Preparing for a Power Outage: How to Feed Your Family
Feeding your family during a power outage can be challenging, but a little preparation now will make all the difference when a disaster occurs. By focusing on food safety, alternative cooking and a smart pantry backup, you can keep your household fed and safe.
Protect Your Perishables First
When the power goes out, your first priority is keeping your refrigerator and freezer doors shut to trap the cold air.
- Meat and other perishable foods in your fridge must be used or moved to an ice-filled cooler within four hours.
- A full freezer will hold its temperature longer. A great proactive tip is to freeze a few water bottles ahead of time and leave them in the freezer to help maintain the cold.
Consider Safe Cooking Alternatives
If you want to prepare hot foods, you can use a grill, a flat-top, a fire pit, or a camping stove. However, safety is critical: none of these items can ever be used inside your house. Generators are incredibly helpful for backup power, but they must also remain strictly outdoors to prevent dangerous fume buildup.
Build a 3-Day Emergency Pantry
Aim to stock at least a three-day supply of shelf-stable foods that your family can enjoy exactly as they are. You can get creative with simple, no-cook meals:
- Pantry Tacos: Use canned chicken or tuna for protein, and toss in any fresh produce you have on hand that needs to be used up.
- Quick Salads: Combine canned fruits, vegetables and beans for a refreshing, hearty side.
- Classic Comfort: Peanut butter and jelly sandwiches are always a hit and packed with nutrition.
They might not be five-star meals, but if you are stuck at home, you will have total peace of mind knowing your family is well-fed.
Don’t Forget the Details
- Special Diets and Pets: Consider any specific dietary restrictions when stocking up. Don’t forget to secure at least a three-day supply of pet food and critical family prescriptions.
- Paper Goods: Your dishwasher won’t work without electricity, so stock up on paper plates and cups to save water and cleanup stress.
- The Ultimate Tool: Double-check that you have a reliable, manual handheld can opener in the drawer!
How Can I Prepare An Emergency Supply on a Budget?
You don’t need to buy everything at once. Picking up just a few extra canned goods every time you visit the grocery store will help you build your emergency supply quickly without putting a dent in your budget.
Just remember to rotate your stock so you use the oldest items first and nothing expires. A little preparation today makes tomorrow’s disaster much easier to handle.
- For more detailed guidance, check out the comprehensive food and water crisis guide provided by FEMA.
- The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has information about how to Keep Food Safe After a Disaster or Emergency | Food Safety | CDC
Do you need some “last of the garden” food preservation ideas?
What can you do with all the tomatoes, zucchini, onions, peppers, apples and other foods that you are harvesting from your backyard or picking up at the farmers market?
The 12-state NCFSEN group’s website has bountiful resources to help you can, dry, pickle or ferment foods to enjoy when winter rolls around.
Search online for “NCFSEN” for access to food preservation information from Iowa to Wisconsin.