Day: July 3, 2016

Plan, Prepare and Be Ready👍

Posted on by Leah Vicente

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Natural disasters—a flood, hurricane, blizzard—often come with little or no warning.  Food storage is considered part of being prepared for emergencies and natural disasters. Individuals and families can eliminate some stress, worry, and inconveniences by planning for emergency food needs. How much and which foods to store will depend on the members of your household, your preferences, special health conditions, ability to use the food in an emergency, and space for storage. Planning for short-term emergency food needs may be as simple as increasing quantities of some staple foods and non-perishable foods that you normally would use.

Here are 3 steps that will help you weather the storm with less stress

STEP 1: GATHER YOUR EMERGENCY FOOD SUPPLY

  • You will need at least a 3-day supply of food per family member, including pets. You may want to store more than this amount. Remember, it is better to have extra food that you can share than to run out of food during an emergency.
  • Choose foods that last a long time, do not need to be refrigerated, and are easy to make. Also, try to pick items that are high in calories and nutrition. Check out the box below for ideas of foods to use, and how long they last!
  • Try to use as many familiar foods as possible! These foods can help lift the mood, and provide comfort to your family during stressful times.
  • Plan ahead for family members with special diets and allergies, including babies and elderly people. Look for special canned foods, juices, and soups for them. Nursing mothers should have a formula, in case they are unable to breastfeed during the emergency.
  • Make sure you have a manual can opener and disposable utensils.
  • Avoid foods that will make you thirsty.
  • Choose salt-free crackers, whole grain cereals and canned foods with high liquid content.
  • Following a disaster, there may be power outages that could last for several days. Stock canned foods, dry mixes and other staples that do not require refrigeration, cooking, water or special preparation

 

STEP 2: TAKE CARE OF YOUR EMERGENCY FOOD SUPPLY

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  • Keep food in a dry, cool spot. If possible, choose an area out of the sun.
  • Check your food supply at least every 6 months.
  • Use foods before they expire, and replace them with fresh items.
  • Immediately throw away canned goods that look swollen, dented, or rusty.

 

STEP 3: EAT SAFELY, EAT STRATEGICALLY

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  • Only use charcoal grills or camp stoves outside of your home to avoid smoke inhalation and carbon monoxide poisoning.
  • Before heating food in a can, be sure to open the can and remove the labels. Otherwise, the can may be too hot to handle, the contents might explode, or the label
    may catch on fire.
  • Never leave open flames unattended. Always put out open flames before leaving the room

 

 

Keep your hands cleanRiA7XdLiL

  • Remind your family to always clean their hands before preparing or eating food. This is an important step to keep from getting sick.
  • If soap and running water are not available, use alcohol-based hand gels or baby wipes to clean your hands.
  • Eat only safe foods

 

 

If there’s a power outage, eat the food in your home in the order that it will start to spoil. If the power has been out no more than 4 hours:

  • First, eat the food in the refrigerator, Then, eat food from the freezer
  • Then, start eating food from your emergency supply.
  • Throw out foods that go bad quickly and have been left out at room temperature for more than 2 hours.
  • Before eating, look at and smell food to make sure it has not started to spoil. Never taste foods to decide whether or not they are safe.
  • Inspect canned foods before eating. Throw away cans that that look swollen, dented, or rusty. They may have germs in them that can make you sick, even if you cook the food.

We will never know what may happen so it is better that we are prepared. Follow these tips to survive when natural disasters will pay a visit in the country. 

 

References:

PREPARE YOUR EMERGENCY FOOD SUPPLY. (2016, January 19). Retrieved from  http://emergency.cdc.gov/preparedness/kit/food/

Emergency food. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://www.ready.gov/food

Andress, E. and Harrison, J. (n.d.). Preparing an Emergency Food Supply, Short Term Food Storage. Retrieved from http://spock.fcs.uga.edu/ext/pubs/html/FDNS-E-34-2.html