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 prioritizeand take care of my family, which of course is The Survival Mom’s job!!!!
© 2010, thesurvivalmom. All rights reserved.
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You go, girl!
Good job Debbie!
I also had one of those events. Our main line in the house had been slow, so we tried to treat it with every brand of drain cleaner. After a day of not of not being able to clear the blockage, we finally had to call a professional. Of course we had to wait another day for him, so we basically went without proper drainage in the house for 2 days. No water could drain. That means meals out, and no laundry….no showers….and no toilet. Ack! I got my 5-gallon bakery bucket, lined it with trashbags, and tucked it behind the shed in the backyard. I fashioned a toilet paper hanger with a tree branch. Hubby asked, "what's that?" I said it's part of my preparedness plan. He was impressed. It's not the most comfy thing to sit on, but it worked and gave me some sense of a normal potty. You just never know whether an emergency will be long or short-lived, but I felt good I could handle it for a few days.
It's funny what impresses our spouses, isn't it? My husband was a bit skeptical when I told him I wanted to start a direct sales business, but as soon as that first paycheck came in, he was all over it, like it was his idea! LOL They're more concrete thinkers than we are and tend to need some proof that something is effective or beneficial. I did say, "tend", to those men who will read this and say, "WTH?? It's my WIFE who won't do any prepping!" LOL Every couple is different, I guess.