Hurricane prep...food

[Jamisjockey]

Okay working on getting my emergency plan put together.  
Far enough inland that bugging in is the order of the day unless a really bad one is heading this way.  Just ordered a new bug out bag, just in case, that goes in the safe prepped and ready to go on a moments notice.  Will contain cash and important documents, ammo, keys, map and an address book with important phone numbers.
Prolonged power outage is our number one concern.  Number two primary concern is looters...and I've got a 12ga for any of that action....
Started up a water stockplile with 6 1 gallon jugs and 2 cases of bottled.  Will double-triple the amount of gallon jugs in the next few grocery trips (local store sells a package of 3 1 gallon jugs for $2, already boxed together).  Have batteries and flashlights and will aquire more.  Have a propane lantern, grill, and cookstove.
Need to get 72 hours to a weeks worth of 0 prep food.  Stuff that doesn't need to be cooked and has a long shelf life.
MREs come to mind, but not necessairly my first choice.  Any suggestions?

[AJ Dual]

LDPE (cloudy/milky white milk-jug style) water bottles don't work for long-term storage. They're too permeable. Not an issue if you rotate every few months.

You need HDPE (the clear soda 2 liter style) bottles.  Just FYI.

I would find a modest source of HDPE bottled water, or make your own with 2 liter soda bottles and a little chlorine, and then look into a water filtration system.

[BrokenPaw]

In terms of stockpiling water for bugging-in purposes, instead of gallon jugs, you might consider switching to the 5-gallon bottles they use for water coolers; they're a pretty heavy-duty plastic, so you can put a few of them down, put a board on them, and put more on top.  Home Depot et al sells them, full, and you can trade in empties for discounted full ones.

Caveat:  They weigh 40 pounds when full.

[Balog]

The 5 gal models are the way to go. I'd also get a good Katadyn or Berkey filter system.

[charby]

beans, rice, pasta, canned meat, vegetables, sauce.

most of it is boil water or heat up.

[White Horseradish]

I have seen the clear 5-gallon bottles on the shelf at Walmart, but I can't find them on their website.

I did find these two, though:

http://www.walmart.com/ip/Reliance-Products-Four-Gallon-Aqua-Clear-water-container/10098752

http://www.walmart.com/ip/Reliance-Products-Rhino-Pak/14550465

[Ron]

http://www.harmonyhousefoods.com/

[MechAg94]

I believe I know where you are located and you might rethink that "bug-in" plan if you are in for a direct hit.  Check your elevation and compare it to the coming storm surge.  You do want to have a plan on where you will go and what route you will take to get there.  The interstates will be very slow.  If you look around, you can find some sort of "Backroads of Texas" atlas.  Mine has full page maps of each county in the state showing all the state roads and county roads and most dirt roads.  I was in Clear Lake when Rita came through a few years ago.  All the major roads out of Houston were at a stand still.  I went South to HW 1462 and went West toward Wharton and was able to move on from there via smaller state roads.  

A guy I work with lives on the water and his chosen retreat point is either Round Rock or College Station.  He found a hotel that takes pets during Ike.  

For 0 prep food, peanut butter and a few loaves of bread will last as long as the power outages are likely to last.   Biscuits or rolls can last a while also.  I have a case of MRE's, but I have never eaten one before.  There are a lot of canned meats and veggies that are fully cooked and taste better hot, but don't have to be hot.  

Get at least a couple extra 5 gallon cans of gas to keep on hand.  The storm interrupts deliveries and everyone fills up before the storm.  If you have a generator, you might need them.  

The Lowe's down here is selling cases of water bottles for $4.  I have several.  You might consider a case of Gatoraide or something similar that has electrolytes and stuff since it will likely be hot without A/C.  Lots of juices and juice packs will keep pretty good.  

If you don't have a propane or charcoal grill, you might want to pick one up.  Last hurricane, all the cheap $20 charcoal grills were sold out at Wal-Mart.  

You also might find out from the local LEO types what their policies are on letting people back into the area after storms.  Is your ID updated for the new address?  You ought to have their regular phone numbers handy also.

[Ron]

http://www.waltonfeed.com/

http://www.frugalsquirrels.com/store/index.html

[AZRedhawk44]

Not MRE's but are good emergency food that require zero prep:

http://www.survival-goods.com/2400_Calorie_Mayday_Food_Bar_p/fb24m.htm

I have half a dozen of these.  Two in my BoB, two in my GHB, and two spares in the pantry.  I've eaten one for an entire day.  It's a 2400 calorie bar that WILL fill you up in stages.  I ate about 5-600 calories per sitting before I was full and continued on with my day.  No funky digestive pyrotechnics afterwards, no heavy thirst.

[charby]

http://www.frugalsquirrels.com/store/index.html

grain mills and class 3 firearms, what isn't to like about this store!!! 

[Ron]

Not MRE's but are good emergency food that require zero prep:

http://www.survival-goods.com/2400_Calorie_Mayday_Food_Bar_p/fb24m.htm

I have half a dozen of these.  Two in my BoB, two in my GHB, and two spares in the pantry.  I've eaten one for an entire day.  It's a 2400 calorie bar that WILL fill you up in stages.  I ate about 5-600 calories per sitting before I was full and continued on with my day.  No funky digestive pyrotechnics afterwards, no heavy thirst.

How heavy is one of those bars? Might be a good option instead of the extra day of food I bring on backpack trips.

[AZRedhawk44]

How heavy is one of those bars? Might be a good option instead of the extra day of food I bring on backpack trips.

18 ounces for the 2400 calorie bar.

They make ones in 400, 1200, 2400 and 3600 calorie sizes.  Weight will obviously vary based upon the size of the bar.

I forgot to mention:  They taste pretty good.  Kinda like an apple-cinnamon flavored pie crust.  Fortified with vitamins, each 2400 calorie bar has 42 grams of protein in it, which is enough to keep your brain sharp.  High-carb, low protein diets make people less able to focus.  You're supposed to get 50-60 grams of protein a day as a full grown man, but 42 is pretty darn close.  Augment it with a piece of jerky and you're set.

[Jamisjockey]

I prefer the 1 gallon size because they are much more portable.  These come in a 3 pack box with a 2012 expiration date, but I intend to rotate them yearly, and won't be stockpiling hundreds of pounds of water in the 5 gallon jugs.

Ron,
I'll take a good look at that site, thanks!!!

Mech,
We're a ways from any real bodies of water, just west of 288 and north of Broadway.

[MechAg94]

Okay.  I thought you were over in League City.  That is a bit further away.  My brother is in Missouri City and I doubt he would evacuate unless it was just to avoid the power outage mess.

[Stetson]

Jamis,

If you are staying and a hurricane comes through, you will need(or want) a chainsaw.  After Ike, my cousin had me come down and help with cutting the trees up to get out of yards and houses.  Lots of money to be made then. 

Because of the roads, bugging out is not an option unless you leave before it gets there. There is just too much traffic.

[Jamisjockey]

Pearland off 288.  I know Ike did some wind damage in our area, so a direct hit from a big one might be concerning.  


Eric, I'll put that on my maybe list.  Pretty built up here, not alot of trees unless I need to venture further out of the area.

[Scout26]

Just see what Brad has in his pantry......

[vaskidmark]

Remember that you are going to want to eat stuff that tastes like the stuff you regularly eat, until you have gotten well past 72 hours and the official announcement of TEOTWAWKI has been running on a loop for a while.

Foil-packed meats (chicken, tuna, and yes SPAM) are good.  Non-condensed soups (Progresso, Chunky, etc.) can be heated by regular application of heat, setting out in the sun unopened for an hour or two, or consumed without heating.  Triscut/Wheat Thins are nice things to put the foil-packed meats on, as well as to thicken the soups.  B&B (the Boston Baked Beans folks)  makes a great canned brown bread, if you can find a local store that stocks it.

Forget bullion cubes - too salty.  Go with artificially sweetened drink mixes for some of your water, and try hot coco mix to see if you & the kids like it cold.  Get tea bags & a plastic jug you can use to brew sun tea.  (I actually like to add a candy lemon drop or two, which melts to sweeten and flavor the tea.)  Have instant coffee if you are used to drinking java - buy the best you can find.

Get toilet paper, fark plastic yard bags, and either quicklime or baking soda as well as a dedicated 5-gallon bucket.    Lots of toilet paper.  Get a seat for it - you will be thanked over and over again except by those who cannot seem to find the balance point.  For the latter you might want to consider building a privy box with the seat attached that you can slide the bucket into.  If you do, build for supporting twice the max weight you think you might encounter.  Double bag.

Bugging in can be more than tolerated if you have activities beyond mere survival for those with you.  A crank-type emergency radio will bring you entertainment as well as news, especially if it has short-wave & TV bands.  Using playing cards to cut to see who will be barbecued is so much more civilized than drawing straws and can be used for other entertainment before you get to that point.

Final question - do you know where & how to cut off utilities (gas, water, electricity) to your house?  Do you have the tools to do it?  (OK, that was 2 questions.  Sue me.)

stay safe.

[lee n. field]

grain mills and class 3 firearms, what isn't to like about this store!!! 

Eh.  Did you check the prices on used firearms?  A bit pricey.

[KD5NRH]

Forget overpriced stuff with a shelf life comprehensible only to geologists; get a food dehydrator and stay a month or two ahead of your daily menu.  Rotate through the supply for every meal and you'll always have backup food that you're used to eating, and you'll know exactly how you like it prepared.  Keep a list of anything you add that you don't have a supply of and you'll also catch little things, like having enough Baconsalt to get through a 50lb sack of lentils, or keeping extra powdered milk on hand to make the potato flakes more appetizing.

Do some other homemade stuff that takes a long time and/or lasts a long time like sauerkraut, (as soon as I finish the current batch, I'm going to see if it works as well with dried/reconstituted cabbage - that could keep production going for a long time with very little space, as a head of cabbage fits in one of those tiny half-sandwich-size Ziploc bags once it's grated and dried) smoked hams, etc.  If major shortages last more than a week or two, having a huge food hoard won't be your biggest concern; either defending it, or keeping the authorities from forcing you to evacuate (leaving it all behind, of course) will take precedence.

[charby]

Eh.  Did you check the prices on used firearms?  A bit pricey.

their full auto stuff seemed priced pretty good.

[charby]

store stuff in 5 gallon buckets with gamma seals

http://www.gamma2.net/new/GSL.html

[sanglant]

didn't you get the memo? obama done banned hurricanes. there's nothing to plan for.

[lupinus]

Forget overpriced stuff with a shelf life comprehensible only to geologists; get a food dehydrator and stay a month or two ahead of your daily menu.  Rotate through the supply for every meal and you'll always have backup food that you're used to eating, and you'll know exactly how you like it prepared.  Keep a list of anything you add that you don't have a supply of and you'll also catch little things, like having enough Baconsalt to get through a 50lb sack of lentils, or keeping extra powdered milk on hand to make the potato flakes more appetizing.

Unless you have a ready supply of water, I've actually never been a huge fan of dehydrated materials for short term SHTF bug in options. It takes (relatively) a good bit a fuel to reconstitute them and a lot of water. Water is the key and almost always ends up not being enough as it is.

I prefer the soup option. If pre-prepared find some ones that you and your family likes with as little sodium as possible. Better yet, make your own and then can it. That way you can control it and make exactly what you like.