If a storm were to hit today and wipe out all power and water sources, how would you survive? Many, particularly those in areas prone to fewer natural disasters, rarely consider an emergency preparedness strategy.
If one is drawn up, however, it's frequently inefficient, with canned goods and a few days' worth of bottled water serving as basic components.
Because, in the event of a large-scale disaster, help can take time to arrive, you are left to your own devices.
In preparing for such extreme circumstances, thoroughly consider food in your strategy.
What options are there for emergency food? First, forget the traditional canned goods.
Such items frequently require heat to be edible.
Second, consider basic nutritional needs.
A recommended strategy is gathering a supply that starts with basic items: beans, grains, powdered milk, oil, salt, sugar, and seeds.
A diet like this has limited variety, and including an emergency food kit is recommended.
Emergency preparedness kits consist of freeze-dried and dehydrated foods in large quantities.
Some kits offer enough for a few months, and others up to a year's worth of meals.
In either case, a serving of freeze-dried food simply needs to be rehydrated to be edible.
However, not all emergency kits are the same.
In building your own food storage, which kit is for you? Some kits, such as those by brands Mountain House and AlpineAire, consist primarily of #10 cans.
Freeze-dried meals or individual items, such as vegetables or a protein, are packed in cans, and in times of emergency, a serving just needs to be scooped out and rehydrated.
Following a kit's direction yields 1,200 to 2,000 calories per day for an individual.
However, #10 cans have a significant drawback in emergency preparedness.
While the cans often have a lifespan of 20 or more years, a full one can't be consumed at once.
So, what do you do with the leftovers? First, all leftovers from an opened can must be consumed in about a year, if stored properly.
Any storage area or container must be airtight: a commercial resealer can close the can, the food can be frozen, or separate airtight storage containers can be purchased.
Other brands utilize pouches, which are then stored inside large containers.
Wise Food Storage implements such a format with its products.
Like #10 cans, the individual Mylar pouches are airtight and can last at least 10 years unopened, if not more.
Conveniently, water simply needs to be poured into a pouch, which contains two servings, and a meal is ready.
The large container makes grabbing a large supply in an emergency evacuation possible.
If one is drawn up, however, it's frequently inefficient, with canned goods and a few days' worth of bottled water serving as basic components.
Because, in the event of a large-scale disaster, help can take time to arrive, you are left to your own devices.
In preparing for such extreme circumstances, thoroughly consider food in your strategy.
What options are there for emergency food? First, forget the traditional canned goods.
Such items frequently require heat to be edible.
Second, consider basic nutritional needs.
A recommended strategy is gathering a supply that starts with basic items: beans, grains, powdered milk, oil, salt, sugar, and seeds.
A diet like this has limited variety, and including an emergency food kit is recommended.
Emergency preparedness kits consist of freeze-dried and dehydrated foods in large quantities.
Some kits offer enough for a few months, and others up to a year's worth of meals.
In either case, a serving of freeze-dried food simply needs to be rehydrated to be edible.
However, not all emergency kits are the same.
In building your own food storage, which kit is for you? Some kits, such as those by brands Mountain House and AlpineAire, consist primarily of #10 cans.
Freeze-dried meals or individual items, such as vegetables or a protein, are packed in cans, and in times of emergency, a serving just needs to be scooped out and rehydrated.
Following a kit's direction yields 1,200 to 2,000 calories per day for an individual.
However, #10 cans have a significant drawback in emergency preparedness.
While the cans often have a lifespan of 20 or more years, a full one can't be consumed at once.
So, what do you do with the leftovers? First, all leftovers from an opened can must be consumed in about a year, if stored properly.
Any storage area or container must be airtight: a commercial resealer can close the can, the food can be frozen, or separate airtight storage containers can be purchased.
Other brands utilize pouches, which are then stored inside large containers.
Wise Food Storage implements such a format with its products.
Like #10 cans, the individual Mylar pouches are airtight and can last at least 10 years unopened, if not more.
Conveniently, water simply needs to be poured into a pouch, which contains two servings, and a meal is ready.
The large container makes grabbing a large supply in an emergency evacuation possible.