Be Prepared! Prep with Norwex.
Have you seen the Lion King? When I hear the words “Be Prepared” all I can think of is Scar and his Hyenas singing as they are putting their plan together to take over Pride Rock… But, I am not here to talk about that! Rather, I am here to talk about being prepared, and how to Prep with Norwex to build your emergency plan. Earlier this month, I did a quick video on how Norwex helped our family during the Texas “Snowvid” or “Snowmaggeddon” that shut down much of Texas’ power and water. You can watch that here: https://youtu.be/ArErjYb1zug.
September is National Preparedness Month
Do you know that September is National Preparedness Month (also known as NPM)? As we close out this month, I believe that every month, not just September, is a good time to take inventory of how you and your loved ones would fare through a natural disaster. The NPM theme this year is “Prepare to Protect. Preparing for disasters is protecting everyone you love.”
We don’t know what emergency, natural disaster or crisis is around the corner.
On a regular basis, it is helpful to take a moment and PREPARE ourselves for disasters or emergencies that could happen at any time! You never know what is going to come your way – did Texas EVER think that a snowstorm and “ice-aggeddon” would hit the region and leave THOUSANDS of residents without power and water for days? NOPE!!!
And, how many of those were PREPARED to be stranded in their houses? Looking back, I am grateful for what we did have, but our family learned a lot through the experience and we were undoubtedly not adequately prepared. We were lucky, as we had enough to make it through, but next time I vowed that I would BE PREPARED for whatever was going to come our way – and not just for me, but for our FAMILY. The fact is, we never know what may happen. I make sure that I have basic supplies for scratches, headaches, sniffles, and so forth, but also that we have a supply of any medications that our family needs on a regular basis.
Disasters are SCARY for everyone, and I believe that a little forethought can make a huge difference in how we navigate through them.
At the government’s website, www.ready.gov, they provide TONS of information and easy steps to HELP YOU get yourself in a more prepared position.
Quick overview of their weekly themes.
Week 1: Make a Plan – have a chat with your family about what is going to happen during an emergency and how you are going to handle it.
Week 2: Build a kit – Put together a kit of all things you and your family will need so you are able to be self-sufficient when a disaster hits. Tomorrow – I am going to delve into this one. I am going to show you what I have in my newly built kit and why.
Week 3: How to be in the KNOW – sign up for alerts, making sure important documents are safe, etc.
Week 4: COMMUNICATE with your KIDS! Kids don’t realize sometimes the severity of disasters – have a conversation with them on what the family plan is if an emergency were to occur, especially if you are separated (which our family is just now newly experiencing with our oldest off at university)!
Obviously, where your live in the country directly impacts what YOU need to be prepared for. Every region has different potential disasters – so make sure you are aware of what may come your way…..granted the Texas Snow-vid was a bit of a surprise….but following those steps will make sure that you are PREPARED.
I encourage you to do your own research. Check out the website (https://www.ready.gov/ and ready yourself. It really will not take a lot of time if you follow the steps above, and it will add a little bit of CONTROL that will help when all is chaotic if/when a disaster hits your household.
Now, let’s talk about some things that we have added to our preparedness kit.
Willie and I have experienced two major floods in our lives (Grand Forks, ND and Cedar Rapids, IA) during those two “500-year floods”, and my family’s farm was also largely destroyed by tornado winds when I was in high school, so I do have a passion for being prepared.
And growing up on a farm with family, pets, and livestock all dependent on the preparedness forethought from my parents and grandparents made me more aware of the importance of preparedness. OK- what are a few things to think about?
(Again, I encourage you to do your own research and make sure your kit works FOR YOU & your specific situation! This article is more about getting you to consider things, certainly not an all-inclusive coverage- there are tons of those all over the web!)
WATER
Above all, have enough WATER. Water is critical. Although the human body can survive quite a long while without food, potable drinking water is essential to life. So this is always my #1. People vary on how they prepare for this, including high filtration straws to remove contaminants, gravity water filters, keeping some stored water to account for about 1 gallon of water usage per person per day.
I believe that you should have at least 2 weeks of water for EVERY MEMBER of your household. That includes your pets! And, for breastfeeding mamas out there, know that you have to account for extra water to be able to continue to sustain your infant, as well. I also think that you should have some so you are able to do some basic cleaning. It’s amazing how quickly dirt and grime build up, and having some clean water to wipe your counters down, do some dishes, etc. will go a long way.
Non-Perishable Food
We need to eat, especially during times of stress and perhaps more caloric output due to stress and work required during emergencies. Make sure you have a good supply of NON PERISHABLES available to you. Yes, a big part of this is canned goods. These will be needed once you eat through everything in your fridge, and if the power is out, this will be the food that keeps without refrigeration. Oh, and make sure you know where your can opener is.
First Aid Supplies & Medical/ Health Needs
Again, be sure to consider prescription medications! In emergency situations, we certainly never want to have a medical emergency added to it. Think about bandages for small cuts, antibiotic creams, hydrogen peroxide, etc. (Again, many EXCELLENT resources online to help you build your first-aid kit.)
Another thing to consider in this category is if your family regularly takes vitamins or uses natural herbs, etc. In times of stress and emergency, it often becomes even more important to have adequate nutritional support for keeping your immune system strong.
Light Source: Flashlights with extra batteries or candles and matches
Let me emphasize… flashlights that WORK!! Make sure you test everything before you put it in your kit! Losing power happens very quickly and can be very unexpected, make sure you can SEE if that happens. Waterproof matches are not a bad idea, if there is flooding involved.
Paper products
Certainly, after experiencing the toilet paper and paper towel shortages in the midst of covid, these items are fresh in our minds. Have some backup.
Toiletries
I am talking toothpaste, deodorant (your family will thank you for remembering this one), hand sanitizer, and any feminine supplies. This quite often gets missed, but you will thank me for reminding you…
Now, onto something else important….the Norwex Items that I add and why I prep with Norwex!
Norwex EnviroCloth
This is actually the very first thing that I put in my cleaning/ sanitation preparedness kit. I fully believe that every kit should have one or two or three of these. And here is why – this cloth can MECHANICALLY clean your whole house with JUST WATER (hence why I said to have extra water for cleaning!). No chemicals needed! (Again, think about how keeping your health ON POINT through a disaster is KEY!)
Norwex silver-embedded microfiber has the Baclock Technology, which is truly amazing when only water is added.
The weave, size and density of the Norwex microfiber allows it to remove up to 99% of bacteria from the surface using JUST WATER and the silver that is embedded in the BacLock microfiber helps to self-clean the cloth so you can use it over and over again between laundering.
This is a game-changer when you are stuck at home and not sure when or if you are next going to be able to get out to a store. Depending on the emergency – you could be stuck for days, or you could have a major mess in your house that needs to be cleaned. I highly recommend getting some of these cloths added to your preparedness plan!
Dishwashing Liquid
Why this, you ask? Because a little goes a long way. I recognize that you may have your favorite dish soap, but this will truly help when you are trying to conserve your precious store of water. The smallest amount will clean all your dishes – and at some point, you will need to wash dishes because if the garbage is not getting picked up – you will not want to use paper plates ALL THE TIME! As you’ll see in my video above, I dilute this in water with a bit of the Norwex Degreaser (in the Norwex Forever Bottle) and this is HOW we wash our dishes all the time!
Hand Sanitizer
When you are short on water, washing your hands all the time is hard, yet cleanliness and sanitation becomes more important than ever. The Norwex Hand Sanitizer is more gentle to your hands when used over and over again, as compared to other hand sanitizers that we’ve used. It is full of aloe vera and glycerin to moisturize with every use and has been tested and kills 99% of the germs.
Norwex Face & Body Cloths
YES, yes, yes!! The more BacLock microfiber you can have one hand during crazy times, the better, in my opinion! Hand Towels, Kitchen Towels and Cloths, etc. The Face & Body Cloth is super important, though, for personal sanitation when you don’t have access to showering. In our Texas ice storm experience, we (household of 4 teenage or pre-teen boys) were extremely grateful for this! (Oh, and I must also mention that I’m loving the NEW Norwex deodorant, too!)
Norwex Reusable Face Mask with BacLock
I have to be straight with you… I hate wearing a mask. I just do. But when you DO need a mask, I have found that the Norwex mask provides some significant benefits. It has been proven to filter 81% of 0.1 micron-sized particles, and has the BacLock self-cleaning, silver-embedded properties to reduce the growth of acne-causing bacteria in the mask by more than 99%!
That was a LONG sentence, but in short, it really is a step above most personal-use reuseable masks and I truly can not say enough about the BacLock Technology with the silver embedded into this face mask. My boys chose this one as their favorite during the time that they were required to wear them for school. Masks are helpful when the air is full of dust or smoke, and when the shelves are sold out of disposable masks, it is helpful to have some backup options. Although, it is not considered a medical-grade mask, it has been tested and proven to hold up under ASTM F2100/F2299 Protocols.
Laundry Detergent
Yes, you may end up doing some quick washes by hand with your cleaning water supply- you’ll want some detergent on hand! We love the Norwex Ultra Power Plus Detergent because a little goes a LONG way!
Rubber Broom
Really? YES REALLY!! And not just to clean my house! This broom is amazing to push water away from your doors (flood) or clean snow off your car (blizzard) TRUST ME. This broom is one of the most versatile items Norwex has come out with.
So, that is my starter list. There are many others that I would include, but I’m not here to write a book, LOL! My question for you- Do you have an emergency kit? And if so, what is in it? What would you add to this list? I’d love to hear in the comments!
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