Farmington West Provident Living

Here is an excerpt from the Farmington Utah West Stake Emergency Plan v.4 regarding Flooding. Page 15 4.6 FLOODS: BEFORE: 1. Find out if your residence is in a probable flood plain. Make plans what to do, where to go. 2. Store emergency supplies: water, food, first aid, medications, documents, radio, flashlights etc. 3. Listen to the radio or TV for changing weather conditions. 4. Place sandbags, lumber, plastic sheeting etc. in strategic places. (Sandbags should be stacked away from the building far enough to avoid damaging the walls.) 5. Make sure vehicles are at least 1⁄2 full in case of evacuation. 6. Prepare for evacuation. 7. Move valuables to an upper floor or as high as possible. DURING: 1. Stay calm. 2. If there is time, disconnect all gas and electric appliances. Shut off the main water valve to keep contaminated water from entering the house. Also shut off the power at the main breaker. Remember, if you shut off the gas, a professional will have to come turn it back on. 3. I...

The focus this month is on "Emergency Kits".  There are many options and many ways to customize kits to fit you and your family's needs.  By creating your own kits, not only can you save money, you will have a kit specific to each person in your family and not a "one size fits all" arrangement of items.  Be sure to change out food and clothing at least once a year if not every 6 months.  Kids grow (as do adults, to be honest)  My 35 year old son will no longer fit in his 4T sweat suit from his original emergency kit.  He has his own current kit now, phew! We recommend to have a kit for each family member and a larger "family kit" with shelter, cooking supplies, heat, light and sanitation, as well as a larger more complete first aid kit. There are many lists and helps found here on the BLOG under Emergency Prep > Emergency Kits   Check it out for ideas, getting started, updating, etc. of your emergency preparedness kits.

  Food storage isn't just for natural disasters or the end of the world as we know it--it's for every day.  The following article from the Deseret News, debunks several food storage myths and offers practical advice to inspire you to get storing.  This is what we're talking about! Two LDS women are working to shed light on many of the misunderstandings associated with food storage in order to make it a more effective preparedness method for Church members and others.  Food storage experts Crystal Godfrey and Debbie Kent wrote a book and started a website after realizing many people were being tricked into spending too much money on food storage. They also perceived that many others avoided getting food storage because they didn’t know what to buy or how to use it, thinking the traditional items are gross or that collecting food storage is weird. “We wanted them to be able to take the benefit of us being with them and shopping with them and teaching them, ‘This is goo...

 “We all need to build a personal ark, to fortify ourselves against this rising tide of evil, to protect ourselves and our families against the floodwaters of iniquity around us. And we shouldn’t wait until it starts raining, but prepare in advance. This has been the message of all the prophets in this dispensation... “Unfortunately we don’t always heed the clear warnings of our prophets. We coast complacently along until calamity strikes, and then we panic. “When it starts raining, it is too late to begin building the ark. However, we do need to listen to the Lord’s spokesmen. We need to calmly continue to move ahead and to prepare for what will surely come. We need not panic or fear, for if we are prepared, spiritually and temporally, we and our families will survive any flood. Our arks will float on a sea of faith if our works have been steadily and surely preparing for the future” ( Elder W. Don Ladd, Conference Report, October 1994, p. 37 ).

 Now I know not everyone is a fan of snow and cold temperatures, but we really need the precipitation, so tis a welcome sight!  Hopefully we were all PREPARED with warm clothing, snow shovels, extra blankets and some yummy food to hunker down with if things get crazy.  There is still hope we will get more in the coming months. So, if you weren't ready for this one.... PLAN AHEAD for the next one. Check out the  December  newsletter  to read about ways to prepare your home & family for the upcoming colder months and some great gift ideas to help your family members live more providently. The wilder the storm the higher the chance of losing power.   Here  is a link to more information about Emergency Power.  i.e. Generators, heaters etc.

It certainly feels like we are in the dark an awful lot lately.  It gets dark early in the evening, we are often in the dark as to what is happening and which direction to go during the pandemic, so many unknowns.  Bringing the light of Christ into our homes is so very important in our quest to living providently.  Welcome the Savior and his teachings into your daily prayers, ponderings and everyday activities using uplifting music, podcasts, conference talks etc.  It does make a difference to have some inspirational "noise" to accompany your daily tasks. As for preparing for the unforeseen power outage, we can also welcome a physical light into our lives in the form of "artificial light" via the means of flashlights, lanterns, candles, etc.  Click HERE for information and suggestions on lighting options in an emergency. HERE is a post from earlier in the year about creating candle kits to have handy for a quick burst of light while you hunt for the lanterns, ...

The  FOOD STORAGE link on the BLOG will take you to several topics offering, tips, suggestions and charts to help you start, add to or rotate your food storage and emergency supplies. Including:  Long Term Food and Water Storage Inventory and Rotation Canning and Preserving Proper Storage of Grains, Dairy, Water etc.

 Now is a good time to build or refresh your various preparedness kits. Check the Blog HERE to find several lists and types of kits, including what you may want to include in them. Since every household and family is different, their kits should be different too.  Adapt your kit(s) to fit your needs and each family member may have different items included.  Create an extra "Household Kit" to include shared items such as cooking supplies, shelter and fuel etc.  Don't forget your pets!