In 1740 one of my ancestors, Dea. Samuel Fisher,  set sail for America on what came to be known as the "starvation ship." There was so little food on this ship that not long into the voyage the passengers were reduced to only  eating a tablespoon of flour a day, mixed with a little sea water.

When that ran out, they started eating the bodies of those who had died. When there were no more bodies,  the passengers decided that someone would have to be sacrificed so that the others could live. The lot fell on my 19-year old ancestor, Samuel Fisher.

Samuel was given a few days to prepare, but thankfully another vessel came in sight, and his life was spared.

Obviously this experience had a profound effect on him. For the rest of his life he could not stand to see wasted either a morsel of food, or the slightest bit of water tossed on the ground.

While most of us will never have to face anything so horrific, we are all subject to emergencies of varying degrees. I wrote an article a few years ago about the Seattle Wind Storm of 2006.  It left this region without power for many days. < See The Day the Lights Went Out in Seattle  >

It was startling to hear how unprepared people were to handle even a few days of an emergency situation. People were hungry, and people were cold. You could hear the desperation in the voices of people calling in to the radio station looking for help.

I was pretty miserable for 4 days. However I was able to sit by my fireplace and keep warm, and I had a propane stove in the kitchen to cook my food.

This site was put together with the collaboration of my husband, who has spent years being first on the scene in areas hit with natural disasters such as hurricanes, tornados, wind storms, ice storms, earthquakes and volcanoes. He has seen firsthand what happens to people's lives after these natural disasters. < See The Untold Story of Hurricane Andrew >

We all need to be prepared for the emergencies in life. We are all subject to natural disasters, as well as a host of other occurrences that affect our well-being, such as unemployment, crime and ill health. We know how to prepare for most emergencies. Some blindside us, such as 9-11.

We don't know what the future will bring. This site is dedicated to helping people prepare for the unexpected in life in as frugal a manner as possible.

 

Prepare for the worst, and hope for the best.

"If ye are prepared, ye shall not fear."

 

 

 

 

1994 Northridge Earthquake
CAL State Northridge College Parking Garage