Food Storage Conditions for Emergencies

I ran across this little snippet of information and thought it was worth sharing...

Following an earthquake in San Fernando California, individuals involved were asked how they would store food items in the future to prevent breakage.

These were the two most common answers given:

- Do not store foods too high 

- Store as many items as possible within cardboard containers

Cans of food burst in instances where they were stacked too high.

Even plastic containers broke when they fell too great a distance and were hit by the impact of flying items.

Glass bottles naturally broke readily.

However, all items packed within cardboard containers and not stacked too high suffered very little damage whether the product was sealed in cans, bottles or plastic.

Personally, I store all of my canning bottles in cardboard boxes, with cardboard strips between each bottle, ensuring that there is no glass to glass contact.

This would also be a good idea for storing other large quantities of food in glass jars (spaghetti sauce, etc).

All canned goods can be kept in their original cardboard box, and #10 cans purchased in bulk from the cannery come in a cardboard box that fits 6.

Another important comment was to store your food in at least 2 separate locations, in case one area is destroyed or access isn't possible.

When asked "what foods would you store?"

They replied: "Store a survival supply of:

wheat,

powdered milk,

honey,

salt,

dried beans and lentils,

and canned or dehydrated foods,

with a generous supply of ready-to-eat

meats, vegetables, fruits and fruit juices,

as well as lots and lots of water."

I thought those were pretty easy suggestions to plan for...

and they seemed to make a world of difference!