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7 Day Emergency Preparedness Challenge: DAY 3 – HEALTH

🚨 Mock Emergency Alert – Day 3: Medical Battles! 🚨 Scenario: Medical Battles – Navigating Healthcare Challenges

Picture this challenging scenario: Health care costs have skyrocketed, and wait times for medical care stretch for months. Battles are raging between government agencies, doctors, hospitals, and insurance companies, leading to a state of healthcare crisis. To make matters worse, local doctors have gone on strike! Today, we confront the reality of navigating healthcare challenges during trying times. It’s a reminder that preparedness extends to all aspects of our lives, including our well-being.

👉 As we face this scenario together, let’s share our thoughts, ideas, and solutions in the comments below. Discuss strategies for staying healthy, alternative healthcare options, and how we can support each other in these trying times. Remember, the challenge continues with new scenarios throughout the week. Stay engaged, stay informed, and let’s emerge from this challenge stronger and more resilient! 💪 🌍

Today will focus on what you will need to do to prepare your family for all kinds of medical emergencies, including getting yourselves healthier to avoid dependence on medication if possible and medical interventions. 

Goal: Get your family’s medical history, documentation and supplies – including prescriptions in order.  Make it a priority and come up with a plan to GET HEALTHY!

Today’s Tasks:

  1. Prepare a family medical plan to include in your Emergency Binder (if you don’t’ have one, make do for now – we’ll address this important tool in the future).  Be as thorough as your family currently requires.
  2. Do an inventory of your home medical supplies. Add items to your daily report card that you need to purchase ie: bandaids and bigger bandages, topical alcohol, cotton swabs etc
  3. Print out instructions or otherwise obtain basic first aid procedures
  4. Find a First Aid class in your community and SIGN UP for it
  5. Research any specific medicines you are taking, find out how much you can stock ahead and do so.  Make a plan for how to keep them refrigerated if necessary, etc. (Also consider if making lifestyle changes could help reduce your dependency on some of them)
  6. Since living a healthy lifestyle is so important for disease prevention, cook healthy meals AND do a physical activity as a family today.  This is serious stuff.  If you need to make some changes, face it and be honest with yourself.
  7. SHARING TIME: share your experiences in our facebook group, about experiences you’ve had providing home medical care and what items were helpful for you.
  8. Remember that Learning from each other is a huge part of the benefit of taking this exploratory journey together, so be part of the dialogue.

Today’s Limitations:

  1. For this day, and ALL days of the challenge: no spending money, no going to stores, and no restaurants.
  2. No eating fattening foods, sugary treats, or drinking pop/soda or alcohol today. (Yes, you can do this – it’s only for one day for goodness sakes!)

Advanced Tasks because you’re a super hero:

  1. Purchase additional manuals on first aid and emergency medicine
  2. Learn more about holistic approaches to medicine and wellness
  3. Practice treating a pretend injury using supplies from your house
  4. We’re serious – register for a first aid class

REMEMBER, TOMORROW’S CHALLENGE WILL BE DIFFERENT.

Make sure your fill out today’s REPORT CARD to see how well you did, to keep track of areas you can improve, to remember things you need to do, and things you need to buy.  Use the data you gathered to make a game plan to take you to the next level of preparedness, whatever that may be.

 7 Day Challenge REPORT CARD

Today we focused on what we will need to do to prepare your family for all kinds of medical emergencies, including first aid and getting yourselves healthier to avoid dependence on medication (if possible) and medical interventions.

Goal: Get your family’s medical history and supplies in order, and assess your family’s level of HEALTH.  What can you do to improve it? 

Daily Evaluation Questions to ask Yourself

  1. Did you already have a medical plan in place?  If not, did you start one today?   
  2. How well stocked are you for medical emergencies?  Add to your buy list?   
  3. What 1st aid procedures do you need to know if medical assistance is not available?   
  4. Do you have instructions on knowing how to deal with them.  
  5. Have you taken a CPR – 1st Aid class recently?  Or have you signed up for one?  
  6. How can you properly store necessary medications?
  7. What changes are you committed to making starting right now, in your lifestyle to get heathier?   

Daily Notes

Cindy, Karen and Linda

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7 Day Emergency Preparedness Challenge: DAY 2 – WATER

🚨 Mock Emergency Alert – Day 2: Natural Disaster 🚨 Scenario: Natural Disaster – Severe Flooding and Water Contamination

On Day 2 of our 7 Day Emergency Preparedness Challenge, we’re diving into a new and urgent scenario—a natural disaster that demands our immediate attention.
Imagine this challenging situation: Your area is in the grip of severe flooding, and to make matters even more dire, the water purification facility has been contaminated. Today, we’re facing a critical water emergency.

👉 As we confront this scenario together, let’s share our experiences, solutions, and strategies for dealing with severe flooding and water contamination. The comments section below is where we connect, learn, and support one another during these tests. You got this! 💪 🌍

Please note: Today is a NEW emergency, none of the limitations listed yesterday apply.  Your area is experiencing severe flooding and the water purification facility in your area has been contaminated. All water services coming to your home have been halted indefinitely. (If you use well water, your well is contaminated too) Today you will practice living without running water in your home and experience cooking, sanitation, hygiene, etc. with STORED water.
Goal: Learn what your water needs will truly be in an emergency

Today’s Tasks:

  1. Cook all meals (and CLEAN UP) using only stored water
  2. Take a shower or bath using stored water (Don’t cheat and skip this one!)
  3. Use stored water for flushing toilets
  4. Calculate your usage for the day and use that number to determine how much of a water supply you actually have
    At the end of the day –
  5. FILL any empty water containers you used, or have been procrastinating filling.
  6. Make a plan for how you will collect/purify additional water if/when you run out (use your daily report card to help)
  7. SHARING TIME: tell us in the comments what task you found most difficult to do using stored water today.
  8. Remember that Learning from each other is a huge part of the benefit of taking this exploratory journey together, so be part of the dialogue.

Today’s Limitations:

  1. For this day, and ALL days of the challenge: no spending money, no going to stores, and no restaurants
  2. Do NOT use running water at all. To help your family not cheat, you might want to turn off your main water supply for the day

Advanced Tasks because you’re a super hero:

  1. To conserve water, use a sanitation kit rather than flush precious stored water down the toilet.
  2. Get ambitious and do a load of LAUNDRY using stored water.
  3. Go to the nearest source of fresh water and fill up several water containers and purify it.

REMEMBER, TOMORROW’S CHALLENGE WILL BE DIFFERENT.

Make sure your fill out today’s REPORT CARD to see how well you did, to keep track of areas you can improve, to remember things you need to do, and things you need to buy. Use the data to make a game plan to take you to the next level of preparedness, whatever that may be.

7 Day Challenge REPORT CARD – Water Storage

7-Day-Challenge-Report-Cards-1Download

Today we focused on WATER and becoming more aware of exactly how much we’ve got, how to use it, and how not to use it.

Goal: Learn what your water needs will truly be in an emergency

Daily Evaluation Questions to ask Yourself

  1. Did you have enough water stored to meet your needs for the day?  
  2. Was your water drinkable?  What could you do to improve the taste?  
  3. How long would your present storage last at the rate that you used it this day?   
  4. What are some additional, reasonable ways for you to storage more water?  
  5. Do you have a plan in place for being able to purify additional water you might be able to find?
  6. How far away is a suitable water source and how could you get the water from it?
  7. Did you do a load of laundry? and do you have a plan for doing laundry going forward. 

Challenge brought to you by Cindy, Karen and Linda because WE’RE ALL IN THIS TOGETHER. Have fun, and remember to share your experiences here in the comments below or in our Facebook group dialogue.

Cindy, Karen and Linda

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7 Day Emergency Preparedness Challenge: DAY 1 – FOOD

🚨 Mock Emergency Alert – Day 1: Economic Crisis 🚨 Scenario: Economic Crisis – Food Shortages and Food Storage

Picture this unsettling situation: Oil prices have skyrocketed, leading to a severe economic crisis. Transportation costs and consequently food costs are through the roof. In many areas, store shelves are bare, and food is becoming increasingly scarce. Today, we face the reality of food shortages and the importance of relying on our food storage. It’s time to put your preparedness plan into action and make real meals with the supplies you’ve diligently stored away. 👉 Let’s navigate this scenario together, sharing your food storage meal ideas, tips for stretching resources, and any creative solutions you’ve come up with in the comment section below. That is where we come together to learn, support, and thrive during these challenges. Check out the subsequent blog posts for more scenarios in the days ahead, and let’s find out how ready we can be for whatever the future may hold! 💪🌍


Fortunately, you have been following your gut and the counsel of people you respect, and have accumulated a reasonable amount of food storage. *IMPORTANT: STORE WHAT YOU EAT, AND EAT WHAT YOU STORE
Today you get to USE it!

Goal: Have a PLAN for real meals you can make from your food storage

Today’s Tasks:

  1. Prepare ALL your meals and snacks using only pantry (food storage) foods.
  2. Create a complete meal plan for 7 days (breakfast, lunch, and dinner) using ONLY ingredients you already have in your home storage
  3. Take a serious look at what you have on hand: Do an inventory to determine how long your food supply will last you with a reasonable meal plan
  4. SHARING TIME: Take a picture of your meal plan or type it up and share it in the comment section below
  5. Remember that Learning from each other is a huge part of the benefit of challenges like this.

Today’s Limitations:

  1. For this day, and ALL days of the challenge: no spending money, no going to stores, and no restaurants
  2. You cannot use any fridge or freezer food (assume it has been used up)
  3. You cannot use fresh produce from your garden (pretend it’s winter)
  4. You cannot use fresh eggs even if you have chickens (someone stole them)
  5. Stop whining.  Its only ONE DAY you can do this.

Advanced Tasks because you’re a super hero:

  1. Make a meal plan for 30 days instead of just 7
  2. Add a dessert to your menu tonight as well
  3. A huge thunderstorm also struck today and your power is out all day. Cook all meals without power!

REMEMBER, TOMORROW’S CHALLENGE WILL BE DIFFERENT.


Make sure your fill out today’s REPORT CARD to see how well you did, to keep track of areas you can improve, to remember things you need to do, and things you need to buy.  Use the data you gathered to make a game plan to take you to the next level of preparedness, whatever that may be.


7 Day Challenge REPORT CARD – Food Storage, EATING WHAT YOU STORE

7-Day-Challenge-Report-Cards-1Download

Today we focused on FOOD and becoming more aware of exactly what we’ve got, how to use it, and what we need to acquire to reach our goals.  Goal 1st level: short term food storage – 3 months.  Goal 2nd level: long term food storage – one year.

Goal: Have a PLAN for real meals you can make from your food storage

Daily Evaluation Questions to ask Yourself

  1. Were you able to prepare using only pantry or storage foods you had on hand (NOT IN THE FRIDGE, FREEZER OR GARDEN)? What foods did you miss having?
  2. Do you have all the ingredients on hand to create 7 days worth of complete and nourishing meals? What additional items could you get to have more variety?
  3. How many months worth of food storage do you estimate you have on hand?
  4. Do you have seasonings and other essentials you’re used to using?
  5. What are some ways you can supplement your storage with ‘fresh’ items in an emergency?  ie: gardening, sprouting, grinding flour, having chickens etc

Click on the daily report cards here

Challenge brought to you by Cindy, Karen and Linda because WE’RE ALL IN THIS TOGETHER. Have fun, and remember to share your experiences here in the comments below or in our Facebook group dialogue.

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7 Day Emergency Preparedness Challenge Introduction

So I’m doing this thing.

I got together with a couple of likeminded friends and we decided to challenge ourselves. Then we decided to open it up for other likeminded people to join us.

For 7 days, we are testing our individual Emergency Preparedness and Food Storage Plans. Each day will bring a NEW mock emergency, or situation that will test at least one of the reasons we strive to be prepared!   And an opportunity to rate yourself and make a note of changes you need to make.

Originally it was scheduled for a particular week, so we all go through the scenarios together, and it is attached to a facebook group called WE’RE ALL IN THIS TOGETHER: 1 WEEK EMERGENCY PREPAREDNESS CHALLENGE.

I hope you’ll join us here and take the challenge to test yourself. During the challenge, don’t take the easy way out and skip over the hard stuff, or cheat. No going to a store, or spending any money for the entire 7 days! And feel free to adapt the scenarios to fit your own family and situation.

Watch for follow up posts marked Day 1, Day 2 … and so forth.

Here are the daily report cards that you can print if you wish, for a self assessment on each day’s challenges.

7-Day-Challenge-Report-Cards-1Download

Challenge brought to you by Cindy, Karen and Linda because WE’RE ALL IN THIS TOGETHER. Have fun, and remember to share your experiences here in the comments below or in our Facebook group dialogue.

Cindy