| Are you secure in your belief that our | | | | Just think of yourself as having the whole lake as |
| government (or anyone else for that matter) | | | | your water supply- you just have to get there to |
| could and should take care of your every need | | | | use it. |
| following a major disaster or calamity? Regardless | | | | 2. Another item that should not be overlooked, |
| of what you view as the responsibility of | | | | but might easily be, is prescription medication. If |
| government, their power over nature is limited, | | | | you have medication that you cannot do without, |
| and the response time may be lacking. Having a | | | | or it would be life-altering if you could not |
| well-thought plan of action ahead of time could | | | | administer it to yourself for an extended period |
| possibly help you avoid serious stress, injury, or | | | | of time, take it upon yourself to get access to a |
| inconvenience, and at best could save your very | | | | supply that extends over a lengthier period of |
| life, and be instrumental in sparing the lives of | | | | time. In most cases this can be done legitimately |
| others as well. There is no better person to trust | | | | through mail order, and this method can even |
| with your well being and sustenance than you. | | | | save you money. Check with your health |
| Some very basic items to take into consideration | | | | insurance provider to see if you qualify for this |
| in your preparation for unexpected emergencies | | | | option. |
| may seem obvious, but these are things we need | | | | 3. A supply of food that lasts for a minimum of 3 |
| and use every day, and thus we are sometimes | | | | months is essential. This should include |
| lulled into complacency concerning them. Without | | | | nonperishables and things that you really will eat |
| pinpointing specific types of disasters, let's list and | | | | so you can rotate it, never letting it get too old |
| discuss here some of the must-haves in preparing | | | | and go to waste. |
| ahead of time for an unfortunate event. Consider | | | | You should always have a short-term emergency |
| the following as life insurance. Only this life | | | | plan and a longer one. Both are necessary, |
| insurance pays not to someone else, and not | | | | because you don not want to be unprepared if a |
| when you die, but rather insures that you will live. | | | | short-term catastrophe turns into a long one. |
| 1. Water: a ready source of water, preferably | | | | Just-in-time (JIT) inventory was made famous by |
| stored close at hand, with the ability to supply | | | | Toyota. Think of your short-term emergency |
| collectively the inhabitants of your household for a | | | | food supply and survival kits as your JIT |
| period of two weeks. Provided you have enough | | | | inventory. Just as the shelves in Wal-Mart would |
| storage space, a 50-gallon drum is a good choice, | | | | be made bare in a matter of just a few days (or |
| and is very much a set-and-forget item. If need | | | | less) with a supply shock, so (relatively) will your |
| be, after having stored it for a period of time, | | | | short-term emergency food/water supply. If you |
| and it becomes necessary to draw upon it for | | | | have the whole lake (or at least half of it) for |
| use, a very small amount of bleach (one teaspoon | | | | water by owning a water filter, and a whole |
| per every 5 gallons) can be added as a | | | | potential acre of produce for your long-term food |
| precaution. Just as important, don't forget that if | | | | supply (read seeds), you will have the best of |
| you face an extended emergency, a portable | | | | both worlds. That's the long and the short of it. |
| water filter is especially useful. Most of the quality | | | | You won't be caught not in time (NIT). Oh what a |
| camping/emergency types of filters on the | | | | feeling! |
| market today filter out 99.9% of all protozoa. | | | | |