Are You Prepared for Winter? Home and Car Emergency Kits

Depending on where you live you may have a few different items that you have in your winter survival kit, but listed below are some of the main things to consider:
Home Winter Kit

• Food: Make sure that it requires no cooking or refrigeration in case there is a loss of power. Don't forget the babies and pets. Also make sure to have a non-electric can opener to open canned goods.
• Water: At least 5 gallons per person, more if you are in an area prone to have long periods of cold temperatures.
• Medicines: Extra medicine for anyone in the house on prescription medication.
• Heat: Have an alternate way to heat your home during a power failure such as a fireplace, woodstove or a kerosene heater. Store enough wood or kerosene to get through a long term power outage.
• Blankets
• Matches
• Fire Extinguisher
• First Aid Kit
• Flashlights or battery powered lanterns (don't forget extra batteries)
• Battery powered clock
• Snow Shovel if you live in an area with lots of snow
• Rock Salt
• Special needs items such as diapers

Getting Ready to Travel and Getting Your Car Ready for Winter
Being stranded in your car during a winter storm is something we all hope never happens to us, but it is best to be prepared. Make sure to have your car maintenance up to date such as the radiator system serviced, replace windshield wiper fluid with a winter time mixture and make sure that you have good tires with the right air pressure.
Also during the winter if you keep at least a half a tank of gas in the car it will help avoid ice in the fuel lines. (Although I recommend you ALWAYS have a half a tank of gas in the car no matter the season in cases of emergencies).
During the winter it is always best to pay attention to weather reports before you make any travel arrangements. If you have to travel during bad visibility or snow make sure you have your mobile phone with you. You should let someone know where you are going and when you expect to arrive so they can notify the authorities if needed.
Listed below are some things to have in your car during winter.
Winter Car Emergency Kit:

• Flashlight with extra batteries
• Emergency tire sealant such as Fix-A-Flat (I know this is bad for tires, but in an emergency it might make the difference between being stranded and getting home).
• Water and food such as high energy bars: If you wish to store a few cans of food in your car make sure you have a non-electric can opener.
• Collapsible shovel
• Tire chains (for those in really heavy snow areas)
• First Aid Kit
• Blankets
• Windshield scraper (although if you live anywhere it snows you already have this in your car)
• Booster Cables
• Road Maps
• Tool Kit
• Paper Towels
• Bag of cat litter or sand for traction if you get stuck
• Tow rope so if you get stuck someone with a larger vehicle can pull you out
• Additional warm clothes: You want to be able to stay warm enough if your car breaks down.

Most of the things listed above in the home emergency winter kit and the car winter kit you probably already have on hand or it is already with your emergency supplies. However, it is a good idea to go through this list and make sure everything is in working order or that you (or one of your children) hasn't removed an item from the kit or car.

Preparing in advance for winter and extreme cold weather you are assured of greater wintertime safety for you and your family.

Kristie Tadlock
http://www.fullmoonsurvival.com
Full Moon Survival is a family owned and operated business helping you and your family be better prepared, We offer a variety of emergency kits, food storage and survival supplies.

Urban Survival Handbook

Urban Survival Handbook: The Beginners Guide to Securing your Territory, Food and Weapons (How to Survive Your First Disaster) was a free kindle book when this post was written.

 When disaster strikes, don't be left standing clueless. The Urban Survival Handbook is your comprehensive series of survival strategy tips and guides. When it comes to survival you'll need to protect not only yourself but also property and loved ones around you. Preserving and replenishing is essential to getting out alive. Make sure you know exactly how to handle any disaster situation, otherwise the results may be fatal.

An All-In-One Course In Securing Your Territory, Food, and Weapons

• How to properly ration perishable food in the refrigerator and store them for maximum expiration


• Starting a fire with anything in your house


• Fortifying and barricading your home


• Improvising tools and weapons from looters, zombies and thieves


• Locating and tapping into every source of water supply possible

Food Storage Recipe - Easy TVP Chili

This is a great recipe using your food storage. I always keep a couple of the #10 cans of Ground Beef Flavored TVP and Taco Flavored TVP in my food storage. Great for recipes.

NEED:


1 onion, chopped

olive oil

1/2 cup of TVP

4 cans of chili beans

1 can of stewed tomatoes

4 cups of water

2 tablespoons of chili powder


Saute the onion up in the olive oil in a large sauce pan.

Add everything else in the list to the same sauce pan with the onions. Let simmer for about 30 minutes. The TVP will expand and cook up with the chili. 

Wood Burning Stove & EPA

I have been seeing a lot online lately about a new ordinance by the EPA for wood burning stoves.

http://www.epa.gov/burnwise/ordinances.html#nsps

I still need to read through all of it... not quite understanding it at first glance.

How is this going to affect wood burning stove users??

It is said to ban about 80% of the wood burning and pellet burning stoves in America. It is supposed to improve the air quality. Not sure how. But,  That is awful. A lot of homes depend on wood heat.A lot of families cannot afford the cost of updating their wood burning stove.

Gun Safety

Gun safety

Gun safety is the most important thing about being a responsible weapon owner. Understanding how to handle a gun properly often lead save lives. This means making sure that the weapon is always in proper working order. It also means keeping ammunition separate from the within itself especially when there are kids in the environment. Being able to handle emotional challenges is also an important part of being responsible with a weapon.

Cleaning

Making sure that the weapon is functioning properly can be done every time it gets cleaned. Checking for any issues related to improper functionality is the responsibility of the owner average time they clean the weapon. Choosing the right solution to perform the cleaning process with is also essential to avoid any problems which can be created through not maintaining proper procedures with the weapon.

Emotional Stability

Many people who own a weapon need to make sure that they are able to control their negative emotions before using the weapon in a way in which they may regret at a later time. This means being able to deal with anger appropriately so that an individual does not feel like they are using the weapon in order to control the outcome of situations which are frustrating them in some way. Understanding the emotional triggers but which may cause a person to desire to use their weapon is also important for safety reasons.Being honest about emotional stimulation is probably one of the most important thing is that it responsibly owner can do to protect the safety of others. People interested in gun cleaning can click here for further information.