How to Prepare for Emergencies with Food Storage

In the event of an emergency or natural disaster, it is important to have enough food and water to provide at least 2000 calories and 1 gallon of water per day, per person. The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) recommends having a 72-hour emergency kit with 6000 calories and 3 gallons of water per person. To ensure that you and your family are prepared for any situation, it is important to have an emergency supply kit at home that contains the essentials for survival. This should include fresh water, food, and medical supplies (including prescription drugs) for three days or two weeks.

When stocking up on food, consider your family's unique needs and tastes. Look for foods that don't require refrigeration, preparation, or cooking. People with special diets and allergies will need special attention, as well as infants, toddlers, and the elderly. Make sure you have a manual can opener and disposable utensils.

Don't forget non-perishable food and water for your pets. To prepare it, pack at least 2,000 calories of food per adult per day. Also, pack at least one gallon of water per person per day for drinking and disinfecting in clean plastic containers.If you want to calculate specific daily amounts of food that meet your individual needs and those of your family, visit MyPyramid.gov. There are two different ways to approach a 30-day short-term food supply.

You can expand your one-week supply of stable items into a one-month supply. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends storing 1 gallon per day for each person and creating a two-week supply if possible.Assuming you live alone, you'll need at least 30 gallons of water and 60,000 calories of food in the event of a natural disaster or any other emergency. At a minimum, the federal government recommends that you have a basic emergency supply kit that includes enough food and water for each member of your household for at least three days. Having a week's worth of food for each person in your household will allow you and your family to have peace of mind if you ever hear the dreaded tornado siren or the beep of the emergency transmission.If you are already storing food for the long term, you can incorporate some of those staples into your short term supply.

Other supplies on his list include a flashlight, a battery-operated or hand-cranked radio, and basic first aid supplies. Rather, this prep supply means that you have 15 to 30 full days of food and water for everyone in your household stored in a location that will not be used unless there is an emergency.The other option is to simply stock up on some long-term survival foods that will still be good 20 years from now as safe, and then continue to cook and eat normal grocery store foods like you always have, knowing that you have a lot of food stored in a safe place that doesn't make a mess. Therefore, your short-term emergency food storage should include 15 to 30 days of food and clean water.Similarly, having proper food storage can help you overcome long-term emergencies such as prolonged natural disasters or family emergencies. If you plan to store food for a natural disaster or emergency, you should store at least one gallon of water and 2000 calories of food per day for a single person according to FEMA.

Karen Borchert
Karen Borchert

Freelance travel fanatic. Infuriatingly humble internet practitioner. Passionate twitter practitioner. Extreme social media nerd. Web trailblazer. Passionate pop culture advocate.