subject: Emergency Preparedness – Organize yourself today! [print this page] Organize yourselves; prepare every needful thing; and establish a house, even a house of prayer, a house of fasting, a house of faith, a house of learning, a house of glory, a house of order, a house of God; In 1998's General Conference, President Gordon B. Hinckley counseled, "The time has come to get our houses in order." We are told, be prepared. The words be prepared are more then mere words. They are divine counsel. In D&C 38:30 the Lord tells us, "If ye are prepared, ye shall not fear." Whether you're making ready by laying your spiritual foundations, putting together a 72 hour kit, or stocking the shelves with food storage, it's wise to plan ahead.
The cardinal planning is spiritual planning. In the days of the prophet Noah, the Lord told Noah, ""Behold, I will destroy all flesh from off the earth." The people were not prepared. Noah built an ark, as instructed by the Lord. Afterwards, the floods came, and only Noah and those in the ark survived. From the moment we are children, to young adults, to parents, we're advised to prepare spiritually. When we keep the commandments, obey the word of wisdom, pay our tithing, and keep ourselves morally clean, we are building our own arks, so that when the floods come upon us, we are not washed away because of our spiritual preparation.
72 hour kits consist of the bare necessities one would need in case of a temporal emergency. With recent natural disasters that have struck and continue to strike, a 72 hour kit is essential. Not only The LDS Church, but even Homeland Security has said," 72 hour kits are crucial." Nobody wants to be unprepared, and fall victim to one of the earth's elemental calamities. It's a scientific fact that we can only go, without food and water for three days. To quote an old clich, "It really is a matter of life or death."
In 1938, the General Presidency stated, "In a day of plenty, prepare for the day of scarcity." When famine comes, it may be an agriculture nightmare, or a poor economy. Some homes may be filled with food storage while others only have a few cans and jugs of water. Church Leaders have told us to have a one year supply of food storage, in case of emergency. Sometimes we may want to purchase that candy bar over the can of beans. But when the day comes to where we needed that can of beans, we will either be relieved it came home with the groceries, or wish we had planned ahead.
Calamity can come by fire, water, earthquake or financial folly. It makes no difference. The prophets have counseled us to be prepared, care for one another, and live our lives as if our neighbors' very lives depend on it. We must heed this counsel, before an emergency presents itself, not after. Disaster comes without warning and often without invitation. If we haven't started to get our spiritual and temporal affairs in order, the time to act is now.
