Posts Tagged ‘emergency preparedness’
Food Emergency
Why is our food supply of paramount worry when wondering how we’ll keep our family or ourselves going? After all, so many of us live in developed countries and we have the mentality that all that food in stores will see people through any emergency. Problem is, many people can’t make it to the stores during power outages, blizzard conditions and other natural disasters. Even the recent volcano eruptions have limited people in their ability to access transportation. Some people won’t have the access to money or cash when needed. They may live far away from towns and cannot get into the populated areas to buy food. Some people may need to leave town and head to their cottage or another family’s home.
We can spend a lot of time organizing and planning long-term food supplies, storage and ensure we eat what is getting close to its expiry date. Some people have done this and are certainly to be praised for their advanced planning efforts. I cannot discourage them in that. There are many of us who simply cannot or do not have the time or even inclination to do that, and yet we have a nagging worry in the back of our mind of how pathetically ill-prepared we are for a food emergency.
What I’ve found is a lot of food available that is prepared for much longer storage life such as 5 to 10 years, even up to 25 years. Freeze dried food, MRE’s, these foods are what military personnel carry with them. For those of you unfamiliar with MRE’s, they are individual pouches of food ready to slip into an MRE heater. THe heater is also a slim disposable holder that requires only one tablespoon of water to heat the MRE meal that you slip into it. The MRE will provide nutritious meals that are most tasty hot than cold, which is why you want the MRE heater with you. At about .99 for the heater, you can see what I’m talking about. The heater is not a piece of bulky equipment and does not require fuel.
I am explaining this in detail as many of us have never heard of MRE’s or the MRE heater. The meals keep best in 75 degrees farenheit or less and will last 5 years or so in hotter climates, longer in cooler storage. You can understand why the military finds these so valuable.
MRE’s can be provide a 30 day supply of food in a box, with 2000 calories per day of meals per person. The 30 MRE heaters are also provided with it, depending on what company you by from. They eliminate the need for power or drinkable water to heat up the food, they are light to carry but have excellent food and last for years. You can carry them on hiking or wilderness trips, being ready for the unexpected such as poor weather conditions or being lost in the bush. You can keep a box in your home for easy evacuation as part of your emergency preparedness kit. They are fantastic to have.
There are also containers of freeze dried meals that last from 20 to 30 years, so once you have bought these, you will have taken care of your food supply. You can start storing cans of meals bit by bit until you have the variety of different meals you would want with you. One can has nine servings and indicate that it is lactose free, shellfish free, pork free, etc., Prior to ordering them, you will be able to see the nutrition facts, the ingredients, and how many servings it will provide.
Freeze dried food seals in the nutrients and are superior to dehydrated foods. They keep the shape, texture and taste, vitamins, fibre, color of fresh frozen foods. Some examples of the meals you may buy: vegetable stew with beef, chicken and rice, spaghetti and meat sauce, chicken a la king, beef stroganoff, vegetarian meals, beef or chicken teriyaki, lasagna with meat sauce, sea food chowder, incredible assortment of desserts, individuals cans of specific side dishes such as fluffy white rice, sweet corn, green beans, the list is vast.
So you can see that you don’t have to be eating monotonous beans and canned soup every day, nor do you have to worry about the expiration date. One man wrote that the snack crackers he tried after 25 years of storage were delicious. There are also single and two-pack pouches of freeze dried food for travel, hiking, camping, etc. Best sellers are Beef Stroganoff, Lasagna/Meat Sauce, Beef Stew, Chicken Teriyaki, Eggs/Bacon. Happy Eating!
Tags: disaster planning, disaster plans, emergency, emergency preparedness, emergency supplies, family, food storage, freeze dried food, Health, Meals, MRE, Nutrition
Emergency Food Storage You Can Easily Afford
Having durable and convenient food storage in case of emergency must be in your mind. Sadly, this escapes you when you are faced with situations that need more attention. Try to imagine the following scenario. Your car breaks down and need to be repaired. Then, the washing machine knocks out and stops functioning, and even worse, your find your fridge not working efficiently. Could you imagine how you would handle all of these?
Although food storage is not as essential as having your major appliances break down, giving it considerable time and budget is worthwhile. You have to consider food storage as part of your regular home item budget by allotting a certain cut from your regular income in case of emergency. The following are some friendly tips to think about in making your program for food storage.
There are different ways on how you can save enough cash for your food storage scheme. One way to save is to avoid shopping for new clothes every month. Your old clothes can still be used as long as they are not badly damaged. Repair the clothes that can still be mended. Getting something new is not always your way out.
If you used to have a vacation, an out of town escapade or luxurious cruises, start scratching that from your list. For this year, try something simple, like a vacation just near your location. Instead of a 3-day Disney World tour and fun or cruising to the Caribbean, why not go camping near the river or woods in town? Plan a less expensive vacation and you can definitely save much money for food storage. And if you can limit yourself from dining out or fast food, that would be a great help as well.
To meet your food storage budget, you might need to find extra sources of funds. For this case, your income tax returns should come in handy. We are all lucky this year because the IRS will be giving each family extra cash to start up our economy so you must spend this wisely.
Your own garden might have a small cut on your daily budget if you personally create it. Your garden’s produce can also be a part of your food storage program.
When buying groceries and other supplies, go for bulk orders. Grocery items can come in saver’s packs, which are actually discounted if you are going to calculate each item’s price. Purchasing from direct food distributors or from wholesalers is also a budget plus for you to save much.
Finally, whenever there is a sale, go for it. Check out ads or posters for upcoming sales. Sunday paper, flyers, or pamphlets being distributed would help. These are just a few things you can ponder on if you are going to give food storage program a try.
Tags: emergency food storage, emergency preparedness, Food, food storage, food;drink, lds food storage, mormon food storage
