Is Your Neighborhood Prepared For Survival

Is your neighborhood prepared for survival? Do you know what paper supplies if any, your family can use at the local school(s) nearby your home after a disaster? Or what paper products are available at the local church(s) located near your neighborhood or at least a distance you could walk to. I decided to make several phone calls to get opinions from a school luncheon person and several members from a number of different churches representing different faiths (I promised I would not disclose any names). Here’s the deal, we have all been glued to the television to stay updated about Hurricane Matthew. I have heard some have stayed in their homes to ride out the storm and millions have left to drive or fly to safer locations. I heard from a close friend that her daughter bought a home about a year ago in South Carolina and in their garage they store the boards used to cover the windows during storms, so they really are ready to use for any hurricane. They are ready to cover all the windows and doors on the house. Okay, this is new to me.

I have thought about what can I do here in Southern Utah if we have an earthquake, fires, or flooding. The last flood we had, Home Depot provided sandbags and sand to protect our homes from the raging rains. I realize if the roads crumble we will have to survive with what we have in our own homes. If our homes are still standing, that is. I realize some people are very prepared for survival and a lot of people believe the government will swoop in and save them. Or maybe the American Red Cross will save them. Well, listen up friends, that’s not going to happen. At least not right away. We must be prepared to take care of ourselves if the stores become empty, which they will after an unforeseen emergency. Let me share my findings with you after the many phone calls and visits I made here in the state of Utah only. Here’s the deal, most everyone has water and food to share with the neighborhood if the need comes up. But we need to be able to serve that food to share with each other. Oh, I realize some will not share anything they have stored. I get it, that’s their right.

Is Your Neighborhood Prepared:

Schools (that serve lunch):

1. Lunch trays: the schools typically order cases of 500 styrofoam meal trays at a time. They like to keep 8-19 cases of these on the premises at all times. Minimum 1 case=500 trays, Eight cases=4,000 trays, 19 cases=9,500 trays.
2. Cups: they store very little because they serve milk, chocolate milk, etc. in drinkable cartons
3. Silverware: they store ample silverware for the schools
4. They do have ample chairs and tables because they feed the children on school days

I must admit I was very impressed with the supplies they keep on hand for our children in the schools. Please note, as the school year comes to an end the excess products are shipped back to the local school district warehouse. In other words, in the summer we would have very little paper products for the neighborhood if the school was opened for survivors after a disaster.

Church (close to my home):

1. The kitchen is prepared with a few paper plates (less than 100). They have ample silverware for 200-300 people. The church members are not allowed to cook in the kitchen but can warm dishes in the oven those food items cooked and brought from home. This rule would change, I’m assuming, after a disaster may strike. No cooking pans are located in the kitchen, zero hand towels, or washrags. They do have tables and chairs to feed a few hundred people. In other words, WE better be prepared with paper products folks!
2. Jimi has a church in St. George, Utah and they get food from the from the bank and local churches to feed the homeless every Sunday. Jimi mentioned once that the thing they need most is paper products. You heard me right, paper products. We need to step up our game, if we haven’t already, with paper plates, bowls, cups (cold and hot) and paper towels. Please make sure you have a can opener. OXO SoftWorks Can Opener

Please take a few minutes and assess how many paper products you may have stored. I’m betting very few people on my street have more than 25 or 30 plates. That’s good, for their own family if they can reuse them for a week. That’s not enough for 2 weeks, a month or more. I will not waste any water on washing plates, cups, and utensils. Let me know if you live in a neighborhood prepared in a few ways.

Food Storage

American Red Cross

Federal Emergency Management Agency 

My favorite things:

SOLO Cup Company Symphony Design Poly-Coated 8 1/2″ Paper Plates – 500 poly-coated paper plates.

SOLO OF8BI-0041 Single-Sided Poly Paper Hot Cup, 8 oz. Capacity, Bistro (Case of 500)

8 oz.Symphony Paper Soup Container – 500 per case H4085MD Solo Cup Company

Kirkland Signature Crystal Clear Cutlery – 360 ct