Provident Living – Emergency Preparedness

Hello Parley’s 5th Ward Community. Welcome once again to the emergency preparedness column. In today’s column I would like to reflect a bit on where we are at, and what we have learned.

It has now been just over two weeks since schools were closed, and everyone was encouraged to stay at home as much as possible. In that time many things have happened, including an earthquake with many aftershocks. These events have caused many to refocus on their food storage and emergency preparedness plans. Some feel they just need to add a few things here and there, others need to expand and enhance, and even some are just starting the process. [1]

While the supply chain of food and things like toilet paper are not in jeopardy, it is always good to be prepared just as our prophets have been counseling us for years. 

But today, I would like everyone to take a few minutes to think about what you wish you already had or had done a month or so ago. What things are you missing from your supplies or storage now that it has been two weeks of living in a quasi-shelter-in-place situation? Also, now that many are trying to deal with the challenges of home schooling our children and providing meals and snacks all day long, what are you missing and what would make things easier? 

Now is the time to document and learn from this situation so we can all become stronger and more resilient.   

If you are looking to start a food and daily supply storage, it is best to start with the following concepts:

• Working Pantry – Initially you want to focus on a short-term working pantry. A working pantry will contain the items that you need to prepare the meals and snacks you use on a daily basis. When thinking about what food items to store, think in terms of meals, not specific items. For example, identify your top 7-14 meals and all of the supplies you would need to make those meals. This along with the snacks and treats you and your family eat all the time is what should be in your working pantry.
• Pantry – After you have built out your working pantry, the next step is to focus on the supplies that will make up a longer-term 2 to 4 month pantry. This should include water, powdered milk, and bulk items for things you normally like to eat. While you can have some items that are frozen, it is generally better to have things that are canned or vacuum sealed. If you are going to do your own canning or preserving, please use trusted sources [2] [3] for information on how to do it. Blog posts and YouTube videos can give your ideas, but please verify concepts, times, temperatures, and pressures for our altitude from authoritative sources. 

• Bulk Food Storage – Your bulk food storage will consist mainly of dried grains that are stored in vacuum sealed container. These grains can include things like wheat, rice, beans, corn, powdered milk, etc. The general idea is you want things that can last 10-30 years.  Making sure they are packed and stored correctly is critical. As part of this bulk food storage, you need to make sure you have a way of preparing, rehydrating, or grinding the various grains that you are going to store. Also, once again, store the grains that you like to eat. Please note that some grains do not store well for long periods of time, for example brown rice. The natural oils in brown rice can go rancid after about 6 months. 

If you are finding these columns useful or have ideas for things you would like to see, please let me know.  

Resources:

• Be ready Utah, Utah Government. Available at: https://www.utah.gov/beready/index.html
• Food Resources, Utah State University Extension. Available at: https://extension.usu.edu/food/
• National Center for Home Food Preservation, US Department of Agriculture. Available at: https://nchfp.uga.edu/index.html