How To Stock Your Pantry In Case Of An Emergency (2024)

The first thing you’ll want to make sure you have in your emergency rations is plenty of water. Humans can live for several weeks without food, but only two to four days without water. In emergencies, water from the tap may be contaminated and it can be hard to tell whether it’s safe to drink. Here are a few things to take into consideration when stocking up on water.

How Much Water to Store

The Center for Disease Control (CDC) recommends storing one gallon of water per person per day for at least three days. People who are pregnant, ill or reside in warm climates may need more than a gallon of water per day.

Additionally, you should keep extra water on hand for hygiene purposes. Staying clean by washing your hands and taking rudimentary showers can help prevent illness in emergency situations, especially when pipes may burst and leak, causing mold and the circulation of airborne pathogens.

Remember to factor in any pets who live in your household. Pets need approximately one ounce of water per pound per day. So if you have a pet who is 8 pounds, you’ll want to store one cup of water per day for several days.

Bottled Water vs. Sanitized Water

If you have plenty of space to store unopened commercially bottled water, that will be your best option for a reliable source of drinking water.

If you’re not able to store enough bottled water, you can always sanitize tap water with either bleach or iodine tablets. It may sound counterintuitive to add bleach to water to make it safe to drink, but a small amount will kill any bacteria in the water without harming humans. The CDC recommends adding 1/8 teaspoon of unscented liquid household chlorine bleach per quart of water.

Commercially produced iodine tablets are another option for sanitizing water. You can purchase iodine tablets online or at some department stores. Simply follow the directions on the packaging to determine how much water you should mix with each tablet.

You’ll want your emergency rations to last a long time — after all, you never know when disaster will strike. Stocking up on foods with a long shelf life is the way to go when it comes to preparing for an emergency.

Canned Foods Have the Longest Shelf Life

One of the best options for food with a long shelf life is canned goods. You should stock up on beans, vegetables, meat and fruit. Make sure to diversify your canned food selection — there’s no telling how long you’ll be relying on these options as sources of nutrition, and you’ll need to prioritize a balanced diet to maintain your strength. Purchase plenty of options with the protein, fats, carbohydrates and vitamins that you’ll need to stay healthy.

Some Non-Canned Foods Are Shelf-Stable

Dried goods can be a great alternative to canned foods. They’re not as shelf-stable, but as long as you’re keeping an eye on the expiration date, they can be a good option for emergency pantries. Additionally, items like peanut butter are great for providing necessary fats and have a longer shelf life than nuts. Choose a peanut butter that’s processed and doesn’t need to be refrigerated.

As for sweets, chocolate bars are fairly shelf stable. If you like dark chocolate, you’re in luck, because chocolate with more cacao lasts longer than milk chocolate. Chocolate bars sound decadent in an emergency situation, but they can provide energy and break up the monotony of beans and canned vegetables. Other packaged candies also have long shelf lives.

Another useful non-canned food is microwaveable rice. Rice that comes vacuum sealed in a package is already cooked and decontaminated — microwaving it only heats it up. You can eat this rice directly out of the bag. Note that once the rice is open, it becomes contaminated, so you’ll need to finish it expeditiously.

Consider Flavor

Eating bland, canned foods will get old after a while. Store extra salt, pepper and other spices that you like on hand. Keep your flavors diverse by adding some canned or dried fruits to your emergency rations. You may grow tired of only eating savory foods, and fruits provide necessary carbohydrates. Although an emergency scenario is not the time to be picky about foods, set yourself up for success with a wide variety of textures and flavors.

Label Your Foods With Expiration Dates

Although your food will have an expiration date listed on the packaging, write it on the outside in permanent marker. Sort your food by when it will expire. That way, you’ll know when it’s time to use food from your emergency rations and replace it. You wouldn’t want to be stuck with a bunch of expired food that may be unsafe to eat in a disaster.

Store Extra Food for Pets

Keep several days worth of extra food for each pet you have. If you have space, store an extra bag of dried food at all times. If not, keep at least a week of pet food on hand in case you’re running low and can’t make it to the grocery store to purchase more.

Dishes, Utensils and Other Dining Essentials

In addition to food items, you’ll want to keep disposable plates, utensils and paper towels on hand. Cleaning up after you eat will be particularly important. If you can store enough water to wash dishes after eating, you won’t need to worry about purchasing disposable dinnerware.

If you’re still at a loss for what you should store in case of an emergency, here are a few ideas:

• Canned beans, vegetables and fruit
• Canned meats, including fish, chicken, beef and turkey
• Canned soup
• Instant oats
• Dry cereal
• Condiments and spices
• Stock and broth
• Jelly
• Peanut butter
• Instant coffee
• Dried meats such as jerky
• Jarred baby food and formula
• Chocolate bars with a high percentage of cacao
• Honey
• Protein bars
• Instant rice
• Candy