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Eurozone And The World Update 2013 Q1

 

 

Eurozone’s Financial Stability

 

The Eurozone entered the year 2013 with an inflation rate of 2.0 percent and by the end of March the inflation rate of the entire area fell to 1.7 percent. This has been the lowest rate of inflation the Eurozone has experienced since August 2010, and with lesser inflationary pressure brought by an increase in wages and lessening pressures in the price of food, most of the banks of the nations under the single currency have started to consider lowering their rates. This, however, did not stop the increase in unemployment, as Eurozone has its record high unemployment rate of 12.0 for this quarter. Many of its member countries are still in trouble – we’ll get to that later – though there are some already progressing up following the lessening inflationary pressure. Prices in various sectors have gone up – such as in consumer foods and in energy – and in balance prices have gone down – for services and factory goods.

 

 

Greece

 

 

The Mediterranean country has experienced a record high in unemployment early first quarter (January 2013), from 25.7% in December 2012 to 27.2%. This meant that over 200,000 Grecians by the first month of January 2013 do not or no longer have jobs. But on the other hand, Greece was able to cut its deficit by over 1.4 billion Euros and managed to make its budget targets for the first quarter. The country is now gearing up for tourism as there is no longer that threat of a Grexit following the budget surplus, in hopes that the influx of tourists expected for this year will bring the country out of recession. International creditors such as the European Commission, the European Central Bank and the International Monetary fund forecast that, if the current conditions and reforms are being maintained, Greece would be able to return to growth gradually by 2014.

 

 

 

 

Racist attacks have been increasing in the country since last year – after three Grecian foremen opened fire on their Bangladeshi workers in a strawberry farm after said workers demand their six months back pay, the figures for racism attacks of 2012 were released.

 

Italy

 

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In the first quarter of 2013, Italy has experienced lowering inflation rates from 2.2 to 1.91 to 1.6 in the months January, February and March, respectively. But even with this decrease, many are still struggling with increasing prices of imports and consumer goods, as unemployment reach an all time high in January, and barely going down in February. Though with their current standing, Italy can now request for a leeway in their budget deficit. Reform proposals have been made, but as parties in the Italian government are unwilling to cooperate, the country remains at a standstill. The leadership has been questioned for the creation of the committee creating the reforms – as the members of this committee aren’t authorized to make decisions, but the deadlock end soon as a new prime minister has been put into office. Enrico Letta, the new Italian Prime Minister, has said that the austerity measures are no longer enough and he was willing to work with his rivals for reforms.

 

 

Because of the ongoing economic crisis, even the younger generation are being affected, as United Nations Children Fund or UNICEF, released a report suggesting that 17 percent of Italian children, or roughly 2 million children are living in poverty and almost had nothing for their needs. An Italian couple committed suicide after struggling with their economic situation. It turned to a triple suicide when the woman’s brother threw himself to sea upon hearing the news. Italians found a way to alleviate their food problems by making their own bread at home.

 

 

 

Pope Benedict XVI announced his resignation, set on February 28, 2013, stating his advancing age as reason for retiring. By March 13, 2013, after 4^th unsuccessful ballot, his successor, Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio, an Argentinian, took over his position and took on the name Pope Francis.

 

 

Spain

 

The number of unemployed in Spain reaches 6 million as its unemployment rate increases to 27.2 for the first three months of 2013, increasing from 25.02 to 26.02 from the previous months. This increasing unemployment rate is said to have been caused by the austerity measures being imposed on the country. Spain’s inflation rate has fluctuated during the first quarter, from 2.68 in January, to 2.75 in February, then lowering down to 2.4 in March. If this decrease continues, this could help Spain exit recession.

 

 

 

Because of the financial crisis the country is facing, along with the austerity measures being imposed, among other things, protests have been occurring in Spain for around 2 years now, the latest held in Madrid amidst Spain’s economic predicament. The protest coincides with the government spending cuts and the record high employment.

 

 

 

With the government responding to the crisis by imposing budget cuts on welfare benefits, many Spanish people find themselves evicted from their homes after failing to pay rents and mortgages, giving rise to squatters and corralas.

 

 

United Kingdom

 

The United Kingdom managed to dodge a triple-dip recession for the first quarter of 2013 as its services sector grew. The country’s economy has been contracting and is in recession during the first few months of 2013. But despite the improving economy, unemployment rate has risen within the first quarter, from 7.8 to 7.9 and the inflation rate steadily increasing from 2.7 to 2.8 within said quarter. Coupled with decrease in output in the manufacturing and construction sectors, the economy is still struggling to achieve sustained growth.

 

 

 

Bank lending is expected to increase this year, after the Treasury and Bank of England provided a lending scheme for struggling small businesses, with a funding of £80bn.

 

 

 

 

An outbreak of measles has been reported in Wales, with over 1000 cases recorded since the start of the outbreak.

 

 

United States

 

For the first quarter of 2013, the United States of America’s GDP grew at a rate of 2.5%. This increase is contributed by increase in consumer spending, which contributes for more than two-thirds of the economy, by 3.2%. It has been slowly but steadily increasing ever since it got out of recession last 2009. However, its growth was lesser than expected – this was caused by several drops or slow growth of some sectors, such as the decline of savings when disposable income decreases and the rise in prices of important goods and commodities such as gasoline.

 

 

 

By late first quarter, President Barack Obama signed an order that puts sequester into effect. Sequester are across-the-board budget cuts, cutting around $85bn from various sectors, the bulk of the cuts coming from the defense and social spending. This could potentially slow down growth for the second quarter of 2013 and cut off benefits from middle to lower class citizens working or under said sectors. The effect of the sequester is being felt not only by the sectors whose budgets are being cut off, but also those interacting directly with these sectors.

 

 

 

From All Around The World

 

The Syrian civil war has claimed over 70,000 lives since it started back in 2011, with 6,000 within March 2013 alone. Attempts to bring over humanitarian aid to those stuck between the fighting factions over the crossfire are getting difficult.

 

 

 

Egyptian protests in Port Said has taken 48 lives. More are injured as the protests progress since its start in 2011, and further escalates after the Egyptian President Mohamed Morsi granted himself the power to legislate without judicial review, coupled with police brutality upon breaking protests.

 

 

 

Last February 12, 2013, North Korea conducted its underground nuclear test. The United Nations Security Council has unanimously approved sanctions to be imposed on North Korea after its nuclear test, to which North Korea promised a pre-emptive nuclear strike against the United States.

 

 

Weather Disturbances, Climate Change and Disasters

 

Bush fires, heat waves and flooding that has been occurring in Australia are predicted to become worse in the following years. Many attribute intensifying disasters to climate change – as the current and previous year hold the record for the highest recorded summer, hottest month and day. Government agencies are now prompting citizens to prepare for extreme climate.

 

 

 

Last February 15, a meteorite entered the Earth’s atmosphere and lands all over Russia, injuring over a thousand people. The meteorite created a sonic blast, damaging buildings and breaking glass and doors – which caused injuries.

 

Preparing For Freeze Dried Food

 

When talking about freeze dried food, we think about how it is manufactured, what are the foods that can be freeze dried, and how long does freeze dried food last. For those who made the decision of having freeze dried foods as part of their emergency supply or even for daily consumption, like storing other types of emergency food, having freeze dried food also need some planning. Below are some information one can note while preparing to have freeze dried food.

 

 

Purchasing Freeze Dried Food

 

There are many options to consider when purchasing freeze dried food. First, one has to assess ones current needs. Would the majority of the emergency food be freeze dried food? Would there be more variety (other preserved food types) in the emergency food storage? How much would be the weekly, monthly or one-time budget for freeze dried food? What is the purpose of purchasing freeze dried food – is it for outdoor activities or is it food for storage?

 

When assessing for one’s emergency and survival needs, one must first take note how many people are in the household that they would have to prepare meals for in case of an emergency. After that, for how long should the emergency food last? This may come before or after determining the budget. Also, take note of the special needs of the members of the family (allergies and special diet for elderly and infants).

 

For variety, while it is recommended that one have a mix of different food items such as canned foods, grains, or dehydrated foods, the one good characteristic of the freeze dried food is that almost anything can be freeze dried. This could be seen in the variety of dishes/meals that are freeze dried and sold commercially. When considering budget, freeze dried food can be considered a food investment as it doesn’t come cheap (due to the processes done to ensure its quality). It would be a good option to include several packs or tin cans in the weekly grocery budget if the option to purchase in bulk is not available or applicable.

 

There is also the need to know what the purpose of purchasing freeze dried food is – would one be taking it for camping or will it be needed to supply food for emergency? Pouches – with a guaranteed 7-year shelf life – are portable and lightweight and can be included in a camping pack. Freeze dried food in #10 tin cans are considered for home storage as they present a guaranteed 25 year shelf life and also has multiple servings (pouches usually have one to three servings per pack).

 

 

Storing Freeze Dried Food

 

 

 

 

 

When freeze dried food is purchased, one has to consider where to store it. An ideal place to store freeze dried food would be somewhere cool, dry and dark, as warm temperatures can shorten its shelf life. For those with large spaces, a pantry or a basement would be an ideal location. Maintaining a refrigerator full of freeze dried food can certainly help in extending its shelf life but for some it may no longer be practical. For those who chose to purchase freeze dried food without the option for a separate storage, one can be get creative. Storing freeze dried food in spaces under the bed, behind furniture and even spaces inside certain furniture can not only one the hassle of providing space for one’s emergency food, but also store away their freeze dried food safely.

 

Preparing Freeze Dried Food

 

 

 

Now, one comes to a point when the freeze dried food stored will be opened and consumed. This may be because of emergencies, need for food during camping, or for simply wanting to taste your product. Freeze dried food has water taken out of it so in order to prepare it, open the package, remove the oxygen absorber, and rehydrate by adding water. One can use hot water – meals rehydrated with hot water may taste better than if it were rehydrated with cold water. Many opt to place water in pouches meant for single serving, but for those who stored #10 tin cans, one can take out the food and rehydrate it in a separate container. This is so because there are instances where one doesn’t need to consume all that is in the can all at once.

 

Freeze dried food, when rehydrated, needs to be consumed immediately and will spoil like any cooked food. Contents of opened #10 tin cans are advised to be consumed within a week.

 

The Process Of Freeze Dried Foods

 

Freeze drying is a process where water is taken out of a frozen material through the means of sublimation. When this happens, the material in question – in our case, freeze dried food – lasts longer than it would be with water.

 

Freeze dried materials should also be stored with these three factors in mind: Temperature, Oxygen and Water. Minimizing food’s exposure to oxygen and water will decrease and even prevent further decay, as oxygen is needed by organisms (including those involved in decomposition) to survive, and water is also essential for any organism’s function and digestion. Exposing foods to high or low temperature (in this case we subject food to low, freezing temperatures) in order to prevent or slow decay. That is why it is essential that freeze dried food should be stored with these favorable conditions in mind.

 

Basic Storage for Freeze Dried Food

 

Freeze dried food needed a container that would allow no moisture or oxygen in. Together with oxygen absorbers, the following two storage options are ideal for freeze dried food to fulfill these requirements.

 

Pouches

 

Many see commercially produced freeze dried food in mylar pouches, packed with an oxygen absorber. Mylar pouches offer a range of benefits, especially for those into emergency food storage. Mylar pouches allow no air flow once sealed and can be an ideal storage pack as it is deemed water-proof and air-proof due to its thick lining. Despite this lining, it is considered sensitive to temperature and through this, outside temperature can be controlled in order to lengthen shelf life.  Freeze dried food in pouches are being sold by companies like Mountain House, which guarantees a 7-year shelf life for their freeze dried food pouches.

 

The pouch is a good option for backpacking or as part of a bug out bag, as it is lightweight and usually pouches are good for a single serving so one can just pour in water and wait for the food to reconstitute.

 

#10 Tin Cans

 

Commercially sold freeze dried food comes not only in Mylar pouches but also in #10 tin cans. A #10 tin can has dimensions of 6 3/16 x 7 inches and can accommodate a maximum capacity of 105 fl oz. Freeze dried foods stored in #10 tin cans have a guaranteed 25 shelf life, which can also depend on the can’s storage. This is due to the tins thick protection against moisture and also, for companies like Mountain House, their #10 tin cans are coated with protective enamel for protection and also have taken out at least 98% of the residual oxygen inside the can during their canning process. Once opened, it can stay for at most one week (cans sold are provided with a plastic lid which can be used to cover the can once opened).

 

Freeze dried food in #10 tin cans are best recommended for home storage because of their long shelf life – meaning, one can purchase them, store them in a cool, dark place, and forget about them until such a time you’ll need them.

 

Emergency Food Indoors

 

 

 

 

When purchasing freeze dried food for home food storage, one will need a space to store them – especially if the purchase was done in bulk. As above, freeze dried food will tend to last longer if the following conditions are met: if it was stored in a cool, dark place, preferably in a place without sunlight, and if possible, free from accumulating moisture.

 

Cabinets

 

Cabinets are good options for storing unopened freeze dried food and other food items especially if is being used for daily consumption. For storing purposes, freeze dried food can be placed in cabinets far away from sunlight and preferably in a pantry.

 

 

Rotating Shelves

 

Having rotating shelves is a good investment, for storing cans or packs of food in particular. This is because organization would be much easier (as it follows the first-in-first-out principle, therefore maximizing the shelf life of the products).

 

Buckets

 

 

 

 

Buckets differ from the first two storage options in such a way that it could also serve as an air-tight container. Food grade buckets are good options for storing raw food such as grains, but they can also serve as containers for other packed food items (like freeze dried food). It can also be ideal for storing packed or canned freeze dried food as it can be stored in cooler temperatures and there is lesser exposure to the elements as opposed to cabinets.

 

Survival food is food that one can store in case of long term disasters or emergencies. The common characteristic of these foods include shelf stability, and can nourish individuals or families for a long stretch of time – meaning the food can either be stored for an indefinite amount of time or can be replenished with or without having to depend on outside parties. Several examples of potential survival foods include food staples – hard grains, flour, rice, beans, pasta, and yeast are included in this list – dehydrated food, freeze dried food, and seeds (for replenishing garden-grown food).

 

With these in mind, there is one more thing to take note: When preparing survival food, we have to be ready to prepare them to become survival meals.

 

In Replenishing Survival Food Stocks

 

For those preparing survival foods by rotating on short term foods, it is important that the best by dates of the foods being stored are taken into account – allowing time for them to be consumed before then – and slowly restocking them while it is still possible to do so. Allowing the food to perish and not restocking (especially if food is regularly rotated) defeats the purpose of emergency food prepping.

 

 

 

To some who opted for gardening as a source of source of survival food, one has to take care not only of the seeds to be sown, but also the land where they’ll grow. Crop rotation is one way to take care of the soil and also prevent other unwanted problems regarding the soil. If this is meant for long-term use, it would be imperative to make sure that the ground for planting remains fertile, and would remain so for years to come.

 

Don’t Forget The Condiments And Spices

 

 

If one’s going to use these survival foods and ingredients to cook, make sure that all the spices are also stocked along with the food. Stocking ingredients may be harder than storing already-prepared, ready to cook meals like canned foods, MREs, freeze dried foods, but by doing so, one can ensure that the ingredients used for all the foods cooked during possible SHTF scenarios are known to the people utilizing them. But in choosing this option, one also has to keep an inventory of spices to taste and condiments to go along with the survival meals. Here we can find a list of condiments and their respective shelf life.

 

We Have The Ingredients, The Spices and Condiments. Now What?

 

When prepping in this manner, one must also note what potential meals and viands could be produced from all the food ingredients stored. It could never hurt to have a good meal plan during these times, in order to be able to utilize every ingredient (not necessarily in one meal alone), and to stave off having ingredients lingering in the pantry past its expiration date. Of course, it wouldn’t hurt to have a meal plan first before gathering the necessary ingredients for storage – as having too many ingredients which may or may not be able to be used in future meals may become quite frustrating to store.

 

What Are My Other Options?

 

Long term food storage and survival meal planning may take a lot of dedication, especially if one is set on preparing by means of storing raw ingredients and produce, staples and spices. While this level of dedication may not be applicable to many – primarily due to time, budget or space constraints, there are still alternatives available for them. Many, while wanting to still store food staples, also opted to have a variety of dehydrated and freeze dried meals. Due to the freeze drying process, freeze dried meals have less to no preservatives and those in #10 tin cans have a guaranteed shelf life of 25 years above unopened. Freeze dried food companies like Mountain House offer a variety of meals, making survival meal planning a breeze.

 

 

 

Sometimes in life, we acknowledge that the world can be rather cruel. Disasters happen anywhere, anytime, and are mostly unexpected. There are certain events that we can forecast certain points, such as possible financial crises and man-induced crises including riots, strikes, and the like. But in whatever incident, it always pays off to be prepared.

 

 

It is not paranoia. It is just being practical. There are many reasons why one should be prepared, first on the list would be one’s instinctive desire to survive. While many people go over the line preparing for a scenario that may or may not happen, for those who do prepare, when that unexpected disastrous scenario comes along they become one of the best assets to their community. This is not because they have the supplies (but yes it can be an integral factor) more due to the fact that they were able to secure their families beforehand, they then have the option of extending help to those who need it. It also makes them one less individual or one less family to worry about.

 

Where Do I Start With Emergency Preparedness?

 

First things first – one has to do some research. The planning stage includes taking into account what the family needs – both short-term and long-term, depending on what type of supplies they would gather. The needs include the amount of emergency food, type of emergency food, amount of emergency water needed for nourishment during their decided duration (long-term or short). It also includes the special needs of the family – especially if there are elderly, infants, children or sick individuals – such as medicines, formula milk, supplements and maintenance medications. Allergies should also be noted, especially for planning on food, drinks and other consumables.

 

Next, research needs to be done into what would be the most probable events that would hit the community. There are a lot of things that can happen, and it won’t be practical if one is going to prepare for all of these instances. It would help if one has a grasp of the community’s geographic history and what disasters have hit the community in the past century. Noting physical landmarks will also be helpful, especially if the community has been hit by floods, or major disasters such as volcanic eruptions, devastating earthquakes, or equivalent. With the information on hand, one can prepare specific emergency supplies, depending on the situation being prepared for.

 

How Much Emergency Food and Supplies Will I Need?

 

 

 

Actually, the amount of emergency supplies depends on the family’s decision whether to stock and prepare for either short-term emergencies or for a long-term disaster. The disaster supply kit could provide for the family food, water, and other life-saving apparatuses for as short as 72-hours and for as long as a year. Practically, one can have a good emergency supply stored for any disaster good for at most three months – a good enough time until everything goes back to normal after a disaster, but still there may be unique instances when it doesn’t, and if it goes that way, that amount of supply will allow one to be able to make sound survival decisions and hopefully be able to restock or move – whatever is practical for the family to do.

 

For those who opt to save up supplies good for a year, it would be considered a good investment, especially during events where the supply of food and water would be compromised. Having disaster supplies enough for a year also secures the family when a major event hits, because aside from the actual disaster, the aftermath may consist of increased prices in goods, possible unemployment, and if not properly managed, civil unrest.

 

Some Helpful Information

 

Government and certain organizations have built up resources for the people to look into. Below are some links one can look into for information and more details – especially if they live in the vicinity covered by said site. A lot are America, though they still contain European applicable content.

 

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention: http://emergency.cdc.gov/preparedness/kit/disasters/

American Red Cross: http://www.redcross.org/prepare/location/home-family/get-kit

Federal Emergency Management Agency: http://www.ready.gov/basic-disaster-supplies-kit

Greater London Authority: http://www.london.gov.uk/mayor-assembly/mayor/london-resilience/preparing_yourself/preparing-for-emergencies

Hawaii State Civil Defense: http://www.scd.hawaii.gov/dp_kit.html

World Bank: http://www.worldbank.org/ieg/naturaldisasters/maps/

State of Illinois: http://www.illinois.gov/ready/Pages/default.aspx

National Resources Defense Council: http://www.nrdc.org/living/waterair/disaster-preparedness/defautl.asp

Pacific Disaster Center: http://www.pdc.org/iweb/hazard_info_checklist.jsp

 

 

The Internet – because of this interconnectivity, the world became smaller. Everything processed through it seemed faster compared to its traditional counterparts. Email took over snail mail in terms of speed of delivery and ease of use. One no longer has to go out, spend money on transportation to go to a store – they can view the store’s inventory online and maybe even order and have delivery too. Games for all ages are readily available online and even classes are being offered online. Many depend on this connectivity for their bread and butter, and even for leisure and social activities.

 

What if the day arrived that the connection we are all dependent upon is cut off?

 

How Will This Come About

 

Before answering this question, we first have to understand how the Internet came to be. An in-depth explanation of how the Internet came to be and how our devices connect with each other through it can be found here. To put it simply, one’s computer can be part of a large network of computers through a connection (which can be a phone line, modem or similar) which is governed by several standard protocols which allows for transfer and reception of packets of data.

 

 

When these protocols are disrupted by, say, a powerful Distributed Denial-of-Service (DDoS) brought intentionally by malicious groups, routing protocols in particular will experience session timeouts, which in turn delays the turnover of data as they attempt to reconnect, and this leads to connectivity instability. This type of attack has happened in small scale cases, such as in websites, and also in nationwide-cases such as Estonia in 2007, Kyrgyzstan in 2009 and Myanmar in 2010. These countries experienced being cut-off from the Internet during those periods. With half a billion devices connected to the Internet in US alone, an attack on the already-strained connections can bring trouble.

 

While it may not have been possible to disrupt the Internet totally, as the structure is maintained by various institutions, individuals and groups, and the connections are meant to be redundant – meaning when a source of connection is cut off, users may still be able to access the information from another source – Danny Hillis in his latest TED talk pointed out that in an event that something happens and the Internet crashes, there is no Plan B. This meant two things: the Internet was not as secured in its connection as we all thought it was; and we don’t have any way to deal with a situation like the entire Internet crashing.

 

What Might Happen

 

Millions of devices all around the world are connected to the Internet, and many individuals, organizations and companies rely on this connection. Small and medium sized enterprises all around the world depend on the Internet for marketing, sales and profit. Individuals and companies rely on the Internet for ease of use of stores, banks and other Internet-connected establishments. When the Internet crashes, everything that relies on its connection will be left in a major dilemma.

 

Companies relying on the Internet for its sales and inventory will have problems regaining profits and restocking – this will be more difficult if the company’s target market and supplier are not in its local vicinity. Synchronization of information in banks will be disrupted and sensitive data may be compromised. Problems will be experienced by corporations relying on overseas outsourcing and individuals and companies who rely on the Internet for work. With drops on sales and in the long run, income, many people may find themselves in a financial fix. When this happens, economy in affected countries may suffer and systems that we enjoy will be wiped out.

 

Are We Prepared?

 

 

We think that when the Internet crashes we won’t be affected. Directly – if we work through it – or indirectly, the loss of this connection will affect parts of one’s life. If you are one of those who rely on search engines for information for educational or even recreational purposes, you are one of the many who will lose this convenience.

 

Are we prepared for this scenario? What are the measures we are taking now to ensure us that when this happens, we won’t suffer its effects as much as it should? This does not mean that we should be cutting ourselves off early – we should be prepared in such a way that when the Internet possibly crashes in the future, we have a chance of going back to our normal way of living.

 

 

What Should Be In Your Emergency Food Kit?

 

When creating an emergency food kit, there are many things to consider.  While we need to factor certain restraints, like the budget, the most important factor to take note is what we put into our kit. For one, we need to consider what food items we could prioritize as there is the issue of space – especially if the emergency food kit is part of a grab bag or a bug-out bag (BOB) – and also we have the issue of the weight of the food items we want in our emergency food kit, especially if the purpose of the kit is to provide nutrition outside of our primary food storage (in the case of car, work or school kits).  We also need to underline the purpose of the emergency food kit and for as long as is it supposed to last.

 

Emergency Food Kit Factors To Consider

 

Space

 

Food is but one part of the entire emergency kit. There is the need to account for drinking or cooking water and other life-saving utilities. Food in an emergency food kit must satisfy the body’s daily nutrient requirements, or at the very least provide the nutrients that sustain body function until a time one can go back to their primary food source. But not many foods fulfill this requirement – we have to depend on a variety of food in order to supply us with the nutrients we need to get through an emergency or disaster.

 

There are several food options we can consider when taking the space factor in mind. While canned foods can store varieties of food, the bulk of cans may leave little room for other emergency utilities and nutrients tend to be lost in the canning process. Another option are multivitamins and supplement pills, though space efficient, will still need food items to satisfy hunger. There are also options such as energy bars – which are small but still packed with energy-giving nutrients, dehydrated and freeze dried foods which may have more of the nutrients still packed with it and is portable as there is no added water or any other additives added to the container – which can be a mylar bag (which can save a lot of space compared to other storage options).

 

Freeze dried food in tin cans can be a good compromise, especially if the emergency food kit is meant for a good number of people. Companies selling freeze dried food such as Mountain House provides different viands and varieties to satisfy the nutrient requirement and also provide satisfaction from hunger during emergencies.

 

Weight

 

 

 

When preparing an emergency pack, one has to take note of the weight of all its components, because in the case of packs meant for travelling, one may want to be able to be mobile while having all they need in their packs. This meant that food, while important, should be maximizing nutritional content with their weight.  Foods that fit these criteria are energy bars, dehydrated food, freeze dried food, and also vitamins and supplements.  Crackers (salt-free option if possible as water intake may increase otherwise), granola and raisins are also a good option.

 

Purpose

 

The most important factor to consider when planning and preparing an emergency food kit is for what is the emergency food kit for. The purpose of the emergency food kit may also determine the type of food one will store. For emergency food kits that serve as home packs can have a range of food from canned to freeze dried and small snacks, while emergency food kits that may become a part of a BOB or Get-Home Bag (GHB) may need more portable and lightweight food options.

 

For whatever purpose, an emergency food kit should contain food that satisfy and nourish our bodies, especially during an emergency.

 

To understand this, we have to look at where food comes from, and how its disappearance will affect us. We are living in an ever-changing world. The world population already exceeded 7 billion, and with the increasing global temperatures, climate, flora and fauna are changing as rapidly. We already witnessed the severity and increased frequency of storms and other natural disasters in different parts of the world. Whether we like it or not, these events greatly affect our lives – even if we weren’t directly affected by them. Most of the world’s produce depend on some, if not all of these factors: temperature, sunlight, moisture, land and location (which is affected by the previous three). Our staples need certain conditions to thrive and fruits and vegetables grow in varying seasons and require a substantial amount of fertile land to grow into.

 

 

Aside from these, produce will need people to grow, nurture and harvest them, machinery to process them and transportation and roads to bring them to markets and eventually to the consumers. Processing machinery need manpower, electricity, water and other components to keep them running and transportation needed utilities and fuel to keep them going. Take out any of these, we’ll have a problem.

 

Security

 

The first reason for having food for storage is to keep one secured for the future. It can also be called an investment of sorts. Security that comes from having food for storage comes from two different types, being food secured and being financially secured. These two types will be discussed further below.

 

Food Security

 

When one has food stored in their homes that could last them for any amount of time, they secure themselves knowing that whatever will happen in the near future, they will have something to eat. Food shortage can become (and is becoming) a real issue and we will need to be prepared for it. Before, during and after a disaster, people tend to panic and start hoarding supplies, and when this happens, those who are dependent on food bought in daily market trips may find themselves in a tight pinch. Those who have food set aside for storage won’t need to be part of the panic – they will just have to make sure that their stored food can last them as long as it is needed.

 

Unemployment can also bring about problems as it potentially stops the flow of income in the household, and therefore reducing or halting the supply of food coming in. While having an emergency fund can definitely help during these periods, having food stored can greatly reduce the impact of unemployment (as the emergency fund can be redirected at other important expenses).

 

Financial Security

 

As mentioned above, having food kept for storage can aid in alleviating financial problems, as in the case of unemployment, what income left in the family can be used for other purposes. Aside from this scenario, food for storage can also be highly beneficial financially during these events:

 

Food shortage: According to the law of supply and demand, when supply is low, demand is high, and when this happens, the prices soar up. When this happens, the family has to set aside more money for the same amount of food.

 

Financial crises: During a depression, hyperinflation becomes a possible threat. This meant that the country’s currency has lost its purchasing power and commodity goods will cost a lot more than it used to. Coupled with unemployment, this can cause severe panic for those unprepared for it.

 

Survival

 

The second reason for having food for storage is instinctive: We have to survive. When any of the scenarios above occur, people who are unprepared can become desperate. Those who have food stored in their homes can go above that and continue on with their normal routine – though when the going gets tough, people may become a bit too desperate and crime rate may increase during this period, and when this happens, those prepared with food will also have to be prepared to protect themselves too.

On the other hand, when an entire community has food for storage, it has the capability to sustain itself and each other through a disaster, as a community has the potential of having more people with unique skills than just a household.

When one says “survival food”, the one thing that comes to mind is food that would help one survive through any disaster or emergency, be it for a couple of hours to days and weeks, or even months. But as we open the news, prior or following a disaster, we see people rushing to stores, grabbing whatever they felt would allow them to survive the coming disaster or would allow them to live through the aftermath of a disaster (high prices, low food supply in the market, etc.).

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Why is it important?

 

 

While there are people already learning how to properly prepare for disasters, there are still many others who believed that their next meal can still be bought in the market when a major disaster comes along. In the USA, when trucking is delayed or halted, just-in-time goods are delayed and many establishments may close down and many supplies won’t make it to manufacturers and retailers, which will trickle down to consumers not being able to acquire the necessary goods. Many establishments only have a supply stock good for a maximum of three days – these includes stores, factories, and even various sectors – and many rely on truck deliveries. Many factors can affect the trucking industry – these include weather and other natural events, and also human-induced events.

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Benefits of Having Survival Food

 

There are many hindrances to preparing survival food. It may be in the form of lack of finances, time or space. But it doesn’t have to be this way. One can have a supply of survival food regardless of budget, time or storage space. With regards to having survival food, the long-term benefits outweigh the cost to time, budget and space.

 

One benefit to having survival food is of security and peace of mind. There is a sense of security knowing that one wouldn’t be caught unprepared and without food when disasters or emergencies occur. By worrying over what might happen when one is unprepared may cause negative effects on one’s body; by not preparing, one may worry on their state after the disaster, which may bring unnecessary stress as well. Being secured and having a peace of mind makes for a productive member of society, even during emergencies.

 

Qualities of survival food include being either replenishable or is shelf-stable. This meant that with these types of food stored, one increases the chance of being affected too much by fluctuating prices, especially during emergencies, or in severe cases, financial depressions that may not only increase the price of common goods, but may possibly decrease the supply. Having survival food allows you to sustain yourself and your family through these periods.

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Where to Start?

 

There are many types of survival foods, and the ones fit for you and your family all depend on preferences, types of food available with the geography, and also the factors already stated above: budget for the preparation and maintenance and storage space for the food. We can look at all these one by one.

 

Preferences

 

The type of survival food you can store depends on what you normally eat. For storing survival food, it is not advisable to store grains, for example, if you haven’t been eating it as a staple. When planning on what survival food to store, one also has to take in mind the special cases in the house, such as allergies to certain types of food, or the presence of elderly or infants who may need certain types of food.

 

Types of Food Available

 

 

When planning what survival food to store, one has to consider if the source of survival food is easily accessible, or in the case of growing your own survival food, does the food one wants to plant grow in the region? Special equipment or care may be needed when growing food which is not locally grown.

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Budget

 

It is possible to store survival foods even on a low budget. Though if you want to build a supply that will last years, it would be great to start small and work from there. A supply can be created by stocking one can or pack at a time.

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Storage

 

There are many types of storage for survival food, but there are two things that all of these have in common: One, it has to be cool, dark place; and, two, it may need to be sealed in air-tight containers. One also has to consider the space when planning on having survival food – where to store them, if the storage area can be accessible during disasters of any kind.

 

Freeze Dried Food

 

Freeze dried food has come a long way since its development for preserving medicine and later developed by NASA for space food. We can see freeze drying at work, not only in food and medicine but also for preserving pets (in place of taxidermy) and flowers and also for ecological burial. People now see the benefits of storing freeze dried food, with sales of freeze dried food companies like Mountain House increasing since 2005, after Hurricane Katrina in the US.

 

The term emergency food had been coined for food that is being stored for emergency purposes. These are food that can be consumed when people cannot access their usual source of food – such as the farmer’s market or the grocery and supermarket – due to unforeseeable circumstances like natural or human-induced disasters. While storing food has been done, most of what has been stored then should either be stored in a special storage or container, be preserved chemically or should be rotated and restocked accordingly because it needed to be consumed before its expiry.

 

In this regard, food storage for emergencies would take a lot of preparation and maintenance. It should not always be this way – people should be able store and prepare regardless of how much time is spent in preparation. Emergencies don’t wait for you to be ready and fully stocked, they just happen.

 

Qualities of Freeze Dried Food and How is it Advantageous to Use As Emergency Food

 

 

Freeze dried food are foods processed through lyophilization – which is the process of completely freezing the food and letting it go through the process of sublimation. Sublimation is the process of phase transition of a solid particle to its gaseous state without passing through the liquid phase. With this process, freeze dried food has its water taken out – successfully preserving it.

 

Freeze dried food has several unique qualities. First is that since freeze dried food is processed through lyophilization, it required little to no preservatives, which made it a healthier option that its processed or preserved counterparts. Canned foods, while can be used as an emergency food option, has lesser nutrients after it undergoes the canning process and has its share of preservatives, which may have long-term effects on the health of people.

Second, lyophilization allows freeze dried foods to retain the taste of the food prior to freeze drying. This presents advantages for freeze dried foods when being utilized as emergency food over canned foods because during processing, canned foods usually lose the original taste. Companies offering freeze dried food such as Mountain House had its range of freeze dried meat such as diced chicken, minced beef and shrimps, and even other ingredients like rice and peas. Many have attested to the retained taste of freeze dried foods. This preference makes freeze dried food favorable over canned food.

 

Third, lyophilization takes off the water – which makes up at most 90% of the original food’s weight – from the finished freeze dried product, making it incredibly lightweight. But unlike the dehydrated foods, freeze drying does not change the appearance of the food – most freeze dried foods retain their original appearance after rehydration, making it appealing to eat especially during emergencies. Because of its being lightweight, it becomes portable – allowing people to carry several pouches and tins at a time. It can even be an essential part of a bug-out bag.

 

And last but not the least, freeze dried food in #10 tin cans have a guaranteed 25-year shelf life. This meant that one can store in bulk and forget about it until an emergency happens. It doesn’t even need special storage facilities, like a refrigerator. It can be stored in room temperature until it is used.

 

Freeze dried food is a good emergency food option because of its portability, variety, taste, shelf life and also because of its being more nutritious than other food options. For variety, companies like Emergency Food Storage offers freeze dried food packs good for servings depending on need: 1 month, 3 months, 6 months and even a year’s supply, good for either one or for many.