Preppers: Utahns share jaw-dropping disaster preparation tips


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PROVO — Thursday’s Great Utah ShakeOut served as an annual reminder to all of what could happen when "the big one" hits the Beehive State, and how Utahns can be ready and stay safe.

Some, though, don't need the extra coaxing.

They are the “preppers,” and they’re already prepared — in some cases elaborately — for a variety of disasters.

'The vault'

Brett Williams’ home in Elk Ridge is a stately, hillside manor that boasts an unobstructed view of Utah County and a secret room solely designed for when the worst happens.

“Welcome to what we’ve commonly called “the vault,” Williams said as he opened the thick, black metal door leading into his storage and panic room.

Just inside the door, a monitor glowed with live video, beamed back from surveillance cameras set up around his property.

“I can lock the door from the inside and it’s completely sealed,” Williams said. “It’s 8 1/2 inches of steel and concrete: floor, ceiling, walls, everything.”

The room is stocked, floor to ceiling, with row after row of durable food goods: items that Williams said fall into 1-year, 5-year and 25-year storage categories.

He said he tries to replace food items in those areas within the given time frames.

“I have everything set up free-standing; so if there’s an earthquake, we’re going to get lots of movement, and the shelves are going to be able to move and rock without falling,” Williams said.

Williams, who moved to Utah from Southern California, said he has lived through several earthquakes, and those experiences taught him early on to be prepared.

He started by purchasing extra items every time he went to the grocery store, slowly building up a second pantry before moving on to more sophisticated projects.

Brett Williams shows off "the vault," a secret storage room he built inside his Utah County home. Williams keeps the room stocked with everything he might need to survive following a natural disaster. (Photo: KSL-TV)
Brett Williams shows off "the vault," a secret storage room he built inside his Utah County home. Williams keeps the room stocked with everything he might need to survive following a natural disaster. (Photo: KSL-TV)

“I have water in tanks. I also have water filtration systems that we can use, so we can filter any kind of water if we need that,” Williams said, moving to another corner of the room.

His emergency supplies also include snares and traps to catch live game, and plenty of toilet paper just in case.

“Everybody always prepares for what’s going in, but nobody prepares for what’s coming out, so you’ve got to have in your storage lots and lots of toilet paper,” Williams quipped.

His first-aid center would be the envy of many commercial enterprises, with drawers of medications, ointments and bandages.

“I’ve gone a little overboard – I’ve got materials for casting broken arms and legs and sutures and surgical equipment, hoping that if there’s a doctor in the neighborhood, he can use that stuff,” Williams laughed. “At least I have it for him.”

Simple beginnings

While Williams’ home setup may rival some of the best, a Mona couple who have studied disaster preparedness for much of the past three decades said it doesn’t necessarily require a major investment from families.

“It doesn’t have to be expensive, it doesn’t have to be fancy. We just have to have the ability to do what we need to do to care for our families,” Jonathan Jones said.

Jones and his wife, Kylene, are the authors of the book, “The Provident Prepper,” which bills itself as a “common-sense guide to preparing for emergencies.”

The couple said it was vital to have a family emergency plan that addresses matters like predetermined meeting places and evacuation strategies.

Kylene Jones recommended placing a copy of that plan in a sturdy folder, along with important documents and pictures of loved ones for others to identify them if they are missing or deceased.

“Our motto is small, steady, consistent steps get you there,” Jonathan Jones said. “We want to make it easy and that simply happens when you break it down.”

Essentials

*> The couple said supplies of water were important, as well as ways to disinfect water, including filters and other treatment options such as pool shock.

“We recommend that everyone store what’s called calcium hypochlorite,” Kylene Jones said. “The important thing about the calcium hypochlorite is you can make your own bleach at home. The bleach you buy at the store has a 6-month shelf life. After that, it gets weaker and weaker and it won’t kill the bugs in the water, and so with calcium hypochlorite, you can make a fresh solution where you can disinfect different things, or you can use it to disinfect your water.”

Jones said keeping instructions on how to purify water along with the chemical itself was important.

She pointed to a bag of calcium hypochlorite she said cost $9 and was capable of disinfecting thousands of gallons of water.

Jonathan and Kylene Jones show what they've done to prepare for survival after a natural disaster. The Mona couple have written a book to help others know what to do to get their own families prepared. (Photo: KSL-TV)
Jonathan and Kylene Jones show what they've done to prepare for survival after a natural disaster. The Mona couple have written a book to help others know what to do to get their own families prepared. (Photo: KSL-TV)

In terms of food, Kylene Jones recommended long-lasting products that can be consumed directly out of their containers, such as peanut butter and soups.

She said at least a two-week food supply was good, and a three-month supply was “fabulous.”

The couple also recommended having items such as solar-powered flash lights and portable heaters that are safe to use indoors.

In case a disaster happens when someone is not home, Jonathan Jones suggested keeping a backpack inside a car that is filled with food, water, a coat, hat, gloves, a rope, a multi-tool and cash.

The couple recommended more sophisticated preparation steps as well, including going through Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) training and obtaining a Ham radio license.

Perspective

Williams, who works by day as a psychotherapist, suggested mental preparation is as important as any for a disaster.

“The most important thing I’m going to tell you is attitude – the most important thing is a positive attitude,” Williams said. “If you have a good attitude, you can make it through it. If you don’t have a good attitude, everything just snowballs and the disaster becomes in your mind as well, and that’s the worst place.”

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