Recommendations for emergency survival foods?

[this_side_up]

In addition to whatever we have here in the pantry, I've been thinking we should buy some prepackaged foodstuffs because if/when the Oregon
Big One hits, just about everything west of the Cascades is trashed and
there won't be much (if any) coming in and most likely nothing getting out.

Bend is supposed to be the relief staging area. I assume they would fly in
and land wherever. Still, that would mean ?? how many days of food
and water needed?

I think Costco has a couple of survival packs for 1-3 days or
1 - 4 people or some such. I think the Red Cross does also.

The last time I used "the google", I was overwhelmed by the
sheer number of companies and the selections.

Then, there is the matter of taste/quality.

Anyone ever eaten any of these? Recommendations?

Thanks!

[goclark]

1. Thanks for the reminder ~ Los Angeles checking in K

[this_side_up]

3. You betcha! I am kicking

myself for not having followed through on this back in October but...
the economy, higher & higher prices for everything (yet there is
no inflation etc etc), stress etc.

The time IS now to get moving on this and be done by May 15.

In some ways, I am more concerned about water (assuming the city cannot get the wells going). And I guess the water would need to be
boiled?

I know we need to have high protein & high calorie due to diabetes.

[uppityperson]

2. Recommendation used to be 3 days food/water/meds, now at least a week

Finding out that you should have a weeks worth of food, water, meds for everyone in your family, including pets.

I buy a case of water bottles at Costco, a case of some sort canned meat, veg, refritos, fruit, and then rotate them through my pantry. Dried food is good IF you have a way to cook it as well as rehydrate it.

I haven't tried to Costco bucket, but it looks ok. Have eaten a bunch of backpacking kits in the past and meh. If you have the room, go with canned and rotate it annually.

An easy way to get started is pick up a couple extra cans of something when you do Large Shopping, or once a month a flat of Costco something. After a few months you will have a decent kit.

Mr. UP laughs at me because I have a full weeks kit in my car also. Got one of those large plastic Costco containers, have food, water, including some sweets, can opener, matches, as well as a complete set of clothing (boots, socks, undies, pants, shirt, sweater/jacket, gloves, hat). It is next to the chainsaw (this time of yr) or the inflatable kayak (summer). If I ever drive off a road or get stuck somewhere, MrUP says I'll have the cabin built and garden in when I'm found.

But, after seeing the gulf coast after Katrina, and living on the coastal fault plain also, it makes me more comfortable.

[Hekate]

6. I've thought about getting a kit for my car, but am concerned about the contents degrading in heat

You know how hot a car gets. I'd appreciate any thoughts you have on that. So far in my car all I have is one of those emergency car repair kits and a kind of metallic sheet that's supposed to keep you from dying of cold.

I love Mr UP's image of you surviving with the cabin and garden!

Hekate

[CrispyQ]

28. Your post made me smile.

"If I ever drive off a road or get stuck somewhere, MrUP says I'll have the cabin built and garden in when I'm found." :o

[Jamastiene]

4. Cans and cans of beans, a Kerosene heater, Kerosene...

Enough meds reserved just for emergency situations

Rice kept in a dry place

Powdered Milk kept in a dry place

Ovaltine for extra vitamins and minerals

Vitamins

Aspirin

Tylenol (or store brand...or the strongest thing you can score from your doctor)

Whiskey (your choice)

Guns and ammo, your choice, know your weapon and keep it safe and usable.

A good, sharp machete

A good, sharp pilot's knife

An emergency cell phone for when cell towers are restored, one that you can pay for minutes when you want them, not a contract

First Aid Kit (the Deluxe model of whatever you buy)

Hurricane Lamps, they aren't only for hurricanes

Candles

Matches (strike anywhere)stored in a Seal-A-Meal type bag

Zippo, and lighter fluid, wicks, and flints just in case the bag with the matches in it gets punctured

Water:
Buy enough water to last 2 weeks for every person in the house.

*Use the water while you store water. In other words, keep buying water and drinking the last water you bought so it'll stay fresh and not get stagnant

MREs:
Follow the same instructions as water. Keep replacing them before they get too old so you have a supply on hand, but it's fairly fresh.

In case you need to get out of unsteady buildings and camp, also get camping equipment:

A good tent.

A sharp hatchet or ax for camping

Magnesium sticks

Compass

Some good thick sleeping bags (5 lb. size for northern climates, 4 lb. size for moderate climates) in case of cold weather. It's easier to uncover when hot than to not have enough cover when cold.

Instructions:
Keep the whiskey, hatchet, guns and ammo, and pain meds as close to you as possible, along with the water and hatchet.

If you can only have three things, due to not having time to collect all your supplies, those things will help more than anything.

The hatchet will let you cut branches to make shelter and can be used to fashion tools and defend yourself assuming the other person doesn't have a gun.

The gun is in case the other person isn't in the mood to play nice or tries to touch your whiskey and pain meds.

The whiskey is self explanatory; the the pain meds are in case you get picked up and sent to a gymnasium or other community shelter full of screaming hyperactive children, crazy, complaining adults, and other assorted stinky, odoriferous people who want to socialize with you.

Good luck!

[Hekate]

5. Costco also has carried dried meals packed in a big plastic bucket, with a 20 year shelf life.

I ended up buying two buckets worth awhile back; there's only two of us at home, but we might want to be feeding others, or an emergency might last longer than anticipated. Mr. H insisted on trying a few, so I boiled up some meals. They were edible, though not exciting, and I expect would keep you going if you also had water and a way to heat it. They could definitely be improved with whatever canned goods you had on hand.

I also purchased a bucket with other disaster supplies in it, and I am glad I opened that one up because the little Sterno can had leaked and I had to return the whole thing.

Googling Costco + disaster supplies gets a lot of hits you could explore if you want to. Here's one with several products on it
http://www.costco.com/Browse/Product.aspx?Prodid=11219554

I have not yet figured out how to store water. I tried keeping some of those gallon jugs on hand, but after awhile the plastic decays and they ruin everything else. I did get a personal-size water bottle with built-in purification filter from Magellan's Travel Supply: supposedly you can take it anywhere in the world and it will filter out all kinds of bad organisms, so I figure it might come in handy as a supplement to the "few drops of chlorine bleach" method.

I have a couple of friends who survived Hurricane Andrew. They and their neighbors were without power and other necessities for two weeks. The husband worked for an oil company, and his employer sent out certain supplies to their employees, and they shared some of those with their neighbors. They also had their own generator, which they also shared with their neighbors.

After the Loma Prieta Earthquake in Northern California, people in outlying areas were also pretty much on their own for two weeks.

Hekate

[csziggy]

12. For water, maybe some of those food quality 55 gallon drums

The type you can get for rain barrels. We can get those for about $20 at the feed store. In fact, having a rain barrel would give you a water source that could be filtered and purified for emergencies and let you water your garden during droughts!

After one hurricane we went for a week without power which meant a week without water from our well. We have huge concrete water troughs for the horses and used water out of those to flush the toilets. In a real pinch, we could have filtered that water and put some bleach in it or boiled it to use as drinking water. Each of those troughs hold several hundred gallons, so that gives us a nice reservoir without having to go down into the woods to our pond.

As for food, we first used up as much stuff out of the freezer as possible before it thawed and spoiled, then we went into our stash of dried and canned goods. With only one week, we had plenty to use. Our biggest problems were when we started running low on feed and water for the horses and not being able to wash. Fortunately, most of town got power back and motels were offering use of their rooms so people could take showers.

[Hekate]

7. I'm the first Rec? KnRnBookmarking. This thread is a good reminder just now. nt

[MercutioATC]

8. Long-term storage? Mountain House food, beans, and rice.

It's not cheap, but Mountain House freeze-dries and nitrogen packs their foods...35+ year shelf life.

Beans and rice stored in airtight containers to round it out.

You can supplement with a lot of other things, but those are the basics.

[FlaGranny]

9. I have used thereadystore.com

They have a large selection of survival food and gear. I keep a month's supply for 2 on hand in the form of MREs. I like them better than the canned and dehydrated foods. The MREs are quite good. I didn't like the dehydrated and canned stuff much. We've had occasion to use them for 2 hurricanes, in which we were without power for about 2 weeks each time. You can get heat packs to warm them up or you can get a little sterno stove.

[KittyWampus]

19. thank you FlaGranny. I appreciate all the input on this thread.

[FSogol]

10. Any military supply stores around? We had a 3 day power outage

about 10 years ago and the kids loved the novelty of MREs. They last forever.

[SmileyRose]

11. MREs are your best bet for your situation

some tasty some aren't, but they will keep you alive, last 10=20 years and will keep you alive. Don't forget the TP, check out camp toilets, small investment and worth it, trust me, a camp shovel and shower, water storage - and always rotate an extra month of meds. Decent first aid kit.

ready.gov will help

[uppityperson]

31. MREs have different types, some military, some fake.

Some were hoarded by people after disasters and now they are selling them. Before you buy, do some research and make sure you know what you are getting and from whom.

[HopeHoops]

13. Be sure to have plenty of dulse on hand.

You can get it from Maine Seacoast Vegetables - https://www.seaveg.com/shop/index.php?main_page=index&cPath=20

It is high in iron and a shitload of minerals you won't find in most "survival foods". You can eat it straight out of the bag as a snack, mix it in with any prepared food, rehydrate it in soup, or add it to a stir fry. It also adds a "salty" flavor but is curiously very low in sodium.

[Gormy Cuss]

26. Dulse? That's an acquired taste. Best to taste some before you throw it in the emergency supply.

To the OP:For that matter, prior to storing any new products as a emergency supply it's a good idea to familiarize yourself with the foodstuffs. I used to buy freeze-dried meals for backpacking and some of them were good enough but some of them were awful.



To HHoops: I was served dulse as a snack as a little kid and like the stuff but I remember when a teacher handed out pieces to everyone in a summer camp class and only two of us knew what it was before we ate it --- everyone else spit it out.

[HopeHoops]

27. It is an aquired taste, but one that can quickly become addictive - not a bad thing.

The dulse granules with garlic (in the shaker) are an excellent substitute for salt. Since I discovered dulse (about 25 years ago), I've been curious as to how something with such a low sodium content can add so much "salt" flavor. It must be a trick of the taste buds.

[DemReadingDU]

14. Top 100 Items to Disappear First During a National Emergency

Top 100 Items to Disappear First During a National Emergency

http://baconreport.blogspot.com/2007/07/top-100-items-to-disappear-first-during.html


Good list, it's periodically goes around the blogosphere.

[formercia]

15. Buy a few weeks extra food.

It's better to store things you use all the time. You may find the 'survival' foods may not be to your taste.

Some Mormon relatives of my ex keep enough food to last a Year. This is one things the Mormons do right. Learn from their experience. I'm sure they would be glad to share.

[dysfunctional press]

17. i always have about three weeks worth of food on hand.

no special 'survival' supplies...regular canned goods and frozen foods- we have a large chest-type freezer in the garage(and a generator if the power goes out.(and extra gas for the generator.)).

[slackmaster]

16. I always keep a supply of military MREs on hand, in addition to canned and dry foods

MREs are very nutritious in terms of calories, vitamins, and protein.

They're also loaded with trans fats and other stuff that you shouldn't eat all the time, but in an emergency they are great.

Potable water is also very important. I have about 50 gallons in plastic carboys, plus whatever is in the water heater.

[KittyWampus]

18. Buy bleach. You would need it.

[uppityperson]

29. if you have bleach, make sure you rotate it, change it out periodically as it deteriorates

it doesn't go "bad" but deteriorates so make sure you change it out every 6 months or so.

[conscious evolution]

20. Power bars

Those sports/nutrition bars like power bars,Odwalla bars and such make great E-Rations.

[Boxerfan]

21. Big jar of peanut butter is a easy to store/high nutrition food source

Can't overlook the yummy goodness of peanut butter. Per ounce I doubt there is a better protien source & as far as I know stores very well w/out refrigeration.

[hobbit709]

22. Food, water, fuel

I have a small gas grill with a full propane bottle.
Water-as many bottles as you can store.
Canned goods, dried foods like jerky and trail mix
Bleach and a medical kit.
Plastic tarps and a 100 foot ball of nylon cord

[Dappleganger]

24. And duct tape!

LOL, Cheney would be proud. :D

[Dappleganger]

23. Don't forget to keep things to trade

Guns, knives, ammo, liquor, antibiotics, etc. If the area is truly devastated and there's no monetary system then bartering will kick in.

[SoCalDem]

25. Part of the problem with storing a lot of "emergency food" is this:

There's a good chance that you won't BE anywhere near "home", and if you are & your home is pancaked, you won't be able to get TO it.
In a dire emergency, WATER is the biggest problem. At least here in the US, there is an infrastructure, if you can get to a place where it's available.

In the individual neighborhoods, you would be on your own for at least a few days..perhaps a week. Most of us could manage with very little food for that time, but we would need potable water, and some decent walking shoes.... to get to a place where food & medical assistance might be available.

Those big jugs of water are nice, BUT think about how heavy water is. If you are in a place where you are pretty sure that help will come to YOU, it's fine to stay put..but there may not be electricity, and gas lines might be compromised (fire hazard).

Your car may be of little use, if the roads are impassable. How far could you carry enough water for you and your family?

In a major widespread disaster, you would tend to use a fire-evacuation mentality../ Get out NOW, and run with what you can carry... Only after you are "out" and safe, do you really start to think about longer-term survival...and that garage-full of food & "stuff", will only be there to sustain passing "gatherers", as they migrate through your abandoned neighborhood..

Or you stay put, and "camp" in your own neighborhood until help comes to you.

[RamboLiberal]

34. One of the things I would look in to is packing a bug out bag

You're right, all those barrels of food, cans, water, etc are supposing you will be living in your house. If you're not near your house or if you're forced to evacuate your house(fire, storm, earthquake, etc) they will do you no good.

Pack a bug out bag. Keep one in your home where you could access - near doorway for instance, and one in the car. You could pack it with MRE's, freeze-dried food packs(don't forget most of these need water) and/or survival food bars. There's some good websites out there on what to include in a bug out bag. One of the standards is 72 hours of survival supplies.

This is something I've been researching lately and am thinking of building myself one this year.

Some good info on what to put in a Bug Out Bag. http://survivormagazine.blogspot.com/2008/01/ultimate-bob-bug-out-bag.html

[ddeclue]

30. Canned goods last forever. Get you some canned goods and a can opener.

[Truthiness Inspector]

32. Survivalist thread?

Better late than never, just never thought I'd see it here on DU.

By the way, don't forget the animals in your care when devising your plan. They depend on us.

[LeftyMom]

33. Unless you live in BFE, storing a ton of food is a waste.

In an emergency supplies will get to you quickly, shelters will be set up, etc in towns and cities. What you'll need to store is some means of preparing food, such as a camp stove and fuel for it, in case you're without power for an extended period. Anyhow, if the shit hits the fan here, I'm two blocks from a grocery store and light enough that I'm a finder, not a looter. So that's my disaster plan, the rest of you have to get your own. ;)

If you live in an area where getting stuck in your car for an extended period is a possibility- snowy roads, bridges that could fail, etc, then you might want to have some ready-to-eat food in your car, plus a blanket or two in the winter.

[Blue-Jay]

35. Beef jerky.

[Jennicut]

36. For me, I would need food and my insulin. I don't think I would be doing so good in a situation like

in Haiti. It is hard enough to control the blood sugar on a normal day, I would all out of wack without a normal food schedule and possibly cut off from my insulin. Not good at all. I know others who have medical issues probably have some of the same fears. I did do 5 days of camping but was very well prepared and well stocked with food. This type of situation would be...the unknown.

[gleaner]

37. Some suggestions ....

In addition to food you will need water. Calculate how much water your family and pets will drink and buy cases of bottled water in both individual and large sizes. This will be for drinking only. Do not store on a concrete floor. It will degrade faster. Add some bleach or purifying tablets and post an instruction sheet on how much to use in tap water.

For personal hygiene get some moist towelettes to clean your face and body. They make bath cloths for people who are bedridden and unable to shower. Those are your best bet. Remember you may lose water entirely or it may be polluted. Stock up on paper and plastic goods. Soiled trash can be tied off in plastic bags until it can be hauled away. City services may not be provided for several days in the case of a really big earthquake. The Red Cross says you can also use paper and plastic goods to barter if push comes to shove.

Get some of the equipment people use when they go camping if you don't already have it. A chemical toilet with treatment agents, a camp stove and sleeping bags to throw over beds to keep you warm if there is no power or heat. A small charcoal grill can be used for cooking. Keep bouquettes on hand and long wooden fireplace matches sealed in a plastic bag.

Use the frozen foods from your refrigerator first. You probably would not be able to heat it, but it would save it from spoiling and causing a problem if it could not be removed. This applies only to precooked foods.

You can use MRE, but they are very expensive. You will also need some cans of stew, soup, beans, tuna, vegetables and fruit. Dried rice would require water to cook, and if you have the extra that's fine but get fast cooking rice. Be sure to keep enough dry pet food on hand. Your animals will need to eat too.

Get a plastic trash can and stock it with first aid supplies. Disinfectants, small bandaging materials, large bandages, elastic bandages and something you could use as a makeshift splint if you had to. Get some hot and cold packs that will grow cold or hot if you twist them. They could help with pain and swelling in the event of injury. Get some cortisone cream and first aid cream and antihistamines.

Keep an ample supply of medications for you and your family and rotate them so that they don't expire. Organize what you need by making a list. Call the Red Cross or go to their website. They should have many helpful suggestions.

Keep batteries, flashlights, taplights and radios that run on batteries because you might not be able to see T.V. due to power outages. Keep your cell phone charged. When there is an earthquake of major proportions in LA, they shut down local phone service to leave the lines open for emergency responders. Designate one person out of state that each family member who is not at home calls first. Those calls go through usually. That way everyone knows where and how everyone else is. Keep long burning candles handy. You can get them on the internet or use the big religious candles in glass tubes that they sell in your supermarket. The length of time the candle will burn is the idea, not the religious message.

Lastly, keep a wrench or some other tool handy so that you can shut off your gas with if it is leaking. Then you can light your candles and cook and heat water if you need to without risking an explosion. This seems like a lot but a lot of it was necessary and used here in LA in 1994. Some areas were without water and power for weeks, and people living in one of the valleys here were stuck there because there was one road going in and out, and it had collapsed.

[haele]

38. Peanut Butter and dried fruit.

Of course, you have to switch out the food every few months. But six saltine crackers, a dab of peanut butter, add a few dried cherries, strawberries, blueberries, apricots, apples, bananas, pinapples... that will give you enough energy to keep going and fill you up.

You can always go to an Army surplus store and get a case of mixed MREs if you want something with a bit more shelf life. Or find someone who was on the NutraSystem diet and collect some of their old meals, which should have a 1 year shelf life and aren't too bad. Laz was on it for six months and ended up with 2 boxes of 24 meals left over; that made for couple months of "take to work" meals. Most of the meals can be slopped into a pot or a pan and cooked over a fire in an emergancy.

Haele

[roguevalley]

39. truly awesome thread. I try and keep a kit in my car up here in case

of being stuck in the cold with a downed car. need to keep blankets or a mummy bag in the car against the cold.

we have generators since the earthquakes and bad winters up here.

[this_side_up]

40. A big Thank You to everyone!

Lots of excellent ideas here.

I have the same problem with what to try and keep in the vehicles
that would not be bothered by temperature extremes. Probably
not very doable except on small basis - power bars and a jug
of water. Winter time - boots, jacket, gloves, add one of those
silver blankets. Summer time? jug of water, bars, blanket.


We do have a generator at the house but the problem with
that is remembering to keep at least 1 vehicle filled with gas
along with the 2 gallon gas can. The gas stations do NOT
have state-mandated backup generators. I emailed the guv
and asked why they haven't followed Florida's lead and
legislate that gas stations have backup for when there is
no electricity. Response = none.

I will use 'the google' some more as time permits and look
for sites that sell samples to try as I am leery of spending
big bucks on stuff that tastes awful.

I do buy in bulk as I can - chili etc. and am looking at
getting a freezer later this year. Again, with the electricty
problem.

I do keep SO's meds 2 months at a time. My are more
erratic as they can change often. Going in for another
doc appt soon & try to get the allergy/asthma changed
and set up slightly different.

So! Thanks for all the help & good luck to everyone
getting their own supplies set up.


I am printing out this thread.