So bring him on out, how ’bout this James!?

I’m going to Keep It Super Simple!

At almost any level of preparedness you will need to establish your survival priorities.

In almost every instance, they are shelter, water, fire, and food––in that order.

1. The most important survival priority is shelter. You need to be protected from the elements–– sun, wind, cold, rain, and in some cases, animals and even insects. All of us are particularly susceptible to the effects of cold, wind, and rain. We could die in a matter of minutes to hours depending on the temperature. Once hypothermia sets in the vital organs begin to shut down. The brain is first––and is most critical to staying alive. When shelter is resolved––and sometimes it may not be a critical situation––you can then begin to resolve the next issues.

2. Water is your second survival priority. Water makes up 75% of the human body and needs to be constantly replenished. Once you have fulfilled your needs for shelter, all effort is concentrated on finding, gathering, and treating water. Having some stored water on hand in case of an emergency situation makes good sense.

3. Fire is your next priority. It provides warmth and light, the ability to cook your food and a way to treat your water. But fire also warms the human heart and goes a long way to making you feel more secure.

4. Food is the last of your four basic needs. You won’t starve to death if you don’t get three square meals every day––you probably don’t now! Food encompasses everything from plants, animals, traps, weapons, learning to hunt and gather, cooking and storage. In preparing for an emergency situation, I do advocate storing food. It is only prudent that you have food on hand. Everybody eats!

It’s as simple as that!

Til next time…

James Talmage Stevens

Author:  Making the Best of Basics–Family Preparedness Handbook

Blogger: FamilyPreparednessGuide.com

Internet Radio: BlogTalkRadio.com/family (Saturdays, 1:00 PM CST)

Coaching website: beprepared101.com

Related Posts:

It’s a Fact: Everybody Eats!
Emergency Preparedness: Vital Emergency Supplies
The Water Storage Part of an Effective Food Storage and Emergency Preparedness Program
Outdoor Survival: Fire Starting With a Flashlight!

Fold your arms and try to be ever so quiet that you can hear a pin drop, because I am about to introduce you to my down-to-earth friend, James Talmage Stevens, infamous author of Making the Best of Basics: Family Preparedness Handbook.  He has sold over 760,000 copies of this Bad Boy (you know how good means bad and bad means good sometimes?), and he is going to school us in food storage preparedness.  Why?  Because I asked him to, because he is the real deal, because he is cool!

So everybody please give it up for James (clapping and more clapping)!

JAMES:

I’m going to Keep It Super Simple!

Food is life––no food, eventually, no life! Perhaps that’s the main reason all disaster and emergency preparedness has at its core the emphasis on foodstuff: food, food storage, food preparation, and food processing and utilization equipment.

Though food is important, the need for shelter from the elements is primordial, and water is a close 2^nd priority, leaving food a distant 4th priority after fire. This prioritization is based on immediacy of action necessary to preserve life, since you could die quickly of exposure to extreme cold or hot weather without appropriate shelter. Once protected from the elements––which problem may be obviated by existing mild climatic conditions where the disaster/emergency occurs––clean water then becomes your next immediate need, because the body needs water for its processes to operate effectively.

Then you’ll need fire––to cook your food, boil your water, wash your body, and clean your clothing.

And fourth, food, on the other hand, though ultimately necessary, has a longer downward slope on its death causative curve. People have gone for extremely long periods of time without food, and can subsist for many weeks—if not months––with occasional snacks.

Let me correct a statement made in a previous blog post: “A lot of folks may end up storing food in their garage.” If you currently store any food or potable water in your garage––or even thinking about it–– save your time, take your money, flush it down  your toilet––it’s going to save you the time to shop, carry, stack, and worry––it’s the same result! Food is life––store it where you live. If you live in air-conditioned comfort, then so should your stored food! Make no compromises on the protection of your food reserves.

There is a cardinal rule (Trekkies would call it the Prime Directive) that states:

Store what you eat;

Eat what you store.

Use it or lose it!

Following that little bit of wisdom will make your food storage more valuable than money—or gold! Sit down with the family, work together to determine:

1. What foods are essential to the family’s diet and survival; and
2. What foods would be nice to have that you like–but can’t normally afford.

Then, budget for category 1 items. Determine what you need to eliminate in your current budget so you can acquire an amount of provisions for your immediate plan of safety and security. This is where you face the reality of wants over needs.

These are the marks of true family leadership: the end goal justifies the means required to achieve it.

It’s as simple as that!

James Talmage Stevens

Pat here again: James’s book is THE master plan when it comes to being prepared.  Prepared with everything and anything.  It will not dissapoint.  You can get your copy by going to the top of my blog and clicking on “Emergency Preparedness All-Time Bestseller”.   Best preparedness book ever!

 Thanks, James, for adding value and spreading good will wherever ye be.  Give it up one more time for James (Honor System because I can’t hear anything you do)!:

Author:  Making the Best of Basics–Family Preparedness Handbook

Blogger: FamilyPreparednessGuide.com

Internet Radio: blogtalkradio.com/James-Talmage-Steven  (Saturdays, 1:00 PM CDST)

Coaching website: beprepared101.com

Preparedness Provider listings: PreparednessYellowPages.com and

                                                            PreparednessMarketPlace.com

Related Posts:

What Are Your Survival Priorities?
Emergency Preparedness: Vital Emergency Supplies
Fire Starting for Survival
The Water Storage Part of an Effective Food Storage and Emergency Preparedness Program