Supplement It!

We have covered a lot of information in three short months. Hopefully by now you have an emergency preparedness kit that will support everyone in your family for at least three days. However, I want to discuss ways to supplement your kit so you will have supplies to last at least a minimum of one week.

Acknowledging and preparing for that one instant that disaster might strike can be very intimidating, especially when you gather up enough supplies to last for three days for everyone in your family. It can be overwhelming to put together an emergency kit that will support your family for at least 7 days. What do you need and where will your store it?

First, I recommend that you list everything you already have in your kit. Decide how long those supplies will realistically last your family. Remember that you should have enough food for three meals per day, for three days, times the number of family members. Don’t forget about fresh water, you should have at least one gallon of water per person per day. If you feel that your current kit will support your family for at least three days, then you need to supplement it with extra food, water and other supplies so you and your family can maintain as comfortable existence as possible for at least one week should a disaster occur.

Dried beans make an excellent choice as an addition to your food supplies. They are easily stored, provide protein and can be incorporated into many different dishes. If you have the garden space, you can grow and dry your own pinto, lima, great northern or red beans. They can be dried and stored for future use very easily. Dehydrated fruits and other vegetables such as apples, raisins, potatoes, peas or carrots are also very important to your kit and are easily stored.

When deciding what to add to your kit think about what your family likes and will eat. If everyone dislikes carrots, I wouldn’t include many of them among your food choices. Since this will be a stressful time there is no sense in adding to it by fixing food items that your family won’t eat. I recommend fixing a meal once in a while using items from your kit. This serves more than one purpose. First, you will get used to working with food items you may not be very familiar with such as dehydrated or freeze dried food. Second, you and your family will be able to experience the taste and texture of the food before a disaster occurs. Sometimes, these foods can have a different texture, smell or taste than they do when they are fresh. Third, it is important to rotate the food items in your kit so they never become outdated or stale. Also, be sure to include some snack items. Popcorn is one good choice. I have a popper that you use over a fire or charcoal. I found it at a flea market for $2.00. I actually purchased it for a camping trip but it is now in my emergency preparedness kit. Dried fruits, nuts, granola bars and energy bars are other good choices for snack food.

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