Helping in Nepal (and Texas)

 Edited 06/03/15

The same organizations listed below are also busy in Texas helping victims of the recent flooding.  Any donations specified for relief in Texas will go to help folks in Texas.

Unless you've been totally disconnected (a place I wish I could find on occasion) you've surely heard about the earthquake in Nepal, and it's aftermath. In the days after disasters like this there are always many scam artists who spring up seeking to profit from the misery of others and the kind hearts of those who wish to help.

I turned to my friend from Twitter, Marie Wikle, for her guidance. Marie runs the Spreading Joy charity, and her outlook is best described by her Twitter bio - "Have a great desire to give big, but will simply give what I can until that day comes".

Marie recommended two organizations and I'm going to add a third.  Her first recommendation was Samaritan's Purse, a fine organization headed by Franklin Graham.  I'm surprised I didn't think of them but we all have brain blocks at times.

Marie's second recommendation was The Red American Cross.

My recommendation is The Salvation Army.

All three of these organizations will make sure any designated support you give goes to the designated relief effort.

Thank you for anything you are able to do.

Hi Folks,
Here is a post from an old blog I used to have. It deals a little with water storage for emergency preparedness.


All the sources I've checked said 1 gallon per person per day is the right amount to set aside. How many days is the question. The minimum appears to be 3 days worth, 7 days being even better. For a family of four, that means up to 28 gallons. Not impossible. However, I do recall reading an article 2 (or more) years ago which stated in the event of a catastrophic earthquake, the water supply to the bay area could be lost. I seem to recall that article claiming it would take 90 days to re-establish a basic/emergency level of service, and up to 2 years to restore full service. But my memory could be wrong about that. I could not find that article online, but I did find this article on the InsideBayArea.com website which states that ' "The Bay Area's Sierra Hetch Hetchy water supply is highly vulnerable to disruption for up to 60 days following a major earthquake," stated Betsy Lauppe Rhodes, a spokeswoman for the utility, in an e-mail.'

Is it feasible to store 60 gallons of water, per person? I guess that depends on how much room you have for storage. Imagine placing a 55 gallon drum of water in each person's bedroom in your home. Makes it kind of a daunting task, doesn't it?

Now comes the "tell on myself" part. I used to always have a couple extra cases of bottled water. They run about 3 gallons per case. Right now, I have 1/2 of a case. I do drink bottled water constantly, and when my awareness is heightened I will have several cases on hand. But as time goes by and I use my stock, I replace them at a more leisurely rate. What I am thinking of doing is buying those 2-1/2 gallon jugs for the kit storage, that way I won't be so tempted to use them when I run out of bottled water.

Don't forget, your hot water heater will probably have 35+ gallons of water available, and if you have a pool or hot tub you have another source. Just be sure to have a good water filter. If you have a well on your property, make sure you have a means of getting water if the electricity is out.

One thing I have done, and still do, is reuse those water bottles. I read one time that a freezer should be around 75% - 80% full to operate at peak efficiency. So I started filling water bottles with tap water and placing them in the freezer (or removing them) to maintain about 80% space used. That will provide extra water, but since that amount is constantly fluctuating I will not count it as part of my supply. In addition to being a source of water, if the electricity is out for an extended period of time, these frozen bottles will help keep foodstuffs cold.