Week 13 - ICE Phone, Digital Information Copy, Purchast Staple Food

Week 13 – February 24

Add emergency contacts to your cell phone.  Add them as ICE (In Case of Emergency) ICE 1, ICE 2, etc. Add as many as desired, so that if something happens and you cannot speak emergency officials will know whom to contact. Give a copy of your digital information and your emergency contact information to a trusted friend or family member.  Be willing to be responsible with the same information from them.

Home food storage: Purchase a month’s worth of one staple item such as wheat, flour, sugar, rice, beans, or pasta.

 

Week 12 - Document Items of Value, Purchase Staple Food

Week 12 – February 17

Document all items of sentimental or monetary value in case of loss.  Take picture, write history/story, and copy any documentation regarding each item.  You may want to put all of this information into a digital format to add to last week’s digital information.

 

Home food storage: Purchase a month’s worth of one staple item such as wheat, flour, sugar, rice, beans, or pasta.

Dehydrated Rice

My newest experiment for my food storage is dehydrating rice. Also know as instant rice.  I cooked one pound of brown rice according to the package directions.  Then I placed the rice on the dehydrator.  It was still warm.  I was busy and didn't want to wait for it to cool.  I don't know if being cool matters like it does for the hash brown potatoes (which is on reapitkeepit.blogspot.com).

This is one pound of brown rice in a container.  I dried it at 115 degrees for 4 to 6 hours.  I did not make this single layer.  I just scooped it onto the trays with the mesh liners and leveled it with my hand. After it was dry I scooped it off with my hands and put it into the bucket.  It is stuck together, but as you pick it up it goes back into individual grains.  It fell through the mesh liners and was quite messy.  Last night I cooked a lot of white rice for dinner and will dry the extra.  Maybe cheese cloth on the trays will be better.  I'll let you know in a few days.

I think that to rehydrate this you add 1 cup of rice to 1cup of boiling water.  Turn off heat, cover, and let stand for 5 minutes.  I looked on-line to find this.  I don't think I have ever fixed instant rice.

After the rice I want to find a good beans and rice recipe and turn it into instant beans and rice.  Let me know if you have a good recipe.

Update:  I cooked white long grain rice a few days later and placed 2 layers of cheesecloth on top of the dryer tray liners before adding the rice.  WHAT A MISTAKE!  I took me three days to get the three trays of rice emptied.  The rice suck to the cheese cloth and was very difficult get off.  The cheesecloth pulled apart and threads came out of it easier than the rice came off.  A week later I tried it again with the cheesecloth between the trays and the tray liners.  This was better, but still a mess around the outside and inner edges.  I don't need anymore rice for now, but the next try will be putting the rice on the  fruit leather liners and drying it that way.

I didn't seem to make a difference if the rice was warm or cold when I put it on the dryer trays for how it looked when dried like it did with the hash brown potatoes.  It did stick to my hands when cold and that part was messier.

I cooked 4 cups of rice the last time and used 4 trays to dry it.

Week 11 - Back-up Computer Information, Purchase Staple Food

Week 11 – February 10

Copy all important pictures, documents, and other computer information you don’t want to lose onto a trusted website, disc(s), external hard drive, or memory stick.  Keep your backup copies with your other items you plan to take if you need to evacuate.

 Home food storage: Purchase a month’s worth of one staple item such as wheat, flour, sugar, rice, beans, or pasta.

Week 10 - Start an Evacuation Plan, Purchase Staple Food

Week 10 – February 2

You should have a minimal 72 hour kit and minimal first aid kit completed.

Home food storage: Purchase a month’s worth of one staple item such as wheat, flour, sugar, rice, beans, or pasta. 

Create an evacuation plan.
   

Evacuation Planning Suggestions

Home Evacuation

     1.  Are there two ways out of every room in your home?

A.  How will you get out of each room?

B.  Does a household member need assistance?

a.  Who is assigned to help whom?

           2. Where will the household members meet?

A.  On your property?

B.  At a neighbors?

           3. What will you take?

A.  What does time allow?

B.  Where are the items to take?

C.  Who is assigned to what items?

          4.  Who will you notify and who is assigned to call each contact?

A.  Is someone assigned to call 9-1-1?

B.  Who is your local contact?

C.  Who is your out of area contact?

         5.  What about your pets?

A.      Where will they go?

B.      Who is responsible for each pet?

         6.  Other_________________________

Area Evacuation (additional planning considerations)

Is the disaster at your work, work neighborhood, home, home neighborhood, school, school neighborhood, or one of the before mentioned areas of another household member.

        1. Can you return home before evacuating?

        2. Where are the other household members?

A.  Where will members with vehicles meet?

B.  Who will pick up members without transportation?

C.  What is the school/daycare policy for children leaving?

a.  Who has permission to pick them up?

b.  What identification is needed?

        3. Where will your pets go?

A.  Does the home or shelter you are going to allow pets?

B.  Is there a special evacuation area set up for large animals?

a.  This will require radio or television for information.

        4. What if household members are separated?

A.  Can your contact person keep everyone informed of everyone’s location?

B.  Do you have assigned locations to go to depending on where the disaster may occur and where household members are at that time?

C.  Do you know how to register your location or find someone with American Red Cross? (These are the website steps as of February 2013)

a.  Log on to redcross.org

b.  Click on “Get Assistance”  (At the top of the page)

c.  Click on “Contact or Find Loved Ones”  or “Register or Search the Safe and Well Listings”

d.  Click on “Register/Search Safe and Well” (Near the bottom of the page in a red box)

e.  Click on “List Myself as Safe and Well” or “Search Registrants”

f.   Answer questions and register or answer questions a search.

        5.  Other_________________________________