THE INSURANCE MOST OF YOU NEVER THOUGHT ABOUT: EMERGENCY SITUATION -PART II

Please read the first part of this article.

 Food

This category is the most challenging. You have to make sure that:

1. The expiration dates on any food are adequate for your goal (shelf life).
2. The ingredients do not contain harmful chemicals, additives, or too much salt (care about nutrition).
3. You have to prepare a variety of food. Don’t just get beans and rice like some survival websites suggest. Instead, get beans, rice, fruits, vegetables, meats proteins, and so on.
4. The food taste is satisfactory, and it is nutritious enough.
5. You should get at least 2,500 – 3,000 calories per adult person, so, calculate in advance what you might eat every day. I saw a well-regarded emergency food kit but by looking at the calories per container, I found it ridiculous. For an adult, you have to eat 10 cans a day to satisfy the minimum calorie regimen. And the price was killing! So, the next one is…
6. The cost of food is affordable and reasonable.
7. To prepare and carry the food:

• You have a container or backpack to take the food on the road.
• You have at least one portable pot for camping (like “FIRELOOP Pot with Lid Portable Stainless Steel Cooking Pot”) if you drive a car, or smaller for a backpack like “Wuudi Camping Equipment, Outdoor Camping Pots and Pans Set 2PCS” for one-person capacity. Don’t forget utensils.
• If you have the Camping Gas Stove that is compatible with any 7/16 thread single butane/butane-propane mixed fuel canisters, get at least 2 gas canisters.

8. When you buy anything from Internet stores, do not forget to read the negative customer comments. In my experience, one negative and honest comment kills all positives including fake reviews. Be aware!

There are plenty of offerings for survival food with up to 25 years of shelf life. I don’t believe that any edible food would have the same quality, nutrition, and taste after so many years of storage.

Also, the survival kits are extremely expensive in my view. For instance, a 1- month’s supply for one person can run for $300.  I am not kidding! I spent some time reading the customers’ comments about those offerings (quality and taste), and I concluded that it is better to assemble your own survival food supply with a shelf life of around 3-5 years and rotate it when the food is close to the expiration date. The only ones that make sense to buy is a survival ration food bars to put in your “GoTo” survival backpack along with Emergency Purified Drinking Water 4 oz packs (5 years shelf life). You can buy them on eBay (cheaper).

Use it before that date and buy the replacement. It is more cost-effective, and, in case of any emergency, you will not chew the food with a taste like the “old shoe”. Also, since you have to use it before the expiration date, you won’t buy the food that should be thrown out, so, it would be consumed. This way you would taste your food and decide if it is worth storing.

Yes, it could be not an easy task but I will give you some tips.

 So, what do you need to buy?

Categories: Meat and protein, Fruits and Veggies, Grains and Starches, and Miscellaneous food

1. Canned meat (chicken, beef, spam, Vienna sausages).
2. Canned fish (tuna, salmon, etc. in oil).
3. Nuts (almonds, mixed nuts, peanuts, walnuts, pecans, sunflower seeds), peanut butter.
4. Protein bars, beef jerky.
5. Beans (canned are preferred, like kidney beans and pinto beans). They are rich in protein and nutrients. Dried beans require a lot of time to prepare (up to 1 hr.), so, I don’t recommend them as a survival item.
6. Coffee and tea as needed.
7. Canned veggies. While they are not considered a survival food they would be great as an addition to your dishes like corn, green beans, mixed veggies, peas, and tomatoes.
8. Freeze-dried fruits (bananas, cranberries, strawberries, mango, apricots, plums, blueberries, apples, etc.)
9. White Flour is also very rich in fibers, minerals, and vitamins and can serve as a core of food items to stockpile. Make sure you get white flour as wheat because many other types of flour are usually only good for a few months.
10. Healthier cereals such as Cheerios or Rasin Brain are mostly for kids and only for storage at home as they are not space-efficient.
11. Waffle Mix.
12. Pasta (like spaghetti, mac & cheese, macaroni, fettuccine, or similar).
13. Rice (better white rice to store longer, because brown rice has a short shelf life), beans.
14. Grains (barley, oats, quinoa, cornmeal, couscous, buckwheat).
15. Canned soup (watch for an amount of salt) or freeze-dried soup kits.
16. Canned chili.
17. A lot of your other foods will be useless if you don’t have salt, sugar, cooking oil, baking powder, and many other ingredients that are important in so many recipes. Perhaps, you have to have the bare minimum like salt and sugar. Add to this:

• Extra Virgin Olive Oil (think how you would store it if you need to take some amount with you on the road), and/or any other fat to prepare a hot meal even if it is less healthy like ghee or lard;
• Powdered Cheese, Powdered Eggs, Powdered Milk;
• Spices;
• Powdered milk and cheese;
• Vinegar (very useful for different purposes).

1. Just to keep your mood up: cookies, crackers, granola bars;
2. Instant coffee and tea;
3. Peanut butter;
4. A flask of alcohol to get “warm” in the wintertime or use as a disinfectant/fire starter. I prefer bourbon.

Consider adding separate items that you can buy online like Mega Protein Kit with Real Meat, Ultimate Breakfast Kit, chewable tablets like Survival Shot by Ready Hour, and Emergency Water Pouch Case by Ready Hour.

5. Pet and/or infant supplies (water, food, etc.).
6. Utensils and paper plates.
7. Manual Can opener (you might have it in your kitchen)
8. Mylar food storage bags of various sizes (to be sealed with a hair straightener, for instance).
9. Baking soda(!). You can also use it to neutralize acid, scrub enamel cups, and pots, brush your teeth, and deodorize your stinky shoes, It can be stored indefinitely in a dry place.

That is a lot, isn’t it? But again, you don’t have to buy everything I have mentioned above. Define the number of days you want to be supplied with food (a week? or a month?), multiply by the number of family members, and multiply by 2,400 calories per day (less for a child). Then, spend time writing down the list of items with a corresponding number of calories per portion. It will be easier to get an idea of how much should you buy and store. Concentrate on must-have food items.

For a “stay home” emergency, there is no problem using your entire food collection. However, if you must evacuate, you should write the list of items you want to take with you in the GoBag because you won’t be able to take everything but bare necessities unless you can use your car.

To have in the car (for any road emergency) 

In the case of a road emergency (getting stuck in traffic, on a snow road, car breakdown, or out of gas), we, humans, need the basic supplies to survive until help has arrived. We need food and water, warm temperature and light, not to mention the power supply for your communication devices. You will never know how long you would need to wait, so, below is a short list of what you might need to keep in your car. Adjust to your climate and choose the quantity in accordance with the number of family members traveling with you.

1. Warm blankets and emergency blankets (Emergency Foil Mylar Thermal Blanket, 52" Length x 84" Width). It is better to use blankets and warm socks than use the precious gas to warm the air in the cabin) or emergency lightweight sleeping bags that are even better and very cheap.
2. Thick candles and a lighter/waterproof matches
3. Warm hats, socks, and sweaters
4. Medical Emergency kit (see above) and a 1-2 days’ supply of prescribed medicine, if any.
5. Plastic bags of various sizes (for waste, etc.)
6. Cash (hidden)
7. Food (such as energy bars, jerkies, trail mix, and nuts)
8. Water (1 gallon per person)
9. Jumper cables
10. Steele wire
11. Duct tape and hose clamps
12. Flashlight (cranking is better while USB-rechargeable is OK, too)
13. Headlamp with extra batteries
14. Rechargeable power bank for smartphone
15. Electronic Road Flares (cheapest buy at Temu.com)
16. Heavy-duty paper towels
17. Durable work gloves
18. Portable adult urinal
19. Toilet paper (compressed towels)
20. Foldable knife
21. Fire extinguisher (small)
22. Ovente Electric Stainless Steel Immersion Heater 12V (optional)
23. Air pump and repair tools including a tire repair kit
24. Disposable rain ponchos (cheapest buy at Temu.com) and umbrella
25. A flask of alcohol to get “warm” in the wintertime or use as a disinfectant/fire starter.
26. Old newspapers (to start a fire if needed)
27. I would even add some clothes to change in case you need them after getting stuck for more than 1 day. Also, I have included a folding pruning saw, portable axe, and folding shovel in my car (optional). All of it could be placed either under the mat in the trunk, or even lower, where the spare tire is located.
28. Get the habit of adding gas as soon as you are down to only ½ of a tank. Always check the roads in advance by using Google (I have to admit, it’s not always providing reliable information) if you drive far away, so, you will not get stuck in traffic for too long.

Ready.gov has brochures for the following:

• Family Emergency Plan
• Pet Owners
• Emergency Supply List
• Seniors
• General Brochure
• People with Disabilities
• Insurance Discussion Coverage Form
• Emergency Response Plan and Resources
• Commuter Emergency Plan
• Risk Assessment Table
• Ready Business Mentoring Guide
• Program Coordinator Committee Worksheet

I am sorry to mention it but be aware that in a situation when the population is close to starving, you will have to have the weapons mentioned above to protect your food supply for the sake of your family's survival. You don’t have to use it but, perhaps, demonstrate it to keep perpetrators away.

One more important thing to do is to prepare the ESCAPE PLAN for your family. The target location should be as far from the cities as possible (how, where, and what to take with you). I will cover more topics if you follow me and sign up for a free membership.

I cannot recommend the exact amount of everything you need to buy and store. It depends on the number of days you plan to support your living, your living area, and the number of family members. Spend time writing the ENTIRE LIST of stored items. Yeah, I know it is a headache to get everything purchased and ready, but you will say big thanks yourself later!

Let me know if you have any recommendations or additions. Adjust my list to your needs!

I HOPE YOU WILL NEVER HAVE TO USE IT! But it is your insurance, man.

DISCLAIMER.

This site is for informational and educational purposes only and should not be construed to constitute professional advice. Nothing contained herein shall constitute a solicitation or endorsement. I am not affiliated with, nor do receive compensation from, any company. My apologies for my writing style if it is not up to your taste. I am going to use my numerous notes from various articles, and if I did not specify the source, my kudos to all those authors whose thoughts I have added to the pages.