We should be prepared for the future. Only preparation, both spiritual and temporal, can dispel fear. Individual members and families should prepare to be as self-reliant as possible in times of personal or widespread emergency.

President Gordon B. Hinckley has suggested "that the time has come to get our houses in order. . . . There is a portent of stormy weather ahead to which we had better give heed" (in Conference Report, Oct. 1998, 70; or Ensign, Nov. 1998, 53).

The primary responsibility to prepare for and respond to emergencies rests with individual members and families. To help, Church leaders have counseled families to:

• Prepare spiritually through fasting, family and personal prayer, family home evening, and honoring their covenants.
• Prepare financially by staying out of debt, saving for the future, and obtaining insurance if possible.
• Maintain physical health by practicing wise eating habits, observing the Word of Wisdom, and exercising regularly.
• Acquire a year's supply of food. Families should start by storing basic foods that would keep them alive if they had nothing else to eat. They may then choose to store other foods that they are used to eating.