Now that we’ve had a couple of good shakers in Southern California, it’s time to give some more serious thought to survival. According to the scientific types, we’re way overdue for an earthquake on the San Andreas Fault — and many of the other 221 faults in Southern California.
A major quake will mean that we aren’t likely to see relief workers for days or even weeks, depending on how widespread the damage is. That means we’ll be responsible for our own water and food, and yes, for doing our own cooking.
Forget The Microwave!
Without electricity, the microwave will be useless and, if gas mains are compromised, you’re on your own unless you have a gas barbecue and enough bottled gas to meet your needs. Absent that, we suggest investing in a portable camp stove. They range from $25 for a single-burner, table-top model to multi-burner models in the $100 range.
The smaller stove and its fuel canisters may weigh less but will limit the kind of cooking you can do. You will also probably want special pans that nest for space saving, and the utensils (non-scratch?) that go with them.
Commercial Kits Normally Contain a Lot of Odd Items That Never Get Eaten.
Instead of counting on the freeze-dried food or military-style food packets typically found in ready-made survival kits, take stock of what kind of dried and canned foods you normally enjoy. Simply buy added quantities and rotate your supplies to keep the freshest on hand.
Likewise, buy and store additional water for drinking, cooking and bathing. How much your household requires depends on a number of factors, including household pets.
The typical recommendation of 1 gallon of water daily (6-8 glasses for drinking) may be more than you will actually use, but maybe not.
Again, your household will have unique requirements for water. In areas like Southern California, for example, where 2/3 of the daily water supply comes by way of aqueduct from Northern California (which crosses the San Andreas fault 32 times!), residents may be faced with a water supply shortage for several weeks.
Refrigerated Food Starts to Spoil in Four Hours.
For the first couple of days you will be dealing with food in the refrigerator and freezer. You (and your neighbors) may be eating rather elegantly – if you can cook.
It’s the next ten days to weeks that will be the most challenging.
According to FoodSafety.gov, the most important thing is to keep refrigerator and freezer doors closed. If they stay sealed, your refrigerator can keep food cold for about four hours, and a full freezer can keep food safe for about 48 hours.
You can get some extra mileage out of your frozen and refrigerated food items by filling up empty spaces in your freezer with one-gallon plastic bottles of water. The ice will keep things colder longer, and provide another source of drinking water.
Having a survival kit is better than having nothing.
But pulling together a real supply of healthy and tasty food, with the ability to heat it or cook it, will give you a safer and more secure foundation for making it through the emergency.