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KarenO
11/15/2009 6:17 PM UTC
Dang! Wouldn't you know I was here and ready for the show! Sorry I missed you, Suzanne--will try for next week.
Swanhilde
10/11/2009 5:00 PM UTC
Hey Suzanne, Jeff and Ali are listening today.
6/7/2009 9:08 PM UTC
Hi Suzanne! Just checking on progress of the big move! Looks like a busy summer for you and family, no? I still listen to downloads but work schedule seems determined to keep me from favorite live shows!
2/14/2009 11:32 PM UTC
Hi Suzanne! It looks like you didn't have a show, today. I have to work Saturdays for the forseeable future... I download all your shows to itunes, anyway, but I miss the live shows!! Be safe, Karen
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4/12/2008 5:21 PM UTC
We here at Mac Radio LOVE your SHOW! Please listen to our show and tell us what you think Thanks!
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NorthStar Preparedness Network is a national preparedness organization working to teach others what they need to know to prepare for natural or man-made disasters.
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Date / Time: 11/29/2009 6:00 PM UTC
Category: Current Events
Call-in Number: (347) 838-9205
Each week we will cover current events and threat levels, news and how you can prepare your family and your home for natural and man-made disasters.
Upcoming Episodes
12/6/2009 6:00 PM UTC - The NorthStar Preparedness Network Show
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Date / Time: 4/5/2008 7:30 PM UTC
We will be talking every week about current events, personal and business preparedness, survival and offer special guests who will speak on these subjects.
Date / Time: 4/26/2008 8:00 PM UTC
Today we're going to continue the topic we've been discussing the past couple shows and that's the global food crisis and what you can do to mitigate the potential hardship for your family.
I have a feeling that some of this crisis is price gouging and scare mongering and some of it is real. We've been heading down this road for a long time and NorthStar, since it's inception in 2001, has been trying to spread the word. Prepare now so that you don't have to stress about it later.
The past couple weeks preparedness, survivalism, food storage, global food crisis have all been in the news. These used to be terms that were attributed to extremists. Those survivalist people who lived in the woods with guns. Now, all of a sudden, it's mainstream and hip and yuppie. Do they still use the word yuppie?
Now the rich are building homes with preparedness potential, off the grid capability, panic rooms, bunkers, storage facilities. For years, people like us we ostracized for teaching people preparedness and survivability, now it's touted by the mainstream media. Welcome to global crisis.
So let's start with today's news:
Experts Debate Whether Rising Oil Costs Caused by Supply, Demand or Market Speculation
Washington, DC - Oil's meteoric rise to near $120 a barrel looks like more than just another economic bubble — growing demand and tighter supplies are likely to keep prices high. Some analysts say even $200 a barrel would not be out of the question.
The latest price surge — pushing crude to record heights in recent weeks, and to nearly double its level a year ago — has some key components of a classic bubble, when market prices climb far above their intrinsic value. The burst comes when investors realize the assets are overvalued.
But growing worldwide thirst for crude, in large part from the rapidly developing economies of China and India, means frustrated consumers probably won't get any relief.
http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,352681,00.html
U.N. Secretary-General Calls Rising Food Prices 'Global Crisis'
Friday, April 25, 2008
Associated Press
Vienna, Austria — A sharp rise in food prices has developed into a global crisis, U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said Friday.
Ban said the U.N and all members of the international community are very concerned, and immediate action is needed.
"This steeply rising price of food — it has developed into a real global crisis," Ban said, adding that the World Food Program has made an urgent appeal for additional $755 million.
http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,352556,00.html
Kenya Launches Safeguards Against Looming Grain Shortage
Fri Apr 25
Associated Foreign Press
Nairobi, Kenya has launched safeguards against a looming food shortage in the country after experts warned that the current grain reserve would last only until August, a top official said Friday.
Agriculture Minister William Ruto said the state-run National Cereals and Produce Board had four million bags of maize while farmers have 10 million bags in their stock which will last until August.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20080425/wl_africa_afp/kenyaunrestfoodgrains_080425222827
Negotiators Reach Tentative Deal on Multibillion-Dollar Farm Bill Friday
April 25, 2008
Washington, DC - Congressional negotiators reached a tentative agreement Friday on a multibillion-dollar farm bill that includes a hefty increase for nutrition programs at a time of rising food prices.
An intense series of closed-door bargaining sessions over how to pay for the five-year, roughly $280 billion bill ended Friday afternoon with senior Democrats expressing optimism that they would soon be sending the measure to President Bush.
To close stubborn funding gaps, negotiators agreed to cut an ethanol tax credit that has previously been seen as untouchable because of its popularity in politically potent Iowa. They sliced $1 billion in support for blending fuel with the corn-based additive, bringing the per-gallon credit from 51 cents to 45 cents.
They boosted support for another form of the clean-burning fuel additive — cellulosic ethanol, which is made from plant matter — by $400 million.
http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,352663,00.html
Bush Says Rebates Going Out Monday Will Boost Economy
Saturday, April 26, 2008
Washington, DC - President Bush said tax rebates will start going out Monday, earlier than previously announced, and should help Americans cope with rising gasoline and food prices, as well as aid a slumping economy.
http://www.foxnews.com/wires/2008Apr26/0,4670,BushEconomy,00.html
Supplies of Rice Drying Up Amid Worldwide Shortage
Bloomberg News
Oakland, California - A group of shoppers came into Farmer Joe's Marketplace in Oakland, Calif., one morning this week and bought all the 50-pound bags of rice. A few miles away at Berkeley Bowl Marketplace, long-grain rice is sold out.
"Our distributors can't get any," said Kirk Tamaki, 56, Berkeley Bowl's Asian food buyer. "Short-grain is all we have."
A global rice shortage that has forced China and Vietnam to curb overseas sales of the food staple has reached the San Francisco Bay area, home of one of the largest concentrations of Asian-Americans in the U.S. Stores, restaurants and food banks report dwindling supplies, and retail prices are rising.
http://news.enquirer.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080426/BIZ/804260348
Costco, Sam's Club Limit Customer Rice Purchases
WJZ-TV
Baltimore, Maryland - The point of big-box stores like Costco and Sam's Club is to buy huge quantities. But in the face of a rice shortage, they are limiting how much white rice customers can buy.The new limits imposed on consumers at bulk supply stores like Sam's Club and Costco aren't likely to affect the average consumer since most can deal with the four or five bag limit."I don't usually buy the large bags, so 20 pounds would be more than enough for me," said consumer Tracy Hogan.But restaurants who buy in large quantities are taking a big hit.The owner of Kiku Sushi in Federal Hill is now ordering two months supplies of rice at a time. They've seen the price for a 50-pound bag skyrocket in just one week.Though U.S. officials stress there is no rice shortage, many restaurants like Kiku Sushi are stockpiling their rice supplies before the price shoots even higher.
Some blame heavy demand from developing countries and poor crop yields for the 70 percent spike in rice prices.It's following similar jumps in the price of wheat, corn, soybeans and only adds to the strain on America's already stretched economy."The supply of rice in the world hasn't significantly changed. Demand's increased, but prices have outstripped everybody's expectations," said Tim Johnson with the California Rice Commission.
http://wjz.com/local/costco.sams.club.2.708114.html
USDA's Schafer Reassures No Rice Shortage
Thu Apr 24
Reuters
Kansas City, Missouri - U.S. Agriculture Secretary Ed Schafer on Thursday sought to calm the frayed nerves of consumers, saying there was no shortage of rice in the United States even as a major outlet limited sales
Export curbs by suppliers like Vietnam, India, Cambodia and Egypt to ensure sufficient domestic supplies have helped to push rice prices to record highs, with values in top exporter Thailand surging to $1,000 a ton.
Fears over shortages have sparked food riots in Africa and toppled the government in Haiti.
Rice prices at the CBOT rose to an all-time high above $25 per hundredweight during Asian trading hours on Thursday, but tumbled in Chicago trade amid signs that high prices had blunted export demand.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20080424/us_nm/usda_rice_dc_1
And here's the story that really burns my butt this week:U.S. Scrambles to Address International Food Crisis
The Bush administration and Congress have been caught flat-footed by rapidly escalating global food prices and are scrambling to respond to a crisis that they increasingly view as a threat to U.S. national security, according to government officials, congressional staffers and human rights experts.
The White House released $200 million in emergency wheat stores for developing countries last week, and Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said the administration is planning "further steps to help ease the burden of rising food prices on the world's neediest people." Options include building more overseas storage facilities and roads to reduce food spoiling, and making the food crisis a top priority for the G-8 summit of industrialized nations in July, administration officials said.
Prices for rice, corn, wheat and other food staples have skyrocketed in recent months, driven by record oil costs, severe droughts, the diversion of corn for ethanol use and rapidly growing demand in China and India, according to U.N. officials and other experts. In some of the poorest countries of Africa and Asia, where food costs can consume three-quarters of household income, prices have more than doubled in six months.
The escalating prices have sparked riots in more than a dozen nations, from Cameroon to Bangladesh to the Philippines. World Bank President Robert B. Zoellick warns that more than 30 nations are at risk of social unrest from the crisis and that at least 100 million additional people could be pushed into poverty in coming months.
Some rice-growing countries such as Vietnam and India have blocked exports of the grain in an attempt to stabilize their domestic markets, further increasing pressure on global prices. Pakistan's food minister Thursday raised the prospect of similar steps in Islamabad.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/04/25/AR2008042503278.html
So what do you do with all of this information?
You make an informed decision that suits your family. All we can do is pass on the information. You have to decide whether to heed it or not. And I suggest that you also do your own research. Each week when I post these shows in the blog section I give you the link to the news stories I reference. Read them for yourself. I just give you a snippet of the information. Listen to your local news. It's on all the news sources, not just conservative, not just liberal. It's mainstream.
I'm using my stimulus package check, those IRS checks that we're getting, to stock up on normal, everyday items. I'm not buying a high-def tv or car, etc. I don't have a credit card so I'm not worrying about that. I'm shopping the sales and stocking up on toothpaste, laundry detergent, deodorant, toilet paper, pet supplies, etc. I'll buy some seeds for the garden, some storage supplies like buckets & lids, and possibly a new food dehydrator so I can tag team those veggies when the flourish of fresh vegetables overtakes my kitchen.
Does your family like canned corn? Mine does and the name brands are over a dollar a can. Store brands are around 79 cents a can. If they're on sale for 50 cents a can or less, buy a case. If the store has it, buy the case that still has the plastic around it so they don't dump out. They're easier to carry. All veggies, same thing. And don't overlook mixed vegetables and soups. A can of mixed vegetables with a can of cream of chicken soup with a cooked, diced chicken breast is a nice casserole. Add biscuits or dumplings and it's a meal.
Start eating more simply. I went to my doctor, who is Vietnamese, because I'm still have some chest pain where I took a fall carrying in some firewood. I tore my diaphragm so now I have a hernia. They don't do surgery on this unless it's bad so it hurts and it give me some acid reflux. We had a conversation about food & eating and he said we Americans eat too much. A super-size meal at a fast food place is the equivalent amount of food for a family over there. Think about it. Take a giant, triple burger and cut it into four. Divide the fries by four. Take that giant drink and pour it into four glasses. It really is a meal for four people.
Eat less, eat locally, eat responsibly and eat what you can grow, catch, like fish and kill, like game or buy from local farmers.
Every year, before hunting season, we would take last years meat and make jerky. Slice the roasts and steaks thin and soak & dry or take the ground meat and mix with spices and use a jerky shooter to make pepperoni sticks and such.
If you stock up like we do then call around and see if you can get some free buckets with or without lids. Call bakeries, processing plants, etc. In Maryland I used to call the local apple sauce company. They had buckets with lids for 50 cents. If you buy used buckets get ones for food ONLY. You don't want anything that had chemicals in it or it might leach into your food. You can clean them with hot, soapy water and then disinfect them with a little bleach and cool water. Remember that if you use bleach and hot water then the bleach becomes ineffective. Then I let mine sit out in the sun to dry so that they get further disinfected and if there are any off smells then the sun will help bleach those out also.
Now, you'll hear a lot of different methods for storing in buckets. With or without bags, liners, mylar bags. With or without oxygen absorbers, dry ice, etc. Honestly, as long as you store it in a cool, dry place, properly sealed and rotate it You probably won't need all that. Again, do the research and decide which best suits your needs. I have never used anything more than the buckets. Occasionally I'll like it with a food grade polyethylene bag just to be able to keep the flour closed so it doesn't fluff up when I open the lids. Sugar and salt, in the 25 lb bags, slip right into the bucket in the bag they're in. Baking mixes, pancake mixes and such I take out of the box but leave in their inner bags. I only put one type of thing in a bucket so recently I got just add water pancake mix on sale. I bought 10 boxes since they were 10 for $10. When I got home I got out a bucket, opened each box, pulled out the bag of pancake mix and packed them into a bucket. Then I cut out the instructions, nutrition information and any recipes on the box and put them in the bucket. I closed the bucket and on the outside I taped the front of the box so we'd know what it was. It's really that simple.
If you buy rice in bags, beans, pasta, etc. just leave them in their bags, pack them in a bucket and use a label or masking tape and write what's inside. It's really that simple.
If you're buy canned food you can stack them up in a closet or even a corner. Put a piece of plywood on top and cover with a table cloth. Do this in front of a sunny window and you have a spot to put plants like herbs & lettuce for meals.
Glass jars should be put on shelves in a cool, dark place like a closet or pantry. If you live in a region that has earthquakes you may want to put glass items on lower shelves where they might survive a short drop provided the house doesn't pancake down on top of them. In all cases, bolt shelves to the wall. Hopefully it'll just rattle but not collapse.
Another way to stretch your food dollars, especially at this time of year, is to preserve fresh fruit & vegetables.
We got a great deal yesterday. 50 lbs of onions for $5. We also got 50 lbs of potatoes for $5.50. Celery was $1.75 for three large heads and carrots were 5 lbs for $2.00. We bought one package of each. Starting right after the show today I'll take the older potatoes from last time and dice them up. I'll blanch them for about 5 minutes and cool them in water with some Fruit Fresh, just citric acid, and then dry them in the food dryer. Until they're all done I'll store them in mason jars. I'll do the same for all the vegetables. Once they're all done I'll use a Food Saver machine and package them up in 1 cup bags and throw them all into a bucket. Some I'll mix into vegetable blends for quick soups. With the celery, once it's dry you can grind it up into a powder, mix with some salt and make your own celery salt. And save the celery leaves, too. Dry them and use them to flavor soups and broths.
Storing wheat, flour, cornmeal, etc. can sometimes be tricky. I've never had a problem with bugs except once I bought a boxed cornbread mix and when I went to use it there were little weevils in it. Other than that I've never done anything special and I've never had a problem. Some people freeze the bags of flour first to kill anything in it and then store it in buckets. If you're have a problem, do it. I grew up storing food and we never used anything special.
Powder drink mixes, beans, bottles of herbs, peppercorns, etc. are all great things to put into buckets just in the packaging they're in.
You can can your own items in #10 cans but the machine to seal them runs about $1,200. It might be something to invest in if you're a small group or team.
NorthStar definitely advocates setting up teams or groups of people who can rely on each other in a disaster. So chip in together and buy that machine and then set up a couple times a year where you all get together and stock up and can your dry goods.
There are sites that sell dried fruits & vegetables in cans. Buy them by the case and stack up the cases as furniture.
Use these items, too. If you rotate your storage food on a regular basis then you won't have a problem with bugs.
Now the recent rice shortage has caused some concerns. We eat a lot of rice so I bought a 50 lb bag in addition to the 25 pounders we already had. These I will put into a PE bag before I seal the buckets because rice is sometimes static-y and sticks to the plastic, etc.
If your lucky enough to have a room, closet, pantry set aside just for storage then consider some of the websites that show you how to build can racks. www.canracks.com has some great ideas. You can buy the plans or just figure out something on your own. You can also buy them pre-made from several places. I think even Costco or someone has them pre-made.
Other items to store are toiletries. If toothpaste is on sale for a 2 for something and it's a good deal. Buy extra. Razor blades, shaving cream, shampoo, soaps.
Recently there was a discussion about entertainment. You can store batteries but why not get the rechargable types and a solar charger. If the power goes out we can recharge the kids' video games, run the portable DVD player for a movie. This is about comfort.
I must have several dozen boxes of playing cards along with poker chips, dice, books on rules for card games and solitaire and even a book on board game rules. You can store chess and checker pieces and draw a board or use a cloth one that rolls up.
A bucket of hard candies, foil-bagged nuts, snacks, etc. make a hard time not so bad. I know one of our favorites are the giant bags of Jolly Rancher candies. My favorites are the orange and there's usually only like 10 out of 250 pieces so I also dig through and pull those out for me.
If a disaster hits and you're in your home for a period of time with no help you'll be happy you had this. If you have to evacuate you can always grabs a couple buckets to take with you. Especially if you listened to the emergency evacuation show and have a couple buckets with mixed items to grab and go.
If there's a disaster of the economic type like what we're seeing on the horizon then you'll be glad you had the extra food on hand so that things aren't so tight and that you're more comfortable. When the government is rationing bread, eggs, milk and cheese you'll have the little extras to go with it and you'll be happy you did.
This is all under your own control.
That's our show for today. Thanks for listening and remember, fear conscripts its own armies and takes its own prisoners.
This is Suzanne Dobbs with the NorthStar Preparedness Network show. Have a great weekend.
Original Air Date: 4/26/2008 7:00 PM UTC
Date / Time: 4/20/2008 2:38 PM UTC
Last week we talked about emergency evacuation and how to prepare your vehicle. The week before we touched on Sheltering In Place. This week I want to go back over the Shelter In Place discussion but focus on the topic of the global food crisis.
Let's start with some of this week's news stories because I can't believe that we're in such a position, globally, considering all this planet has to offer. There are too many reasons that we shouldn't be in this position and too many obvious, political reasons that we are. It's ridiculous.
So here's the news:
Hundreds of Thousands Face Famine as Rats Devour Rice Crops in IndiaFriday, April 18, 2008Associated PressGAUHATI, India - A food shortage has hit nearly 70 percent of a remoteIndian state's people after an army of rats began devouring rice cropsand triggered a famine scare, officials said Friday.http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,351740,00.htmlWorld Bank Leader Urges Action on FoodSunday, April 13, 2008Associated PressWashington, DC - The president of the World Bank on Sunday urgedimmediate action to deal with mounting food prices that have causedhunger and deadly violence in several countries.http://www.foxnews.com/wires/2008Apr13/0,4670,FinanceMeetings,00.htmlGuyana Gives Away Seeds Amid Food CrisisThursday, April 17, 2008Associated PressGeorgetown, Guyana - Guyana is tackling the soaring price of food inmarkets by sending citizens to their gardens to grow their own.http://www.foxnews.com/wires/2008Apr17/0,4670,GuyanaSeedGiveaway,00.htmlUN: North Korea Faces Potential Food CrisisWednesday, April 16, 2008Associated PressSeoul, South Korea - North Korea faces a looming food crisis due tofloods last year that devastated the country's agricultural heartland,exacerbating already perilous shortages, the U.N. food agency saidWednesday.http://www.foxnews.com/wires/2008Apr16/0,4670,NKoreaFoodShortages,00.htmFood CrisisFriday, March 14, 2008Washington Post EditorialWashington, DC - The skyrocketing commodity prices that have made theFarm Belt one of the most prosperous regions of the United States havehad a rather different impact on large areas of the developing world.Foodstuffs have gone up 41 percent in price since October 2007, pushingmany people over the line from poverty into privation or even hunger.The Food and Agriculture Organization, a branch of the United Nations,has identified 36 "crisis" countries, 21 of which are in Africa. TheWorld Food Program, another U.N. agency, estimates that it will need$500 million on top of what donor nations have already pledged to fillwhat the WFP calls a global "food gap." http://www.washingtonpost.com/ac2/related/topic/South+Africa?tid=informlineGlobal Food Crisis Looms as Climate Change and Fuel Shortages BiteSaturday November 3 2007 The Guardian London, England - Empty shelves in Caracas. Food riots in West Bengaland Mexico. Warnings of hunger in Jamaica, Nepal, the Philippines andsub-Saharan Africa. Soaring prices for basic foods are beginning to leadto political instability, with governments being forced to step in toartificially control the cost of bread, maize, rice and dairy products.http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2007/nov/03/food.climatechangeFood Crisis Feared as Fertile Land Runs OutDecember 6, 2005 The GuardianMadison, WI - New maps show that the Earth is rapidly running out offertile land and that food production will soon be unable to keep upwith the world's burgeoning population. The maps reveal that more thanone third of the world's land is being used to grow crops or grazecattle.http://www.commondreams.org/headlines05/1206-01.htmBangladesh Faces Food Crisis Thursday, 10 April 2008 BBC NewsDhaka, Bangledesh - There is a simple enough way of judging how seriousBangladesh's food crisis has become this year - it is to count thechanging number of people queuing up to buy government-subsidised riceeach day. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/business/7341111.stmThe Food Crisis: Global Markets and Deregulation Strike AgainApril 18th, 2008 Food First/Institute for Food and Development PolicyYou wouldn't know it by watching Congressional debate on C-SPAN, but ifyou turn on the news, it's clear that the global food system is incrisis. Food prices globally have skyrocketed, in some cases 80%. Foodprotests and riots from Italy to Yemen have begun capturing worldwideattention, and policymakers are scrambling to point fingers at a litanyof culprits-everything from climate change, high oil prices, a weakdollar and the biofuels boom, to meat eaters in China. All of thesefactors have played a part in the current crisis, but the blame game isalso allowing one culprit-the principle protagonist in this story-to getaway with not even a mention. It's a character you might have heard ofrecently for its role in that little unfortunate sub-prime mortgagemess. That's right, deregulation.http://www.foodfirst.org/en/node/2099Pouring Fuel on the FoodApril 16th, 2008 Food First/Institute for Food and Development PolicyThis week's headlines are ablaze with reports of food riots. Seeminglyovernight, the world went from cheap food and surpluses to food pricesspiking 80% and countries banning exports of food in an attempt to staveoff shortages. http://www.foodfirst.org/en/node/2090Rising Food Prices, Rising Food ProtestsApril 11th, 2008 Food riots are currently on the rise across the globe, caused less byshortfalls in world food production than by the rising food prices thatincreased 45 percent in the past 9 months (July 2007 through March2008), according to the FAO.The global surge in protests and conflicts over rising food prices beganin January 2007 with Mexico's "tortilla crisis" when tortilla pricesmore than doubled over the previous year. The country's dominanttortilla producers, Gruma (of which ADM owns 27%), claimed that it waspassing along the high corn prices that were being pushed up by USethanol policy. However, public outrage pressured the president to openan investigation as to whether the company had been hoarding supplies soas to artificially lift prices even further. Reports say that 70,000protesters took to the streets, some with banners reading "no queremosPAN, queremos tortillas" in a play on the word "pan" that rejected boththe white bread that some households had been forced to switch to aswell as President Calderon's PAN political party. For more, seehttp://grist.org/comments/food/2007/02/22/tortillas/As grain prices continued to rise-corn, wheat, and soy have eachapproximately doubled over the past two years-discontent erupted inplaces that had not fallen victim to such overt price-gouging.* Italy: In September, Italians boycotted their national food, pasta,for one day to protest a jump in the cost of wheat and other staples.http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/6992444.stm* Morocco: Protesters stymied government plans to raise the price ofbread by 30% after a confrontation that injured at least 50 people.Violence returned in January, killing 60.http://english.aljazeera.net/NR/exeres/F6F855F2-BF6D-4C99-BBF9-E21FDA362...* Mauritania: In November, one person died and several were injuredafter police clashed with groups of mostly young people complainingabout the price of cereals and oils.http://www.mg.co.za/articlepage.aspx?area=/breaking_news/breaking_news__...* Senegal: Riots were sparked after the president issued an order toevict street vendors in a climate of growing discontent over food pricesand inequality. "Prices of basic commodities are reachingincomprehensible levels," a union leader told the Integrated RegionalInformation Networks. http://allafrica.com/stories/200711220888.html* Indonesia: In January, 10,000 protesters pressured the government tolift an import tax on soy, a predominately imported staple source ofprotein for working people, that had doubled in price on world markets.http://www.asiaone.com/News/Latest%2BNews/Asia/Story/A1Story20080215-498...* Burkina Faso: In February rioters targeted government buildings twoweeks after officials pledged to take "strong measures" to control therising prices of food and other basic goods.http://www.irinnews.org/Report.aspx?ReportId=76905* Cameroon: At least 20 people were killed in the country's worstrioting in 15 years after the president announced an extension to hisregime's rule. Protesters demanded cuts in food and fuel prices as wellas the president's resignation.http://uk.reuters.com/article/oilRpt/idUKL2934234720080229?pageNumber=1&...* Yemen and Middle East: A dozen people were killed in a string ofprotests over bread prices that have doubled over the past four months.http://www.nytimes.com/2008/02/25/world/middleeast/25economy.html?_r=1&r...* Egypt: Shortages of subsidized bread have created long lines, makingfor tense situations that have occasionally turned violent. At least 10people died during the first two weeks of March outside of bakeries thatproduce subsidized bread.http://www.reliefmine.com/articles/preparedness/61-preparedness/101-foodhttp://www.foodfirst.org/en/node/2086France to Double Aid for Food Crisis April 18, 2008Allied Foreign PressParis, France - France will double its emergency food aid this year,spending 60 million euros (100 million dollars), President NicolasSarkozy said Friday, as he warned the world's food crisis was breedingunrest.http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20080418/bs_afp/francepovertyinflationaid_080418095730
And for the one GREAT news article I saw:
UK Finds 15 Possible Sites for Eco-TownsThursday, April 03, 2008Associated PressLondon, England - The British government selected 15 possible locationsThursday for its ambitious plans to build 10 new low-energy,carbon-neutral towns entirely from recycled materials.http://www.foxnews.com/wires/2008Apr03/0,4670,BritainEcoTowns,00.html
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Can you believe all this? I'm not sure it's been this bad in all the years I've been alive which is 43. I vaguely remember the gas & energy crisis in 1973. I don't think that there has been a food crisis of this level in my lifetime.
I think our biggest problem here in the US will be due to the price of fuel raising the price of food. I know that I can't afford to commute and keep buying food at the same time. Gasoline is over $3.50 a gallon here and milk is $4.29 per gallon. I can shop around and get these cheaper. I have a special gas station I go to where gas was still $3.39/gallon this morning and up the street it was $3.77.
I can shop around and get milk for $3.57 a gallon. But how much gas will I spend going out of my way?
Stocking up and shopping the sales is what you need to do. For everything, not just food.
Our website, at www.preparednessnetwork.org/northstar has all the FEMA & Red Cross recommendations but I'm talking about some serious stocking up. Buckets, cans, bottles & jars of back up emergency food.
Per person you should have the following for one year:
Grains
150 pounds of wheat
25 pounds flour, corn meal, oats
50 pounds rice
25 pound pasta
This is 300 pounds of grains per person
Fats & Oils
4 lbs shortening
2 gal vegetable oil
2 qt mayonnaise
1 qt salad dressing
4 lbs peanut butter
For a total of 25 lbs fats & oils
Legumes/Beans
30 lbs dry beans
5 lbs lima beans
10 lbs soy beans
5 lbs split peas
5 lbs lentils
5 lbs dry soup mix
For a total of 60 lbs of legumes/beans
Sugars
3 lbs Honey
40 lbs sugar
3 lbs brown sugar
1 lbs molassas
3 lbs corn syrup
3 lbs jam
6 lbs fruit drink, powdered
1 lbs flavored gelatin
For a total of 60 lbs of sugar
Dairy
60 lbs Dry Milk
12 lb Evaporated Milk
13 lbs Other
For a total of 75 lbs of dairy
Cooking & Baking Staples
1 lbs Baking Powder
1 lbs Baking Soda
0.5 lbs Yeast
5 lbs Salt
0.5 gal Vinegar
14 gal water
1 gal bleach
You'll have to get meat through hunting and fishing unless you've stored a lot of canned meat. The list above are the staples. The basics that will give you protein and energy to survive but you'll have to learn how to hunt & gather to supplement these items.
Get a good book that lists the local plants that are edible. Make sure it's for your region.
Do you like your spring mix salad or mesclun salad? Some of what are in these mixes are weeds and wild plants like dandelions, corn salat, purslane - stuff that you can find in your yard, around your neighborhood, etc. You have to make sure that these items aren't treated. Don't use chemicals on your lawns. And don't forage next to a travelled road. The remnants of exhaust can contaminate the food.
Plant a garden. You can plant in containers and keep them in lighted windows in your home if you don't have a deck, patio or yard. You can buy seeds that are sealed in a can for long-term storage. These are heirloom seeds which are the kind you want to buy. Heirloom seeds are seeds that you can save and they will grow the same plant next time. Seeds nowadays are genetically-modified and if you save the seeds and replant them you may not even get the same plant. You definitely won't be able to harvest the same vegetables or fruits.
Stock up on canned food. Take your budget and add a buffer in it in case there's something on sale so that you can buy extras. Canned food needs to be rotated but you can do that by putting new purchases behind old purchases.
Also, watch buying at big box club stores. It's not always a deal and I've actually seen where it would cost more to buy six cans of corn then if you bought the same brand at the grocery store that's not on sale.
Books Recommended in This Show:Squarefoot Gardening by Mel Bartholomew Living on An Acre: A Practical Guide to the Self-Reliant Life by U.S. Department. of Agriculture (Author), Christine Woodside (Editor) The Self-Sufficient Life and How to Live It by John Seymour and Deirdre HeadonThe Self-Reliant Homestead: A Book of Country Skills by Charles A. Sanders The Modern Homestead Manual by Skip Thomsen and et al Root Cellaring: Natural Cold Storage of Fruits & Vegetables by Mike Bubel (Author), Nancy Bubel (Author) Back to Basics: How to Learn and Enjoy Traditional American Skills by Reader's Digest
Original Air Date: 4/19/2008 7:00 PM UTC
Date / Time: 4/12/2008 8:11 PM UTC
Welcome to the NorthStar Preparedness Network Show. I'm your host, Suzanne Settle. Welcome to our second show. We will be on for 30 minutes today and then move to a one hour show beginning next Saturday, April 19th, at 12pm, Noon, Pacific Standard Time.
Each week we will discuss current news events as they pertain to emergency preparedness and planning for your family. We are not a political show but politics sometimes creep in to emergency response and preparedness. We will always double check news stories to confirm that they’re accurate and we will cite the sources. We will cover topics each week in the hopes that should a disaster strike we will have helped you prepare.Occasionally we will have guests on the show and we encourage you to call in and join the conversation. The guest call in number is (347) 838-9205. Feel free to ask questions about your specific needs and visit our website at NorthStar Preparedness Network for the FEMA and American Red Cross emergency preparedness lists and recommendations. If you're on BlogTalkRadio right now you can go to our page by searching for NorthStarXO. That also lists our call-in number. You can also email us using our Questions & Comments link on our website.
Future shows will cover Home & Business Emergency Preparedness, in-depth Sheltering In Place, and more. If you have any ideas be sure to email me directly at northstarxo@preparednessnetwork.org or leave a message here on BlogTalkRadio for us. You can also contact us through our website which is again, NorthStar Preparedness Network and use the Comments & Questions link.
Be sure to visit our blog here on BlogTalk Radio and we’ll post each week's episode with valuable links. And on our MySpace page at NorthStar Preparedness on MySpace
Last week I did a quick 30 minutes on Food Storage. I've given a lot of public seminars & classes on family home preparedness and I can tell you that 30 minutes isn't enough but it's a subject that interjects itself into other aspects of preparedness so it'll get covered over and over and we'll do another show on it here in a couple weeks, especially in light of the crop damage and food shortages that are occurring world-wide.
Since I told you that you need to stock all this food and that you needed to plant fruits & vegetables then I assume that you're, at least initially, going to shelter in place.
When a disaster strikes there are several options:
1) Sheltering-in-place. This is where you hunker down in your location and stay put. You should be prepared enough to take care of yourself and your family without expecting local, state or federal help. Now I'm not saying suck it up and take it. If a family member is injured or ill, if your home is no longer stable, if there's is a clear & present danger, then get the heck out. That's just common sense. But if you can, if you're in a good, safe location, then why go anywhere else?
2) The next option is emergency evacuation which is today's topic. Emergency evacuation is for when the danger warrants that you leave your home and it’s no longer safe to shelter-in-place It means you can't stay where you are, it's not safe, and you're leaving. You should have bags packed in advance and something that holds copies of important documents so that you can "grab & go".
3) The third option, which I don't count as an option, is government shelters. In the case of Hurricanes Katrina and Rita, people who had no place to evacuate to and who, for obvious reason couldn't shelter-in-place, had to go to a facilities that held literally thousands and tens of thousands of people. We all saw from the news reports how poorly-organized these facilities were. Now politics could creep in here but I'm not going to go there. We'll save that topic for another day also.
Let's give a quick run down of current news this week and see what would make you "bug out":
GRANTS PASS, Ore. - Scientists listening to underwater microphones have detected an unusual swarm of earthquakes off central Oregon, something that often happens before a volcanic eruption — except there are no volcanoes in the area. Scientists don't know exactly what the earthquakes mean, but they could be the result of molten rock rumbling away from the recognized earthquake faults off Oregon, said Robert Dziak, a geophysicist for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and Oregon State University.There have been more than 600 quakes over the past 10 days in a basin 150 miles southwest of Newport. The biggest was magnitude 5.4, and two others were more than magnitude 5.0, OSU reported.On the hydrophones, the quakes sound like low thunder and are unlike anything scientists have heard in 17 years of listening, Dziak said. Some of the quakes have also been detected by earthquake instruments on land.The hydrophones are left over from a network the Navy used to listen for submarines during the Cold War. They routinely detect passing ships, earthquakes on the ocean bottom and whales calling to one another.Scientists hope to send out an OSU research ship to take water samples, looking for evidence that sediment has been stirred up and chemicals that would indicate magma is moving up through the Juan de Fuca Plate, Dziak said.The quakes have not followed the typical pattern of a major shock followed by a series of diminishing aftershocks, and few have been strong enough to be felt on shore.The Earth's crust is made up of plates that rest on molten rock, which are rubbing together. When the molten rock, or magma, erupts through the crust, it creates volcanoes.That can happen in the middle of a plate. When the plates lurch against each other, they create earthquakes along the edges.In this case, the Juan de Fuca Plate is a small piece of crust being crushed between the Pacific Plate and North America, Dziak said.
Late-Winter Snow Storm Buries Ohio Valley, Delaying Hundreds of Flights
COLUMBUS, Ohio — A foot of snow buried parts of the Ohio and Tennessee valleys early Saturday, shutting down travel and many public events.
Blizzard warnings remained in effect in Ohio, with winter storm warnings from Tennessee to upstate New York and northern Maine. Wind up to 35 mph whipped the snow and cut visibility to less than a quarter mile in places, the weather service said.
Flooding Causes Havoc Across Kentucky
LOUISVILLE, Ky. — Unusually heavy rain has caused flooding in some areas of western Kentucky and may have been a contributing factor in a deadly interstate wreck in south-central Kentucky.
State police were investigating the cause of a crash that killed five people Wednesday morning on Interstate 65 in Hart County. The crash happened during heavy rain, Kentucky State Police Trooper Todd Holder said.
Tornadoes Hit Texas, OklahomaA line of severe thunderstorms, possible tornadoes and even snow pounded the nation's heartland on Thursday, flooding nearly 200 roads in Missouri, closing schools in Arkansas and ripping the roofs of dozens of houses in Texas.
The band of storms stretched from Colorado and Nebraska, which was expected to get up to 10 inches of snow, to Texas, where high winds and driving rain at one point quarter of a million people were left without power.
In Missouri, 3-4 inches of rain fell in just a few hours, unleashing flash floods that swamped parts of 180 roads across the state.
More Active Hurricane Season Predicted
Noted Colorado State University hurricane forecasters have predicted a "well-above-average" 2008 hurricane season.
Forecasters William Gray and Phil Klotzbach told a weather conference here Wednesday that 15 named tropical storms are expected to form in the Atlantic Ocean during the upcoming June 1 to November 30 season.
Gray said eight of the 2008 storms would develop into hurricanes and indicated that there was an "above-average" chance that at least one major hurricane will make landfall in the Caribbean.
The forecaster, who has been issuing long-range hurricane forecasts for decades, said this summer will "continue a trend of above-average hurricane seasons that started in 1995".
And this is just the weather this past week.
Some of these situations warrant that you shelter-in-place like the snow storms, civil disruptions like the riots out here in Seattle a couple years back, pandemic/disease outbreak.
Emergency Evacuation is warranted when there is a imminent threat to the shelter you're in like wild fires, hurricanes, tornadoes if you have advance warning, the aftermath of earthquakes, volcano eruptions, tsunami warning, rising flood waters, etc.
If it’s a situation where you have to go then you have to be prepared to go. In advance.
So here’s what you do.
First, prepare your vehicle. It should always be kept up anyway. You shouldn't let your gas tank go below 1/2 full. I know that sounds kind of anal but if you always have a 1/2-full tank then you can always go at least that distance without filling up. Especially if there’s going to be a LOT of traffic on the roads.
Do regular oil changes, keep an eye on your tire pressure. I know I’m preaching to the choir but common sense isn’t so common anymore.
Next, get a container with a lid. Like those big storage box-type containers that you can keep in your trunk. In it should go:
Water - enough for everyone who’d going to be with you. You don’t have to buy individual bottles. Just throw a gallon or two of drinking water and an extra for pets or a vehicle. Add some cups and a bowl for pets. If you do individual bottles, add a gallon to refill the bottles with. They make the single use fruit drinks to add to the water. Plus single use coffee bags (like tea bags) or the little envelopes of instant coffee and tea bags. Also throw in a bottle of water purification tablets.
Food - Meal Replacement Bars, granola bars, pretzels, crackers, small jar of peanut butter. Include utensils to eat with and a good, sharp knife for food gathering. Instant soup crystals. A small Esbit stove or single burner stove to heat water. MRE’s if you can afford them. I don’t particularly care for them because it’s not food you normally eat and it can be hard to get the kids to eat it unless you make it fun. Better to pack some canned tuna, cans of ravioli and such can be heated in the cans for a warm meal. And add some hard candy but no chocolate, it’ll just melt.
Shelter - Well your vehicle will be shelter but I keep blankets or sleeping bags depending on the seasons or the climate you live in. In the bin put emergency blankets, one for each person. A small tent is nice - they make them so compact nowadays. Also include a small axe.
Clothing - A change of clothes, including undergarments. I rotate out by season - you don’t want a snow parka at the height of summer and shorts would put you in harms way in the dead of winter. Add a rain poncho for each person. Keeping dry will keep you warm and will keep morale up.
Personal Items - A good first aid kit, toilet paper, hand sanitizer, wipes, personal hygiene items.
Light - You should have a flashlight inside the vehicle ready to go. You should also have one in the bin in the trunk but don’t store the batteries in it. Store them separately. Add some tea light candles and weatherproof matches.
Tools - A multi-tool is very useful in many situations along with a folding shovel. General tools that you should have in your vehicle, like a crowbar, screwdrivers, wrenches, fuses, etc. Tire repair kits and a portable air compressor, spare oil and antifreeze should be stored in the vehicle.
Safety Items - Masks (like the dust masks) for each person in the family, work-type gloves for each person, reflective vests, safety goggles and bandannas.
And the most important aspect of Emergency Evacuation? Where are you going?
This should be planned in advance, hopefully with family & friends who live in safer locations. You should have emergency phone numbers and call someone and let them know you're on your way. Hopefully you've planned this before the emergency arises. If you know you have a hurricane coming in the next 48-72 hours, call someone, let them know you might be heading in their direction. Once you're on the road, use your cell phone if you have one and can get service. Call and let them know you're on your way but then, turn the cell phone off. This way you preserve the battery in case something happens and you'll be able to be tracked using your cell signal. Turn it on only to call.
Plan your route carefully, have a map and plan more than one route in case roads are blocked or an overpass has collapsed, etc. This is why you have to pay attention to your situation and your surroundings and make an informed decision to leave early as opposed to leaving with the crowd.
I know that this isn't always possible in the case of an earthquake or tornado, etc. But it does make sense to pay attention and think in advance. Last minute preparedness means things missed and opportunities lost.
So, that wraps it up for today. I want to thank you for listening today and hope that you’ll listen each week as we tackle your family’s emergency preparedness needs.
Original Air Date: 4/12/2008 7:30 PM UTC
Date / Time: 4/7/2008 2:35 AM UTC
I want to thank everyone who emailed with kind words and kudos. The idea for this show came from several news groups that I'm a part of. It's what everyone is talking about and it needs to get out to more people which is what NorthStar is all about.
The people on these lists and groups are already brilliantly preparing like we are but there are so many people who are at seminars and such that have no idea what's going on unless they hear it on their nightly news or on daytime talk shows. That's where we come in.People don't always join groups because they're not "joiners" or they're afraid that we're a bunch of extremists crying "the sky is falling".I try to give a calming voice to preparedness and survival while trying to stress the dangerous situation our planet it in.For everyone on our groups & MySpace and emails - KUDOS & THANKS! Let's keep getting the information out there.To those who are just starting out and need more information - ASK, JOIN, GOOGLE & READ.It's up to us to get the word out there and it's up to you to prepare yourself, your family and your home.This was our first show and it was pretty darn good for a one-woman show. I hope that if you have a voice that you'll join us on Saturdays. If you'd like to be a guest let us know. Email me at northstarxo@preparednessnetwork.orgSuzanne SettleXO, NorthStar Preparedness Networkwww.preparednessnetwork.org/northstarwww.myspace.com/northstarpreparedness"Fear conscripts its own armies, takes its own prisoners."
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