Farmington West Provident Living

  Do you know what you are preparing for? We often think of natural disasters when we're thinking preparedness, but there are so many other reasons to be spiritually and temporally prepared. We never know when there will be a crisis in our lives, so now is the best time to  sit down and walk yourself through a potential emergency, then figure out what you need to do to get yourself through it.   Check out  this woman's story of what she learned from her personal crisis   and how she is using that knowledge to help her better prepare for the future. 

  Long Term and Short Term Storage...  both are IMPORTANT. Here are 8 key points to remember when building your food storage. 1)  VARIETY -- Not having enough variety in your food storage is a big mistake! Add variety by including comfort foods and dehydrated or freeze-dried fruits and veggies. 2)  STAPLES -- Longer-term staples are important! Don't forget to store recipe staples like grains, beans, rice, cooking oil, yeast/leavening agents like baking soda, and spices. These items are the basics for most recipes and often have a longer shelf life than other foods. 3)  READY TO EAT FOODS --Don't forget to store a MINIMUM of 3 days of ready-to-eat foods! In an emergency situation, meal planning and cooking will be challenging. Store foods that are easy to prepare by opening a can or just adding water. This will make the first few days or weeks after a disaster much easier to handle. 4)  NUTRIENTS --Difficult times can diminish the body's ability to store nut...

September is National Preparedness Month.  It's the time designated for everyone to take a look at just how prepared they are for any emergency that may arise.  Up to this point we have mostly talked about 3 day to 3-6 month supply and a few longer term solutions, i.e. dehydrated and freeze dried foods.   What is the difference? Well, most things we buy at case lot sales or grow in our gardens are short term solutions unless they are dehydrated or freeze dried and then packaged for longer term storage. In order to make the things we buy for our storage last as long as possible they all need to be packaged in a way that will ensure the longest shelf life.  Just having a bag of flour in our pantry doesn't ensure that it will last the long haul.  Most things will only last about a year before they go bad and start causing pest problems in your pantry. In order to make that same bag of flour last for 20-25 years it would be best to put it in a 5 gallon bucket o...

Harvest time is coming!  Time to think again about how you might preserve some of your garden (or purchased) produce for the winter months. Here are some links to BLOG pages that have some wonderful tips and tricks for preserving your harvest. DEHYDRATION    DEHYDRATION vs. FREEZE DRYING    CANNING  

   We've all heard the saying..."It wasn't raining when Noah built the Ark."  Power was on before the winds came.  Things were calm prior to the earthquake.  We were high and dry before the water came a risin'.  Emergency evacuation?  How organized and prepared do you feel for any of these scenarios? The best time to practice and prepare is BEFORE the emergency happens.  Since we do not know WHEN and usually have limited warning of those things that are predictable.  NOW is the best time to practice and prepare. This month, we encourage you to look at your food storage and related supplies. Try to create a whole meal using just your food storage items.  Make note of what you need to add to make that meal complete and awesome!   Experiment with different flavors and see what your family likes or dislikes.  No reason to store it if the family won't eat it. You can find some recipes to try HERE . Purchase some whole wheat flo...

 Having a way to cook when the power goes out is important.  Here is a list of different kinds of cooking apparatus'.  Decide which one(s) will work best for your family and then learn how to use them.  Figuring them out during an emergency is not the best idea.  Why add stress to an already uncomfortable situation.

 "Spring Cleaning" can include your Food Storage and Emergency Supplies. If you have some or a lot, take or update an inventory of your items to determine what you need to add, replace or no longer suits your needs. Inventory Logs are available here on the Blog.  If you are just starting and need help with what to gather and store, Here is an  Article  that talks about the essentials of getting started. And here is a list of minimum food storage quantities per person per year. Don't forget that you will also need to gather and store water, supplies to prepare your food storage, heat foods and water, fuel for stoves etc. shelter, toiletry items etc.  It can be overwhelming for sure.  Start small, stay on a budget and keep a list of what items you have stored, so that it will be easier to rotate items and add as you are able.

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...