The list below contains some suggestions that will help you gather the food necessary for your family to survive at least three days if you must leave your home to escape a disaster situation. Please remember that 3 days is a bare minimum that the government suggest you prepare for. In a serious, unexpected and widespread situation, it will take at least that long for response agencies to get in place to begin providing relief. If time permits and you don't have to grab and run, expand the amount of food you take to a week. This could take the form of quickly gathering from your pantry shelves enough supplies to keep your family safe. The food for the initial first 3 days should be already in your Go-Kit or backpacks.

FOOD FOR 72-HOUR EMERGENCY KITS

If your family is sheltering in a building or evacuating out of a danger zone, you won’t be able to cook anything. Food must be ready to eat. If you are sheltering outside in tents or under tarps, cooking possibilities increase. Camp stoves or camp fires will allow you to prepare hot family-style meals. Consider food preferences or allergies and pick items that are familiar and will provide adequate calorie counts. If you are able, increase food to cover 5 – 7 days.

SUGGESTIONS:

Meal replacement bars, protein bars, breakfast bars, powdered protein mixes & jar with lid
Meat: Vienna sausage, potted meat, tuna fish, canned sandwich spreads, dried beef in a jar, cheese in a jar, chili, canned stews or barbeque meat, Spam, canned ham and chicken, Beanie Weenies, Spaghetti-O’s, jerky. Look for pop-top lids.

Soups: ready-to-eat and condensed, dried soup packets, cup of soup varieties, Ramen Noodles (There are many products designed for lunch box meals – pasta, rice, etc.)

Fruit and Vegetables:  dried fruit, trail mixes, nuts, lunchbox packs of fruit or pudding, instant potato packs, canned or dehydrated fruit and vegetables

Drinks: juice boxes, 2-liter bottles of 100% fruit juice, boxes of shelf-life milk, dried milk, canned milk,  jar or packet of stir-in milk flavoring, hot chocolate or apple cider packets, water bottle add-ins, tea, coffee (powdered cream and sweeteners if you use them), bouillon cubes

Peanut butter or Nutella, jelly, crackers (at least a sleeve per person)

Snacks: hard candy, gum, graham or animal crackers, etc.

Infant and toddler: ready-to-use formula, food, juice, biscuits (Because of fast-changing requirements, add this before departing along with their diapers and clothes.)

MRE’s and dehydrated meals: These are good add-ins. They are more costly than items off the grocery store shelf, but are worth considering.

 
Remember you are planning for 3 meals per day per person plus snacks and comfort food. Prowl the grocery store shelves looking for items you can try. Depending on what you include, a can opener may also be necessary per backpack.  Save plastic bottles, you may need to refill them with water. A funnel and coffee filter will collect any debris. Then treat using a filtration system, Clorox, purification tablets. If you have a source of fire, boil rapidly for one minute