Health

Food and supply tips for when disaster strikes

By Alva Muhammad | Last updated: Jan 6, 2014 - 10:03:50 AM

What's your opinion on this article?

How much food should I have stored for a disaster?

Every home should have an emergency food supply on hand in case of disaster.  Start working toward building a 3-day supply of food that is kept separate from regular food supplies.

disasters07-04-2006b.jpg
The best way to prepare food for disaster is to can our own food.  Canning our own food means;

  • We will have foods that were selected at their most ripe and nutritious stage.
  • Items we can ourselves will last for years without spoiling
  • We will save money because, in the long run, canning is much less expensive than buying food.

Until we are able to can enough food to help us through a disaster, we can buy food to supply our needs.  We should start buying a few extra items at a time until we have enough to have two items per person per day for each day that we plan to survive.

Keep buying items until there is enough food to prepare three days’ worth of meals for you and your family.  Remember, water might be scarce, so try to find lower sodium foods that won’t need extra water to cook.

Also, think about special dietary needs you or family members may have (diabetics, dialysis patients, people with high blood pressure or heart disease, etc.).  Allah (God) willing, we will learn how to prepare special kits for loved ones with special needs, but for now concentrate on securing enough basic items to build your family’s food supply.

Since people tend to consume their emergency food supply easily when it’s too readily available, it’s a good idea to store the food in a location that is easy to get to in an emergency, but not near the kitchen.  Keep the items in a dry, room-temperature location, near your supply of water.
Don’t let the perfect be the enemy of the good!  It is better to have a little bit of emergency food on hand and add to your supply than to wait until you can “stock up” all at once.  We can prepare today to survive tomorrow!

canned_foods.jpg

What kinds of items should I keep with my emergency food and water?

As you are building your emergency food supply, keep in mind you and your family will want to be able to eat and drink quickly and cleanly. So you can start by adding the items below to your food supply:

  • Kitchen knife
  • Pot and pan for cooking-it doesn’t have to be fancy or expensive. Whatever works is good.
  • Plastic ware-knives, forks and spoons
  • Styrofoam or paper plates and cups
  • Plastic zipper-freezer bags
  • Plastic bags for trash
  • Waterproof matches or lighter
  • Aluminum Foil—It can be formed into just about anything you need (stove, cooktop, plate, etc.)
  • Manual can opener—electric can openers will be useless if the power is out.
  • Wet wipes, soap or hand sanitizer
  • Permanent Marker—Use it to mark the day you open items.
  • Spices for seasoning food—remember salt makes you drink more water, so add spices that won’t make you deplete your water supply too quickly.
  • A small bottle of non-scented chlorine bleach. You may need to make unsafe water drinkable. Allah (God) willing, we will learn more about this as we move forward.
  • Rocket Stove, Coffee Can Stove or Camp Stove. Instructions for making Rocket and Coffee Can Stoves can be found at: www.instructables.com .
  • Cans of Sterno (canned heat)

Be sure to add items you think your family will use. Remember, you know your family better than anyone else, so tailor your preparations to suit your family’s needs.

Keep these items and your food in an airtight container(s). You want to keep oxygen and humidity out of your food supply. Food stored on the floor, especially in basements, is more vulnerable to humidity. You can add one or two bay leaves to each container to keep pests away, too. Remember, we can prepare today to survive tomorrow!

Alva Muhammad is certified in multiple aspects of disaster preparedness and incident management. She is a public policy analyst and volunteers her time teaching basic disaster preparedness to community groups and vulnerable populations. Follow her on Twitter @originalalva.