7 Emergency Preparedness Secrets "They" Don't Want You
to Know About
Emergency Preparedness efforts don't mean that "they" can solve all the
problems that occur. It just means they are doing the best they can or
want to do. Who are they? They are Federal, State, local governments,
companies, and individuals. And, the fact is they can only do so much
with their emergency preparedness efforts and they can only know a small
amount of information. That is why you should have Everything Prepared.
The reality is governments cannot respond as fast or as well as we
would like. Often, they don't respond as we think they should. Unless we
are prepared, we must wait for them. And even then, we are at the mercy
in how well they are prepared or what they do.
Do you have everything prepared?
Companies and other individuals can only do so much.
Secret #1: 72 Hour kits
The first emergency preparedness secret is that sometimes response to
an emergency is quick, but often it is very slow. Sometimes, a 72 hour
kit will not be enough. There are times when it may take a week or more
for you to get help. Part of getting everything prepared means getting
more than just a 72 hour kit.
Just go to Google and do a search using the words "FEMA slow
response" (without the quotation marks) and see how many comments are
there. State and local agencies have the same problem and most are ill
prepared to handle any emergencies.
Secret #2: Food Recalls
Food recalls can leave you hungry, poor, or both. This emergency
preparedness secret has come to fruition many times. In February of
2008, according to NPR, the USDA recalled about 143 million pounds of
meat from a California slaughterhouse because some of the cows were
crippled. In the beginning of 2009 there was a huge recall of peanut
butter. This has left many agencies trying to restock their supplies.
As these foods are removed from our food supply the total supply goes
down. Simple supply and demand economics take effect and in many cases,
cause the prices to go up. As you prepare your food storage, you won't
have to worry.
Secret #3: No Grain Reserves
At one time, the U.S. had a large strategic grain reserve, but
recently, this reserve has been depleted. If there is even one major
crop disaster, grain prices could soar. Just take a look at what
happened when gas prices skyrocketed. The cost of farming,
transportation, and etc. made food prices rise significantly. Imagine
what would happen if there was a massive crop failure due to flooding or
drought.
The recent fanatical development of biofuels has also created an
increased demand for certain grains and has caused grain prices to soar.
This has caused even more demand. It has also created an
increased demand for fertilizers. Fertilizers that once cost about $200
per tonne (pre-2008) were selling for over $1,000 per tonne at the
height of the 2008 economic mess. This has effected the prices of food
and the ability of farmers to grow higher yield crops.
According to Gwynne Dyer (Energy Bulletin - October 10, 2006) in
How Long Can the World Feed Itself? "We are still living
off the proceeds of the Green Revolution, but that hit diminishing
returns twenty years ago. Now we live in a finely balanced situation
where world food supply just about meets demand, with no reserve to
cover further population growth. But the population will grow
anyway, and the world's existing grain supply for human consumption
is being eroded by three different factors: meat, heat and biofuels.
"For the sixth time in the past seven years, the human race will
grow less food than it eats this year. We closed the gap by eating
into food stocks accumulated in better times, but there is no doubt
that the situation is getting serious. The world's food stocks have
shrunk by half since 1999, from a reserve big enough to feed the
entire world for 116 days [less than 4 months] then to a predicted
low of only 57 days [less than 2 months] by the end of this
year."
As you prepare, there is no need to worry, because you will have
everything ready.
Secret #4: Local Governments Aren't Ready
Most cities do not have everything prepared to ensure fresh water delivery in the event of an
emergency. Emergency preparedness in this area of water storage
obviously seems to be lacking. People need water, but often in major
disasters, a fresh supply of water will be unavailable for days or
weeks. Many cities rely on just enough equipment to supply the immediate
daily needs of its population.
As you work on your emergency preparedness efforts, be sure you have
at least a two weeks supply of water on hand for each person.
Secret #5: Patented Seeds
Over the past couple of decades, there has been an even stronger
emergence of engineered seeds and food. The full effects of the changes
have not yet been realized, however, some developments are very
disturbing. The engineering of seeds makes it so you cannot guarantee
that the seeds produced from engineered plants will produce the same
quality harvest. Even worse, as much as 85% of the seeds on the market
may be patented. What does that mean?
It means that if you let the plant go to seed and use that seed for
planting, you are infringing on a patent and can be sued. Many farmers
have found this out the hard way. Even one of the companies that has
these "patented" seeds admits to suing farmers. After all, it is their
legal right. They own the patent. So if companies are getting up to 85%
of the seed market (so called "good business"), to whom do we become
dependent upon? That's right. We become dependent upon the company that
provides them. The only real and viable option is heirloom seeds.
Secret #6: Energy Supplies
Just as in Emergency Preparedness Secret #4, cities also cannot
ensure a stable supply of energy (gas, electricity, etc.) to power even
the most basic needs. In fact, some cities have gone without power for
more than a week. Power outages can occur anytime due to weather or even
power company equipment outages.
Can you imagine not having heat in the winter or air conditioning in
the summer for over a week? Well, those situations exist and many,
unfortunately, have
died from them.
In very short order, food begins to spoil and become infested with
germs than can leave you seriously ill or even dead. Massive
neighborhood BBQ anyone? Oh...wait...how will we cook it?
Secret #7: Emergency Preparedness Can Be Fun
As indicated above, there is a real threat. I know the above
information sounds a little like fear mongering, but that is not how it
is intended. It was intended to make you aware. You see...we have auto
insurance in case we get in an accident, health insurance in case of
medical problems, life insurance in case of death, and many other types
of insurance. But...how many have emergency preparedness "insurance?"
Insurance brings peace of mind. It helps us realize that we have
minimized some of the risk.
Don't
focus on the fear. If you are just working on emergency preparedness out
of fear, you will never realize the full benefits of having everything
prepared. Too many people and so called specialists and experts focus
on the negative. They try to scare you into preparing. That is like
screaming and yelling at someone until they become happy. It doesn't
work.
Actually, emergency preparedness is fun and can be fun. My family
decided to "Go without Power" or shopping for a few days. The kids
occasionally still talk about it and ask if they can do it again.
Personally, I like having electricity, but it goes to show you that
emergency preparedness can be fun. Another benefit, it also gives you
peace of mind. If you are prepared , you will not fear (at least not as
much).
It is amazing how much peace you can have when you have enough money
to carry you for a few months in the event of income loss due to
layoffs, termination, etc. There is a gentle reassurance that everything
will be alright. You will be able to protect and take care of your
family. You will be able to weather life's little twists and storms.
It truly is an amazing feeling.
Do you have Everything Prepared?™
Click Here to Tweet this.
