Thursday, January 10, 2008

No water day

We were given a list of suggestions (below) for this weeks challenge from the Bishop. We have been following them, just not always on the exact day specified.

Today was no water day so I turned off the water. I can't believe how inconvenient it is to not be able to quickly wash off my hands or rinse dishes. The dishes are all left in the sink and we have been going through a lot of water bottles. I always buy the big packs of water bottles from Costco and try to build up a big stock pile in case of an emergency.... If there was an earthquake and we did not have water for a week we would be in big trouble. I'm really glad that this is just an exercise and not really an emergency so I can increase our water supply ASAP.

Tonight I am making foil dinners... I've never done that before, should be interesting.

If you are interested here is the list of rules and suggestions we received:

Dear ________________________
You have been invited by the Bishop to live off your emergency reserve for this week.
Try not to go to the store, live off what you have on hand. Homemade sack lunches are encouraged. Borrowing from very nice neighbors is permissible.

From _____________ to ________________.

Monday
For Family Home Evening Play What If
What if you were not at home when a major emergency happened? (Fill in the blanks with the emergency most likely to occur in your area.) 
1. Fire
2. Earth Quake
3. ?
4. ?
5. ?
6. ?
Ask each family member, including the adults what they would do.
What if you were at a friend’s home? (for each above item listed)
What if you were at work?
What if you were at School?
What if you were shopping?
This will give you the opportunity to make sure your family all knows whom to call or- incase of adults or teens-where your meeting place will be.
Fill out emergency cards for each family member to keep in wallets and/ or school backpacks. These should include home phone number, cell phones, home addresses, near by friends or relatives and out of state contact. (Such as Grandparents)

Tuesday 
From 9 am to 6 pm turn off water. (yes including toilets)
1. It’s shoe day. Place a sturdy pair of shoes under each bed in your home. These should be shoes that are not normally worn so they will remain in place for an emergency. What else would you like under your bed and assessable? Flashlights, glow sticks, extra set of car keys, etc.

Wednesday
Post emergency phone numbers next to phone. Police, fire, hospitals, doctors, poison control, schools, work, block captain, and other contacts. Also have your home address and home phone number next to the phone for a babysitter or someone not familiar with your household.

Thursday
Make foil dinners. These are fun for the family and a great way to cook after a natural disaster when power or facilities are unavailable.

Friday
Read “If Ye Are Prepared Ye Shall Not Fear” Ensign (November 1995, By Elder L. Tom Perry)
Read guidelines in Provident Living

Saturday
Prepare to share your feelings and experiences in church on Sunday

7 comments:

Suzanne said...

This is very interesting! Thank you for taking to time to write about the stretch involved in the challenge. There are some really good suggestions in the letter for preparedness, something to think about for our family as well. We lost power for a few minutes during the middle of the day on Tuesday and I was amazed at how much I missed it. No water would be tough too.

Jill said...

Oh my, this makes me feel panicked just thinking about it. I hate to think of going a whole day without running water. I like to think we have a good supply for an emergency, but the panic I'm feeling tells me we don't.

Annemarie said...

You guys are awesome..if we were asked to do that we would be in serious trouble. It really gives you something to think about.

Liz said...

WOW! I am totally not prepared to do something like this! We've got two barrels of water down in our basement, some food storage, but not enough to make it pleasant eating. :) I am really interested to see how your week ends!

jenny said...

What a challenge. After talking with you yesterday, it sounds like you guys have done fairly well...considering the last minute challenge. Where did you guys built a fire for your dinners?

patsy said...

This is such a great challenge!
I have to admit, I am so glad not to be doing it right now.
Thank you for sharing- it's really helping me think about what we need to get ready.
In December we made it to our goal of getting 8 mo. food storage for our family. (basic needs)
I am really curious to read how this all turns out for you.

patsy said...

ps. this year we are trying to make it to a whole year food storage. It's easier than I thought it would be...

 
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