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Have
at least a three-day supply of nonperishable food on hand. Focus
on high-nutrition foods that require no refrigeration, preparation
or cooking and little or no water. Your foodstuffs might include:
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Ready-to-eat
canned meats, fruits, vegetables
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Canned juices,
milk, soup
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Staples,
including sugar, salt, pepper
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High energy
foods, including peanut butter, jelly, crackers, granola bars,
trail mix
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Vitamins
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Foods for
infants, the elderly or people on special diets
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Comfort/stress
foods, including cookies, hard candy, instant coffee, tea
Optimally, a two-week supply of nonperishable food is recommended.
Though it is unlikely that an emergency would cut off your food
supply for that long, such a stockpile can relieve a great deal of
inconvenience and uncertainty until services are restored.
Have
a supply of cooking and eating implements that can be used in the
absence of running water or electricity, including:
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Plastic
utensils, paper cups and plates
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Manual can
opener
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Bottle opener
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A heating
source, such as a camp stove or canned heat
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stove, and
extra fuel
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Cooking pans
and utensils
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Grill
If
your water supply is limited, avoid foods that are high in fat and
protein, and do not snack on salty foods, since they will make you
thirsty. Try to eat salt-free crackers, whole grain cereals and
canned foods with high liquid content.
If the
electricity goes off
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First use
perishable food and foods from the refrigerator, then use
foods from the freezer.
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To minimize
the number of times you open the freezer door, post a list of
freezer contents on it. In a well-filled, well-insulated
freezer, foods will usually still have ice crystals in their
centers (meaning the foods are safe to eat) for at least three
days. However, do not refreeze defrosted foods once power is
restored.
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Use
nonperishable foods and staples last.
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For emergency
cooking, you can use a charcoal grill or camp stove outdoors
only. You also can heat food with candle warmers, chafing
dishes and fondue pots. Canned food can be eaten right out of
the can. If you heat it in the can, be sure to open the can
and remove the label first.
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