Shelter

Every boy scout knows that shelter is your first concern in a crisis. You need to make sure your current dwelling is in good repair. Since we don't own this town house there isn't much we can do about the things that concern us here. Like these cracks in the foundation that we can see expanding under our kitchen floor:

Also, you need to know how to shut off your water, gas, and electricity in an emergency.

Water

Locate the main waterline to your house. If you live in a warm climate it will be outside and clearly marked.  Look for the pipes going into your house with an oval or round valve handle , the water meter, or a covered box in the ground (in which case you will need a T-bar or hefty screwdriver to lift the lid). If you have your own well there will be two valves on either side of the pressure tank and both will need to be closed. If you live in an apartment there will most likely be one line for the entire building, with the valve located near the valve for adjacent buildings. If you live in a cold climate you will most likely find the main valve in your basement set into the wall, or near the water heater.

We used a heavy duty adjustable wrench to pry the cement lid up. It was NASTY inside! I could see the valve but didn't touch it- though Caleb almost did while I snapped this shot!

Since we live in a shared building, this line is for everyone. But there is one main pipe that leads just to our unit, with a valve on it that we could shut off if there was only a problem with our house.

After an emergency make a visual inspection of your home; if you even suspect a problem turn off your water. Turn clockwise to shut off or close a valve, and counterclockwise to turn on or open one. Just remember "righty-tighty, lefty-loosey". If you are turning off the water with a straight valve you may need a long handled crescent wrench, and it should be perpendicular (or crosswise) to the pipe after one quarter turn.

Gas

DO NOT turn off your meter unless you smell gas, hear the sound of gas escaping or see other signs of a leak; you may deprive yourself of service unnecessarily. If you do see or suspect a leak, turn off your gas and leave the house. Call the gas company from a cell phone or your neighbor's house.

As you face the meter, you will see a pipe running from the ground to the meter. There is a shut-off valve running parallel with the pipe usually located about 6 to 8 inches above the ground.
Take a 12" adjustable wrench (or larger) and turn the valve 1/4 turn in either direction, until the valve is perpendicular (or crosswise) to the pipe. Keep a 12" adjustable wrench (or larger) with your emergency supplies, or next to your valve.

The valve for our unit is directly above the meter.

For safety, a shut-off valve should be installed at every gas appliance. If a leak occurs at a specific appliance, the valve will permit you to turn off the gas at the appliance rather than shutting off all gas service at the meter. Some valves require a wrench to turn them.

CAUTION: If you turn off your gas at the meter, leave it off. Don't turn it back on yourself. Contact The Gas Company to turn the meter back on and relight the pilots.

Electricity

If there is ever an emergency where you need to turn off the power, it will help if you have done it before or at least know where to find the main switch board. Your home will have either a electrical circuit or a fuse box. Usually it is located outside in the rear or on the side of your house, or it might be inside in a hallway or closet. For fuses: Locate the "main" switch handle or pull-out fuse. Pull it firmly towards you. You can then remove the fuse from its mounting clips in the block. This will turn off the power for your whole house. If it is not an emergency, you can take the time to read which of the smaller fuses are connected to which parts of the house and only turn those off to avoid totally loosing electricity. For circuit breakers: Locate the flip switch marked main. Flip it to the off position. This will turn off the power to your entire house. To reset a breaker, turn it off, then flip it back on.  Again, if it is not an emergency you can take the time to read the labels and avoid unnecessary inconvenience. If you do have to cut the power to your home, unplug appliances and turn everything off so your system isn't overloaded when the electricity is restored.

Here is our lovely electrical meter. The rusted box on the left has our switch in it. (At least ours isn't behind an overgrown tree like the one next door.)

There might be a separate box for the air conditioning unit. Again, it may be an adventure to locate and access these things.

Here is the circuit breaker switch board inside our house. It is located in the laundry area.

 

Another point concerning your home is to make sure you are financially able to stay there for a year with no additional income. This may seem like a huge goal, but one to work toward with your savings.

And finally, we can see patterns in the scriptures of the Lord preparing his people for calamity. Sometimes, as with Noah, He shows them how to survive the storm. Other times, as with the Brother of Jared, Abraham, Lehi, and Brigham Young, He tells his people to leave a place to avoid danger and destruction. Thus we feel having a tent that can accommodate your family as well as having some means of transportation is important.

If you have any questions or additions please feel free to leave a comment!