A VIP reader in New York City wrote to us following the hurricanes asking us for suggestions on what to include in a vegetarian survival kit. We thought we would throw this valuable disaster preparation problem open to our readers for their suggestions and plans.
Since this is a vital issue that affects everyone, we are devoting this page to your suggestions and comments.
We can all benefit from hearing divergent views on this important matter. Heeding suggestions of others may help us devise the most effective survival strategy for our families, our friends, and ourselves.
In addition to food items, your suggestions could include first aid supplies, emergency equipment, and other necessities. Because some of your suggestions may be specific to others living in your area, please let us know where you live.
To send your ideas, .
" Be ready for the Apocalypse"
Of course, food isn't the only thing you need to be prepared for an emergency situation. You should also have a Disaster Supply Kit ready in advance. If you stock up ahead of time on vital ingredients and supplies, you can ensure a more comfortable situation and reduce costly errors from being unprepared.
Our supply list includes common-sense things, like bottled water, flashlights, a manual can opener. Also keep your important papers handy. And, of course, enough non-perishable food to last a week or more. Below is our basic Survival Supply List--you can adapt this to suit your own needs. We use it more as a basic checklist, with several more specific lists added to this one.
Survival Supply List:
Other considerations:
The best advice is to be prepared. As long as you have a roof over your head and basic supplies, a strategy for using up your fresh and frozen foods, and a way to boil water, you've won half the battle.
"Ten lessons from a hurricane survivor"
Lesson 10:
Lesson 9:
Lesson 8:
Lesson 7:
Lesson 6:
Lesson 5:
Lesson 4:
Lesson 3:
Lesson 2:
Lesson 1:
"Hurricane Survival Guide from a Confederate Yankee"
Before the Storm: General
Before the Storm: Around the House
Before the Storm: Transportation
Before the Storm: Personal
Before the Storm: Evacuation
During the Storm
Moving away from the hurricane will most likely reduce the effects of a hurricane, but it cannot eliminate risks entirely, even hundreds
of miles inland.
After the Storm
Again, this list is hardly comprehensive, and cannot anticipate special needs or unexpected situations such as those extraordinary circumstances currently facing those that have been hit by Hurricane Katrina. It is however, a start.
C. Y. 8-31-05
"Focus on protein sources"
I've thought about a survival kit already, so here's my take:
I gave just the basics. One could add dried fruits, tea, favorite cereal, premade tea, etc. "Treats" for bargaining would also be good. But with most of these additions one runs into the problem of things getting stale. Canned and tetrapak items last longer.
D.O. 1-6-06
"Quick meals from Dr. McDougall and plenty water"
I keep on hand some quick meals from Dr. McDougall and
plenty of water. These can be found at
http://www.rightfoods.com These are single serve meals that
I keep in case of evacuation. All are vegetarian and
some are even vegan.
For emergencies such as being stuck in a snowstorm and unable to go to the grocery store, I have TVP products from Provident Pantry under food storage --dehydrated and dried foods. These also require plenty of water. That site also has a lot of other emergency items such as camp stoves, which would be useful when there is no power.
Of course one also needs a can opener, serving utensils, dental floss, matches (in case one needs to make a fire), etc.
I just realized that a thermos is a good idea. When you obtain something warm, get two servings and keep one.
A.H. 1-12-06
"Bless the beasts and the children!"
I have not given time to exploring the vast resources of your web site, but treasure the time when I will learn and enjoy all of it, from your resourcefulness to the charming illustrations.
I now wonder if you have given space to the underlying motivation of those of us who do not eat dead animals,as well as those who do not eat the products of those farm animals or other harvested sentient beings who may have lived in misery and died in pain.
In a survival kit, one can imagine many scenarios of disaster, from revengeful sources, or from the results of poor human judgment regarding the stewardship of this earth (climate changes), or other natural disasters.
Some of our Veggie/Vegan community of care must follow our diets or risk personal disaster; others of us follow our diets from ethics, religious, or political beliefs.
In this light, I would add some philosophical ideas for surviving: If you eschew specism*, and hold that humans are not so important a species that they must always be protected at the expense of other sentient or living things, such as perhaps not supporting theoretical plan to kill all migrating birds because they may contain the bird flu, then it would be difficult to find a need, should your survival kit be finished, to consume whatever you might find to eat.
If you reason that your life might depend on the value you have to others, and logic tells you that there is not time for the niceties of your world view to be tested or explained, then I suggest it would be comforting to give a blessing to those animals remains, or products that might be in the foods that would be available for consumption.
Indigenous people, and those of many religions, have often blessed animals prepared for food. With the strength of survival, such a person could carry the vegans to the safety of more resources.
Bless the beasts and children!
I am a dead serious, but alive and healthy old vegetarian and animal supporter of Veggies in Paradise.
* as in sexism, ageism, racism
B. S. 2-8-06
"More Items for Your Survival Kit "
i took both a desert and a snow survival class when i was a kid living in NV. i know that's not hurricane territory, but many of the ideas are solid for emergency preparedness kits for use anywhere. plus, many of the items we used were simple to find, cheap, safe and multi-purposable. this was many moons ago, but here's some of what's stuck with me:
S.M.B. 1-23-07
What About Us Frozen Northern Icicles?
Hi, there. I was reading your page because I started looking for a recipe containing pistachios, and I found you and got diverted. One of the ideas I had concerning natural disasters (and other disasters as well) was that you must live somewhere warm and south-ish. You don't have any mention of freezing weather and blizzards and nasty power outages and negative degree conditions, or how to prepare for that.
I live in Wisconsin and along the way I've learned to keep spare gloves, hats, blankets, jeans and scarves in the trunk of my car because the weather can go from nice to treacherous in nothing flat. And to wear layers. And that bottled water and food freezes like a rock in the trunk of your car overnight. And to have both a shovel and a long scraper back there, too. I've also learned that AAA can be swamped when you are off the road in a ditch buried in snow, where they can't see you anyway even if someone could get to you in the next 4 hours.
Anyway, you've got a great page. There's tons of good information on there. I'm going to put some of it in my emergency binder. You just need a section for "brrrrrrrrr my jeans are soaked through and I have no boots."
N.D. 8-14-07
Fortuna Favet Paratus (Fortune Favors the Prepared)
Every American should keep a survival kit (including most of the items listed by others above), as well as extra food and water. I saw a couple of suggestions, however, that I think need re-visiting. One was the suggestion to purchase Dr. McDougall's Right Foods and have plenty of water on-hand. I would suggest that instead of relying exclusively on dried foods that must have water added, stock plenty of heat-and-eat type soups, pastas, etc. Fresh, clean water could be at a premium in a crisis, so you don't want to have to use up all your stored water reconstituting your food.
The second suggestion I would re-evaluate was to have "at least a week's worth" of stores on hand. I would seriously suggest that EVERY American should have AT LEAST three month's worth of stored food. As for food, you don't have to buy everything all at once. When you go to the store, buy one or two extra of (non-perishable) food items that you normally buy. It does you no good to buy "emergency food" if you don't normally eat that type of food. You will have enough stress in a crisis to worry about what your food tastes like, or how to prepare it. Make sure you include comfort foods, and foods that are easy to prepare without a great deal of cooking. You're also going to have to have some way to heat/cook food. Perhaps easiest is a propane camp stove. Just make sure you provide fresh air (to avoid CO poisoning), and stock extra tanks of propane.
As for water, that's the toughy. You should attempt to store as much water as possible, given space considerations. In a crisis situation, every person should have available one gallon of water per day. A month's worth of water for a family of four makes that 120 GALLONS! Beware those "Three-Day Emergency Packs" that sell you something like "(6) 4-oz water pouches" per person. This is only 8-oz of water per day per person, which is ONE CUP (or ~236 ml), and the average adult, AT REST, in a comfortable climate, must have about 800 ml per day AT A MINIMUM to drink, this means about 3.5 to 4 cups per day. Strenuous activity or hot or cold conditions could increase this requirement by three or four times.
In addition to storing water, store water purification tablets/bleach, water filters (camping-type that removes cysts, etc.), or extra fuel to boil water (worst option). In a cold emergency, don't eat snow, but melt it first. Eating snow can dangerously lower your body temperature.
T.A. 1-9-08
Learn to survive in the kitchen with
The Nut Gourmet
With hurricanes, tornadoes, earthquakes, tsunamis, floods, and fires wreaking havoc throughout the world and with terrorist attacks a possibility, it becomes urgent that all citizens be prepared for emergencies.
And Our Readers Suggest
from Apocalypse Chow: How to Eat Well When the Power Goes Out by permission of the authors Robin and Jon Robertson
(adapted from a Florida survival guide)
Know your insurance policy
The last hurricane season was a costly and puzzling lesson about insurance for millions. Getting prepared for the next season might help keep those costs at a minimum and reduce some of the confusion.
Stock up on the right things
When hurricane season started last year, many paid little attention. Those who didn't buy any supplies and continued going about their everyday life suffered.
Trim your trees before the storm hits
Preparation is the best protection for trees before the next hurricane strikes, experts say.
Forecasts are not always accurate
The forecast maps may show a hurricane heading straight toward some other location,
but the hurricane can suddenly swerve toward you.
Gas up and protect your vehicle
You may not be able to get gas after the hurricane hits (no power, no gas, nothing).
Don't flee too far -- or at all, in some cases
Follow the advice of the emergency local authorities. (Katrina not withstanding, it usually reflects the resources available).
Know your workplace policies
If you're thinking of skipping work during a hurricane, think twice. You could lose your job. Get authorization for absences as much in advance as possible.
Don't panic -- learn to cope with boredom
Have things for the whole family to do. Prepare games and hobbies that can be done without power. Have plenty to read available.
Do some quick emergency repairs
The morning after the big hurricane has blown through, start what you can to protect your property and possessions.
Don't be a fool -- and you'll live to tell the tale
Don't take chances. Stay in a safe place until there's no danger in leaving.
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