Emergency Kits
Have you ever experienced a natural disaster or even a seemingly-benign event like a power outage? If you have not, emergency kits are often a key component for survival. In any of these situations, finding basic supplies, from water to food, becomes impossible, and depending upon the nature of the disaster, help may not reach you for a few weeks.
Emergency kits have all the essentials an individual or person needs. While this includes water, first aid, and a flashlight, having enough food is the most important aspect of survival. Emergency food kits, however, cannot be put together in a day, and you need to build up a year's worth of items over time. If and when a disaster hits, you will be prepared.
On an average day, most households do not have enough food for an emergency – and most of the items in cabinets and the refrigerator are perishable. In fact, a typical family, if a disaster were to strike at any moment, would have less than a week's worth of food available. Contributing to an emergency kit on a regular basis, instead, needs to become a lifestyle – and not a last-minute effort.
Basic foods, including grains, beans, dehydrated milk, sugar, salt, oil, and seeds, are the foundation of an emergency kit. Living off these items alone, however, becomes dull, and adding freeze-dried and dehydrated products gives your food storage some variety. Mountain House, AlpineAire, and Provident Pantry all have emergency kits containing #10 cans and bags of freeze-dried and dehydrated foods just needing water to become a meal. Such prepared kits have enough for an individual to live off 1,100 to 1,800 calories per day for a week to a year.
The lifespan of emergency food kits is one concern, and while prepared food supplies can last up to 20 years, the conditions of the storage area have a direct effect. Ideally, your basics and containers of freeze-dried and dehydrated items should be kept in a dry place inside your home; basements, closets, and crawl spaces – dark and 50°F to 60°F – are common. Chemicals, even household cleaners, should not be in the area, as the fumes from these products escape and will enter your food supply. For a similar reason, your emergency food should not be kept inside a trash bag or liner. Other external aspects, including oxygen, moisture, heat, and light, can affect your food supply.
Even though dark and dry environments are best for emergency kits, how do you treat and save your food once a container has been opened? As each #10 can contains multiple servings, getting the most out of your food supply involves sealing and storing all leftovers effectively. Most food in opened containers lasts about a year after opening, but to prevent light, oxygen, and moisture from entering your supply, bag all leftovers before placing them back in the can, consider frozen storage, or invest in a commercial resealer.
