Year’s Supply: Too Much, Too Little?

Provident Principles and Practices

© David Edwards, 2009

PRINCIPLES: Current church counsel is to first obtain a reserve of several month’s worth of ordinary foods that we regularly eat, and then, once we have done that, to acquire additional food-storage items such as grains and legumes that can be stored for a long time, which can keep us and our children alive if nothing else is available to eat. The Church also mentions that we may wish to store sugar, nonfat dry milk, salt, baking soda, cooking oil, Vitamin C and other essential nutrients. (See Elder Keith B. McMullin, General Conference, April 2007; and providentliving.org.)
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PRACTICES:























Current Church guidelines supersede older guidelines for a year’s supply of food for one person of 400 lbs. grain, 60 lbs. legumes, 60 lbs. sugar or honey, 16 lbs. powdered milk, 10 quarts oil, and 8 lbs. salt, as illustrated in the photo at the top. Divided into daily portions, such a supply is only sufficient for one loaf of bread and a third of a cup of beans, as shown in the lower photo. Would you want just this, or more? Are you ready for the events of these, the latter days?

Photos used by permission from “Bakersdozen”; taken from http://www.ldsavow.com/forum/showthread.php?t=113857&page=2 (accessible only by subscription).

Bedding and Disaster Supply Kits

Provident Principles and Practices
© David Edwards, 2009

PRINCIPLES: “Emergency Storage (Easily accessible and in a portable container)(See p. 7) . . . Bedding . . . Blanket, Cloth Sheet, Plastic Sheet.” – The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Essentials of Home Production and Storage, 1978, p. 11.

“Bedding – Include . . . Blankets or sleeping bags . . . .” – The American Red Cross, Charter Oak Chapter Web site, 2009

PRACTICES: Few of us wish to be like those of whom it is said: “Out in the desert they wander, hungry and helpless and cold” (Mary Wingate). Stored in or near each disaster supply kit should thus be something comfortable and warm in which to sleep, something that you can take with you in an emergency. This can make life away from home more endurable and safe. Blankets, cloth sheets, plastic sheets, sleeping bags, and ground pads offer comfort, and they can help keep us from going into hypothermia when we sleep out in the cold.

Hypothermia. Exposure to cold air or rain may cause hypothermia. This can happen below 40 F, or even at higher temperatures if one is wet. At early stages, symptoms may include shivering, decreased motor abilities, poor judgment, and apathy. Late-stage hypothermia, resulting from more severe exposure, can result in stiff muscles, decreased heart rate, weakness, confusion, and even unconsciousness or death. Don’t risk it. Proper bedding, along with warm clothing, can help prevent hypothermia.

Blankets. Good quality thick wool blankets are often available through speciality catalogs at higher prices or through military surplus stores at more reasonable prices. Thick wool blankets can provide a great deal of protection from cold. They even provide some insulating value when wet. But some people prefer fleece blankets, with synthetic fiber.

Cotton sheets. Cotton sheets can line blankets or be placed atop open sleeping bags. They are easy to wash. Cotton sheets can be hung up to provide privacy barriers. If necessary, clean cotton sheets can be torn into pieces for bandages. They can also be used to prefilter turbid or dirty water.

Plastic sheets. Plastic sheets can be placed on muddy ground to protect blankets or sleeping bags. If large enough (e.g., 10’ x 12’), a plastic sheet can also be wrapped around a blanket or sleeping bag to provide protection from rain or sleet or snow. Generally, a 4-mil thickness is adequate.

Sleeping bags. Sleeping bags may come in rectangular or mummy configurations. Mummy bags are generally lighter and warmer than rectangular bags of the same length, but the latter allow for greater foot and leg freedom. Choose an appropriate size of sleeping bag for each user. Sleeping bags are rated for warmth. Generally, it is a good idea to get one for your kit that is rated for the coldest winter temperatures that you might expect for your place of refuge. Overbags or bag liners can increase warmth. Synthetic fiber bags generally are warmer than down bags when wet. Synthetic fiber bags can also be washed in commercial washing machines using mild detergent. A ground pad placed under a bag will provide needed comfort and protection from the cold ground.

More: http://charteroak.redcross.org/media/Your_Family_Disaster_Supplies_Kit.pdf; http://www.bt.cdc.gov/disasters/winter/pdf/cold_guide.pdf;

Photo Credits:

Cold desert: http://www.nps.gov/bibe/planyourvisit/images/pj_snow_2001.jpg

Extreme cold (modified in Paint to remove Download instructions): http://www.bt.cdc.gov/disasters/winter/images/extreme_cold_guide.jpg
Parent and child in blanket: http://www.usaid.gov/zm/population/images/tn_Staff_and_child_with_blanket.JPG
Sleeping bag: http://boxer.senate.gov/i/gr_sleeping%20bags.jpg

Water Needs and Disaster Supply Kits

Provident Principles and Practices

© David Edwards, 2009

PRINCIPLES: In Essentials of Home Production and Storage, published in 1978 by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, it says that individuals and families ought to have on hand easily movable containers with stored emergency supplies, placing the containers in locations where they can be picked up quickly if needed. On p. 7, it states that these containers should contain water. This guide furthermore refers to the wisdom of storing agents that can purify water. The reason given is that in most areas it is not practical to store enough water to supply our needs for a year.

The American Red Cross, Charter Oak Chapter Web site, 2009, suggests that, within our disaster supply kits, we “store one gallon of water per person per day (two quarts for drinking, two quarts for food preparation/sanitation).” This is about half that which we would store in our house, where the weight of water is not so great a consideration.

PRACTICES: We need water for drinking. Water may be vital for washing, bathing, first aid, and oral rehydration. If it’s hot or humid, or we’re active, we may need several gallons per day. Storing water in disaster supply kits is recommended by the Church, FEMA and the American Red Cross.

Quantity. One gallon of water weighs 8.3 pounds. Most of us cannot easily lift a disaster supply kit containing all other needed supplies if it also holds three to five gallons of water. You will probably want to include within your kit, however, at least a quart to a gallon of water ready to drink. To utilize sources of water that you find outside the home, you may choose to include in your kit water purification tablets and/or devices, bottles for solar water purification, and containers for storing and transporting water. You may also wish to keep on hand next to your disaster supply kit a larger, readily accessible supply of water that you can quickly pick up and put into your car and take with you. For example, this could consist of one or more flats of commercial bottled water, or a three or five-gallon container filled with treated water (e.g., using 8 drops 5.25% pure bleach/gallon water).

Filled Water Containers. You can include in your kit some water in plastic bottles or a canteen. Commercially filled plastic water bottles will work. If you prefer to employ used juice bottles, they should first be washed out with soap and water and rinsed thoroughly. Cap bottles tightly so that they do not leak. You can put three 0.5-L bottles in a zipped gallon-size freezer bag to help prevent damage to kit contents should a bottle leak. Clear plastic 0.5 or 1.0 L PET bottles can be used for solar disinfection of water found outside the home. Exposure to sunlight through a clear PET bottle (six hours in sunlight on clear days; two days, if cloudy) can destroy most pathogenic microbes. Be sure to remove all labels from the bottles, and place the bottles on their sides in the sunlight, away from any shadows.

Empty Containers. You can include empty containers to fill with water in case you find a source of water outside the home. Containers may include buckets, platypus water carriers, or zipped freezer bags. While adding little weight or volume to kit contents, empty containers increase your options.

Water Purification Tablets. EPA-registered water purification tablets are effective against viruses, bacteria, Giardia and Cryptosporidium. It may take several hours for tablets to purify water.

Portable Water Purification Devices. These important devices, which can purify water, include those that employ ceramic cartridges to filter microbes out of water, those that use electrolysis to generate reactive oxides to destroy pathogens, and those that use UV light for water disinfection.
Ceramic cartridge filters can remove pathogenic bacteria, Giardia, and Cryptosporidia, but not pathogenic viruses. Fortunately, pathogenic viruses are not now commonly found in U.S. natural waters. They are elsewhere in the world. Chlorine bleach may not kill Giardia and Cryptosporidia but will kill viruses. Electrolytic chlorine dioxide generators and UV devices, as shown above, can generally kill all known pathogens.

More: http://charteroak.redcross.org/media/Your_Family_Disaster_Supplies_Kit.pdf

Photo Credits: D. and S. Edwards

Storing Food in a Disaster Supply Kit

Provident Principles and Practices
© David Edwards, 2009

PRINCIPLES: On page 7 of Essentials of Home Production and Storage, published by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in 1978, it says that every individual or family ought to have on hand a container that can easily be moved holding foods requiring no refrigeration or cooking.

Likewise, the American Red Cross suggests storing in a disaster supply kit a three days worth of foods that can be stored without refrigeration and eaten without preparation or cooking. Foods should not be very large or heavy. (See American Red Cross, Charter Oak Chapter Web site, 2009).

PRACTICES: Essentials of Home Production and Storage recommends storing such items as tuna fish, pork and beans, nonfat dry milk, dried apricots, canned orange juice or tomato juice, and peanut butter. The American Red Cross recommends similar items and also adds soup, sugar, salt, pepper, jelly, crackers, granola bars, vitamins, food for infants, food for elderly people, food for people on special diets, and foods to alleviate discomfort or stress.

Need for food. Most adults can survive up to several weeks without food. However, a prolonged lack of food can severely diminish energy levels, judgment, strength, endurance, mental alertness, ability to regulate internal body temperature, and contentment. All of these may be important for your survival in an adverse emergency situation requiring evacuation.

Storage. Store foods having a relatively long shelf-life. Avoid foods that may only last days, weeks or a few months. Put an approximate expiration date on a food’s packaging if it is not already present. Check foods in your kit twice a year, such as around General Conference time, and rotate out foods about to expire. Keep kit foods at temperatures above freezing and below 82 degrees, but preferably cooler. Keep foods in secure, airtight containers to protect them against pests and oxidation.

Specific Foods for Consideration. Two 40-oz containers of commercial peanut butter, with a shelf life of two years, contain about 500 g of protein, 1,100 g of fat, 500 g of carbohydrate, and 13,000 calories. With this alone, a person could get almost 2,200 cal/day for 6 days. US Coast Guard approved survival bars, with 5-yr shelf lives, come in 2,400 and 3,600 calorie sizes, and they are compact and modestly priced. Flavors include apple cinnamon, dutch apple, and lemon. Most canned meats and fish can be eaten directly from the can without cooking. Dehydrated and freeze-dried foods are lighter to carry than other foods, but they require water and time to rehydrate. Do not eat them without first rehydrating them. Some people also like MREs (meals ready to eat). Natural dry foods, such as raw almonds, can be stored in freezer bags.

Special Needs. In your disaster supply kits, you want to account for special dietary requirements for each member of your family. Consider allergies and food preferences. Don’t forget baby needs, such as formula, if needed. If you have a pet that will be going with you, you may also wish to include pet food. You most likely will also want to include a can opener and utensils in your kit.

More: http://charteroak.redcross.org/media/Your_Family_Disaster_Supplies_Kit.pdf

Photo Credits:

Apricots: http://quest.arc.nasa.gov/people/journals/space/kloeris/apricots.jpg/

Exhausted people after a disaster: http://photos.state.gov/libraries/amgov/3234/week_2/081108_exhaustion_200.jpg

Tuna fish: www.noaaworld.noaa.gov/scitech/images/jun2008_scitech_3_2.jpg

Baby formula: http://www.sti.nasa.gov/tto/spinoff1996/images/75.jpg

Disaster Supply Kits – Emergency Storage

Provident Principles and Practices

© David Edwards, 2009

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PRINCIPLE: “Each family or individual should have portable container(s) with emergency supplies such as the following: water; food requiring no refrigeration or cooking (graham crackers, canned fruits, canned meats); medications and critical medical histories required by family members; change of clothing, including two pairs of stockings; sanitary supplies; first aid booklet and equipment (see pages 7-8); candles; matches; ax; shovel; can opener; and blanket. The container should be placed where it can be picked up at a moment’s notice. Nearby for easy access should be a packet containing the most valuable of the family’s personal documents, such as genealogical records.” – The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Essentials of Home Production and Storage, 1978, p. 7.

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On the providentliving.org Web site, a question is asked in a Q&A section about 72-hour kits, a name often used by Church members to describe what FEMA and the American Red Cross now generally refer to as disaster supply kits. The Church suggests that members get ready for difficult circumstances by first acquiring a basic supply of water, food and money. To that, long-term storage items can be added. The Church indicates that, beyond these things, members may wish to put additional items into storage that may have value to them in a crisis.
http://www.providentliving.org/content/display/0,11666,7636-1-4104-1,00.html#question_10

PRACTICES: You never know when you might need to suddenly leave your home or workplace and take with you only what can be picked up at a moment’s notice. The cause could be any of a number of events: a building fire, a civil disturbance, terrorism, or disaster. Taking needed supplies with you in a disaster supply kit may be vital to your survival both during and after a disaster. What should you store and take with you in your kit? It depends on your needs. Most kit contents are similar to what you would take on a camping trip. However, a number of items in a disaster supply kit are unique. You can make these kits not only for the home, but also for the office and/or the car.

Essential Supplies and Documents. Although changes in foods, lighting, tools and electronics have taken place over the past 30 years since the Church first suggested to us the use of these kits, the basic practices remain the same: store in a portable container vital supplies and documents that can help you or your family survive a disaster and recover quickly from it.

Containers. What kind of containers can you use for a disaster supply kit? Some people like backpacks, which can be worn on the back. Others like wheeled duffle bags. Containers should be large enough to carry your essential emergency supplies yet light enough, when fully packed, to be lifted and/or carried. You may end up putting your disaster supply kit in a car, wheeling it down a street, or carrying it with you, depending on the situation and on your own strength and endurance. Ideally, containers should be durable, water-resistant, and convenient to carry, use, and repack.

Internal Organization. Some people like containers with built-in internal compartments, but clear plastic, heavy-duty, 1-gallon zip-locking freezer bags also work very well to organize your gear and create compartments for each category of essential supplies. You can also write the supply category name on each bag to make organization and future reference easy. For example, you might have a bag or two identified for each of the following: water, food, clothing, bedding, money, navigation, food preparation, fuel and light, personal supplies, sanitation, communications, health and first aid, tools and equipment, personal protection, infant needs, and critical documents. In upcoming Provident Principles and Practices newsletters, we will discuss each of these supply categories in greater detail and review the kinds of items in each category that may be particularly useful to you.

For more, see www.fema.gov/areyouready/assemble_disaster_supplies_kit.shtm

Photo credits:

Evacuation: http://www.ada.gov/images/smallweb/Evacuation-Noti-in-Person-1.jpg

Backpack: http://muller.lbl.gov/travel_photos/Saddlebag_Backpack/Saddlebag_Backpack-Images/140.jpg

Other images: D. or S. Edwards

Cooking Oil

Provident Principles and Practices

© David Edwards, 2009

PRINCIPLES: The LDS Provident Living Web site suggests that we may wish to consider adding to our basic and extended food supplies some additional foods and food preparation items such as cooking oil.

While the brethren have not specified exactly what we need to store, they have recommended that we focus on vital foods supporting life. One of those that they mention is cooking oil. (See the First Presidency Letter to the Church, dated June 24, 1988.)

One of the most extensive discussions of cooking oil in Church literature is that of F. Enzio Busche, writing in the June 1982 issue of the Ensign. He felt that the most valuable food item in Germany during a time of starvation was cooking oil. It's value was great, with one quart being readily traded for other valuable commodities such as fruit or root vegetables in the hundreds of pounds. Cooking oil enhanced the flavor of items not even normally considered foods, such as wild leaves and roots.

In the LDS Church booklet called Essentials of Home Production & Storage, copyrighted in 1978, the authors recommend storing about 20 pounds of fat or oil per person per year.

PRACTICES: Some oil and/or fat is essential for health. Many people suggest storing about 10 quarts of cooking oil per person per year. That is approximately equivalent to the 20 lbs/person per year recommended in Essentials of Home Production and Storage. Purchase cooking oil fresh. Check expiration dates. Generally, it is best to store cooking oil in airtight containers.

Even in unopened bottles on the shelf, most healthful cooking oils tend to go rancid relatively quickly, within six to twelve months. Light, oxygen and heat are the main culprits. Keep oil in opaque bottles and/or out of light. If possible, store oil in glass or metal containers, impermeable to oxygen. Stored oil generally lasts longer in a refrigerator, and even longer in a freezer, perhaps as much as several years. Olive oil tends to freeze well and last quite a long time. After freezing, cooking oil may turn thicker and cloudy, but it becomes fluid and transparent upon warming to room temperature. Rotate cooking oils regularly, using older product first.

In an emergency, cooking oils can be used as a source of lamplight, with a twisted multistrand cotton-string wick or similar wick placed in the oil on a wire guide with a little bit of the wick remaining above the oil surface to allow the oil to wick up for burning. Olive oil burns cleanly.

For info on cooking-oil lamps, see www.judyofthewoods.net/lamp.html; www.instructables.com/id/Make-an-oil-burning-candle/; and www.thriftyfun.com/tf45633038.tip.html. For Church counsel on storage foods and amounts, see www.providentliving.org/content/display/0,11666,7498-1-4070-1,00.html.

Resolutions for a New Year’s Supply

Provident Principles and Practices
© David Edwards, 2008

PRINCIPLES: For many years, the counsel to latter-day saints was to obtain a year’s supply of food. Recently, the counsel of the First Presidency has shifted to first, obtaining a three-month’s supply of foods that our families normally eat, and after that, working on a longer-term supply – one that will provide us with sufficient food to stay alive for a long time. They suggest that we include in our longer-term supply grains and legumes – items that may keep for up to 30 years if properly packaged and stored. The Brethren realize that some of us have financial constraints or space issues limiting how much we can acquire and maintain. However, they suggest that we get and store as much as our individual situations allow. For some of us, whose supplies have dwindled, it may mean getting a new “year’s supply”.

Why do home storage? The First Presidency has indicated that the Lord, out of His love for us, has commanded us to “prepare every needful thing” (see D&C 109:8). He wants us to be ready so that, when difficulties arise, we can take care of ourselves and our neighbors, and we can also provide support to our bishop as he cares for others. Let’s resolve this new year to get a supply.

PRACTICES: Let’s consider what would be required to extend a three-month’s supply to a year’s supply for one adult using just grain and legumes. For a nine-month supply of grain and legumes, using the food storage calculator found at http://providentliving.org/content/display/0,11666,7498-1-4070-1,00.html, we see that the amount of grain needed would be 225 lbs, and the amount of dry beans and other legumes would be 45 lbs. Let’s say that, for grains, for example, we get half wheat, one-quarter rice, and one-quarter oats. For legumes, let’s say that we get one-third black beans, one-third pinto beans, and one-third white beans. Going to the LDS Home Storage Center price list at http://providentliving.org/pfw/multimedia/files/pfw/pdf/120132_HSOrderForm_US_JAN_09_pdf.pdf, we see that the grain (51 cans) would cost $155, and the beans (9 cans) would cost $47, for a total of $202. The sixty cans would fill exactly 10 cases or boxes. 10 cases can often be stacked in one corner of a closet to the ceiling, occupying only about 1.7 sq. ft. of floor space.

So, for $202 and 1.7 sq. ft. of extra floor space, you can extend a three-month supply for one adult to a year supply. Expenses for a small child may be somewhat less. For a family, you basically multiply the dollar and space amounts by the number in the family.

Do we believe the prophets’ warnings that, upon this land, there will come economic disaster, destructive hail, famine, plague, earthquake, war and desolation? Will we be ready? Will we act while it is still possible to act? If, after all we can do, we still haven’t stored as much food as we would like, then the Lord will bless us for what we have done. If we ignore the Lord’s counsel, however, we have no promise. We need to ask ourselves, “What is stopping me?”

Which of your children and/or grandchildren would you like to go hungry if times get rough?

See Church counsel on obtaining a reserve of food at http://providentliving.org/fhs/pdf/WE_FamilyResourcesGuide_International_04008_000.pdf

Photo credits:

Self-Reliance and Reliance on the Lord

Provident Principles and Practices
© David Edwards, 2008

PRINCIPLES: Bruce R. McConkie, in the April 1979 General Conference, explained that self-reliance involves using our agency to become independent of the world, while still exercising full trust and dependence on the Lord. It is our task to resolve the temporal challenges that we face.

PRACTICES: Self-reliance involves preparation through acquisition of useful knowledge and skills, engagement in rewarding work that brings in an income, maintenance of our physical well being, storage of food and other needed things, use of money in wise ways, and development of appropriate behaviors, thoughts and feelings in regard to ourselves and others. The Church provides us with useful instruction at www.providentliving.org/content/display/0,11666,2591-1-1099-1,00.html. An overview is provided below.

Education. Gordon B. Hinckley, on p. 172-173 of Teachings of Gordon B. Hinckley, encourages us to acquire as much education as possible. It does not matter what field of endeavor we choose, so long as it is reputable. He counsels us to get training, and to do our best at that training. This may require foregoing other things for a while. Education and training are investments that bring big returns throughout life.

Employment. Our employment matters. At the Church Web site above, you can do research on the following topics: (i) finding employment opportunities, (ii) learning tips for getting hired, (iii) posting employment positions, (iv) utilizing employment specialists and employment resource services, (v) participating in the professional placement program, and (vi) visiting employment related Web sites.

Health. Many of us can do more to protect and build our health, vital to self-reliance. Some good suggestions are found at the Church Web site above. These relate to dental care, exercise, health, health care, major medical expenses, nutrition/diet, and the Word of Wisdom.

Home Storage. The First Presidency, on page 1 in All Is Safely Gathered In: Family Home Storage, Feb. 2007, counsels us to become ready for challenges ahead by developing basic food and water storage and savings.

Resource Management. Good resource management involves (i) payment of tithes and offerings, (ii) avoiding unnecessary debt, (iii) saving for the future, (iv) keeping promised obligations, (v) being frugal and avoiding waste, (vi) managing time wisely, and (vii) sharing time, talents, and resources in service to others.

Social and Emotional Strength. The Lord has provided resources on the Web to help us deal with a wide range of social and emotional issues. Topics include abortion, abuse, abuse help line, adoption, Alzheimer's disease, anxiety disorders, birth parents, caring for the elderly, depression, depression in the elderly, eating disorders, foster care, LDS family services, parenting, stress, substance abuse, and suicide.


Photo credits:

Educational setting: http://antarcticsun.usap.gov/antarcticsun/science/images/BPRC_outreach.jpg
Two women: http://consensus.nih.gov/IMAGES/Art/118.jpg
Money: www.eia.doe.gov/kids/energy_fungames/energyslang/images/money-l.jpg
Family walking in park: www.nps.gov/pub_aff/parks2008/YELL_family-01.jpg
Wheat: www.pueblo.gsa.gov/cfocus/cfallergies04/wheat.gif
Interview: www.transmission.bpa.gov/images/education/interview.jpg

Defense of Self and Family

Provident Principles and Practices
© David Edwards, 2008

PRINCIPLES: In General Conference, April 1967, Ezra Taft Benson said that a man needs to be ready to protect himself physically. This is also stated in his book God, Family, and Country on pp. 331-332 and 406.

. . .

"There is one principle which is eternal; it is the duty of all men to protect their lives and the lives of the household whenever necessity requires, and no power has the right to forbid it, should the last extreme arrive. . . ." – Joseph Smith, Letter to Emma Smith, June 27, 1844, recorded by B.H. Roberts, 1912, History of the Church, v. VI, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, p. 605.

. . .

“We believe that all men are justified in defending themselves, their friends, and property, and the government, from the unlawful assaults and encroachments of all persons in times of exigency, where immediate appeal cannot be made to the laws, and relief afforded." – Doctrine and Covenants 134:11 (See also D&C 98:14-16, 22-37 for additional, important instruction).

“And they were doing that which they felt was the duty which they owed to their God; for the Lord had said unto them, and also unto their fathers, that: Inasmuch as ye are not guilty of the first offense, neither the second, ye shall not suffer yourselves to be slain by the hands of your enemies. And again, the Lord has said that: Ye shall defend your families even unto bloodshed. Therefore for this cause were the Nephites contending with the Lamanites, to defend themselves, and their families, and their lands, their country, and their rights, and their religion." – Alma 43:46-47

"Now the Nephites were taught to defend themselves against their enemies, even to the shedding of blood if it were necessary; yea, and they were also taught never to give an offense, yea, and never to raise the sword except it were against an enemy, except it were to preserve their lives." – Alma 48:14

The First Presidency and Council of the Twelve Apostles of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, in a 1995 statement entitled "The Family: A Proclamation to the World," indicated that it is part of God's plan for each father to provide leadership for his family, to love them, to live righteously, to provide for the family's needs, and to protect the family.

PRACTICES: God can reveal to us our duty with respect to protecting ourselves and our families.

...

Although self-defense is permissible as a last resort when innocent life is in imminent danger, we need guidance by the Spirit in all related matters since

...

* human life is sacred

. . .

* decisions made in self-defense can have eternal consequences

. . .

* legal penalties for any mistakes can be substantial

We also need to recognize local, state and Federal laws. Church policy that weapons do not belong in houses of worship is described at: http://newsroom.lds.org/ldsnewsroom/eng/news-releases-stories/no-firearms-in-latter-day-saint-houses-of-worship

Photo Credits:

Ezra Taft Benson: www.usda.gov/img/content/benson.gif

Joseph Smith: www.loc.gov/loc/lcib/0506-8/images/smith.jpg
Mob Scene in Serbia: http://blogs.state.gov/images/UNGA/field/2008_0222_belgrade_bh_m.jpg

Family: http://www.cdc.gov/niosh/docs/2004-108/images/Aa017783.JPG

Terrorist: www.nsf.gov/news/mmg/media/images/terrorist_f.jpg

Arrowhead: www.ornl.gov/info/news/pulse/arrow.jpg

Social Distancing During a Pandemic

Provident Principles and Practices
© David Edwards, 2008

PRINCIPLES: To receive the greatest possible protection during a pandemic, we are counseled by health experts with the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints to practice effective social distancing and hand hygiene.

. . .
PRACTICES: Eight fact sheets published by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and Web pages at http://www.pandemicflu.gov/ provide excellent direction on minimizing our exposure to viruses that can cause pandemic illness.

Minimizing the potential for the spread of pandemic illness can be accomplished by (i) having each member of your nuclear family keep a safe distance away from persons outside of the nuclear family during a pandemic wave, (ii) eliminating the potential for droplet transmission, and (iii) avoiding touching objects that may have become contaminated with virus.

The major means by which pandemic virus is communicated from one person to another is thought to be exposure to respiratory droplets from coughs, sneezes, or talking. Viruses in the droplets can come in contact with mucous membranes in the nose, mouth or eyes and cause potentially deadly disease.

Viruses on objects can be picked up from inanimate objects as well. Typical disease-causing viruses are known to be able to survive in viable form on environmental surfaces outside the human body for up to a day or longer. Inanimate objects include door knobs, mail, papers, keyboards, toys, and groceries. Frequent and thorough hand washing, and proper wearing of protective gloves when necessary, may be helpful in minimizing exposure to viruses.

During a pandemic, keeping one's distance from persons other than members of the nuclear family is critical. Anyone not practicing strict social distancing may be a potential virus carrier. While some persons may not display evident symptoms at a given moment, they may still be contagious. Stay at least six feet away from others in public. Do not shake hands or engage in other forms of physical contact with them.

A number of other stategies may be used to further implement social distancing. An effective long-term measure in many instances may be voluntary seclusion, sometimes called reverse quarantine. In other cases, isolation or quarantine may be necessary.


Social distancing may entail voluntary seclusion at home during a time that a pandemic wave is sweeping throughout a community. This can keep you and your family out of contact with others who may be ill and who may be capable of transmitting to your family a potentially deadly disease.


Social distancing may also involve isolation. If you do get sick with pandemic illness, then you must remain isolated from others until you get better; otherwise, other people could get very sick or die by contacting you or by getting too close to you when you cough or sneeze or talk with them.


Social distancing may also involve quarantine. If you've been in contact with others who may have been exposed to pandemic virus, then you yourself need to stay secluded for a lengthy period to ensure that you are not contacting healthy individuals and putting them at risk during a time when you may be contagious. A quarantine for H5N1 pandemic influenza infection should generally be for 10 days unless health officials tell you differently.

If you have a child or other family member that gets sick with a pandemic illness, and you attend to him or her, then you need to wear personal protective equipment during your ministrations. Moreover, you must stay quarantined, keeping out of contact with any others. This is because you may have acquired virus from this person and thereby have become capable of spreading it to others. After exposure, you may be contagious for a period of time before you even start to feel ill.

Whenever pandemic virus is present in the community, or approaching rapidly from another location, it may be best for your children to stay at home or in the yard and away from any other children who might be carrying potentially deadly virus.

Social distancing through voluntary seclusion, isolation, or quarantine may require preparing items not discussed in the eight pandemic fact sheets but discussed elsewhere on the www.providentliving.org/ Web site. Proper provisioning includes storing food and water at home. A number of pandemic influenza researchers acknowledge a potential need for this kind of preparation. For example, Dr. Robert Webster, renowned pandemic influenza researcher, is said by ABC News to have "stored a three-month supply of food and water at his home in case of an outbreak.”


For more information, please see http://pandemicflu.gov/health/index.html and study carefully the eight pandemic fact sheets published by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints; these are found at http://providentliving.org/pfw/multimedia/files/pfw/pdf/113475_PandemicPlanningPDFsCombined_pdf.pdf. You can read the ABC News report at http://abcnews.go.com/WNT/AvianFlu/story?id=1724801&page=1


Photo Credits:

Family: http://pubs.niaaa.nih.gov/publications/MakeADiff_HTML/images/whites.jpg

Sneeze: http://blog.usa.gov/roller/govgab/resource/images/sneeze.jpg
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Wash with Soap and Water: www.osha.gov/SLTC/etools/hospital/hazards/images/handwash.jpg

No Handshakes (modified with red X added in M.S. Paint): www.nsf.gov/news/mmg/media/images/handshake_f1.jpg

Painting by Mary Cassatt (1844-1926) entitled "Young Mother and Two Children" (1908): www.whitehouse.gov/history/art/people/images/mother-children.jpg
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Sick Man: www.cdc.gov/diabetes/pubs/images/maninbed.gif

H5N1: http://phil.cdc.gov/PHIL_Images/1841/1841_lores.jpg

Sick Child: http://kidney.niddk.nih.gov/kudiseases/pubs/bedwetting_ez/images/ChildSick.gif

Can All You Can Poster: www.nal.usda.gov/fnic/history/8460v.gif