Emergency Preparedness Kit
An emergency preparedness kit needs to address food, water, and first aid. Although a first aid kit can be purchased, what will you do for water and food?
For water, make sure you have a water storage tank that holds at least 14 gallons per person. A water storage tank is made out of food-grade polyethylene and is blue in color. While the blue prevents algae from forming inside, the tank should not be placed near sunlight, and a nonporous barrier should be placed between it and the ground. In winter, to prevent cracking the polyethylene, make sure the tank is no more than 90-percent full.
Water inside a storage tank, however, is in a raw state and, therefore, undrinkable. To be able to use the water in the event of an emergency, have purification and filtration devices on hand - preferably portable models. A purifier sterilizes or kills the microorganisms and bacteria in the raw water, and a filter removes the remainder of the impurities. For the filtration, make sure that ceramic is used for the primary filter and hard-block carbon for the secondary. Some portable models, however, may use glass fiber.
Having a source of clean water allows you to prepare foods, which must be part of your emergency preparedness kit. Most, on the other hand, have less than a week's worth of food in their cabinets, and food storage needs to be built up. Although this can be done gradually, start with basic items: grains, beans, dehydrated milk, sugar, salt, oil, and seeds. To fill out your daily caloric and nutritional needs, include a supply unit.
Mountain House, AlpineAire, Provident Pantry, and Wise Foods are all makers of supply units that contain several dehydrated or freeze-dried foods and prepared meals. Such items, be it a full dish or a few vegetables that can be combined together, just need to be rehydrated with water and then can be eaten as-is. Typically, following a supply unit's serving suggestions allows you to live on 1,100 to 1,800 calories per day.
When building food storage, keep all items in a dry, dark area free of heat, moisture, and light. A basement, crawl space, or closet consistently between 50°F and 60°F is ideal. Kept in the right conditions, food supply units can last 10 to 25 years. Chemicals, however, should not be in the space, and food should not be buried or kept in a trash can.
Most food supply units have dehydrated or freeze-dried foods in #10 or #2 ½ cans. A #10 can has several servings inside, and eating or preparing all food at once is not practical. Instead, keep all leftovers in an airtight container. If you have a commercial resealer, fully close the #10 can. Other options include, freezing the food or storing it in a bag inside a container. No matter the approach, the leftover food will last about a year.
