You’ve probably seen “BPA Free” on many of the plastic bottles at your local grocery store. You might be wondering what is BPA and does it matter if the products you buy are BPA free or not. The research is divided on how harmful BPA is, but researchers do agree that BPA does leach into food and water stored in containers made with BPA.
Bisphenol A better known as BPA is a chemical added to plastics. It is used to make the plastics hard and clear. BPA is used in everything from compact discs to baby bottles. 90% of people have a detectable amount of BPA in their urine. BPA gets into the body through food or water stored in containers made with the chemical.
Animals studies have shown an increased risk for cancer when exposed to BPA. Researchers are looking at a possible link between BPA and heart problems. BPA could have an effect on obesity, diabetes, and ADHD. Though more research is still needed.
BPA seems to affects the endocrine system, the body’s hormone center. BPA disrupts the body’s natural levels. Children are at an increased risk since their bodies are still developing and are less able to eliminate substances from their bodies. Babies whose mothers were exposed to BPA during their pregnancy had BPA present in their system at birth. Pregnant women should avoid products with BPA at all costs. It is still unclear what all the effects of BPA are.
Microwaving increases the amount of BPA that leaches out of the container and into the food or water. Heating up plastic containers should be avoided. Don’t leave water bottles in your car on a hot day. The heat can increase BPA leaching. Water storage containers should be kept in a cool dry place.
Several countries are phasing out BPA. Canada has even banned all products made with BPA. Companies are labeling their products “BPA Free” to help the public identify what is safe and what is not. When in doubt check for the recycle symbol. Most plastic goods will have a number 1-7 in the recycle triangle somewhere, typically on the bottom of the container. This indicates how easy the plastic is to recycle, in other words, what chemicals they might contain. A number 7 usually means BPA is present. Many large water storage containers are number 7 plastic, look for containers that are labeled “BPA Free” to ensure your water supply is safe.
Source: https://www.webmd.com/children/bpa#1
Photo Credit: https://ksenvironmental.com.au/plastic-recycling-codes/
The first three days after a disaster are the most important. Emergency officials might not be able to reach you for the first few days. A 72-hour kit should contain your go-to emergency supplies. At a minimum, your 72-hour kit should have enough food and water for at least three days, more if space and budget allow. Take a backpack and fill it with bottles of water, granola bars, trail mix, etc. The food should be high in calories, no low calory diet bars here. Items should be lightweight. Canned goods are great, but carrying a heavy bag be trying after a while. Heavy bags will be difficult for children to carry as well.
Keeping all of your emergency gear in one place will make an evacuation that much easier. Gathering supplies can get expensive quickly. Start with the basics and upgrade as funds become available. Focus on items that will help you survive until help arrives. Plan ahead so you are prepared when the time comes.
A rain poncho will allow you to stay dry and keep moving. Staying dry will lower your risk of hypothermia. A rain poncho can also be used to make a shelter using some rope. Rope can be used for just about anything from tying bottles of water together or climbing to safety. Matches or a lighter will help you get a fire going to stay warm, single for help, or cook food. A pocket knife is a great tool. A knife could come in handy for self-defense or hunting. Don’t forget about personal hygiene items such as toilet paper.
A first-aid kit is an essential part of a 72-hour kit. Getting injured during a crisis could be disastrous. Hand sanitizer can help clean wounds and prevent illness. An emergency blanket doesn’t take up much room but it will keep you warm and help when treating someone for shock. If you take prescription medications, talk to your doctor about getting a few extras for an emergency situation.
Keep everything in a waterproof bag. You can put your supplies in a wet-dry bag or just line a backpack with a trash bag. The supplies won’t be much use if they are damaged in a flood. Disasters are especially difficult for children, pack their favorite snack or toy. Even just a small stuffed animal can help them cope. Make a plan for your pets as well, your 72-hour kit should have enough food and water for your pets for three days as well. Keep an extra leash with a carabiner for your dog. Attach the carabiner to the leash handle, it can be used as a tie down in an emergency.
Essentials
A 72-hour kit can be customized to meet your family’s needs. The most important thing is that each member of your family has enough food and water to last three days.
The parable of the ten virgins can be found in Matthew chapter 25 in the New Testament of the Bible. It is the story of ten young girls on there way to meet the bridegroom. Unsure of when he would come, they must wait throughout the dark night. Five of the wise ladies prepared in advance by gathering oil for their lamp so that they would last all night long. The other five girls didn’t think to prepare in advance. When the bridegroom finally arrived the five prepared women were able to join the party without any problems. The five foolish unprepared women begged the others to share, but there wasn’t enough for everyone. So they were forced to rush to the shops to try and buy oil for their lamps. Due to the big party, all the shops were sold out and they were unable to purchase any oil to light their lamps. They arrived late to the party and were denied entrance.
You might be wondering why this story of a few silly girls is important. It is important because five of the girls were not silly. They prepared in advance. They didn’t know how long their lamps would need to last so they bought extra oil just in case. As the night dragged on their oil kept their lamps burning bright. The girls who didn’t prepare were left in a state of panic rushing to the store only to discover there was not more oil.
Disasters come in all shapes and sizes. Sometimes it is a Category 5 Hurricane and sometimes it is a trucker’s strike that halts shipments to your local grocery store. The point is you don’t know which one you will be faced with. You might only need food and water for 72-hours, or you might need to replace everything own. Don’t get caught in the dark of night unprepared.
Failure to prepare is preparing to fail. The five foolish women didn’t plan ahead. They were just as excited about the party as everyone else, but their lack of planning prevented them from joining in the fun. If you don’t have the supplies you need to ensure your family’s survival then you’ll surely regret it.
Why didn’t the girls just share their supplies? They didn’t have enough to share among themselves and the others. You shouldn’t rely on the preparations of others. Governments and charity organizations do a lot to help a lot of people but don’t count on them when things get tough. Your failure to plan shouldn’t create an emergency for someone else.
Part of your preparation should include self-defense. The unprepared women asked for help, they could have put up much more of a fight. If you have the only food and water on the block be sure someone will come knocking at your door. Share if you can, but there might not be enough supplies to go around. Hungry people are not the most friendly. Be prepared to protect yourself and your supplies.
A well-stocked first-aid kit can be a real lifesaver. An organized kit is the key to fast and effective treatment. Your first-aid kit shouldn’t just be some bandages thrown into a bag. It will be a pain to find what you need during a real emergency. A good first-aid kit should be separated into categories so you can quickly and efficiently find what you are looking for. Minutes matter in a life and death situation.
A simple toiletry bag can be used as a ready-made first-aid kit for around fifty dollars. Look for a compact, water-resistant bag, with lots of compartments for organization. Ideally, the bag should be red in color. Red is the universal color for medical equipment. A compact bag will be easy to carry with you no matter the terrain. A water-resistant bag is a must-have in a wetter climate, but you never know when you might have to cross a river or get stuck in a downpour.
Gloves will prevent the spread of disease from you to the patient and vice versa. Some people are allergic to latex so make sure your gloves are latex-free. You may have to cut clothes off to access the wound, safety sheers will make this quick and easy. Iodine wipes are a quick and easy way to disinfect a wound and help keep the area you are working on clean. Liquid iodine can also be used to clean wounds. A variety of different sized bandages and cotton pads will allow you to treat different injuries effectively.
Tweezers are great for removing splinters or other small debris that may become lodged in the body. Every dog owner should carry tweezers. Foxtails are especially bad this year and they can easily get stuck in Fido’s ears or nose. Tweezers will allow you to remove them quickly before they become a major health hazard.
It is a good idea to keep a few anti-inflammatory medications on hand. Allergic reactions are dangerous and can happen at any time, better to be safe than sorry. Simple over the counter painkillers such as Tylenol and Ibuprofen will take the edge off and allow you get out of harm’s way if necessary. Saline eye drops can be used to rinse eyes if injured.
For more serious injuries a tourniquet could save your life. Massive blood loss is deadly, end of story. Colting agents such as Celox can be applied to a wound to quickly colt blood and stop bleeding fast. Wrap the wound with a pressure bandage to prevent it from bleeding again. Use a tourniquet if necessary. Be sure to remember the tourniquet was applied so you can inform emergency personnel.
Essentials Items
The human body is 65 percent water. Water is essential to life as we know it. Water carries nutrients and hormone through the body, regulates body temperature, lubricates our eyes, and cushions joints. After 1 to 2 day without water, the brain literally starts to shrink. Researchers found that the same task will take a dehydrated person twice as long to complete as a hydrated person. After 3 to 5 days without water, organs and brain functions will shut down.
Water storage should be a part of everyone’s emergency preparation. During a disaster, water lines easily can be interrupted or damaged. You might not have access to clean drinking water for several days. Authorities recommend having enough water for at least 72 hours. However, some areas remain out of water for 4 to 5 days, and others even longer.
As a general rule of thumb store 1 gallon per person per day. For example, a family of four would need 120 gallons for one month. Keep in mind children or nursing mother might require more water. More water will be necessary for warmer climates. Water needs can double in extreme heat.
Don’t forget your fur family when stockpiling water for a disaster. A healthy dog should drink about 1 ounce per pound of body weight. My 42 lbs Border Collie mix would need about 1/2 of a gallon per day. Cats, on the other hand, get most of their water through their food, but they still need 2-3 ounces of water per day. My family of 5, plus two dogs and cat would need about 21 gallons of clean water for 72 hours.
Daily Water Use
Store water in various sized containers. It will be extremely difficult to move a large 55-gallon drum during an evacuation. Bottled water is easy to carry. You will need 8 16.9 oz water bottles per person per day. My family would need about 56 bottles of water per day.
3 Day Water Supply Containers
Water Tips
Source: https://simplypreparing.com/weeks-worth-of-water-storage-for-less-than-20/
https://www.ready.gov/water
https://healthypets.mercola.com/sites/healthypets/archive/2014/05/07/dog-water-consumption.aspx
A good rotating food storage system is one of the best ways to save time, money, and possibly help you in an emergency situation. Think about how much waste happens when your storage room is disorganized. Food gets pushed to the back of shelving, sometimes expiring before you get to it again. You don’t know what food you have or where you put it. There are so many benefits to having your food storage organized. Even better, building a system is not difficult at all.
Save Money
Did you know that according to the Food and Agricultural Organization, Americans waste $160 billion in waste every year?(1) Most of that waste is perishable food, but expired canned food plays into that staggering number. If you have a good storage system, you know exactly what food you have and how much of it you have. Because food doesn’t expire before you get to it, you save money by rotating your food and using it regularly.
Convenience
Having an organized pantry and storage room means you know exactly what you have on hand and what you need to replenish. You’ll never run out of your kitchen staples if you know what you have. You can use your system as rotating food storage, using your food daily and replenishing when you need it.
Stay Prepared
You have your food storage because you want to be prepared, right? But how prepared are you if you don’t know what food you’ve stored? An efficient storage system helps you be prepared for you emergencies because you know exactly what resources you have.
Even a small storage room can benefit from a good storage system. While there are many options, sloped shelves are an excellent way to store canned goods to ensure they are rotated properly. Sloped shelves let gravity do the work. If you’re tight on space, slope just a few shelves and leave the rest flat for other food or water storage. The shelves can be as large or as small as your space allows. Remember not all cans are created equal so make sure to measure the size of cans you want to store and build your sloped shelves accordingly.
DIY Rolling Can Shelves
Materials
Steps
https://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2014/10/141013-food-waste-national-security-environment-science-ngfood/
Rainwater harvesting has been used since Ancient Rome. Water one of the most valuable resources we have. It is estimated that the average person wastes about 30 gallons of water each day. A rainwater collection system could reduce your household water use by a third simply by collecting rain from the roof. A rain collection system could supply your home with an extra 4500 gallons of water in the Utah Desert, and even more in wetter climates.
Collecting rainwater is good for the environment as well. Storm rains pick up trash, nutrients, and other pollutants. The rain moves through drains and into local bodies of water such as rivers and lakes impairing water quality. Rainwater collection will lessen the initial flush of stormwater runoff and reduce the amount of pollution that reaches local watersheds. Rain barrels can reduce stormwater runoff by 12 percent. Harvesting rainwater will reduce water withdrawal from lakes and rivers. It will provide water for gardens and landscaping. It will allow you to conserve water and save money.
DIY Rainwater Collection System
Materials
Steps
Be sure to follow local regulations for rainwater harvesting.
Photo Credit: http://struckcorp.com/diy-rainwater-harvesting-systems/
Source: https://extension.usu.edu/waterquality/files-ou/Publications/Rainwater-Harvesting-in-Utah.pdf
According to a 2012 poll of US adults, 53 percent do not have a minimum 3 day supply of non-perishable food or water. That is a scary number of unprepared families. Survival during a crisis will be very difficult without food and more importantly water. After about 3 days without water, your brain will begin to shrink and organs will start to shut down.
Cape Town, South Africa has been hit by a massive drought recently. There is a very real threat of running out of clean drinking water completely. A 2014 survey found that 1 in 4 of the world’s 500 largest cities face growing stress on their water supply. It is estimated that by 2030 the global demand for fresh water will outpace supply by 40 percent.
Storing water will ensure your family has access to clean drinking water during an emergency. Water doesn’t have a real expiration date, however, if stored incorrectly it can become toxic. Water should be stored in a cool, dry place such as a basement or windowless pantry. Sunlight and heat create the ideal conditions for bacteria and algae to grow. Heating plastic containers will leach chemicals into the water faster.
DO
DO NOT
Store water in a variety of containers sizes. This will make carrying water during an evacuation easier. Water should be rotated once a year even if stored in the best conditions.
Source: http://www.skilledsurvival.com/water-storage/
http://www.bbc.com/news/world-42982959
You’ll notice that most of our freeze-dried and dehydrated food is stored in #10 cans. But what exactly is a #10 can?
Size
#10 cans are large cans with the dimensions of 6.25″ x 7″. To put that in perspective, they are about the size of large coffee cans. The #10 classification refers to its size. All cans are named according to size. For instance, fruit/soup cans are #2 cans. You can fit the contents of about 5 #2 cans inside 1 #10 can.
Volume vs. Weight
Due to the density variations of foods, the weight of the contents held in the can is different according to what the food is. For instance, a #10 can full of freeze-dried strawberries weighs about 7 oz. while the same volume of a can of freeze-dried ground beef weighs almost 2 pounds. Also, servings per container will be different, due to varied serving sized of foods.
Benefits of #10 Cans
A #10 can is perfect for your food storage because it seals in the nutrition of your food while preventing bacterial growth. The sealing process prevents air and moisture from entering the can.
Opening #10 Cans
You can open a #10 can with a handheld can opener. Once opened, if you use the plastic lid and store your food in a cool, dry, dark place, your freeze-dried food will stay good for 6-12 months. In other words, you do NOT have to use the food immediately.
If you’re new to the food storage game, you might be wondering why so many emergency prepping companies choose to freeze-dry instead of dehydration for many products. Looking at the process for both preservation methods will help you understand the benefits and drawbacks to both.
The Process
Dehydration- Dehydrating food is a relatively easy process that can be done from home. Dehydrators simply circulate hot, dry air across the food removing much of the water (usually between 90-95%) Dehydrating is ideal for grains and legumes.
Freeze-Dry- Freeze-drying is a more complicated process. In systems that have only recently become available to households, foods are placed on sheets in chambers where they are frozen to -40 degrees F. At this point the freeze-dryer creates a vacuum around the food and then warms it. As it’s warmed the ice turns to vapor and evaporates. Freeze-drying removes up to 99% of water. Freeze-drying is ideal for meats, fruits, and vegetables. Most freeze-drying is done commercially, but recently at-home freeze-dryers have become available.
Shelf Life
Moisture causes food to decompose and grow bacteria. The less moisture in your food storage, the better.
Dehydration – Grains and legumes are ideal to dehydrate because of their low moisture content. However, meats, fruits, and vegetables will retain up to 5% of their naturally high moisture, making it less than ideal for long-term storage (but great for short-term preservation).
Freeze-Dry– Because freeze-drying takes 98-99% of moisture out of meats, fruits, and vegetables, it is the ideal long-term storage option.
Nutrition
Dehydration – The dehydration process can break down several key vitamins and minerals.
Freeze-Dry – The freeze-drying process actually is conducive to retaining all vitamins and minerals except for Vitamin C.
Reconstitution
Dehydration – Rehydrating dehydrated food typically requires boiled water, which can be time-consuming. However, some foods (jerky, fruit leather, etc.) do not need reconstitution. (Note- Meats should be precooked before dehydrating.)
Freeze-Dry – Rehydrating freeze-dried food only requires water, hot or cold. Like dehydration, freeze-dried meats should be precooked. However, fruits and vegetables can be freeze-dried fresh. Once water is added, it just takes a few minutes for the food to be reconstituted.
Cost
Typically, because of the easier process, dehydrated food costs less than freeze-dried food. However, don’t compare pound per pound because freeze-dried food is significantly lighter than dehydrated due to the water content.
Texture/Taste
Both foods will retain the original taste. Freeze-dried foods will be softer and airier, simply because there isn’t any moisture in the food.
