Core Beliefs of Resiliency Training

My motto is Be Prepared and Learn How to Thrive not just survive. These tenants are the core principles which I live by. I fully believe that every person should learn how to take care of themselves in the event of a disaster. To me that means having the right kind of food and a supply that will last at least a month. There are far too many scenerios in which we could find ourselves without a power supply and everything in the refrigerator and freezer will quickly become hazardous to eat. After a lot of research, I've come to believe that freeze dried food is the way to go. Every meal is ready to eat in minutes and only requires the addition of clean drinking water. Freeze dried food is easy to store and there are a lot of vendors out there who offer a five gallon bucket with a month supply of food in variety packs for families. Another bonus is the cost per meal which can be as low as $.31.

I know a lot of people that store huge quantities of water in order to feel more prepared but I believe that water storage is not convenient enough to be a viable solution for many families. The water has be changed out every six months to avoid bacteria build-up or the addition of bleach to kill any harmful organisms. Instead, having a water source nearby such as a rain barrel system, lake or stream along with homemade water filtering system that will take care of any contaminants is the better way to go. I created a filtering system using a high quality gravity purifier that can provide me clean water using any water source. A good catchment system assures me a source of water for short term needs but I also am lucky enough to have a large pond nearby to collect water. Every person in the household should have about five gallons of fresh water every day.

I also believe in knowing enough basic first aid to handle common medical issues during times of disaster. I went through the CERT (Community Emergecy Response Training) in order to learn the how to prepare for and handle the type of medical emergencies I might see during and after a disaster.

I believe everyone should be able to survive for the short term in the outdoors should the need arise. Knowing how to prioritize your needs is the most important piece of moving from survival to thriving. The skills to create your shelter, a fire, procure food and water are all things you can only learn by doing but having those skills can give you an immense sense of empowerment.

The path to self-reliance has become an incredibly interesting journey in itself. I have found many people that are also on the same path. My goal is to pass on the skills that I have mastered or connect people to other organizations or people that have the skills and knowledge to help people towards that goal. This spring, with the help of the Victory Garden Initiative, I will be creating a permaculture design to grow my own food and raise chickens. I'll be writing about this venture as it unfolds so that others can follow the same path.