Plan to have nutritious meals even in a prolonged crisis
In the wake of a disaster, having a plan and these long-term basics will help keep your family well-fed.
It’s pretty straightforward to prepare for an emergency. Pack a go-bag and keep a couple of fire extinguishers in the house along with a case of bottled water and a flashlight, and you’re ready with the basics.
In the event of a natural disaster or prolonged power outage, having an emergency kitchen plan is more challenging. In those cases, you’ll want to have the right supplies so you and your family can have nutritious, home-cooked meals even in a crisis.
Establish Your Emergency Kitchen Location
After Hurricane Harvey, when thousands of flooded homes were gutted out down to the wall studs, many families chose to live on the second floors of their homes. For months, they made do with simple emergency kitchen setups. Many thousands more spent the duration in hotels, putting up with the daily hotel breakfast, the room’s electric coffee pot, and a mini-fridge.
If your kitchen is damaged, has no power, or is otherwise inaccessible, you must first designate an area for your emergency kitchen. If your home is safe enough and has power and water, then the kitchen can be in any other part of the house that is still livable.
An outdoor kitchen can be set up in the garage or on the patio, where you might already have a grill. In some parts of the world, this is called a “summer kitchen,” which makes it sound exotic! This setup works even without power if you have a water source. With some basic plumbing skills, you can set up an inexpensive utility sink, which gives you a handy station for dishwashing and laundry. Add a table for meal prep and another one for dining to complete your outdoor kitchen.
If you have no choice but to stay in a hotel, that’s not a bad option since you’ll have power, water, and likely a mini-fridge in your room. Hotels are used to accommodating refugees from disasters of all kinds, and many have small appliances such as blenders and toasters to loan out. Choose a hotel with a daily breakfast, and that will be one less meal to worry about, and you’ll be able to use the lobby or breakfast area as a dining room.
By Lisa Bedford
