How to Stock Up for Winter Emergencies

In many parts of the country, extra food supplies need to be on hand in case of heavy snows, ice storms and power outages. The best foods to keep on hand are those that do not require refrigeration and minimal cooking. Read on to learn how to stock up for winter emergencies.

Instructions

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Things You’ll Need:

• Shopping list
• Camp stove and stove fuel
• Large ice chest
• Bottled water

1. Take an inventory of your pantry. You should always have at least seven days worth of food for your family on your pantry shelves.
2. Buy a camp stove and several cans of stove fuel if you don’t already have one. This can be used in an emergency to prepare simple meals.
3. Make a shopping list of simple to prepare foods. Think of canned soups and stews, canned pasta products or any other types of foods that can be eaten straight from the can or quickly heated. Buy enough of these simple foods to feed your family for at least a week.
4. Have a large ice chest on hand if the power goes out. Refrigerated and frozen foods can go bad quickly if not kept at the correct temperatures.
5. Keep at least two cases of bottled water on hand for each family member, along with extra water for cleaning, cooking and washing up.
6. Buy several extra cans of baby formula if you have a bottle fed baby in the house.
7. Purchase stove top percolator if you can’t get by without that morning cup of coffee.
8. Don’t forget staple items such as toilet paper, toothpaste and soap in your stocking up plans.

Tips & Warnings

• Every home should have at least seven days worth of food and water for each family member all year-round. Winter weather can be a real hardship if you’re not prepared, but disasters such as hurricanes and tornadoes can happen year round.
• If the power is out, don’t open the refrigerator or freezer unless absolutely necessary. If the power hasn’t come back on after a day, you may have to move refrigerated items to an ice chest.
• Frozen food kept in a closed freezer will generally stay frozen for up to three days.

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