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( votes)Have you wondered how you would fare if you were faced with an emergency? Imagine how much you’d depend on a continuous supply of heat, water, food, and electricity, someone to communicate with, the freedom to travel, and a bed to sleep at night. Assuming you couldn’t control the situation and you lost one of or all the items on the list, will you be able to scale through the situation?
There is no way you can be prepared for everything. However, an emergency food supply gets you pretty close. It may seem daunting to prepare for survival needs but following a simple blueprint could be useful. Hence, in this post, we will share useful tips for preparing for a disaster.
Refrigerated Foods
When you experience a power outage, it is important to consume the perishable foods in the fridge first. The foods in your fridge are safe if the power outage lasts for more than four to six hours and the fridge temperature stays at 40 degrees Fahrenheit for about 2 hours or more.
You can use a thermometer to monitor the internal temperature of your fridge. If you want to retain the cold temperature, do not open the fridge door frequently. However, you may want to be careful with using meat and foods that contain soft cheese, sour cream, cream, or milk that stayed in the fridge without power.
When there is an emergency, you can keep the following refrigerated foods at 68 to 72 degrees Fahrenheit:
- Margarine, butter
- Vegetable and fresh fruits
- Nuts, dried fruits, and coconut
- Salad dressing leftover jars, olives, catsup, mustard, barbecue sauce, taco sauce, relish, jelly, and peanut butter
- Processed and hard cheese
- Fresh spices and herbs
- Fruit juices
- Fruit pies
- Flour
- Muffins, rolls, bread, and cakes without filling or cream frosting
It is important to note that the food items can stay for some days, but their quality will rapidly deteriorate. You can check out https://www.moneytalksnews.com/14-easy-ways-create-emergency-food-stockpile/ to find useful ways to build food storage ahead of any disaster.
It is advisable to discard the foods below if the fridge temperature is higher than 40 degrees Fahrenheit for about 2 hours or more.
- Cooked or raw seafood, meat, and poultry
- Soft cheese, yogurt, and cream/milk
- Pasta salads and cooked pasta
- Cheese pies or chiffon, custard
- Egg substitutes and fresh eggs
- Lunch meats and pizza with meat toppings
- Stews, soups, or casseroles
- Fridge cookie dough
- Pastries with cream fillings
Refrigerated foods that give off a strange odour or are mouldy should be thrown away. Do not attempt to taste them to avoid food poisoning.
Food Supply after Flood Damage
If your area is prone to floods, you need to raise your fridge or freezer above floor level by placing a platform underneath. Your canned foods should stay on the higher shelves. Floodwaters contain bacteria that can contaminate your food. So, you have to inspect them thoroughly after a flood.
You can discard the foods below if they were in the water.
- Eggs, fish, poultry, and meat
- Fresh produce
- Foods packaged in cardboard boxes, cloth, paper, foil, or cellophane
- Unopened jars that have cardboard seals like salad dressing or mayonnaise
- Home and commercially canned foods
- Cereals, coffee, sugar, flour, and any staple that was stored in canisters
- Rusted, bulging, leaking, or dented cans
Food Supply after a Fire Outbreak
After a fire outbreak, canned foods may appear undamaged. However, the heat can activate certain bacteria that facilitate food spoilage. So, you have to discard those items.
Additionally, any food in packaging like paper, plastic wrap, or cardboard may have been affected by toxic fumes. Raw foods like fruit and potatoes that were not stored in the refrigerator should also be discarded. Finally, any food that has a strange odor or flavor before and after preparation should be discarded. You can follow the same guideline for handling foods that were exposed to floods.
You can click here to learn about food sanitation and safety.
Conclusion
Survival is not about luck. It involves planning for difficult moments in advance. This plan will include survival gear, water storage, and food storage. So, whether it is a financial, natural, or personal disaster, you have to prepare for it.
