Smart and Responsible

• 1). Choose a cool, dry storage location. Natural disasters occur periodically throughout the country. It is wise to prepare for a short period of time when you may be cut off from supplies. Putting sufficient rations aside to withstand a blizzard, hurricane, or mudslide is responsible planning to enable a family to survive when emergency assistance may be directed elsewhere.
  
  
• 2). Manage your rations according to Federal Emergency Management guidelines.
  •Keep canned foods in a dry place where the temperature is cool.
  •Store boxed food in tightly closed plastic or metal containers to protect from pests and to extend its shelf life.
  •Throw out any canned good that becomes swollen, dented, or corroded.
  •Use foods before they go bad, and replace them with fresh supplies.
  •Place new items at the back of the storage area and older ones in the front.
  •Change stored food and water supplies every six months. Be sure to write the date you store it on all containers.
  •Re-think your needs every year and update your kit as your family needs change.
  
  
• 3). "Pack a three-day supply of food, water and other essentials, including medicine" according to the Federal Emergency Management Agency recommendation. "Keep them in a handy grab pack, such as unused trashcan, camping backpack, or duffel bag." When disaster strikes, you may have little time to collect the needed items.