It’s unnerving to think about potential disaster situations, but, if the 2017 hurricane season taught us anything, it’s that it’s best to be proactive about planning ahead in case natural disasters strike and strike hard, whether it be a hurricane, an earthquake, or a flood. If you’re the type to cook meals from scratch rather than buy ready-made meals, it’s important to keep a small pantry pack specifically for disasters, especially if you live in disaster-prone states like Alabama, Florida, and Texas.
To start a pantry pack, both the American Red Cross and FEMA recommend packing at least two weeks’ worth of storable foods for each member of your household. If you’re wondering what to pack, here are some foods you can store in your pantry pack for natural disasters.
Canned Goods
Even if you don’t particularly like canned food, it’s the type of food you want when disaster strikes. For example, if an earthquake hits, your power could be out, and canned foods have already been cooked and don’t require heating to consume. They’re also durable with long shelf-lives, but you’ll want to have options as well, such as canned vegetables, fruits, fish and other meats, soups, beans, and coconut milk.
Water
Most importantly, you need to store plenty of water, so that everyone in your household would have about one gallon a day. For three people, this would require 42 gallons to cover two weeks. In extreme scenarios where water supplies are inadequate, you can have water purification methods on hand as well.
Bouillons
With one bouillon cube making around a cup of stock, bouillons are some of the best ways to flavor soups, especially if they’re homemade, delivering a wide range of proteins, vitamins, and minerals. They’re also compact, with some recipes lasting at room temp for about six months.
Dehydrated Powders
Fortunately, dehydrated powders come with many choices—from powdered milk, powdered eggs, to whey powder, which can all be prepared easily. Given they often require water, be sure to account for this when stocking your water.
Protein Bars
Giving the body quick bursts of energy, protein bars are both nutritious and portable, making them ideal for hiking and disaster situations. Protein bars are so plentiful on the market today that many organic, all-natural options are available as well. Packed with protein, vitamins, minerals, and fiber, it’s crucial for the body and the mind to get what they need to be alert and active, especially during a natural disaster.
Raw Honey
Offering culinary and other applications, raw honey, especially raw Manuka honey, is good to have available when disaster strikes. If your honey appears to have crystallized after a while, this usually means some of its original moisture content has dissipated. If this happens, simmer the honey jar in lukewarm water, which should cause the crystals to dissolve.
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Photo By wollwerth
