Today while at work we all felt the shake of the quake here in Virginia. I was about 40 miles from the epicenter and it was a crazy experience seeing those walls move and shake like that out of nowhere.
Naturally, when I got home it was the topic of discussion and one of the things we talked about was disaster preparedness.
So I ask – in a disaster (earthquake, power outage, etc) what items might you want to keep on hand in your home?
Here are some I recommend:
1. Water bottles. Actually we have jugs of distilled water on hand and in the back for supply. Water is the most important thing you can have so think about how much you want to have on supply. 1 week? 1 month? 2 months?
If you don’t know how to figure this out, start tracking how much water you drink and cook with. Plan on buying that much “extra” and keep on supply.
2. Beans. I always make sure we have cannellini beans on hand – not just for cooking, but because they taste great even out of a can (rinsed preferably). Even if you had no power you can make a great Italian anti-pasto salad. Beans are good protein and can be filling and easy to prepare.
3. Generators
4. Induction burners are great to have on hand because they use much less electricity and watts than a regular stove. We have one we use here and we use it quite often instead of the stove. The only thing is you have to make sure the pans you use are for induction. Not all pans will work. I’ll be sure to write a post about them.
5. Dried pasta. If you ever needed a reason to stock up on pasta here is your moment. Dried pasta lasts for awhile and is easy to eat and cook with. For a real healthy alternative try whole wheat pasta, not my favorite, but hey – different strokes for different folks.
6. Extra dog or cat food. So this isn’t exactly for you, but we have to take care of our pets too. I have a nice 12 lb. extra bag of dried Iams for my cat sitting in the back. I replace it periodically so it won’t go stale.
I hope these tips help to at least get you thinking about things you would want to keep extras of in times of a disaster. The list can go on and on so let me know what you feel is important in your household!
Liz
www.simpleitaliancooking.com
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