Food and water are paramount when facing natural disasters. You’ll need to prepare your pantry weeks and months in advance. A well stocked pantry will save your life in more ways than one!
We compiled the Ultimate Pantry Preparedness for natural disasters. We have lived in hurricane country for over 40 years. We have survived devastating hurricanes and tropical storms including a historic 50 year storm that resulted in civil unrest and martial law.
A well planned and stocked pantry will save you time, money and could save your life. Imagine if you had to search for groceries during civil unrest in the aftermath of a natural disaster. It’s not something most of us ever think we would encounter. But in the aftermath of a devastating hurricane, there is often looting and civil unrest due to people not having basic supplies like food and water.
Advance planning and commitment to your plan will ensure you don’t need to be in public during civil unrest looking for food and other supplies. Here’s our Ultimate Pantry Preparedness for year-round peace of mind.
These inexpensive items can be bought in bulk or on sale before disasters strike!
Turkey chili, chicken chili, beef vegetarian chili
All chilis are great sources of protein to help fuel you body after a hurricane. Fairly cheap and heats up in under 3 minutes.
Canned or jarred fruits and vegetables
Quality fruits in vegetables are a good source of nutrition in the absence of fresh fruits and vegetables. Shop for brands that use less salt, are packed in water rather than oil and fruits that are packed natural juices rather than in syrup for healthier choices. Fill your pantry with your favorites such as whole corn, green beans, waxed beans, carrots, potatoes, and beets. Look for fruits and vegetables that are organic, low in sodium and low in sugar and always check the expiry dates, choosing the furthest date possible.
Peanut and other nut butters
Nut butters (usually peanut or almond) of any kind are food staples in every household and they make for a quick meal on the go. Peanut butter and some reduced sugar strawberry or raspberry jam is a great protein based snack that will keep your energy level up until you are able to get a full meal.
Canned fish or chicken
In any given situation it is a great idea to keep canned tuna, salmon or chicken. You can mix the drain fish or chicken with rice and canned vegetables and enjoy a decent meal. Use dried herbs and spices to add flavor.
Bagged rice 25lbs
Depending on the size of your family keep a large bag of rice on hand. The bag of rice can be separated in 4 – 5 quart sized Ziploc bags when purchased. It is recommended to freeze these bags for a minimum of 24hrs to prevent the weevils from developing, then you can store your rice in a cool, dry and dark place in your pantry or basement. Just make sure all foods if stored in the basement are on a high shelf in case of flooding.
Breads and cereals
It is a good idea to keep several loaves of bread – 2 loaves in your freezer and one or two in your refrigerator. Sandwiches are a quick easy meal whether it’s a tuna fish sandwich or a peanut butter and jelly.
Your kids favorite cereals will keep the moral up during this trying time. You can store inexpensive cereals by the bag such as puffed wheat or Rice Krispies. Transfer these cereals into a airtight containers to keep moisture out.
Almond, soy or rice milks
Available in cases of 6 x 1 litre tetra packs at big box stores such as Costco, Walmart and Sam’s Clubs. Milks based from rice, soybeans or almonds can be stored in your pantry unopened so they are an excellent alternative to regular milk.
Beans
All types of beans are an excellent of protein. When purchased by the case at a big box stores are very inexpensive. Chickpeas (garbanzo), black beans, red beans and baked beans. You can purchase uncooked beans in bags and soak them overnight and cooking them the next day. You can also freeze these cooked beans in Ziploc freezer bags. To cook your soaked beans you can sauté onions, garlic cumin chili powder and beans to add some flavor.
Pastas
Choose pastas that cook quickly to conserve as much propane as possible. Bagged pastas such as rigatoni, spaghetti and spirals cook in under 7 – 10 minutes and can feed a lot of people. Your pasta water will boil faster with the lid on and your pasta will cook quickly with more water. If you do not have your stove hooked up to a propane tank, consider canned cooked pasta with a meat sauce.
Water
There is a saying in emergency situations – 3 weeks without food, 3 days without water and 3 hours without air. This is a general rule and each natural disaster presents its own unique challenges. Water is the juice of life, our bodies are made up of 70% water and our organs require a frequent replenishing of fluids. Water may be the most important item that you’ll store during a natural disaster. It literally may save your life. Do not underestimate the amount of water each family member will require. More is better. If you live in a tropical environment which includes residents of countries in what are classified as “hurricane country” such as parts of the United States, Mexico, Puerto Rico, Dominican Republic, Phillipines, Hawaii etc my advice is to double the daily amount of recommended water per family member. In the aftermath of a hurricane is it likely the power will be out. All hurricanes bring rainfall and this moisture paired with the heat will dramatically increase the humidity in the air. You will be sweating more than usual which means you will need more water than you would normally. Plan on having 8 Litres of water for each family member per day for at least a week, preferably 2 weeks or more.
Fruits and Vegetables:
Canned Proteins: Chilis, stews, beans (baked or pinto, black, kidney beans
Alternative Proteins: TVP or TSP
Jerky: Bison, chicken, turkey or Beef jerky
Proteins: Clif bars, protein powder (can be mixed with Almond or rice milk for a quick jolt of protein)
Mixed Nuts
Jarred proteins: peanut or almond butters
Canned Fish: salmon, tuna
Canned Meats: Roast beef with gravy, Spam and other meat alternatives
Rice and Grains: Quick cooking rices, quinoa and millet
Snacks: granola bars, fruit leathers/rollups
Breakfast items: Look for quick cooking, no additional ingredients required food products like the Kodiak Pancake Mix (only add water pancake mix) and cook. Quick cooking oats, breads & Bagels, dry cereals
Water and water alternatives: Electrolits, bottled water, juices
Juices and Milks: Almond, rice, hemp,
Freeze Dried Food: There are a number of survival food companies offering food buckets. Depending on the number of people in your family. We store a minimum of 2 buckets (1 bucket for each member of the family). Many of these survival food companies offer 8 – 10 different freeze dried foods in mylar sealed bags. Our current bucket of Numanna Foods consists of the following meals:
Mac n’ Cheese
Classic Chili
Sweet Chili Habanero
Granola
Pasta Alfredo
Cheesy potato soup
Cheddar and broccoli soup
Creamy Rice Soup
Enchiladas beans and rice
Pasta Primavera
The entire bucket says it serves 80 meals total. One should note that these are not generous servings. We have tried 4 of the food bags and we found the servings were closer to 5 – 6 servings per bag rather than the estimated 8 servings. A woman will eat an average serving, where a man will require a double or triple portion to meet his calorie requirements. So you’ll need to take that into consideration when estimating the correct serving needs of your family. The bags that we tried were delicious and filling. All bags are meat free so you can add dried beef or vegetarian protein such as Textured vegetable protein from the Bob Red Mill’s product line.
You can find many food survival companies online. Wise Foods, Mountain House, Numanna, Patriot Pantry, and Augason Farms, etc. We settled on Numanna after looking over several youtube reviews. We liked their buckets, food variety, and they offer non-GMO, MSG free, gluten free and organic options with a 25 year shelf.
Homemade canned goods:
There isn’t anything better than homemade canned foods. You know exactly how fresh your foods are, how and when they were packaged and you have full control over sugar, salt and brine content. Set aside a weekend to take full advantage of your home canning procedure. From the food prep, to preserving, to heat sealing large batches of produce will require a full day to set-up and finish. Visit your local organic market and select produce that you will preserve and enjoy. Or if you have your own garden, pick the fruit and vegetables at their peak and can them while they are fresh and full of nutrients.
Pastas and sauces: canned pasta just heat and serve. Also keep dry uncooked quick cooking pastas.
MRE’s and Emergency food rations:
MRE’s (meals ready to eat) is exactly how it sounds. Rip open the packaging, no water or heating necessary, your meal is ready to eat.
Emergency Food Rations are high caloric emergency compact bars for survival situations.
Other Pantry Preparedness Tips
Always keep on hand plastic or paper plates and plastic utensils for hurricane season.
Pro Tips and Tricks to keep your pantry clean and food up to date.
Temperature regulation:
Organization:
Labeling: If any of your expiry dates on cans, bags or boxes are faded, immediately re-label them. Keep a sheet of mini labels and fine tipped permanent marker in your pantry.
Remove packaging like bulky boxes, unsealable bags, etc. Place foods in Ziploc or mylar bags. Place pastas, rices and oatmeals in Snapware weather proof containers.
Keep your pantry clean, dust free and keep all cleaning products out of the pantry. We are lucky to have an actual walk in pantry, with plenty of shelving. The only supplies we keep aside from food in our pantry are small appliances such as food processor, Kitchen aid mixer and blenders. Keep only food or food related items in your pantry.
Pantry rotation: First in, First Out. When you are replenishing your pantry put your newer (fresher canned goods) in the back and bring forward the current canned goods so that you use the older goods first.
Keep a run down inventory list to keep your pantry stocked at all times. Adding just a few extra items at the grocery store each week will help you build your pantry slowly over the course of a year rather than trying to buy everything at once 2 days before a major hurricane.
Pro-Tips: Buy what you eat. If you normally don’t eat Spam, then don’t buy it.
Keep bugs and pests out: Freeze all rices, oatmeals and flours to prevent weevil infestations. Minimum freeze of 24 hours will kill off any chance of critters forming. Weevils are not dangerous, but they are unappetizing. They look like small dark brown beetles and often hitch a ride in pasta. From time to time after you open a fresh bag of pasta and drop it into your boiling water you find a few brown weevils floating to the top. Inspecting pasta bags at the grocery store doesn’t prevent them, they often hide in the pasta. You can just skim the top of the floating weevils with a fine mesh sieve. Spices like paprika, cayenne, chipotle and chili powder are highly susceptible to infestations of a tiny, brown beetle called the drugstore or cigarette beetles. These tiny brown pests are live and are about the size of a sesame seed. If you have your spices a litle too long, they may even develop to the worm stage.
Three month pantry inspection: Every 3 months we empty our pantry, wash down the shelving with warm soapy water and white vinegar. Dry the shelving with a clean cotton towel.
Always select canned products that are rust and dent free. Wipe down can tops prior to opening to remove dust or dirt that may have accumulated after your natural disaster. Inspect the can for swelling (particularly important after pressure changes of a hurricane). We had several bottles of wine pop their corks and the wine turned to vinegar.
