What Would Food Insurance Mean for Your Family?

In the case of a catastrophe, do you have sufficient provisions for your family? Do you have enough food and water set aside to provide for an extended emergency? If disaster strikes it will be up to each of us to provide for our own families, without counting on help from outside sources which may never come, or from agencies who may not care about your family's survival.

An iNEWS article "Food Insurance: Is It Really Needed?" has some sobering recommendations, to prevent the same kind of tragedies, as witnessed live on national news during Hurricane Katrina. The most tragic part was watching days wasted, waiting for FEMA/Homeland Security to give orders to the National Guardsmen standing by.

Lessons Learned from Hurricane Katrina

FEMA/Homeland Security rescue orders were not issued for several days, which could have empowered the National Guard to take action. Storm waters rose, trapping many New Orleans' residents on home tops, or packed like sardines into the sports arena dome (built on higher ground). Many Americans lost their lives in part, due to inadequate personal-emergency provisions, waiting for promised tax-payer funded, local, and national help to arrive, yet was disabled.

Connecting with Local Churches

Faith-based humanitarian organizations providing food, water, and other life-saving necessities were first on the scene. Although many secular relief/aid organizations were held back weeks with mountains of unnecessary government paperwork and clearances; church organizations rejected protocol, getting immediate relief to dehydrated and dying men, women, and children, without fear of reprisal.

Although self sufficiency is really the best strategy for your family's survival, I would also recommend including a faith-based church connection in your area, as an important part of your emergency plan. By helping at church volunteering, and tithing as you can, your family will be humanely protected by caring friends throughout any catastrophe.

Emergency Supplies

Almost any Red Cross office or online emergency website can offer a pamphlet or printout of recommended emergency supplies, which would be more complete than any list I could supply. I recommend you use one of these lists to check off items you already have, which will alert you to other necessary items.

Past recommendations have been to plan on 3 days to 1 week worth of provisions for every member of your family, as this was the anticipated amount of time emergency crews could get to you. However if disaster strikes, emergency crews may not come at all, and very few of us are prepared for an emergency lasting longer than a week.

Food & Water Provisions

It is now being recommended, according to the article mentioned earlier, to keep enough food and water stored away, to last your families a year! We can live a few weeks without food but only a few days without water; and a year is a very long time to be without help, without work, without money, or without necessities.

Pick up extra canned or packaged food, and water, every single time you go to the store, and put it away for emergencies. Plant your gardens and fruit trees now, cooking and freezing extras, whenever you can. I bake extra loafs of high-protein whole grain breads, and keep reserves in our freezer.

Other Necessary Provisions

Milk can also be frozen safely for many months at a time, and thawed prior to use. Make sure you stock up on, or have access to fire wood for warmth, as well as cooking, in case utilities are unavailable. Think camping when planning ahead with a barbecue, lantern, flashlight, and radio with an ample supply of back-up batteries.

Get a back-up generator if you are able, and create a plan for your family. If you work that plan, your family will be able to get through anything together. Start today, if you haven't already, and plan for your family's survival!