In my last blog I mentioned my agreement that insurance companies can be crooks. The story of why follows here:

I was three months pregnant when my husband and I graduated from college. Before graduation, we decided to accept a graduate studies scholarship for my husband to attend the University of South Florida. 

One of my main concerns with moving was what we’d do about maternity insurance. If anything, babies are not cheap! Luckily, the college my husband was attending had a great insurance plan.  For about $8,000, we bought a full year of comprehensive medical insurance, which, they claimed, would cover any medical needs 100%. When we compared the insurance cost to the price of paying for everything that comes along with delivery, we took the less expensive deal.

We headed to Florida in mid-July, 2004 with a twinkle in our eyes. As a young married couple, my husband and I were excited to get away from home and explore the world.

Four months and a few stretch marks later (not to mention ten days late), our bundle of joy was born via Cesarean Section.

I spent the next few days in my large, private room recovering from my surgery (with my own morphine button) and eating from the hospital’s gourmet albeit still disgusting menu.

Five days after my little guy was born I got a call saying our insurance company was not going to cover the charges? WHAT??? When we signed up for the plan (and shelled out a TON of money), the insurance advisor told us we were eligible and completely covered under the plan. We’d had insurance before without any lapses, which, they told us, was enough to cover my maternity costs completely.

After my crying subsided I called the insurance company in a rage. Their answer for the denial of every claim (by the way—every doctor bills individually for deliveries, the hospital bills aside from the doctors as they are not connected to each other, and every ounce of medicine is counted and charged) was we were not previously covered under a group insurance plan, only a personal plan. Even without any coverage lapse, our non-group status gave them enough power to turn us away. Oh, and that’s right, they themselves WERE NOT a group coverage plan!!!

That story brings me to my reflection of why insurance can be a great way to fully protect yourself and your belongings in an emergency….

My grandpa always says, “You can never have too much insurance.” The more I think about that, the more I realize he is 100% right!

I realize insurance is INCREDIBLY expensive, but is there ever a way to have too much? I live in an earthquake prone area (or so they say) that’s been expecting “the big one” for quite a few years now. It has been pointed out to me that my house is on or very close to the major fault line that runs through this area. We don’t currently have earthquake insurance, but I have to admit I’m considering getting it. Even if an earthquake never hits this state in my lifetime, I’ll always have the peace of mind knowing my house and wellbeing will be financially protected if we are ever affected.

A few years ago Southern Utah experienced a major river flooding. The situation got so extreme that the river expanded to point of clearing land out from underneath houses (which caused the dwellings to either collapse, drop into the water, or break apart). Entire neighborhoods were adversely affected. Nothing like this had happened for decades, and, of course, very few households had flood insurance. I don’t think that is something most people think about when the threat is so minute or has never come to fruition in the past.

Car insurance is another avenue to explore. There are a lot of options for the kind of insurance you can get when a tragic accident results in death or hospitalization. And there are many resources out there to help when job loss, sickness, and other adverse situations occur (the Afflack duck is dancing through my mind right now).

I realize it’s not realistic for many people to add high priced insurance extras to what seem to be our ever growing costs of living. But, in the event you can afford this luxury, I’d recommend you hop on the chance. We never know what’s coming and when, and insurance as emergency preparedness is beginning to be, in my opinion, a great way to gain peace of mind.

What comes to your mind when you think about August 29^th? Maybe you have an upcoming family reunion or a long awaited vacation planned.  Maybe you have an important make-or-break deadline and feel a sense of dread when you think about that date. Or maybe it’s just another ordinary summer day.

This year, for the people of the Gulf Coast and New Orleans, August 29^th will represent the third anniversary of Hurricane Katrina.  With over 1,800 casualties and $80 billion spent in rebuilding, the Gulf Coast region is far from where it was August 27, 2005.  The Gulf is no longer drowning under the waters Katrina brought, but her effects are a lingering reminder of the fateful day she forever affected the lives of millions.

When I think about Hurricane Katrina, several images come to mind. These include people crowded into the superdome, stranded individuals crying for help from their rooftops, and houses painted with the numbers of the dead inside. I also remember the several images we were shown of bodies floating in the water and lying in the streets and walkways.  Stories of rampant disease, civil unrest, broken families, and unbearable shelter quarters are also some of the first thoughts that cross my mind.

The year before Hurricane Katrina hit I was pregnant and living in Florida. There were four hurricanes that year. Naturally, I was glued to the TV this time around. I was no longer in Florida, but the fear of the coming hurricanes I had lived through was enough to place my anxiety back where it had been the previous summer.

As news of the storm came pouring in, I remember feeling more and more frustration at the lack of proper rescue efforts. Before the storm hit, an evacuation order was given; however, a proper plan was never devised.  Much of the Gulf Coast region is impoverished—this is no secret.  And large parts of the most adversely affected areas of New Orleans were in the poorest areas where people didn’t have access to any means of transportation. Because evacuation plans were never clearly drawn up, many of us watched in awe and confusion as we saw images of empty, flooded buses lining the streets of New Orleans.  It also took the Federal Government over five days to develop a proper response plan—and even that didn’t go so well (do I have to remind you of the “Brownie” incident)? In fact, I specifically remember watching as President Bush slapped Michael Brown on the back and told him what an excellent rescue effort he’d conducted. I also remember the following months that ensued in missing and mal-distributed money, no bid government contracts, and further reparation mismanagement.

As someone who had gone through the fear of being caught in a hurricane less than a year before, my heart poured out to the people I saw. And now, almost three years later, I frequently remember this disaster.

As I’ve had time to reflect and ponder this situation, I feel there some extremely important lessons we can all learn.  Here are some them:

First, I have learned that blame is much too easy to assign. I was watching a TV show a couple years back that paralleled Hurricane Katrina with a broken beaver dam that floods a town called Beaverton. In the show, two little boys accidentally drive a boat through a beaver dam which causes Beaverton to flood. The boat burns up after the accident and everybody is scrambling to figure out what happened to cause this (there were no witnesses to the accident). There are two parts of the following dialogue that, to me, perfectly relay the blame game.

 The first example goes:

Person 1:  “That’s right; we know whose fault this is. It’s George Bush’s fault.”

 Person 2: “Yeah, George Bush doesn’t care about beavers.”

Person 3: “George Bush didn’t break that beaver dam. It was terrorists and Al Qaeda.”

Person 4: “They’ve secretly been building beaver dam WMD’s for years now.”

The second dialogue then plays out:

Son (this is the kid who has actually broken the dam):  “Mom….Dad…they’re going to help those people right?”

Mom: “I don’t know. You know, to me, it seems like the mayor of Beaverton should have done something about that dam years ago. “

Dad: “Don’t blame the mayor. What about FEMA? I think this whole thing is really their fault.”

Son: “But somebody’s going to help those people off their rooftops, right?”

Dad: “That’s not important right now, son. What’s important is figuring out whose fault this is.”

An incident can never be blamed on just one person or entity. And, I’ve found, most of the time blame comes from anger over our own inadequacies. Many of the deaths and further tragedies we were shown with Hurricane Katrina could have been avoided with some good emergency preparedness planning by individuals. Even those with little means can do small things to prepare themselves. Something seemingly insignificant like storing a bottle of water away every month would have come in handy in the days following Hurricane Katrina.

Second, it is important to know that we can really only count on ourselves when an emergency strikes. Both the state and federal governments failed to properly prepare and respond to the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. But emergency preparedness and planning should begin with us as individuals. We really can’t count on the government, our insurance agency, or our neighbors for help. We all have our own needs; it’s our responsibility to make sure those will be met in the face of devastation.

Third, I’ve learned that we need to take the past as a template for what we can and should do now. The victims of Hurricane Katrina may not have had time to prepare in the hours preceding the storm, but we all have the opportunity to prepare ourselves now for what the future might bring. It’s easy to sit around complaining about the inadequacies we saw back then, but this is now. And if you aren’t preparing yourself, you’re adding to the problem you’re complaining about.

Fourth, I’ve learned some people never learn. Being fascinated with Hurricane Katrina, I’ve seen and listened to many accounts, movies, and documentaries relating to this disaster. And although my heart breaks for those who lost everything, it isn’t my opinion that they should be automatically entitled to riches. Even now, years after the storm hit, I hear many stories of people complaining about the injustices imposed to them. Even if these people are right, they need to learn that they are in charge of themselves and, ultimately, their own recovery. Should the government be partially responsible? Probably.  But, in the end, the government can not be counted on or expected to clean up every hurricane victim’s life. Yes, the government screwed up big time. And I will agree with anyone who feels like insurance companies can be crooks (I have another story about that—not a good subject for me).  Still, emergency preparedness lies in our hands. And everyone, no matter how rich or poor they may be, can do something. For example, anyone with a 5 gallon bucket and lid has a temporary emergency lavatory. I know that doesn’t seem like the best resource, but if I was placed in a situation where there was no sanitation, hygiene, or bathroom facility, a five gallon bucket that seals off would be looking pretty great to me.

These are just a few of the lessons I’ve taken away from August 29, 2005. As I’ve written in previous posts, it seems to me that large scale disasters happen more frequently now, which should be all the more motivation for us to assess our situations and get on the emergency preparedness bandwagon.

On a normal day our family spends a good amount of time on the front porch of our house.  I love to sit on the steps while my little boy colors them with sidewalk chalk. We also bring the dog and let him patter about while we enjoy the relaxing weather. I’d say spending time on our front porch has become an almost daily occurrence for us. Yesterday, however, we managed to completely avoid our normal outside ritual. And that turned out to be a potentially life saving blessing!

Thursday is our trash day, which means we usually scramble to get everything out Wednesday night. Last night was no exception. I gathered all the remaining trash in the house and made my way out the door.

As I headed toward my front porch steps I noticed a large black object floating through the air.  Taking a closer look, I realized I was starting at a huge spider. Although it was 11:30 at night, I could clearly see this giant bug. Its legs were easily 1 ½ inches long—EEEWWW! 

I’ve never been afraid of spiders—ever! Bees are another issue entirely. In fact, I’d jump off a ladder to avoid anything with a stinger. Whenever I see a stinging bug, I run the other way—and yes, I have looked like a crazy lunatic running down the road before. But spiders have never bothered me. Even tarantulas with their disgusting harry backs haven’t ever sent me running for the hills. I don’t know what it is, but spiders just aren’t a big deal for me.

So back to last night…..

I’m on my porch, hands full of trash (but not for long), and it takes me about two seconds to realize I’m staring at not only a huge spider, it’s a Black Widow! Remember the thing about not being afraid of spiders—well that only applies to the ones who can’t kill me, my kid, my dog, or anyone else I’m fond of.

The first thing that came to mind was the spider had to die. I am not a huge spider killer—but when they can kill me, all bets are off.  I ran into the house and quickly found there was no bug spray! However, we do have a lot of trigger cleaners and I figured I could get this thing from a good distance with a spray bottle.

I quickly grabbed some tile and grout cleaner and ran back outside. It phased the spider, but not that much. It really just forced the giant bug to hide. I decided at that moment to go for aerosol. I returned the tile cleaner and grabbed Lysol and a flashlight. But when I got back outside, I couldn’t see the spider.

First, I took the flashlight and thoroughly examined the area surrounding my feet—nothing. Then I went out the garage and came around to the front of my house. We have four stairs leading up to the front porch and the spider originated above the top stair, so I figured the bottom of the stairs was a safe distance.

I took my flashlight and started fishing around. To my great relief, the spider was still hiding on the front stair, but at a place I couldn’t see very well from the top of my porch. So I started to attack from my new angle.

The Lysol was more effective than the tile cleaner. Being able to spray continuously was a great attack advantage, but the spider was not dying. Its legs got kind of stuck together, but it was not dead. So I moved to a more powerful weapon—Weed B Gone Max.  I pumped the Weed B Gone and started spraying. After going through six full pumps, the spider wasn’t moving much anymore.

I spent the next 20 minutes making sure the Black Widow was actually dead. I kept expecting it to jump at me with a dying breath revenge wish (in my head it was strategizing its last ditch effort to wound its would-be killer). Luckily for me, this didn’t happen. The Weed B Gone had done the trick.  

After taking a few pictures I went to the store for bug spray. I didn’t end up needing the spray last night (the spider was still dead when I got home from the store—phew), but if the same thing were to happen today I’d be well equipped to handle the situation.

Here’s what I’ve realized since last night:

1) Before today I hadn’t ever taken the time to educate myself on spider bites. I’d recommend that everyone take 10 minutes to learn a few things about the possible symptoms  and proper treatment of spider bites.

2) You never know when bug spray will be needed. It’s cheap, easy to store, and should be in every household!

3) Our family would be wise to invest in an anti-venom spider bite kit. Even if we never see another poisonous spider, we’ll at least be prepared for one.

An introduction to this post: Writing about emergency preparedness has really pushed me into not wanting to be a hypocrite. I want to say I follow the advice I dish out. One of the steps my family has taken recently is planting a garden. This experience has been great for emergency preparedness as well as saving time, gas, and money. It has also been fun to watch our plants develop and know that we have taken a step toward becoming more self reliant! Watching our garden grow has prompted me to write a post about my experience and future gardening goals.

You know those Wells Fargo commercials that say “someday a _______” (there are several versions) and then they show the image of today?  That statement reflects the feelings I have about my garden.

When I was ten my parents moved our family to Tooele, UT. We lived in a very old, downtrodden house with nothing but fields and mountains surrounding us (my back yard was literally a mountain).  In fact, we had green vinyl flooring throughout much of the house, cement stairs leading to the basement, and electric wiring that was eventually hung as a joke on the walls of Tooele’s electric company (we ended up having to replace all the wiring. The electricity guys kept is as a joke).  Our air conditioner was a swamp cooler, our garage was a hand-made car port, and since we were surrounded by fields and mountains, rodents were an everyday issue. I’m not giving you this description to complain; I just want to give an accurate picture of the environment.

Our house was a pretty substantial disaster, but we did find some good there. My dad, wanting to save money and take control of our pest problems, decided to design and grow a garden in one of the fields on our property.  He started out small, but after renting every gardening book ever written (or so it seemed), he became a quick expert.  With the exception of winter, my dad worked on our garden obsessively. He’d spend hours a day creating new rows, managing his plants, and making sure everything was correctly watered (we had no automatic sprinklers). Within a couple years we had an extraordinary garden that I still admire to this day.  

After moving out of my parent’s house I always wanted a garden just like the one my dad used to have. And now, seven years later, my husband and I have finally buckled down (I actually planted a few things a couple summers ago, but that same summer we got a dog. She ate everything I’d grown).

So far everything has turned out well. In fact, growing a basic garden has been much easier than I thought it would be. We’ve never been able to keep house plants alive, but our garden looks great! I am also very happy about the gas, money, and time we’re saving and will continue to save on not having to buy herbs and other vegetables from the store.

And now the someday part comes into play…..

I’m glad we finally got our act together and planted some herbs and vegetables. It wasn’t hard to do, but it’s still an accomplishment for us—believe me! Still, I look at what we’ve done and I know we could do more. The garden I currently have my site set on belongs to my husband’s parents.

Like me, my husband comes from a garden-growing family. His mom actually grew up on a farm in Idaho, which means she really knows her stuff.   Anyway, his parent’s garden is nothing short of spectacular. They have three levels of cement-encased garden boxes that are chalk full of fresh potting soil (see my someday picture). Their setup is remarkable and their plants continue to thrive year after year.

When I look at our garden (and the area surrounding it), cement trucks, garden boxes, and large bags of potting soil pop into my head.  I don’t expect to duplicate the garden my in-law’s have, but I’m hoping to someday construct a mini replica.  

For now, we’ll take things day by day and continue to be thankful that our garden has survived our not-so-green thumbs!

So you’ve followed the emergency preparedness guidance of the experts by stocking up on food storage for yourself and your family. No matter what the future brings, your outlook is bright because you know you’re ready for even the direst times. But how long will your preparation efforts last? Do they have an expiration date? There are varying points of view on this topic, but the short answer is your food storage will have a “sustain life” shelf life of at least 20 years.

There are many conflicting opinions on this issue. The main problem with the lack of expiration date consistency is there are different levels of food expiration.  When your food is used within the “best if used by” range, you will experience its full taste and nutritional value. When your food is stored longer, chemical changes can occur. Over time, minerals and carbohydrates in food do not transform much. Proteins and fats, however, can deteriorate in quality and cause off-tasting food. Vitamins are also susceptible to heat, light, and oxygen destruction.

 Calorie intake is the most important life sustaining factor. Because calories do not mutate or fade drastically over time, the life of food storage products has more than one level.

If you want your food storage to have the best taste and highest nutrients, it is recommended that most items be used within 2-5 years. However, if you plan to use your food storage to sustain life, many items can last up to 20+ years. Once opened, most foods should be used within 6-18 months. However, many opened foods can remain life sustaining for up to 5 years if they are kept well covered and stored in a cool, dry area.

Please see the table below for our “best if used by” recommendations.

To maximize the taste, nutritional value, and shelf life of your food storage, follow these tips:

· Keep cans open for the least amount of time possible.

· To maximize freshness, keep oxygen absorbers in your opened cans.

· Scoop food out of your cans instead of pouring. Doing this will limit oxygen intake.

· Reseal your opened cans with their plastic coverings.

· Store your food in a dark, dry, cool place (a garage or cold storage area is highly recommended).

· Limit your opened cans’ contact with humidity.

It was the summer of 2001.

I was eighteen.

And I was moving away to college.

I was a bit of a pack rat growing up, a trait I was constantly nagged about. My mom often lamented that getting rid of a few things couldn’t hurt. My dad wondered why I insisted on buying more when I already had so much. But my take on the whole thing was you can never be sure of when something might just come in handy. Plus, who doesn’t need more stuff? Isn’t having stuff what makes the world go round? And what if I was to throw something away only to find I desperately needed it a few days later?

Anyway, from clothes, to old school papers, to books, I used to keep a healthy supply of could-be-important-someday items.

I was set in this frame of thought right up to the day I moved to college. Moving away from home was a big deal for me. I wanted to make sure I had all my bases covered. To make sure I was completely prepared for college life, I naturally wanted to take EVERYTHING I owned with me. And I wanted to do it all at once. I just wanted to get it over with.

The day I left home I somehow fit everything I could imagine needing into my small Toyota Corolla. My parent’s doubt that I would be able to do this motivated me even more. That car was full-believe me! I said goodbye to my family, drove off, threw my caution to the wind, and breathed a sigh of relief to finally be away from the chains of home.

My drive to college was a total of four hours. The first two went great.

And then I hit a hill…

The beginning of my trip was a breeze, but there are steep inclines in the road I was travelling on. As I began to trek up the first steep hill, my “check engine” light came on and my car slowed to about 5 miles per hour.

I got over the right shoulder and tried to make it up the rest of the way. Unfortunately, my car pretty much stopped. It became very clear I wasn’t going to get anywhere in my current situation. Although I had all the belongings I thought I could ever need, I had nothing that could help me where I was. I had no cell phone, food, water, flashlight, or flares…yeah - pretty much nothing.

To make matters worse, it was 11:00 PM and the next town was six miles away! With no cell phone or other means of communication, I had no choice but to start walking.

To my great fortune, I’d taken about 20 steps when an Avante Windows truck driver pulled over to see if he could help (I still can’t believe he saw me at such a late hour on an unlit road). Knowing the company he was driving for, I knew he wasn’t going to kill me. So I let him help.

We found out that my car was overheating due to the large amount of weight I had bee so eager to carry. To my great fortune, the trucker was going in my direction and he offered to haul my load in his truck. After unloading my car and filling his trailer, I was back on the road. I got to college safely and all my belongings came along with me.

As I think back now, I was not only incredibly stupid as a know-it-all-eighteen-year-old, I was also extremely lucky. I made it safely that night, but how many others haven’t? Walking alone on the side of the road at 11:00 PM is not safe! I got myself into that situation by not heeding the warnings of my parents who so often tried to remind me that I didn’t need to own everything in the world much less haul it all in one trip. It’s funny that having so much meant nothing when an emergency arose. The only thing my prized possessions had to offer was a large case of roadside trouble.

With a few small changes, this situation would have been completely avoided. First, I should have listened to my parents, who, it turns out, are usually right when it comes to situations like this. I also found that with everything I owned, I had no emergency or communication devices.

I was remembering this situation the other day and it reminded me of the importance of being prepared at all times, especially during times of rest. We often get stuck at the most inopportune times in the most unlikely situations. Of course, we should be prepared for the big disasters life can bring. But being prepared when everything seems to be in order is the only way to guarantee safety and peace of mind when difficulty arises.

Since 2004, hurricanes, earthquakes, and tsunamis combined have killed over 680,000 people worldwide. The most recent event that added to this growing death toll was the Sichuan Province earthquake which took place on May 12^th of this year. The first time I heard the devastating news of this disaster, the death count was around 8,000. Today, that number has risen to over 67,000.

It seems to me that the last few years have delivered a higher frequency of large-scale natural disasters. Perhaps the most frustrating aspect of these events is we can’t predict their coming. And even when we have some idea of where and when they’ll strike, we can never be sure. A good example of this is hurricanes Jeanne and Ivan. I was living in Tampa, Florida the year these hurricanes hit. During the approach of both storms, we were informed that our area would be directly affected. After a lot of emotional stress and worry, we were fortunately spared from the devastation. This, of course, meant that millions of people who were told they were not anywhere near the hurricanes’ paths were stricken with the full force of these destructive forces.

Thinking about history’s recent events has prompted me to learn the best ways to prepare for the three major causes of natural disaster deaths: earthquakes, tsunamis, and hurricanes. Because earthquakes have been most prevalent in recent news, I decided to start my research there.

The beginnings of my investigation were met with a very compelling article by Doug Copp, a self-proclaimed survival expert. Contrary to most of our grade school instruction involving getting under a large piece of furniture (like a desk or table), covering our heads, and holding on, Doug Copp’s earthquake survival measures entail lying next to a large object such as a couch or bed. This, he says, will save lives because large items do not compact. Instead, they leave a triangular void around their perimeter. These areas are most commonly knows as “triangles of life.”

Copp’s article contains many persuasive yet controversial survival measures. For example, he advises his readers to get out and lie next to their cars in an earthquake. According to Copp, this increases the chance for survival because cars, being very large and heavy, create sizeable triangular voids.

While deciding to write this post, I was hoping to find a new twist on the best earthquake survival methods; this article seemed to be the perfect solution. It is fascinating and completely different from what I was taught growing up. Although I was quite excited by what I read, I decided to research Doug Copp before posting his advice list. After about 20 minutes fishing around Google, my bubble was burst. I have yet to find anything positive written about this guy. In fact, several survival groups and scientists have refuted his advice saying it’s irresponsible and not applicable to building structures and codes in the United States.

I’ve never met or spoken to Doug Copp or the organizations refuting his advice. But after reading both sides of the story, I’ve decided that sticking with the advice of FEMA and the American Red Cross will most likely yield the best survival results in an earthquake. These organizations, being dedicated to disaster prevention and recovery, are well versed in the methods of Doug Copp; they have not been persuaded by his survival techniques.

According to the American Red Cross, earthquake preparedness and recovery should entail the following:

Prepare a Home Earthquake Plan

• Choose a safe place in every room where nothing can fall on you.