Before I begin I need to vent! I was recently on a facebook food storage site and someone asked a question about bugs in food. I commented and added a link to a blog post with tips. I was contacted that my post was not appropriate and it was taken down, not by facebook but by the administrator of the page. Please be careful where you receive your information. At Totally Ready we are always willing to learn from others and to admit we don't know it all. We may at times pause a link so we can check out the validity of the information but we love learning new tips. Last week I taught a class for a church group and someone in the group advised we all have a photo ID with our address not post office box on it. I had never considered that as I always have an address on my license. Yes, you need something with your address and name on it to prove you live in a disaster area before you will be allowed back in. I knew that and have warned about that but never really thought there might be someone who has nothing with a physical address. I will now pass along that tip. I just have! At Totally Ready we research and research and we interview survivors all the time. Our goal is to get the best, most current information to you as you prepare.
I am not happy to have to post more negative information but I never want to feel I didn't do enough to let you know when there is something to be concerned about. As of yesterday there are over 60, yes, 60 container ship like the one pictured, anchored off the port in Long Beach CA. Normally there may be a dozen of less. You can see how many containers each ship moves and imagine the millions and billions of products on each ship. This backup means higher prices as ships pay increased fees and it also signals shortages. If you are planning to purchase Christmas gifts be aware choices will become more limited as we get closer to the holiday season.
I would love to know what items are manufactured in the United States. What socks, makeup, medications, etc. are made here? I want to support American workers and I know items from China are going to become scarce and more expensive so now seems like a great time to buy American for so many reasons. Let's share when we find a great product made in the USA.