Preparing for a crisis is crucial to ensuring that you and your family are as well prepared as possible in the event of a crisis. Having access to clean water and food is absolutely crucial for survival, whether it is during a storm, power outage, war, water shortage or other crises. Here are some tips on what you should have at home to be better prepared. At the bottom of the article is a ready-made shopping list to make your planning easier.
To be prepared for a crisis, it is important to have food at home that has a long shelf life and can be eaten immediately without having to cook it. This way, you and your family can have access to nutrition even if you are unable to cook or if electricity and water are not working as usual. Below are some tips on foods that are good to have at home and how to think about water to prepare for a potential crisis.
Water – the most important thing to have access to!
Ensuring access to water is crucial to your survival in a crisis. This is the most important part of your crisis preparedness, as a lack of clean water can have very serious health consequences. In fact, it is more important than a lack of food, which means you need to make sure you have enough clean water to survive during a crisis.
An adult typically needs to consume between 3-5 liters of water per day to maintain good health (both for cooking and hygiene). To ensure access to clean water, there are several ways to prepare for a crisis:
- Pour water into bottles or cans and store them at home. This is a simple and extremely inexpensive way to ensure access to clean water during a crisis. To preserve the quality of the water, store the bottles or cans in a cool, dark place. A good guideline is to replace the water every six months to keep it fresh.
- Get bottled mineral water. Bottled water is another great solution to ensure clean water during a crisis. The bottles last a very long time, so it can be smart to buy lots of 1.5-liter bottles and store them in the basement or storage room. That way, you always have clean water on hand in case of a crisis.
- Buy collapsible cans. In the event of a crisis, the municipality will try to set up water stations to provide clean water wherever possible. Therefore, it is a good idea to have empty water containers at home that you can use to collect water if needed. It is important to clearly label the container with the date you filled it and keep it easily accessible so that you can take it with you during an evacuation. The advantage of collapsible cans is that they take up minimal space, you can have more cans and you usually have plenty of time to refill the cans before the water in the tap runs out , even in the event of a power outage.
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Purify the water yourself. If you have access to snow and ice, you can melt it to make drinking water. However, it is important that you boil the water thoroughly to kill any parasites, viruses and bacteria. Alternatively, there are purification tablets and water filters that can be used to purify the water if you do not have the opportunity to boil it or want to be extra safe. Make sure you have enough purification tablets and spare parts for your water filter in case of a prolonged crisis.
Click here to access our water filters and water jugs.
Canned food
Canned food is a great food to have in your emergency preparedness kit because it can last up to three years or longer if stored properly. Be sure to stock up on different types of canned food, such as:
Ready-made soups and fruit in layers, vegetables such as corn. There are also canned foods such as meat sauce, ravioli and meatballs.
Dried food
Dried food is a great option for emergency preparedness as it can last for over 30 years. It is good to have the following dried foods at home: powdered mashed potatoes, oatmeal, pasta, rice and dried beans. However, it is important to note that access to hot or boiling water is usually needed to cook dried foods. You can use a storm kitchen or outdoor grill to heat the water. If you have access to a storm kitchen, you can also use canned crushed tomatoes to cook pasta, rice and beans without using your precious water.
Here you will find our titanium products for those who want the highest quality and low weight!
Freeze-dried food
Freeze-dried food is a great option for prepping because it has a long shelf life and is easy to carry. A package of freeze-dried food can contain everything from lasagna to chili con carne and is usually pre-seasoned. To cook the food, you just need to add hot water and let it steep for a few minutes. If you don't have access to hot water, cold water will also work, but it will need to steep for a longer time.
Freeze-dried food is also a good choice if you need to evacuate, are going on a trip or are camping, as it is easy to carry and takes up minimal space. However, the price is slightly higher than for regular canned or dried food.
Shopping list...
... for food and drink to have at home in case of a crisis or emergency:
The list is a compilation of advice from the Swedish Civil Contingencies Agency, Nordic Preparation and the Swedish National Food Administration.
- 1.5 liter water bottles
- Empty cans
- Water purification tablets
- Crispbread and biscuits
- Soft cheese in a tube
- Dried fruit - raisins, apricots, dates, etc.
- Nuts, almonds, seeds
- Ready-to-eat beans, chickpeas, lentils in cans or tetrapacks
- Crushed tomatoes
- Ready-made blueberry soup/rosehip soup
- Uncooked pasta, rice, noodles (preferably with a short cooking time)
- Powder mash
- Rolled oats
- Flour
- Dried milk powder
- Powdered soups
- Canned soups, vegetables, fruit, vegetables, lentils, meat sauce, ravioli, fish balls, meatballs, mackerel in tomato sauce and tuna.
- Chocolate, energy bars
- Peanut butter
- Mayonnaise
- Cooking oil
- Juice
- Honey, sugar
- Coffee, instant coffee, tea, cocoa
- Salt with iodine