You’ve probably noticed that the frequency of major earthquakes around the world has increased. There have been many 5.0 and above earthquakes already in 2010.

Here is a list of some of the major earthquakes of 2010 from the USGS Earthquake Hazards Program website:

• Magnitude 5.9 EASTERN TURKEY March 08, 2010
• Magnitude 6.6 OFFSHORE BIO-BIO, CHILE March 05, 2010
• Magnitude 6.5 SOUTHWEST OF SUMATRA, INDONESIA March 05, 2010
• Magnitude 8.8 OFFSHORE MAULE, CHILE February 27, 2010
• Magnitude 7.0 RYUKYU ISLANDS, JAPAN February 26, 2010
• Magnitude 6.9 CHINA-RUSSIA-NORTH KOREA BORDER REGION February 18, 2010
• Magnitude 5.9 OFFSHORE NORTHERN CALIFORNIA February 04, 2010
• Magnitude 7.0 HAITI REGION January 12, 2010

This clearly underlines the need for emergency preparedness in governments from federal all the way down to the local level, but also of citizens. We must take preparedness steps in order to safeguard our families.

When you create a plan to survive, you are likely to survive. Start with 72-Hour Emergency Kits and 72-hour Emergency Meal Kits.

Please take time and prepare your family for the unexpected.

Here is a link to the USGS website:

USGS Earthquake Hazards Program

In reading many articles on the Haiti earthquake, where survivors talked about their ordeal, one thing became clear. There are three items you must have available in your emergency preparedness supplies. You should apply this suggestion to your 72-hour kits.

Here are the three items:

1. Full, Unbreakable Water Bottle
2. Whistle
3. Respirator Mask (even if it’s just an N-95)

The water is self-explanatory. The whistle is needed for signaling, whether trapped in earthquake rubble, or lost in a forest. A respirator mask is essential as toxic fumes and dust are often released in large disaster situations.

You may be thinking you wouldn’t always have your 72-hour kit with you when disaster strikes. I’m just saying to think about this, add the items to your 72-hour kits, or office desk, or vehicles.

A little preparedness goes a long way.

There are interesting comparisons between the Haitian earthquake and the recent Chilean earthquake. First, here are some facts.

The Chile earthquake was 500 times stronger than the one in Haiti, but was 22 miles underground and spread over a predominately agricultural area.

The Haiti earthquake was shallower at only 6 miles undertand and was much closer to populated areas.

Since 1977, emergency managers in Chile have been overseeing earthquake drills three times a year in the schools. All school children, as well as private and public sector employees, are taught to drop to the ground, get under a heavy desk, table, door frame or sit next to a bearing wall, cover your eyes and head with your arms and hold on until the shaking stops. It’s simple emergency preparedness techniques like these that ensure protection of life.

Haiti on the other hand had none of these things. No preparedness initiatives, no money, little education and lack of a full-functioning society. There were large losses of lives, property, infrastructure and government.

When emergencies happen, there will still be loss of life and property, as well as injuries. However, how countries prepare, respond, and recover will determine survivability.

Even with the differences in preparedness between the two countries, we still see that crowd behavior is identical in the aftermath. When people got hungry enough, and thirsty enough, things started to happen. Looting became rampant.

It just goes to show that people will always be desperate for food and water in a widescale disaster. Learn this lesson from Haiti and Chile. Control your family’s destiny by storing some food and water ahead of time.

“The world economy has undergone by far the greatest financial crisis globally ever,” states former Federal Reserve Chairman Alan Greenspan.

He went on to say that the U.S. economy is in worse shape than it was during the Great Depression, and is potentially more harmful than in the 1930s because short-term credit has not been withdrawn.

Greenspan made these comments in a speech to the Credit Union National Association’s Governmental Affairs Conference in Washington D.C.

Editor: I was actually surprised he admitted this because the current and previous U.S. administrations have never called it a Depression. They always say it’s a “double dip recession” or a “jobless recovery”. Yeah, right. Depending on who you believe, unemployment is as high as 22%. So, it’s certainly jobless, but not a recovery. No wonder families are having a hard time having enough to eat. Senior citizens are having to choose between food and medicine. They always choose medicine.

Here is a link to the original article on Bloomberg News:

Greenspan Says Crisis “By Far” Worst, Recovery Uneven

Here are some of the more common myths that exist regarding long term food storage:

1. The Government will take care of me – FEMA and other relief agencies generally take around three days to start providing help in disaster-stricken areas. However, they can not be everywhere at once, and they can not feed everyone. If you doubt this, just look at the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina and the Haiti earthquake.
   
   
2. It Will Never Happen to Me – The statistics say otherwise. Start asking everyone you know if they’ve been in any kind of disaster. You’ll be surprised how many will say Yes. Yet, disasters are not the only reason to have food storage. There are people right now who are eating from their food storage because they have no work and hardly any money. If it wasn’t for their food storage, their family wouldn’t have enough to eat.
   
   
3. Only Survivalists Have Food Storage – Actually, more and more people just like you are getting into food storage. The decline of the U.S. Dollar and the ailing U.S. financial system have made people rethink their stance on food storage. People who used to laugh at storing food are now embracing it.
   
   
4. Emergency Survival Food tastes awful – If you think this, you haven’t tried any of the high quality freeze dried food from Mountain House Foods. They are gourmet meals that only require hot water for preparation.
   
   
5. Food Storage is Too Expensive – Determine the amount of money you spend every year going to the supermarket. When you do this and compare it to the cost of food storage, you will find that it is not out of line.
   
   
6. Food Storage is a Pain to Rotate – If you store canned goods, basic staples, or dehydrated foods, you will have to rotate. However, freeze dried food, and especially Mountain House Freeze Dried Food, lasts for a minmum of 25 years and does not require rotation.
   
   
7. Preparing Food from Food Storage is a Lot of Work – That depends on what type of food you store. If you store only basic staples like wheat, sugar, beans, flour, oats, etc. (not a good idea to store just staples), you’ll have to prepare your own meals. The bottom line is that you should store the kinds of foods you are used to eating.
   
   
8. I Can Just Use the Food I Already Have in my House – Take a serious look at what you have in your house. If our food in mostly in a freezer, then you must realize that one of the first things to go in a disaster is electricity.
   
   
9. Storing Gold is Better than Storing Food – While gold and silver would be very helpful in a financial collapse, you still can’t eat them. What would you do if you couldn’t buy food for any amount of gold or silver?

Secure your family’s future. Invest in Long Term Food Storage today.

You might be surprised to learn that you can find Ice Cream that lasts 25-30 years with no refrigeration whatsoever. It’s the same Ice Cream that has been enjoyed by Astronauts for decades.

Mountain House Freeze Dried Ice Cream is lightweight, requires no refrigeration, and is delicious. Plus, you don’t have to add water in order to eat it. It is sometimes called Astronaut Ice Cream or Space Ice Cream because Astronauts enjoy it on space missions. But, you don’t have to be an Astronaut in order to eat it.

Mountain House Freeze Dried Ice Cream is available to the public in a variety of flavors and packaging. Flavors like Vanilla, Mint Chocolate Chip, Double Chocolate, Neapolitan, and everyone’s favorite, Ice Cream Sandwiches. Freeze Dried Ice Cream is packaged in a paper wrapper inside a foil pouch.

What does it taste like? It’s crunchy and melts in your mouth. You see, freeze dried ice cream is made from frozen ice cream. The only difference is that the water has been removed and it requires no refrigeration.

Check out Mountain House Foods Freeze Dried Ice Cream today. It’s great for birthday parties, special occasions, emergency preparedness, or anytime you want a delicious ice cream treat.

Check it out here.

Having grown up in the Midwest, I have always enjoyed pork chops. But, I never thought I could enjoy them during a diaster/emergency scenario. Well, I was wrong.

Mountain House Foods has packed freeze dried premium quality pork chops in #10 cans, and you can get them now while supplies last. Nitro-Pak is able to get these whenever the U.S. government makes a large order.

Mountain House Freeze Dried Food is the highest quality emergency survival food available. Grab a few #10 cans of these pork chops before they’re gone.

Emergencies and disasters take many forms, from storms, to power outages, to terrorism. Keeping food on hand for emergencies protects your family in the same way that insurance does for your home and auto. It prepares you for the unexpected.

With Mountain House Freeze Dried Food, you can be ready for just about any unexpected crisis. Imagine what a lifesaver these foods will be when your electric power is knocked out for several days by a storm. With Mountain House products on hand and a one-burner stove or candle to heat water (cold water can be used in a pinch), you can enjoy a hot, satisfying meal in less than 10 minutes.

Having your own private food reserve makes a lot of sense for your family. Good sense for both financial and security reasons. You can use Mountain House pouches for limited short-term emergencies, and use Mountain House food in #10 Cans for extended emergencies, or an emergency situation large numbers of people.

Long Term Food Storage doesn’t have to be boring. When was the last power outage that you dined on these babies:

• Breakfast Skillet
• Mexican Style Beef
• Buffalo Style Chicken
• Barbeque Sauce with Beef

All that is required for these great new Wraps is hot water and tortillas. Ole!

Check out the new Wraps here.

Ever wonder how Mountain House Freeze Dried Food in packed into a #10 can?

Here’s a rare glimpse into the Mountain House Foods factory: