What would happen if you were confined to your house, unable to leave for a week? Even just a couple of days? Unfortunately many of us would encounter some serious problems. Emergency food storage is one of those things you just don’t want to think about. We like to imagine that everything will always go well for us, and it’s often hard to picture a huge devastating event such as an earthquake, tornado, or other issues. Often when dramatic events occur, families can be confined to their homes for safety until help can get to them, or until the situation stabilizes. Or your neighbors may find themselves with out a home at all! Could you help them? Could you feed your family?
It’s ok if you realize you need some help with emergency food storage – you aren’t alone! It’s an important step to take, and you can begin today! Follow these easy first steps to begin your emergency food storage.
- Store what you already eat. If your family eats a lot a pasta – store some! If you love oatmeal – pack some away! Begin this week by buying 2 or 3 extra of the items on your grocery list, and continue for about a month until you have some extras of everything in your pantry. Things like dry pasta, baking necessities, sauces, beans, rice, and other staples will keep for years.
- Yes you CAN. Start stocking up on canned food! Keep an eye on sales at your local grocery store, and buy whole pallets of soups, vegetables, and other canned foods your family likes.
- MRE-asy. It’s not a bad idea to buy pre-packaged emergency foods and meals. MREs are Meals-Ready-to Eat, and they are a great backup option for while you are building your emergency food supply.
- Water! Many people forget water, because they think they have an unlimited supply in their home. In the event of an emergency you may not have water running to your home. Begin by storing gallons of water in a safe, cool space. You can buy gallons, bottles, or even tanks of water specifically for storage, or you can wash and rinse out used gallons of other beverages and fill them with water for storage.
- Freeze Dried & Bulk is Your Friend. Buying freeze-dried items can be unappetizing, but they may make all the difference for your food storage. You may also get great deals on buying items like flour, beans, and rice by buying in bulk. All you need is a place to store it!
Start today building up your pantry supply and your emergency food storage. The peace of mind is well worth it!
