Emergency,
Survival,
Camping
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Preparedness
Equipment
Food and Water
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In this section we’ll discuss the basics of food and water. Of these, water is the most important, as you cannot survive more than 3 days without it. A basic rule of thumb is to be able to provide one gallon of clean water per person per day. This minimal amount would cover the very basics such as drinking water, food preparation, bathing, and washing dishes and clothing.
To test this theory, you can perform a little "reality check"... get one or more clean containers and fill them with the appropriate amount of water to last you and your family for three days (don’t forget to factor in amounts needed by Fido, Fluffy, or livestock!). Just for the purposes of this test, you may flush your toilet, but the new rule is that you cannot use any water from the tap for any other purpose. ALL of the water you use for the next three days, except for flushing the toilet, must come from your containers. That means no clothes washer, no dishwasher, no ice cubes from the freezer, no kitchen or bathroom sink, no showers, NOTHING. If you are able to successfully complete this test, you will have a new appreciation for just how precious water really is!
Now suppose that for some reason your water was shut off... where could you find water if you couldn’t get it from the tap? Hopefully, you’ll have decided to become prepared and have some water in storage. Great water storage containers can be found with emptied and cleaned 2 liter soda bottles (2 liters is about the same as 2 quarts, or 1/2 gallon), and any larger container made of food-grade plastic (such containers will be stamped as "HDPE", "PET", or a triangle with the number 2 inside). Used 55 gallon barrels that housed soft drink syrups are excellent (you may have to rinse them repeatedly with a strong bleach solution, followed by a solution of baking soda, to keep your water from smelling like Dr. Pepper!), and these can usually be had for about $15.
If you don’t have water stored, or have used it all, then tap into your hot water heater. Most hot water heaters contain 30-50 gallons of good clean water. Another source of clean water is your toilet tank (that boxy-looking thing on the back of the toilet, NOT the toilet bowl!). If you have a creek or pond near your home you can use that water if you first treat it. There are a vast number of water filters out there, but you need one that is certified to remove Giardia, Cryptosporidium, and E. Coli. These are nasty little critters that can live in what appears to be pure and pristine water, but which will make you WISH you were dead if you drink them! Water can also be chemically treated to remove these nasties, with either iodine or chlorine-based products. Be aware that chemical treatments must remain in contact with the water for at least 20 minutes before use to be effective. The colder in temperature the water is, the longer the chemical will need to work before you can use the water. Water that is cloudy or muddy should first be pre-filtered with a clean cloth or coffee filter, or it can be allowed to sit overnight while any solids settle out.
Water can also be pasteurized (heated to and kept at 161 degrees F. for 15 seconds, use a candy thermometer) or boiled to kill pathogens. If you boil water, it will have a "flat" taste to it. To make it taste better, you need to reintroduce oxygen to the water, either by shaking it vigorously, or by pouring it back and forth several times between two containers.
You can even capture very small amounts of water from green, leafy plants. Encase the end of a leafy branch with a clear plastic bag, tie the opening tight, and wait. After several hours you will have captured a small quantity of clean water that the plant has transpired through it’s leaves. Water can be captured from the soil by digging a hole, placing a clean container in the bottom, then snugly anchoring a tarp or sheet of plastic over the hole. Put a small rock or other object on top of this to weigh down your tarp or plastic, so that as water vapor collects and condenses on the underside of the plastic, it will drip down into your container. Both of these methods slowly produce small quantities of potable water, so don’t rely on either of them as a main source.
The subject of food seems to be where many people get lost. "What do I need?" and "How much do I need?" seem to be common questions. Most grocery stores, and grocery warehouses, keep about a three day supply of food on hand. We all know what happens when a big snowfall, ice storm, or other emergency is predicted... the store shelves are soon stripped bare. Ask yourself what would happen if, for some reason, the trucks and trains that deliver food couldn’t get through for awhile with their deliveries? What would you do if there was a smallpox quarantine and you couldn’t leave your home for several weeks, or even months?
Start with the basics... buy the foods you like. If you wouldn’t eat a pea if it were the last scrap of food on earth, it doesn’t make much sense to store them away. Stick with things that don’t take a lot of time, ingredients, or fuel to prepare. Food should keep the body alive as well as the spirit, so buy things you can prepare in different ways so you’ll have some variety. Most all of us get a craving for sweets now and then, so plan for that.
How much food do I need? Well, if you do the grocery shopping, you should have a good idea of what it takes to feed your family each week. Just multiply this by the number of weeks that you’d like to have in reserve. I personally have (at least) a years supply of food on hand, and I think that a three month supply of food should be a minimum. Don’t forget all of the other things that you buy at the store, such as toilet paper, trash bags, pet food and toiletries. You’ll want a like supply of all these items on hand too.
Please don’t panic at the thought of having to go out and buy all these extra groceries and supplies at one time. Unless you have a lot of spare cash lying around, you simply can’t afford all of this in one trip. But you can start, no matter how small your budget is, to slowly build a reserve. When things are on sale, buy one or two (or 3 or 4) extra. You can save a lot of money on some things when you buy in bulk... just remember not to buy things, such as a huge can of green beans, that you might be hard-pressed to store the leftovers (refrigeration might not be available). Things like rice, pasta, sugar and so on are easy to store and require no refrigeration after opening, so go ahead and get that 50 pound bag of sugar or rice.
Much of my emergency food supply consists mostly of canned goods (meats like tuna and chicken, fruits and vegetables, canned juice concentrate), "instant" foods (mashed potato flakes, macaroni & cheese, noodle or rice and sauce), and things like rice, beans and pasta in bulk. Canned goods will generally last at least two years, so when you bring a can home, use a permanent marker to write the date on the top of the can. Get in the habit of rotating your supplies, so you always use the oldest items first. Store your food in the coolest, driest, darkest place you can find for maximum shelf life. Put bags of rice, pasta, dog food, and so on in vermin-proof containers (5 gallon buckets you can buy for $1-$2 at most any fast food store, large "tupperware" type containers, bluebuckets, etc.).
Remember that you’ll need a good non-electric can-opener. If you lose electricity, first use perishable foods in your refrigerator, then in your freezer, and finally the canned goods.
You can dehydrate your own food too. Most dehydrators are fairly inexpensive, and with one you can dehydrate your own vegetables (use fresh or frozen), fruits and even cooked hamburger. After dehydrating, use a Pump-N-Seal vacuum sealer to make your own long term storage food. Freeze-dried food is also available, and these ready-made meals, while somewhat expensive, may provide a welcome break from cooking.
There are a number of companies that make and sell what is known as "long-term storage food". This is food that has been dehydrated and then packed in oxygen-free cans. Most of these foods will remain fresh and edible for 20 years, but they require water to rehydrate and prepare them. Many of these companies sell their food in "units", that is, what is supposed to be enough food for one person for a year, or three people for 6 months, or whatever. While it may seem like a handy, well-thought-out solution, think twice and ask questions before you buy. Does the unit have foods that you would even consider eating? Can you store, or have access to, enough water to rehydrate the products? Do you have the money to pay for it (this stuff tends to be expensive, with a year’s supply for one person running about $750 and up)? Does this unit actually have enough calories to keep me going, and are the portions enough to satisfy?