briquets indoors - very Toxic and dangerous! If you have a woodstove that a pot will sit safely on, then you can use it to heat pots of food and kettles of water. keep a pot of water on top of it to use for warming up washing (body or dishes) water. *Coleman
type table top cookstove C) Non-electric sources for heating If you have a wood stove installed in your home chances are you have a cord or more stacked and ready for use. Wood stoves are an excellent source of non-electric heat. If a wood stove is not applicable to you, there are other ways to keep warm when the electricity goes out. Some ways are: *Portable
alcohol heaters Lehman's is a popular resource for all survival type needs. They have many different types of non-electic appliances, solar powered items, food and water storage supplies and more. You can see their website at: http://www.qksrv.net/click-773076-308682 With all the candles and open flames you will have operating during a power outage it is vital that you have a fire extinguisher. Mount one in a visible easy to reach place. Let us take a hint from nature and take the time now to prepare our homes for winter.
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