Emergency Preparedness

Are You Prepared For An Emergency?

I know that this article is a little off-topic for affordable housing designs but it is a subject that applies to everyone no matter if they live in a big house or a small house. A disaster is not discriminate; it can strike anywhere at anytime.

We have all heard about the damage that is done from tornados, hurricanes, earthquakes, tropical storms, and more. We all know it can happen to anyone, at anytime. Few of us are prepared for the aftermath of a disaster if it strikes where we live.

I’ve often thought we should have an emergency kit and emergency food supplies set aside…just in case. We usually have food that doesn’t need an appliance to prepare which would last for a few days so I was never really worried about food. But what about first aid, water, and food that would last beyond a few days?

Now that we’re no longer traveling full-time in our RV and have a home, we need to get a kit together. This is especially true because we live in an area that is prone to earthquakes.

What if we are unable to get to a store?
What if amenities that we are used to going to on a daily (or every few days) for supplies were closed?

So, I started looking into how a preparedness kit is made. I had no idea where to start.
What do we need in the kit?
How do we keep the food from spoiling?
How can we store food so that would last more than a few days?

In my research, I came across a few businesses that are specific to those needs which makes things much easier to build a food preparedness kit.

I was impressed with one of these company’s. Augason Farms has managed to take a natural food source and make it so that it will be available long-term. I thought I’d share this find with you so you would have a good source for an emergency food kit too.

The following is a partial description from their dehydrated carrots:

Total Servings: 29 per can
Can Size: Large, institutional size can with lid
Net Weight: 2 lb 6 oz
Shelf Life-Unopened: Up to 25 years*
Shelf Life-Opened: Up to one year*

That is exactly what I was looking for. Something that I could place into an emergency preparedness kit and keep it there without the need to change it on a regular basis.

http://affordablehousingdesigns.com/the-latest/emergency-preparedness/ Joanne