Emergency Food Cache

“Mosquitoes remind us that we are not as high up on the food chain as we think”
-Tom Wilson

Go-kits are limited in size to what you can comfortable carry and/or fit into a car. They are often called 72-hour kits since their goal is survival for the first three days. But as the US painfully learned with Hurricane Katrina, recovery from some disasters takes more than three days. For the really big events you need stockpiles of two weeks of food and water. Keep one at home for when you shelter in place. If you have a cabin, second home, or a "safe-house" keep a stockpile there too.

Here's a short list of supplies for 2 weeks:

Water—Too little can be fatal.

• At least 14 gallons per person and pet (a 2 weeks supply at a gallon a day) 
• Fill water containers and the bath tub before power is lost
• Local stores will be cleaned out quickly
• It generally takes the government 1 week to supply fresh water after a hurricane

Food-- Have two-weeks of non-perishable, ready-to-eat cans of food. 

• Bottles and jars may break if stored on high shelves, so keep them low
• Don't store items directly on the floor. If flooded you'll have to toss most anything the flood water touches.

Medicines

• 2 weeks' worth of your prescriptions and OTC medicines on hand at all times

Flashlights with extra batteries.

Additional Cash

Large bags for garbage and ziploc bags for human waste

Bottom Line

A two-week cache of food gives peace of mind during any emergency. You'll know that your family won't starve.