Emergency Preparedness: Foods

If you’re an Atlanta resident looking to ensure that your family and household are prepared for emergencies, you should put a lot of thought into setting aside a stock of food and provisions. This will prove invaluable in the event that your family loses access to supplies because of some kind of widespread disaster, such as wildfires and storms.

We wrote recently about the necessity of having an emergency disaster kit readily available, and one of the items we recommended should be included in that kit was food. But this raises the question, what kind of food should you keep on hand? We recommend the following:

• Non-perishable foods, particularly canned items, can be stored now and will keep for years. That way you won’t have to continually restock your emergency supplies.

• The Federal Emergency Management Agency recommends that you avoid foods that make you thirsty, which will make it easier to conserve fluids if the public water supply has been compromised.

• If a member of your household has special dietary needs, be sure to include some foods that fit these requirements.

• Throwing in some comfort foods can help ease the stress and emotional trauma that comes from dealing with these kinds of emergencies.

With all of this in mind, we encourage you to consult with an Atlanta alarm company in order to find out what options are available for your property in terms of fire alarm monitoring, particularly if your home is surrounded by fire hazards such as dry brush.