“It behooves us to prepare…”

President Thomas S. Monson | October 2004

In an address to the Relief Society during the October 2004 General Conference,

President Monson taught…

“We do live in turbulent times. Often the future is unknown;

therefore, it behooves us to prepare for uncertainties”

Joplin, Missouri Saints talk about preparedness after May 2011 catastrophic tornado

https://youtu.be/CUgJnBNXpdA

We have been counseled to be prepared for adversity to come.

Both spiritual and temporal preparation are required.

“… if ye are prepared ye shall not fear” – D&C 38:30

The Principle of Preparation As members of the Church, we know that it is our

responsibility to provide for ourselves and our families both in good times and in bad. Part of fulfilling that obligation is making preparations now to face whatever challenges may come our way. 

Spencer W. Kimball taught that we must be “anxiously engaged in a positive program of preparation.” It is not enough to hope for the best; we must prepare for it.

He explained, “The Lord will not translate one’s good hopes and desires and intentions into works. Each of us must do that for himself” (The Miracle of Forgiveness [1969], 8). 

Family and personal preparedness Avoid debt and live within your means Gain an adequate education Keep a reserve of food and other supplies Obtain first aid training“Start now to create a plan if you don’t already have one, or update your present plan. … The instability in the world today makes it imperative that we take heed of the counsel and prepare for the future”

– Elder L. Tom Perry, October 1995 General Conference

Your family storehouse• Clothing and bedding• Drinking water• Financial reserves• Important documents• Longer-term supply of basic food items• Medication and first aid supplies• Three-month supply of food that is part of

your normal diet• Ways to communicate with family following a

disaster

Realized blessings from your own storehouse

https://youtu.be/l2pVVBjvAko

"We encourage members worldwide to prepare for adversity in life by having a basic supply of food and water and some money in savings. We ask that you be wise, and do not go to extremes. With careful planning, you can, over time, establish a home storage supply and a financial reserve.”

• Three month supply of food• Drinking water• Financial reserve• Long-term food supply

Where do I start (or how do I continue)? Take an inventory of what you have. Decide where in your home you can store food

and water. Be wise – don’t go to extremes. Buy within your means. Store as much as circumstances allow.

Ideas for your Family Storehouse

https://youtu.be/GyRvmUyFfgY

“What would you do?”If a disaster struck tomorrow, leaving you without power or water, what would your family do for breakfast? Lunch? Dinner?A scenario like this could make for a fun, challenging family home evening lesson and trip to the grocery store – come up with three meal ideas that your family can prepare, using resources you have as a family. These meal ideas should avoid perishable foods – everything you buy should either be eaten the next day or added to your three month supply…

Your three month supply will be different than mine… It should consist of shelf-stable food that your

family would normally eat. Focus on food first… It should also include sufficient paper, personal,

and basic cleaning supplies. You should absolutely use this stuff!!! As you use it, replace it!

Longer-term food storage – the stuff of Elder’s Quorum nightmares… It used to be that these items were basic, life-

sustaining food items like whole or ground grains, beans, etc. They have a very long shelf life when stored properly

Long term food storage can, and probably should be supplemented with freeze-dried food items – the amazing thing is anything and everything your family normally eats is available!

Emergency Drinking Water Our federal, state, and local authorities recommend we be prepared

for 2 or more weeks. The general recommendation is a minimum of 2 gallons per person per

day in your household… 1 person, 14 gallons, 1792 ounces…

Adjust this recommendation based on ages and needs… Storage

Water bottles store easily… long shelf life Use only food-grade containers… don’t re-use plastic milk jugs… Have a supply of liquid household bleach – no thickeners, scents or additives!

Consider a water purification system

Lehi 33rd Ward -> Lehi North Stake and on up…We are working on ward and stake plansWe are partnering with the Lehi City Focus is on likely disaster scenarios for our area (Earthquake,

Industrial or Transportation Accident, Severe Snowstorm, Fire, Loss of Infrastructure)

Gathering contact information Please make sure you have current pictures, phone, and email address on

LDS.org! Special needs known Special skills available

After disaster communication and coordination plans Internet (email, social media like Nextdoor), text messaging, 2-way and

amateur radio, etc. Gathering areas centered around church properties as needed

“We have a commitment to protect our citizens from any danger that threatens our community,” said Scott Sampson, Lehi City Risk Manager. “The Everbridge mass notification and interactive communication system ensures the City will be able to react quickly and efficiently to reach each individual in the case of an emergency.”

In addition to emergency notifications, the City plans to use the Everbridge system to notify residents about other important activities, such as road closures and water utility maintenance. Residents may select which categories of alerts to receive at the time of enrollment.

https://bit.ly/AlertsUtahCountyGov

You can also follow @LehiCity and @LehiCERT for other local announcements

Super Resources Church Emergency Preparedness

https://www.lds.org/topics/emergency-preparedness• Provident Living

https://providentliving.lds.org• Home Storage Centers

940 W Center Street, Lindon UT801-785-0997

Purchase food items online!https://bit.ly/OnlineFoodStorage