This was forwarded to me in an email with the names blocked out as you see. I don’t know who the author is, but the experience is heartfelt, the advice is sound, and it should give everyone food for thought. We never know when it will be our turn!

We’re doing “fine” here. Considering what is going on around us.
When the first big quake hit, around 2:45 in the afternoon on Friday,
I ran to ***** room and grabbed him out of his crib. We’ve had
plenty of earthquakes in the 2.5 years we’ve been here, but this one
was huge. ***** started crying and calling for me –I got him too and
we huddled on the stairs away from windows and light fixtures. The
two boys were walking home from school and came in while the
house was still shaking. They thought it was exciting. I yelled at
them to “GET BACK OUTSIDE!” because I’d just been told if you’re
outside, you’re supposed to stay outside! I sat on the stairs
praying: “Please protect my kids, please protect my kids, please
protect my kids…” It seemed to last forever (around 5 minutes I’ve
heard) and then the aftershocks just kept coming and coming. They’re
still coming.

They evacuated the hospital and **** was able to come home around 4.
[I can't tell you what a relief it was to have my whole entire family
safe and together. And how upsetting it was/is to think of people
all over Japan who have family unaccounted for. It's really hard for
me whenever one of the husbands has to leave.]

Since then, the power has been out and we haven’t had any heat or
access to phones (to the states) or Internet (except ***** getting one
e-mail out from the hospital.) Friday evening we moved our friends
in with us (**** and **** and three kids) since they just shipped all
of their stuff to the states in preparation for their move in two
weeks. It’s been nice to have them around because everyone is on
edge and extremely stressed.

Yesterday (Saturday) they opened the commissary (No lights, cash
only) and we grabbed some extra food, water and diapers. Since we
have the standard Mormon “food storage” I wasn’t too worried about
running out of food or water, but I didn’t have any spare diapers so
was happy to buy three big boxes yesterday for *****. (And yes,
I bought two big cans of hot chocolate. Priorities, people!)

We went to church for a shortened meeting to take the sacrament and
get the news today. All members of the branch have been accounted
for and we’ve heard that all the missionaries in Japan are accounted
for also. (Big relief.)

The power is now back on off-base which is how I have Internet access
right now. We’re at ***** house. Hopefully it stays on.

We were asked at church to see
what extra coats, blankets, food and water we can round up to donate
to the Japanese people nearby. I feel heart sick thinking of those
who’ve lost homes and loved ones. Although you probably know much
more than me, I hear the devastation is extremely great. We were
lucky to be so safe on base and grateful our off-base friends and
neighbors were okay.

The earthquakes (aftershocks) haven’t stopped and I spent all night
last night having nightmares about running from collapsing and
buckling buildings. The kids are on edge and tantrums are at an all
time high. They keep busy playing during the day, but when it gets
dark and we have to ration flashlights and candles it gets extra hard
to keep the peace.

A few things I’ve been wanting to tell people and note for the
future:

*Get an old school, corded phone. If the power goes out, your
cordless won’t work. We were lucky to have a corded phone upstairs
which helped ***** coordinate with the Branch President to get
accountability of church members. (The phones have worked on-base
off and on, but we were never able to get a call through to the
states.)

*Speaking of accountability, in an emergency, if you’re going to
leave your house–leave a note on the door saying where you are going
so when guys from church or work coming looking, they’ll know where
you are.

*When the power went out, people off base couldn’t get their cars out
of their garage. Turns out there is a special crank to use but most
of our friends didn’t have it or know what it was. Luckily ***** had
parked outside and was able to get her kids to our house Friday.

*We’ve been cooking with our camping equipment. Note to self: Buy a
20 pack of small propane tanks. We’ve also used our outdoor BBQ (in
the cold) and I’m wishing I had a spare tank of Propane for that.
(We still don’t have power and don’t know when it will come back on
On Base. Estimates have said 24 hours (we’re way past that) to 1
week, to indefinite.)

*Do you have an extra refill of your prescriptions in your 72 hour
kit? It’s terrifying to imagine running out of the things you take
every day. Also, the thought of my kids getting sick and not having
enough Children’s Advil and/or Tylenol made me pretty nervous until I
verified we had some of each.

*For ONCE I was glad to be doing ***** yesterday when we had
plenty of cash on hand to shop at the commissary. But we also have a
cash and yen emergency fund hidden in the house for back-up which was
very comforting.

*While I’m making notes to myself: Buy a hand crank wheat grinder
and blender! (We have a freezer full of frozen fruit to make
smoothies but no way to blend anything.)

*Flashlights are a pain in my butt. All of our stupid
crappy **** batteries that I had stored for an emergency, LEAKED! So
the flashlights are all slowly dying, being over used by the
children, and being misplaced. The best source of light the last two
nights has been the pillar candles I’ve had in the cupboard for fancy
table settings. They seem to burn pretty slow and shed a lot of
light. I’ve gone through 3 and have 1 left. Wish I had a 20 pack of
those in my 72 hour pack. It would be nice not to worry about
running out. Small, light weight, energy efficient lanterns would be
nice too.

*Also, my next house will have a wood burning fire place. This all
would have been much easier if we could have been warm.

*Also, I’m buying all my kids a down comforter. We have one on our
bed and we’ve been fine at night, but the kids need 20 blankets piled
up to stay warm. (Actually, the older boys each have a two layer
fleece blanket which is pretty warm, but unfortunately, they’re not
very big.)

(Poor little ***** had to spend yesterday in his snow suit to stay
warm. The poor little guy must be sensing the stress because he’s
been quite out of sorts. He’s always shivering (even when bundled)
and very clingy. The kids are all confused and upset but mostly
hanging in there. Like I said, it’s been nice to have friends to
keep us company.)

Sorry, I’m rambling on and on but I’ve had all this stress for the
last two days and my main way to process is by writing my thoughts
down. So I’ve been going a little nuts feeling so disconnected.

A few more random thoughts:
*The last two days this thought kept running through my head “All are
safely gathered in.”. I can’t express enough how glad I was/am to
have my family around me. Please say a prayer for our many many
friends with deployed spouses. This is a very stressful time here
and it’s really sucky for them to be apart. Also, please pray for
all the Japanese people who are missing or displaced. So sad.

*We were very blessed on base to have running (freezing cold) water.
Off base, sewer lines broke and contaminated the water supply they
weren’t even supposed to touch it.

*Today we sang “I Need Thee Every Hour” at church. Has a lot of
meaning right now.

Okay, there are other people who need to use this computer. Everyone
on base is coming off base to try to contact family.

***** husband (Pilot) is at work trying to coordinate rescue efforts
so I should go down and help her take care of the multitude of
children and get everyone some lunch.

Please pray for us (us being everyone in Japan) and if you feel so
inclined, find a way to send some warm blankets to people who’ve lost
their homes. Don’t know when I’ll be back on-line again, but
hopefully soon.

Thanks to everyone for your concern. I knew (figured) there were
people praying for us back in the states and it helped to think about.

Technorati Tags: 2011, Disaster Readiness, earthquake, japan, Preparedness, quake

Do you know just how easy it is to find your personal information on the Internet? For a real eye-opener, try entering your name or address or telephone number in Google or another Internet search engine. For best results use quotes around your search query, as in "John H. Doe". If you’re like most people, you will be shocked at how much information is readily available about you and your family.

Go ahead, try it!

Custom Search

You might also be interested in these links that can show you some of the things the Internet can reveal about you whenever you visit a site:

• Your approximate location (including a map)
• What websites you have recently visited

Here’s an interesting graphical report about your privacy online:

(Infographic by WordStream Internet Marketing)

if this information shocks or scares you, it may be time to do something about your online privacy. Here’s a site with lots of helpful tips:

And here’s an eye-opening online quiz that can help you identify areas (both online and in everyday living) where you may be open to identity theft:

Interesting article in today’s KSL News:
Learning to Live with Less

An awful lot of people are in deep financial trouble these days, and discovering that they simply can’t continue the lifestyle they have lived in the past. Unfortunately, most of them learn too late the folly of living extravagantly and not preparing for the future.

With the world in ever-increasing turmoil, businesses laying off employees at record rates, natural disasters increasing in frequency and severity, and too many non-solutions coming from clueless bureaucrats, everyone needs a safety net. We have been warned for many years that a time of scarcity was coming. Now it’s here, and all indications are that things will get much worse before they get better. Those who have prepared are those who will weather the storm the best.

If you’re one of the lucky ones not yet caught up in the crisis, it may be wise to look at your expenses and see if there are things that could be cut out in order to build up a reserve. You may also want to look at increasing your supply of food, clothing, and other necessities.

It’s time (and past time) for each of us to ask ourselves some very serious questions, such as:

How will I support my family if I lose my employment?
How could my family get through a cold winter with minimal fuel and electricity?
How long can my family survive on our stored food and water?
How could I obtain additional water in a long-term crisis?
What resources and skills could I use for barter in a pinch?
How could I work with family and friends to create a mutual support system?

By cutting down on unnecessary expenses now, and making real preparations for an uncertain future, you will not only be better able to handle whatever may come, but you will find greater peace of mind and be able to face life with a brighter outlook.

There are three types of solar panels you can actually build yourself, at far lower cost than purchasing them commercially. This fun video demonstrates how to assemble the components of one of the more popular types of solar panel.

If you are serious about building your own solar panels, you may want to check out this link: Make Your Own Solar Panels and Save $$$.

One of the easiest ways to build up a supply of dehydrated foods is to start with frozen fruits and vegetables. This interesting video shows just how simple it is to use an electric dehydrator to convert frozen foods into long-term storage that does not require refrigeration.

Another thought: What would you do if your electricity went out not just for hours, but for days or weeks? This happens all the time in the case of natural disasters. One of the biggest worries would be the food in your freezer. Did you know you can dehydrate foods without electricity? Check out the Food Pantrie Non-Electric Dehydrator to see one easy way of accomplishing this task.

This month we are pleased to feature products and supplies for canning, dehydrating and preserving. In many areas this season promises to produce a bountiful harvest. There should be many opportunities to get fruits and vegetables at low cost. Take advantage of this blessing by adding freshly canned and dehydrated foods to your storage!

We have several different canners and dehydrators on sale this month, including the innovative Victorio combination steam & water bath canner and the non-electric Food Pantrie dehydrator. We have also added the popular Camp Chef propane stove to our product line, which is ideal if you want to do your canning outdoors!

If you’ve never tried your hand at canning and preserving, or it’s been a long time, we have some excellent books on sale to help you get started.

To see the fantastic deals we have for you this month, click here, or visit ProvidentLiving.com and click the big gold button!

Do you have questions about canning and dehydrating? Do you have tips and experiences to share? Join the discussion in our forum!

Powdered milk can be used for a lot of things other than just drinking. In fact, it’s one of the most versatile of all food storage items.

This informative video explains some great ideas for using powdered milk to save money and enhance the nutrition in your family’s everyday diet, as well as preparing for the future!

Technorati Tags: cooking, food storage, milk, powdered milk

Comedian and homeschooler Tim Hawkins and his family demonstrate the ups and downs of homeschooling through this entertaining music video.

Technorati Tags: education, family, homeschool, humor

Build Your Own Greenhouse

I recently stumbled across this marvelous article that shows how to build your own greenhouse with minimal time and expense. Check it out!

How to build a greenhouse | MNN – Mother Nature Network.

Technorati Tags: Garden, greenhouse

The Red Cross / Red Crescent demonstrate ways that communities and families can reduce the risks associated with natural disaster.

Quote: “The need for increased preparedness is strong and undisputed. Through the past few decades, the number of natural disasters and weather-related hazards has more than doubled. This trend is expected to continue.”

Technorati Tags: Disaster Readiness, earthquake, flood, Preparedness, red cross