Family Preparation & Survival Guide

To me, one of the most upsetting images from Hurricanes Katrina and Rita were the pets that became separated from their people in the aftermath.  Many of these pets were left injured, sick, dying or would die in the streets, prey for larger, tougher animals also fighting for their own survival.  There are thousands of heroic volunteers still trying to match the surviving Katrina pets up with their families via the Internet. Some pets have been re-homed and adopted.  Many pets are missing and presumed dead.   Some are still roaming the Gulf coast unclaimed, and many animals believed to be strays or voluntarily surrendered by owners were, in fact, involuntarily separated from their owners.  Many surviving owners still hope to find their beloved pets alive today, three years after the fact.

The Katrina and Rita pets and their people emphasize the importance of disaster planning for every member of the family, particularly the vulnerable ones—not just the pets, but the elderly, the children, and the disabled.  We have Ebooks to not only help you and everyone in your family, including your pets, both during and after a disaster.  Our Ebooks can also provide valuable information teaching you make what you need to live without dependence on outside entities—and save your money in the process.  The best time to prepare is before a disaster happens!

Immediately after Hurricane Katrina hit the Gulf Coast and New Orleans, people all over the United States and worldwide volunteered their time and relief funds to aid the residents of the region.  This week marks the third anniversary of that disaster, reminding us all that there is a long way to go–and help and contributions are still necessary–to put the affected Gulf region back on its feet.

This anniversary also reminds us all that disaster readiness and emergency preparedness is essential for our peace of mind, potential safety and possibly our very survival, as well as the survival of our loved ones. 

The most basic disaster recovery solutions involve preparing in advance for the possibility of an emergency.  It is helpful to know alternative methods of cooking, have a supply of drinking water, learn personal protection, and be ready not to depend on outside agencies, stores, or utilities for help.

Many people have found it helpful to use the methods of daily living used by their ancestors, making what they needed to survive and take care of their families.

Disaster preparedness is essential, and everyone should definitely have plans in place for a cataclysmic event.  There are a number of other ways to remain informed that are also important for self-preservation and peace of mind. 

Other types of survival guides available include how to avoid odometer fraud when purchasing a vehicle, how to maintain a car, how to hunt with a bow and arrow, how to start your own herb garden, and cookbooks for pet and human food, among others.

     Food preparation methods can be from very simple to somewhat complex.  It just depends on what kind of food you are preparing and how extravegant of a meal you are trying to prepare.  In survival type situations, you need to be trying to eat the foods with the most protein, carbohydrates, & fats (Good Fats not trans fats).  The easier to prepare, the better.  Most of the foods that get put up for long time storage don’t require much preparation to be able to eat.  There are many ways to cook food without a kitchen.

    The main factor in cooking food is a source of heat for cooking.  An open fire is usually the most readily available heat source.  A camp stove that is run off of propane gas is a pretty good backup cooking method.  A fireplace can be a real good place to cook food.  Our forefathers & mothers used this heat source quite effectively.   A charcoal grill, camp grill, propane grill, & other types of grills can be another excellent way to cook food.

     Different types of fires can be constructed for different types of cooking needs.  Different types of stoves can be constructed to fulfill different types of cooking needs.  TheSouthernFamilySurvivalGuide’s emergency preparation guides illustrate different types of fires and different types stoves for cooking and food preparation methods.

     Survival essentials have different meanings for different people.  Every person has a different idea of what they need to survive with.  Of course, everyone needs food and water just to stay alive.  People also need some sort of shelter from the elements.  At certain times of the year, a person can just sleep out in the wide open.  In today’s world, if you did sleep in the wide open, you probably wouldn’t wake up the next morning.  Someone would knock you in the head and make your survival essentials their survival essentials. 

     Different people feel that there are certain material things that they can’t do without.  Truth is, they can do without them.  They may not want to but they can.  In order to get your list of survival essentials, think of only things that you need to keep you alive and well.  Everyone’s list of survival essentials will be different but the same.  Everyone’s food supply will keep them alive but everyone has different tastes.  As long as your survival food can be kept for long periods of time without the need of electricity, that will keep you alive.  You can even pressure can meat of all types so it will be edible for at least a year later.  TheSouthernFamilySurvivalGuide’s 2 Disaster Preparation Ebooks have different methods of cooking food without the need of electricity.

     You need to have water stored up or at least a good method purifying water to drink.  Food is one thing that you need but you can do without for quite a while if you have plenty of water to drink.  A good supply of food either freeze dried, dehydrated, canned, or fresh caught from fishing & hunting, is a must to keep your family alive.  You must have a backup food and water supply lined up.

     Shelter needs to be on your list of survival essentials.  A backup shelter needs to be in place in case your home or apartment is unable to be lived in.  The seasons of the year determine what kind of shelter you need.  Any kind of structure that keeps the rain off of your head and the wind off of your back will help.  Shelters can be made out of just about any kind of materials available.  The only restriction is your imagination and your imagination is also your best asset.  For other survival essentials read our disaster preparation guides at TheSouthernFamilySurvivalGuide.com.

     Survival foods are plain and simple foods that are easy to prepare and high in nutrients, proteins, & carbohydrates and sometimes fats.  Survival foods are also foods that are able to be stored without freezing or keeping cool in a refrigerator.  Most survival foods do not have to be cooked.  If they have to be cooked, you can usually cook them a variety of ways.  They usually just need water added.  Survival foods, for the most part, are usually freeze dried.  Survival foods are not always the MREs (Meals Ready to Eat).  If you think about it, any food that you eat is survival food. 

    It takes a lot of space to store survival foods if you are storing up for a family.  You need to store up survival food to last at least 2 months.  Two months sounds like a long time but it could take that long after a major disaster to get to you to help you.  The free information on the internet wants you to believe that 3 days is suffecient.  How long did the Hurricane Katrina “SURVIVORS” have until their HELP arrived?  It was a heck of a lot longer than 3 days.  Lets all learn from that event to stock up on Survival Foods & Water.