I read this short story the other day, which I believe acurately describes the hour we are at in the time of the world. I don’t know where it originated, but I will share it with you!

Once upon a time there was an old man who loved to listen to the striking of his grandfather clock. he enjoyed it so much, in fact, that he kept it in his bedroom against the far wall. After retiring each night, he would lie in his bed, half awake, listening to the striking of the clock. Whenever the clock struck, he would sleepily count the chimes. One night something went wrong with the clock’s mechanism. It began to strike and he began to count. He counted to ten, eleven, twelve…. then thirteen! … fourteen! … fifteen! … Suddenly he realized something had gone wrong and he was immediately wide awake. He reached over, shook his wife, and said, “Wake up, Ma! It’s later than I’ve ever knowed it to be!”

I watch what is going on in the world today, and I believe the hour is late. In fact I believe we are only moments away from midnight. There is just toooooo much going on for us not to see that stuff is about to hit the fan in a big way.

I don’t care if you are religious or not, a prepper or not, it doesn’t matter. Take a look around! Just look at the world and tell me if you can find any of these things:

• war
• drought and water restrictions
• flooding
• food prices
• pandemics and epidemics of extreme proportions
• polution in and out of the water causing sickness
• inflation
• political unrest
• civil unrest
• any kind of natural disaster
• drugs, gangs, corruption of all sorts
• fires burning out of control
• terrorism
• horrible people crimes against others
• families falling apart everywhere you look, and traditional values literally falling apart and becoming insignificant
• gas prices and the depletion of the earth’s natural resources
• and this list can go on and on

If you don’t believe in the prophecies that are spoken of in the scriptures, then just have a look at that list and ask yourself, “Why wouldn’t I want to be prepared?”

Why wouldn’t you? It really is later than we have ever knowed it to be!

We don’t know what is going to come next, or especially what is going to come next “for us”! Do you really want to take the chance that you are just going to be able to ride it out and all will end okay for you? Well you could try that and see how it turns out, but personally, I have no intention of leaving anything to chance. I am prepping like crazy!

I am prepping for my food storage!

I am prepping for ways to cook that storage! I am prepping for ways to stay warm, keep the lights working, staying healthy, having alternate medical sources, having protection and security, and planning ahead for all of this and more. But… let me tell you I have been doing this for years, and am pretty prepared, yet I feel I still need to do more!

What about you?

Preparedness is about being able to face whatever problems or challenges come your way, because you have thought them through and made a plan for them, so when they happen, you are just ready to put that plan into play.

I want to share with you a plan that I created a few years back for my church organization, and I think it is a great place to start. It is a bit lengthy, so please feel free to print it out, and I will post the pdf for this at the end of this post. You will get part 1 certification level here, and I will follow up in sequential posts with level 2 and level 3 so keep watch!

The Program is designed to break down the overwhelming task of Emergency Preparedness into manageable tasks that constitute a level of certification.  The Program consists of three levels of certification, each one advancing the individual or family toward greater emergency preparedness.  (The certification approach, was mostly for the motivation of individuals within the church units.) This certificate style approach helps individuals and families by identifying each area of preparedness that they need to work on and prioritizing them in order of importance.

The first level was designed to be attainable by anyone, individual or family units. It focuses on preparing people with the most basic disaster preparedness. It is also a bit more family oriented, whereas level two and three tend to have requirements that will primarily involve parents or heads of households, with a bit more planning, preparing, work and dedication.

The second level is a short term preparedness, bridging the gap between emergency preparedness and long term preparedness.

The third level was designed to represent a very high level of emergency and family preparedness. It isn’t a level that is attainable in a short amount of time, because for your family, it will take some planning, and it will take a greater financial requirement with many more resources.

LEVEL 1

Cover the following three items as a family:

• Teach all family members of a responsible age, how to turn off all major utilities in the home, including water, electricity and gas. Discuss various circumstances that would warrant turning off these utilities
• Cover what to do in an earthquake, fire, flood, tornado, etc
• Create a fire escape plan for your home. There should be two exits for each family member – two ways out of each room, test all smoke detectors, have a designated meeting place outside, and any other circumstances you can think of for your family, and practice it regularly

Create a Family Emergency Plan – have it typed and laminated.

• designate 3 meeting places outside the home, that make sense to your family circumstances
• provide contact numbers for local police, ambulance, poison control and have them posted by phones and on your emergency plan
• provide contact numbers for family and friends you wish to contact in an emergency
• designate one out of area relative or friend, if possible, to contact in an emergency. In large emergency situations, local circuits are the first ones to become overloaded. Long distance phone calls have a higher chance of being available, and that way anyone wanting info about you should contact this person as well. They will be the go between for you and others
• decide who will pick up any children from school. Know the policy for releasing children in an emergency.
• create a brief checklist of things to get / bring if you have to leave your home on short notice. This will help someone in a panic to remember important things to gather like: your 72 hour kits, copies of important documents, pets and such
• laminate the family emergency plan and give a copy to each child, and place a copy in each car, 72 hour kits and within the home near a phone

Create or update your 72 hour kits. Be sure it has the following and is in a backpack for easy transportation:

• basic first aid kit
• food / water to survive for 3 days
• blankets and clothing for family members
• am / fm radio or two way radios with batteries
• extra batteries
• flashlight with batteries
• toilet paper in a water proof bag, fem hygiene or other toiletries needed
• cash in small denominations. Including coins – pay phones are some of the first to be activated after an emergency
• personal medications for each family member, including prescription medications
• pocket knife / leatherman / swiss army
• copy of your family emergency plan

Food storage – 3 months of food and toiletries, with one weeks worth of water.

Prepared by thinking “What if we had to be living in our house for 3 months, without any outside assistance. What would we need besides our food and water?”

Emergency cash fund – this is cash on hand – not in a bank – $50 per person / $100 per family minimum, in small bills

Certification Level 1 Checklist

Item Completed	Date Completed	Check
Teach family to turn off all major utilities
What to do in case of…… disasters
Create a Fire Escape for your home and practise it
Create Your Family Emergency Plan
Create or Update your 72 hour emergency kits
3 months of food storage
3 months of toiletries
One week of water
Emergency Cash minimum $100 in small bills

Family Emergency Preparedness Checklist

Done	Date	Assignment Completed
		We are familiar with the disasters that could happen locally
		We know our school emergency plans
		We know our workplace emergency plans
		We know the community emergency plans
		We have a home evacuation plan prepared and practised
		Each family knows all possible exits in our home
		We all know the family meeting place outside our home
		We all know the out of area contact person and have their information in our wallets, purse, backpack, car, etc
		We each know the best place in the home in case of a tornado
		We each know the shelter in place drill, where and how
		We have at least one non-cordless phone in our house
		We have emergency contact lists by each phone with our address information on it also
		We know where our water, gas, and electrical shut off valves are for the home
		We have copies of all vital documents stored in safe locations
		Each person who can use a fire extinguisher knows where they are and how and when to use them
		We have up to date smoke detectors in our home
		We change the batteries in our smoke detectors twice a year
		We have a carbon monoxide detector and test it monthly
		We have emergency evacuation kits – 72 hr kits
		We have a battery powered radio with fresh batteries

Evacuation List – make one for each room in the house

5 Minutes	15 Minutes	30 Minutes	1 Hour
Most Important items	Most Important items	Most Important Items	Most Important Items
Next on the list	Next on the list	Next on the list	Next on the list
Next on the list	Next on the list	Next on the list	Next on the list
Last if there is time	Last if there is time	Last if there is time	Last if there is time
Other notes – meeting place	Other notes – contact people	Other notes	Other notes
Get out!!!

Good Emergency Kit Checklist:

Done	Date to replace	Item for Emergency Kits
		Backpack for each family member
		Medical Information for each family member
		Medications
		Copy of insurance information
		Copies of important identification and banking information
		Spare keys
		Cash – $100 to $200 in small bills or change
		First aid kit
		Pen and paper
		Food which requires no cooking, energy bars, etc
		Bottles of water – 4 per person minimum per day
		One change of clothing for each family member, minimum
		Bedding – sleeping bag and small pillow
		Comfort games, books, or small items
		Toiletries
		Tools – axe, shovel, flashlight and batteries, duct tape
		Battery radio and batteries
		Candles, matches, lighter, light stick, etc
		Whistle
		Seasonal clothing, gloves for working
		Paper plates and utensils, cups, etc
		Can opener, utility knife
		Water purification tablets
		Filter mask for each family member
		Plastic garbage bags
		Hand sanitizer, sunscreen, insect repellant,
		Baby items if needed
		Pet items if needed
		Bible / scriptures
		Vitamins, charcoal tablets, health foods

Menu Planning for three months

Make this plan for 14 days and multiply by 6 to get a 3 month supply

Breakfast	Item	Size	Amount needed

Lunch	Item	Size	Amount Needed

Dinner	Item	Size	Amount Needed

Snack	Item	Size	Amount Needed

Done	Ideas To Do for Three Month Self Reliance
	Good quality tent, camper, trailer or other shelter
	Extra clothing for all types of weather situations
	Good pair of walking shoes for each family member
	Water filters
	Water purification tablets
	Water storage, minimum 14 gallons/person, ideal 55 gal / person
	Three months of food
	Cooking stoves and fuel
	Dutch ovens and charcoal briquettes
	Outdoor fire pit
	Generator and fuel
	Blankets – warm ones – like wool or thick fleece
	Proper winter clothing for your area, include long underwear
	Plastic and duct tape to cover windows and doors
	Candles and matches
	Solar lanterns and flashlights
	Kerosene lanterns and fuel
	Toilet paper, feminine hygiene
	Teeth care, paste and brushes
	Body care, shampoo, soap, lotion, baby wipes, etc
	House cleaning, bleach, dish soap, laundry soap, all purpose cleaner
	Baby needs, diapers, etc
	Guard dog, or perimeter alarms
	Bars or extra security on windows and doors
	Self defence in your area of expertise
	Land line phone, batteries, and solar chargers for cell and laptop
	Battery radio
	Three month reserve of living expenses / cash on hand
	Learn skills for backup work if unemployed

Printable of above checklists!

“When we understand the importance of self-reliance and being prepared, it’s as if we hear the “wake up call” and begin taking responsibility for managing out own lives. In so doing, we understand (paradoxically) that there are many facets of our lives which cannot be managed or “controlled.” James Talmage Stevens

Level 2 Post – How prepared is your family?

Level 3 Post – Life will be what you make it!

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