Snow-mageddon...

To start off with, I must apologize for letting the past few weeks go by without posting an entry in the BLOG.  A few thing came up both in the way of work and family concerns that occupied much of my time and attention.  That said, I wanted to talk to you about some of the recent events that have caught my attention and probably yours as well.  If any of you have followed the weather reports that focused on the north east part of the country, you are well aware of the massive snow totals that have fallen over the past week.  In an article posted today in the Washington Post, the several towns in New York have posted record snow totals.  As of 1:00 p.m. today, some of those reporting were:

• Cowlesville - 88 inches
• Lancaster - 74 inches
• Wales Center - 69.3 inches
• Wyoming - 63 inches
• Orchard Park - 63 inches

Putting it all in perspective, I am 6' 2" tall; Cowlesville, New York's snow totals piled up a full 14 inches higher than the top of my head.

In my years with the military, I have lived and visited some places that boasted some pretty incredible snow, but I have never seen anything like this.  I remember a snow storm while living in Colorado Springs, CO that over the course of one day and night, dropped around 36" of snow.  With the wind drifting it, our cars were buried; some completely.  We lived in a cul de sac that was off the main thoroughfare so no plows were dispatched to our home streets until the main streets were cleared.  consequently we found ourselves stuck in our homes without any way of getting supplies for three days.  I learned then the value of ensuring there was sufficient food in the home to satisfy our needs, at least for a few days.  I must admit, I was dismayed at how quickly the food we had in the cupboard and refrigerator disappeared.  It appears that when all you have to do is wait out the storm, one finds him/herself munching and consuming more that you might otherwise be inclined to do.  By day three, we were searching for the few scraps that were left to tide us over until we could get to a grocery store.

The point I am trying to make here, is that with a little preparation, we can be ready to meet these once in a lifetime events with confidence.  I have noticed lately that more and more I am seeing advertisements on the television and in various businesses that are promoting the sale of 72-hour kits/backpacks to meet just these kind of emergencies.  I am not here to promote any one type of kit, but I will say that there are many out there that can be purchased at a reasonable price for those who do not want to assemble their own.  Either option works.  on the right side of this blog I have listed a few businesses that supply these kits and I have also provided a link to a web page that will inform you which items should be included in your 72-hour kits if you choose to assemble one yourself.

Finally, let me admonish you to be ever looking for ways to ensure you are prepared of any probably and possible emergency that might come your way.  You may feel that to do so is prohibitively expensive, but I guarantee that the cost of not doing so, after you experience that unexpected emergency, will be more costly that you are able to bear.  Take this opportunity to reassess your situation and continue your preparations today.  Best of luck

Erik

Where Are You...Are You Okay?

Welcome back at the end of this Halloween week.  I hope you all had an enjoyable holiday.  As I watched others dress up for parties and trick-or-treating I saw some very creative costumes that allowed the wearers to pretend to be someone they are not.  It seems that a common theme recently is to dress up like zombies (I’m not sure any of us really know what that means); probably a throwback to the numerous zombie-pocalypse B-movies that have come and gone through recent years.  The question remains, are you ready for the next zombie-pocalypse that comes to your town?  All kidding aside, the real question is, are you ready for whatever type of emergency does come your way?
Last week in my post I mentioned that I wanted to take a few posts to address the staples we need in our storage and what we need to do to be ready.  Probably the supply item that you will need first and foremost is the water I wrote of last week.  With that covered, let me move on to another part of the preparations you will need to make to be ready.  I think that whenever we hear “emergency preparedness,” those of us who are members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints (that is likely to me most all of those who are looking at this BLOG) tend to think of food storage.  Let’s face it, we have been hearing that call to action for as long as we can remember.  As critical as that is, I think I’ll leave that discussion for another week.  I’d like to mention some of the preparations that are usually given minor attention, but could be life savers if you have established a plan ahead of time.  Let’s consider the following:

Communication: 

What is the first thing you will want to do following a natural or man-made emergency, once you determine you have survived the initial event?  I don’t know about you, but my first thoughts will be to my family.  I have one child who lives in Springville, UT, about 80 miles to the south, two who are in the local area a few miles away and another who lives in Providence, UT about 60 miles to the north.  Chances are that if calamity strikes here, some or all of them will in some way be impacted; so naturally I am going to call them to check on their status and report mine to them.  In this age of expected instant gratification, we feel it is our right to reach out via whatever means possible to obtain whatever information we desire.  For most of us today, that comes through the use of our wireless or cellular phones.  These are wonderful devices, but could be of limited utility during a natural disaster.  Depending on the nature of the emergency, wireless and cellular transmission services may or may not be available. 

Whatever type of phone you chose to use, try to limit any calls to passing only pertinent information to keep from contributing to the inevitable phone line clogging that will occur.  One thing to remember when planning your preparations, is that all phones today rely on power to operate.  In the days of my youth, the hard line phones we had hanging in our homes supplied their own power, so when the house power was lost for any reason, we almost always could still use the phone.  With the cordless home phones in wide use today, most use house power to operate, with some using a battery backup.  These phones may have limited utility if the batteries are not kept charged.  Many households today are opting to forgo the land line phones in favor of a cellular only option.  Again, their utility is limited by the life of their batteries and the capacity of the cellular transmission facilities in your area. 

Possibly a more effective means of communicating during or following a disaster is through the use of text messaging.  Text messaging uses internet protocols to transmit, and may have greater availability than voice calls.  A delay in delivery may occur depending on the amount of other users, but using text messaging will allow you to leave messages and not have to be on your phone continuously.  For non-emergency calls, text messaging is probably a better option than voice calls.
Another method of reaching you loved ones is also based on IP resources.  With the popularity of social networking sites (Facebook, Twitter etc), these can be effective means through which you can reach others.  Posting messages and photographs will allow others to be reassured of your status and let them know you are alright. 

Meeting Place

Despite good intentions, all electronic communication channels are frequently unavailable during major disasters.  Your cell phone channels are blocked with overloaded use, the internet is absent because of distribution hubs being impacted by the disaster, or for any number of other reasons you can’t communicate using technology.  An effective means of determining the status of your loved ones is to plan prioritized meeting sites where everyone can meet in the event you cannot reach them in any other way.  These meeting places should be central to the family and as convenient as possible.  Begin with a location that is inside your home and then work your way toward sites that are further and further away.  For example:

            Meeting Place #1:  Inside your House
            Meeting Place #2:  Directly Outside Your House
            Meeting Place #3:  In Your Neighborhood
            Meeting Place #4:  Out of Town

A good explanation of how to best identify these venues is found on the Ready Set Go Kits website at the following address: 

 http://readysetgokitsdisasterplan.com/how-to-create-a-family-emergency-meeting-place/?p=N .

Knowing the potential limitations of whatever communications medium you choose, is important to ensure you are prepared and can reach your loved ones.  The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) and the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) have published “Tips For Communicating During An Emergency,” that will help you know how to prepare your communication links that will be so critical in the first hours following an emergency.

So what is your plan?

Plan now for the eventual emergency that may critically impact your life.

For Want of a Glass of Water

As I have been considering what to post next, the first thing that came to mind is that most all of us have good intentions, but sometimes we just don’t know where to start to prepare for emergencies.  

That said, I think what I’ll do for the next few posts is focus on the staples we need to keep in our storage.  This includes food but is not necessarily limited to that.  I’ll try to point you in the direction of where to find good resources and information as much as I can. 

One of the resources in greatest need when disaster strikes, is good clean water.  Without water, it is a short time before we become destitute.  Additionally, having sufficient water to take care of not only drinking, but also sanitation, provides us with a sense of well-being in a time of need.   The federal government’s readiness web site, www.ready.gov, provides these recommendations when storing water. 

You should store at least one gallon of water per person for three days.  A normally active person needs about ¾ of a gallon of fluid daily, from water and other beverages.  However, individual needs vary, depending on age, health, physical condition, activity, diet and climate.

To determine your water needs, take the following into account:

• One gallon of water per person per day, for drinking and sanitation.
• Children, nursing mothers and sick people may need more water.
• A medical emergency might require additional water.
• If you live in a warm climate, more water may be necessary.  In very hot temperatures, water needs can double.
• Keep at least a three-day supply of water per person.

The church has provided us with Drinking Water Guidelines for ensuring we know how to store water.  Please reach out to the following web page to read these guidelines https://www.lds.org/topics/food-storage/drinking-water-guidelines?lang=eng . 

Water will be one of the first requirements you will have following an emergency.  With an adequate amount properly stored, you can sleep well knowing you are prepared. 

May God Bless You, 
Bro. and Sis. Jorgensen

Prepare Financially For The Worst

Hello Brothers and Sisters. 

For the past week, I have been pondering over what I should provide for you in the way of information that would be most beneficial to you for your emergency preparation plans.  As you all know, there are many and varied ways that emergencies can affect our lives.  Just as varied are the preparations that can be made to accommodate them.  We live in times when natural disasters are happening all around us.  We are merely lucky if they haven’t impacted our lives is some way yet.  Just a month or so ago, several families in North Salt Lake were displaced from their homes because of a landslide that began moving toward their houses.  Eventually that slide destroyed one family’s home completely.  A friend of mine is currently vacationing in Hawaii and has been posting comments on Facebook about how they have been anxiously watching as a hurricane Ana approached the islands.  Fortunately it looks like that one veered south of the islands and spare them the inevitable damage that a hurricane brings.  While I lived in Nebraska during the early 2000s we were ever watching the skies for the approach of tornados.   Each year they bring devastation to many communities across the country.  These and other natural phenomenon have a way of causing great hardship to many who have no way of escaping them.  This post is not meant to be a discussion of natural disasters per se, but to remind you that unavoidable calamities can fall upon us at any time. 

Understanding that we are constantly vulnerable, we must ask ourselves, what we can do to begin our preparations for what might come our way;  ask yourselves “Am I Ready.” As I thought about that question, I wondered what would be the most expedient way to begin preparations for my family.  While there are many ways to prepare, I came to the conclusion that the most immediate thing I could do would be to begin ensuring I have enough money set aside to provide for my needs if I find myself dealing with a disaster.  Having sufficient funds comes in two forms; on-hand cash and savings for the long-term.  Let me address each. 

Cash – There are several camps on this one, but a common theme seems to be, have enough ready cash to sustain you for the foreseeable future.  Mr. Paul Sisolak who writes for The “GobankingRates.com” website has this to say. 

When you can’t rely on accessing your funds electronically, you’ll need some legal tender to buy food, gas or other necessities. The questions are: What amount, and where to put it all? Many people are understandably reluctant to keep large amounts of money in their homes for fear of theft or misplacement.  But naturally, there are several easy ways to build up some disaster relief cash, and a safe place or two to hide it should the unexpected ever arise. 

Despite what many sources say, there’s no magic amount you should have nestled away in your emergency fund. Some say $500, others $1,000. Still others suggest three to six months of pay. Suze Orman’s magic number is eight months of living expenses. You might aim for a conservative $10,000, or more.

You should do what feels right to you. No matter the amount, an emergency fund is absolutely necessary — make it a priority. In fact, financial gurus like Jim Wang of Bargaineering and Dave Ramsey say to build up your own reserves fully expecting an emergency.

“It’s not a matter of if these events will happen,” Ramsey says, “it’s simply a matter of when.”

An emergency fund isn’t meant to be dipped into, or spent like disposable income, and creating one takes the very same approach for any other savings, rainy day fund or nest egg. How much can you afford to save? And how much do you think you’ll need for an extreme catastrophic event?

Emergency Savings – Once the immediate nature of a disaster has passed and you are in need of taking care of your needs for an extended period of time, emergency savings should take over.  There is no end to the number of experts who will tell you how to save for emergencies.  Fortunately, we have access to resources provided by our LDS church leaders that can guide us down this path.  In the article “The Times in which we live,” Ensign, Nov. 2001, President Gordon B. Hinckley counseled, “I urge you as members of this Church to get free of debt where possible and to have a little laid aside against a rainy day."  The article provided a thorough calculator (http://www.calcxml.com/do/bud03?skn=38) that can be used to identify how much money you might need to set aside in an emergency fund for that rainy day. 

I will admit that I have not always been dedicated to ensuring my emergency fund was fully laid in, but it has become a priority to me now and I am actively engaged in ensuring Myrna and I have sufficient to take care of the emergencies that come our way.  I encourage you to do the same and begin your preparations if you haven’t already done so. 

Bro. and Sis. Jorgensen

Welcome to the Jensen Park Readiness and Emergency Preparation Roundtable

Hello brothers and sisters.  Sister Jorgensen and I were recently called to serve you as the Ward Emergency Preparedness representatives and we are excited to work with you in this capacity.  In the coming months we will be provideing the ward with information to help you be prepared if/when trajedy strikes or other emergency occurs.  It is our hope that we can be helpful and informative.

One of the ways we will be serving you will be through this blog.  Our intent is to provide helpful resources, links to emergency preparation web sites, and provide a venue where you can share your questions and thoughts with the rest of the ward.  We pray that you will take a few mintues each week to glean from our efforts a little that will help keep you on the path to ensuring you are prepared for any dire contingency.

Allow me to include with this post a little advice as provided on www.lds.org.

"Members of the Church have been counseled for many years to be prepared for adversity.  Prepartation, both spiritual and temporal, can dispel fear.  With the guidance of Church leaders, individual members and families should prepare to be self reliant in times of personal or widespread emergency"

More information on emergency preparation can be found at the church's Emergency Preparation Web Page.  We wish you all the best and happy preparation.

Bro. and Sis. Jorgensen