The grocery stores, the gas stations, and all other public facilities are closed. Everyone has been told to stay in their homes.

Your family has one day of food left. Two days, if you and your wife don’t eat, and give it to the kids. Water is only sporadically available when you turn on the faucet.

You realize you should have listened to your friend. You thought he was just another alarmist. You now think he was a prophet.

You feel guilty and powerless because you don’t know how you will feed your family.

The Above Scenario Doesn’t Have to Happen to Your Family.

Remember how New Orleans residents
fared after
Hurricane Katrina.

Mountain House Freeze Dried Food claims some of the largest shelf lives in the food storage arena. However, the shelf life varies by package type.

There are several types of packaging for Mountain House Freeze Dried Food:

• Regular Pouches
• Pro-Pak Pouches
• #10 Cans

Regular Pouches from Mountain House generally have a 7 year shelf life. However, not all pouched freeze dried food stores for the same amount of time. Freeze dried ice cream and organic fruit products have a shelf life of 2 years. All other Mountain House freeze dried food pouches have a shelf life of 7 years.

Mountain House Freeze Dried Pro Paks are another type freeze dried food pouch. These pouches also have a 7 year shelf life, but they are a special case. Pro-Pak pouches are a special type of foil packaging that comes completely vacuumed sealed for ultra compact storage. In addition, they are made to not expand when hiking or camping in higher elevations. Each pouch takes up less space in your backpack, boat, rv, emergency pack, or car, and they feature a convenient stand up zipper foil pouch for simple and easy rehydration and eating.

Regular pouches and Pro-Pak pouches don’t have to be used on a backpacking or camping trip. They will also fit well in a long term food storage pantry. The benefits for backpackers also apply to food storage enthusiasts. Compact, lightweight, freeze dried food storage in a pouch.

Mountain House freeze dried food in #10 cans is packed airtight and have a 25 year shelf life. Laboratory testing has shown that the actual shelf life exceeds 30 years. The interior and exterior of these cans are coated with protective enamel for double protection. Mountain House’s canning process is equal to military standards, and uses vacuum oxygen removal and nitrogen flushing.

In all cases, you should treat any rehydrated food as you would fresh food.

Here is a list of things that FEMA suggests should be in a Basic Disaster Supplies Kit:

• Three-day supply of non-perishable food.
• Three-day supply of water – one gallon of water per person, per day.
• Portable, battery-powered radio or television and extra batteries.
• Flashlight and extra batteries.
• First aid kit and manual.
• Sanitation and hygiene items (moist towelettes and toilet paper).
• Matches and waterproof container.
• Whistle.
• Extra clothing.
• Kitchen accessories and cooking utensils, including a can opener.
• Photocopies of credit and identifi cation cards.
• Cash and coins.
• Special needs items, such as prescription medications, eye glasses, contact lens solutions, and hearing aid batteries.
• Items for infants, such as formula, diapers, bottles, and pacifiers.
• Other items to meet your unique family needs.

If you live in a cold climate, you must think about warmth. It is possible that you will not have heat. Think about your clothing and bedding supplies. Be sure to include one complete change of clothing and shoes per person, including:

• Jacket or coat.
• Long pants.
• Long sleeve shirt.
• Sturdy shoes.
• Hat, mittens, and scarf.
• Sleeping bag or warm blanket (per person).

Be sure to account for growing children and other family changes. See Appendix B for a detailed checklist of disaster supplies. You may want to add some of the items listed to your basic disaster supplies kit depending on the specific needs of your family.