Car Emergency Kits

I mentioned in my post about shelters that your car needs to be in good repair in case you have to leave suddenly. It is also a good idea to have a Car Kit (much like a 72-hour Kit) to be prepared for all sorts of emergencies. Here is the way we did ours:

Checklist

Water

Blankets

Extra clothes

First Aid Kit (including sunscreen)

Map of area and compass

Money (with a couple dollars of quarters)

Snacks (rotate every six months)

Toilet Paper

The Book of Mormon

Cards

Cell Phone Charger

Diapers and Wipes

A pair of comfortable tennis shoes

Bungee Cords

Flashlight (and/or candles and matches in a jar)

Flare

Ice Scraper

Jumper Cables

Jack and Spare tire

Basic Tools (small shovel, adjustable wrench, screwdriver, pocket knife, etc)

General Information

-Try to keep your car full with at least half a tank of gas.

-Keep your car in good repair.

-Keep copies of important documents concerning your car in the glove box and at home in your safe.

-Memorize your license plate number and driver's license number.

-Check and restock your car kit at least once a year.

- If you have an SUV you might want to consider a way to strap down or secure your emergency kit. SUVs are much more likely to roll in an accident. The last thing you want is for your emergency kit to bounce around the car and potentially harm you or a passenger.

Natalie helping with the checklist.

 We put the kit in the car and then I remembered our own advice about SUVs and securing cargo so...

I busted out this cargo net that came with the car and put it to use for the first time.

 Caleb was very interested in the tools as I checked out our supplies =o]

 Have I every changed a tire? No. Have I watched it done in person? Yes. (at night in the rain) Have I watched the youtube video on how to change a flat tire? Yes.

Then the next day we did the kit for Kent's car while Caleb was taking his morning nap. Natalie was so done helping so I let her play.

This is what our living room looked like when I was done... we got it all cleaned up by the time Kent got home so it's all good.

 Have fun and good luck!

title tale

Okay, I'm so excited about this blog I can't wait another week before posting something new. But I also want to give you time to complete the tasks associated with the first post before piling something else on. Maybe it's not even going to work like that for anyone. But I need to pace myself so I do other things like cooking and cleaning and caring for my children. =o] Anyway, I just thought I would explain why the title of my blog includes a reference to Martha.

You know that story in Luke about the sisters, Mary and Martha, who have Jesus over for dinner? It's only a few short verses: "Now it came to pass, as they went, that he entered into a certain village: and a certain woman name Martha received him into her house. And she had a sister called Mary, which also sat at Jesus’ feet, and heard his word. But Martha was cumbered about much serving, and came to him, and said, Lord, dost thou not care that my sister hath left me to serve alone? bid her therefore that she help me. And Jesus answered and said unto her, Martha, Martha, thou art careful and troubled about many things: But one thing is needful: and Mary hath chosen that good part, which shall not be taken away from her." (10: 38-42)

I have thought about this story, and the picture of it that hangs in so many Relief Society rooms worldwide, often throughout my adult life. Why couldn't Martha just sit down and listen like Mary? Did Mary not care about having dinner ready for the Savior to eat? If they knew He was coming over why didn't they get everything done before hand? And if he came unexpectedly, did the Savior ask Martha for dinner, or was she just choosing to be stressed about an unnecessary banquet? And most of all, I think about how sad it is that these women may be stereotyped and put on opposite ends of the testimony spectrum because of this one experience. I feel like they were both amazing people who were trying to show the Savior love and respect in their own way. Of course I would love to sit and be taught by Jesus, but I would also want Him to be sitting in a clean house!

Just as Nephi has instructed, we can liken this scripture story to us in our day for our "profit and learning" (1 Ne. 19:23). To me, this story is about being physically prepared to receive temporal and spiritual blessings. We don't know why these sisters acted the way they did, but we do know that Jesus commended  Mary's choice. It is true that the house needed to be in order and dinner had to be made, but apparently once the Savior arrived the time to clean and prepare the meal had passed and Martha should have sat down with her sister. If everything had been ready before He came, everyone could have been both physically and spiritually fed. I believe the same is true for the time we know to be "nigh at hand" when Jesus Christ will return to the earth (D&C 63:53). We need to prepare each needful part now, before He comes, so that we can be with Him then. We can take the good parts from each of the sisters in the story, and work now so we can rest then. So, here's to you Martha; let's get to work!

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!

Welcome!

I have been thinking about doing this blog for a long time now. I want to share all the knowledge i am gaining and all the preparations i am making with anyone who wants to know it, but especially with my family and friends. my goal is to do one post a week, but it might be more or less depending on what else is going on in my life, and how long each prep project takes. everyone has their skills and talents, and i don't think i'm necessarily good at this stuff but i like to do it and am willing to work hard to be prepared. so with that said, let's get to it!