An Everyday Story of Preparedness

One of my readers, Debbie, sent me an email this morning telling me about her own story of preparedness.  Debbie has been a reader since this blog launched last June, and she keeps me informed of her prepping.

Yesterday when she and her family arrived home, a main water line had broken outside their home.  Here is a timeline of what she did next.

• She began notifying local authorities of what had happened.  Interestingly, the police arrived more than thirty minutes after she began calling, and the water company didn’t respond for three hours!
• She figured that  a long-term disruption to her water service was possible, so she filled bathtubs and the washing machine with hot water.
• Next, she turned on their heat so if the electricity went out, her home would already be warm.
• To make sure her family had a meal ready, she quickly cooked a one-pan skillet dinner.
• She loaded their strongbox filled with important papers into the mini-van, which already had a Vehicle 72-Hour Kit.

How’s that for jumping into action and being ready??  I am so impressed!  For many hours, the family had to rely on their stored water, and Debbie kept track of how much they used.

She used almost a gallon to wash the few dishes from dinner, and one gallon per toilet flush.  The water in the bathtub was used for sponge baths and stored water in bottles was used to brush teeth.

Here’s her final analysis.

So lessons learned.  I need to stock up on more paper plates, plastic utensils and save more unfiltered water in empty containers, like soda and juice bottles.  If we had to deal with water issues and the lack of electricity, for a longer amount of time, it would have been difficult.  I, at least, had a heads up to fill the tubs with water, but what about the next disaster?  I wouldn’t have that “luxury”.

I am glad that I am in the PM (prepper mode) because I was able to prioritize

and take care of my family, which of course is The Survival Mom’s job!!!!

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