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FOOD
After a disaster you may not receive outside help for three or more
days. You may need to camp and cook outside.
• How to Store Emergency Food
• How to Use Emergency Food
• Preparing Food
How to Store Emergency Food
You may elect to purchase special foods for emergency storage; however,
most items can be purchased at your local grocery store.
- Keep foods that have a long shelf life.
- Keep food that require little or no cooking, water, or refrigeration,
in case utilities are disrupted.
- Provide 3 or more days of pet food. Don’t forget to stock
up on pet medications and prescription diets prescribed by your veterinarian.
- Canned foods and dry mixes will remain fresh for about 2 years.
- Certain storage conditions can enhance the shelf life of canned
or dried foods. The ideal location is a cool, dry, dark place. Keep
foods away from ranges or refrigerator exhausts.
- Keep food away from petroleum products, such as gasoline, oil,
paints, and solvents. Some food products absorb their smell.
- Protect food from rodents and insects. Items stored in boxes
or in paper cartons will keep longer if they are heavily wrapped or
stored in airtight containers.
- Date all food items. Use and replace food before it loses freshness.
How to Use Emergency Food
- Use perishable food in your refrigerator or freezer before
using food in your emergency supplies.
- Discard cooked, unrefrigerated foods after 2 hours at room
temperature, regardless of appearance.
- Eat only foods that have a normal color, texture, and odor.
Preparing Food
- A fireplace should not be used after an earthquake. Unseen
damage may cause a fire or produce carbon monoxide. A charcoal barbecue
or Sterno stove would be a better alternative. Do not use these stoves
indoors to avoid carbon monoxide poisoning.
- Include these items with your emergency supplies:
o Cooking and eating utensils
o Pots and pans
o Paper plates, cups, and towels
o Manual can opener
Stored emergency food should be rotated routinely.
The following items are suggestions for emergency food:
- Water
- Fruit and vegetable juices
- Sport drinks
- Multi-packages of individual serving breakfast cereal
- Instant HOT cereal in paper packages
- Bread
- Canned, fruit, vegetables, pasta meals, soup
- Crackers
- Canned meat, poultry, and fish
- Salt, pepper, sugar, cooking oil, your favorite spices. Careful,
some spices will increase your need for water.
- Nuts, jerky, hard candy, peanut butter, jelly
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
American Red Cross
Food and Water in an Emergency
http://www.redcross.org/services/disaster/0,1082,0_8_,00.html
Centers for Disease Control
Emergency Water Storage and Purification
http://www.bt.cdc.gov/disasters/earthquakes/food.asp
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