You never know when the next disaster may strike. Because of this you need to always be prepared for a disaster – whether it is man made or natural. One of the first things you should began preparing is a sufficient emergency food supply. During and after disasters, local stores may be out of stock of food and/or water. This can easily happen, especially if communication and transportation is severely affected due to damages from the disaster. Before any disaster such as hurricanes take place, you must have an adequate supply of food in your house.
How to Start Your Emergency Food Storage Supply
In starting an emergency food storage supply you should use the following as an outline to help you get started.
1. Planning
Your success, when it comes to emergency preparation, depends on the first step which is planning. There are several things you must consider in your planning stage. First, write down the food items that you will be storing. You will need to make sure the foods you store will be foods that you and your family will like and eat. It is best to do planning with your entire family. Every member of the family will have ideas about what kind of foods should be in the emergency food storage supply. Next decide on a target amount of food you will shoot for. Will it be 72 hours worth of food for your family or 1 week’s worth? Many experts suggest that at a minimum you have at least 72 hours worth of emergency food storage for you and your family. This can be a starting point. Once you reach your first goal then you can set a new one – maybe 2 week’s worth of food – and grow from there. Finally, how will you get to that goal? Will you buy $10 worth of extra food a week? Will you buy a 72 hour food storage kit from an emergency food supply company? Planning may take a few days. Start small. Take baby steps and try to learn as much as you can about emergency prepping as you grow your food supply.
2. Food supply purchase
Not all kinds of foods can be included in your emergency food storage supply. In choosing which food items to include, just remember three things.
- First, it must be food items which will not expire or go bad in a short amount of time. Try to get foods that can be stored for extended periods of time.
- Second, the easier the food is to prepare the better. If the gas and power are out it will be hard to use your oven or stove. You may want to include some sort of camping stove or survival stove in your emergency preparedness plan. Try to find foods that are easy to prepare.
- Third, food items in the emergency food storage supply should require as little water as possible for preparation. Water is another basic human need which must be conserved especially during disasters. Moreover, you can never be sure if the water supply is free from contamination during a disaster.
You should also store an adequate amount of water as a part of your emergency food storage supply. That is another topic for another article.
3. Place for storage
According to many experts, the best place to store emergency food storage supply is in an underground space like a basement with even temperature and little to no moisture. Some basements can be humid so be careful to make sure your storage area is not overly humid. Temperature must be checked from time to time since excessive heat can spoil certain food items. Moisture must also be prevented since it may harbor the growth of microorganisms, leading to food spoilage.
If you do not have an underground room like a basement then you can use a room in your house like an office or guest bedroom. Just remember to place the food items in an area that is dry, clean and free from excessive temperature.
4. Remember these tips
Below are some tips to help you with your emergency food storage plan:
- Don’t buy your food all at one time. If you buy your food on a monthly basis then you won’t have to worry about it expiring or going bad all at the same time.
- When stocking your items, place the items with later expiration dates behind the ones which will expire earlier.
- Purchase food items which you and your family like.
- Prepare other essential stuff that you need including stoves and stove fuels. Also, make sure to prepare flashlights, radios, matches and first aid kits.
Preparing for a disaster is a must. You do not have to build emergency food storage supply all at one time, but you do need to start building it and consistently add to it. Don’t rely on government or charitable organizations to feed you during and after an emergency. If you do you may not like the results. Start your emergency food supply now!