How Much Food and Water Should Your Emergency Bag Contain?

When putting together a 72-hour emergency survival kit, you first need to figure out how many people you are making it for. A good rule of thumb is one gallon of water per person (and pet) per day for drinking and utility purposes.

Although it is possible to survive on less, if you have the option to store that much, why would you want to? You might be surprised how much water a person actually goes through in a day, and while a gallon may seem like overkill at first, if you scrimp here you will regret it later. Remember, people can survive a lot longer without food than they can without water, and if you are forced to stay in your shelter longer than 72 hours, you will not only be glad for the extra, you will be alive because of it.

A person should make sure to drink at least two quarts of water each day, and up to three to four quarts in hotter climates, or if they are sick, pregnant or a child. If you are running low on water, you can use less for utilities (washing things, etc.) but don't ration your drinking water. Drink the amount you need to feel comfortable now and find and purify more for the future. Do not risk dehydration. It is harder to think and solve problems when you are dehydrated and help should be with you shortly.

Ideally, you should be using store bought water in factory sealed containers. Alternatively, you can fill your own containers but make sure they can be tightly sealed and they are well sanitized before filling. Don't use breakable containers or plastic milk jugs as they degrade over time. Always change your water supplies every six months.

As for food, it is critically important that during an emergency situation, you and your family/co-workers eat enough to keep up your strength. You should store the types of foods you eat often, so as to minimize the feeling of rationing and starvation. Stock non-perishables that do not require refrigeration, preparation, or cooking. You should also have vitamin and mineral and protein supplements on hand to make sure everyone is getting adequate nutrition.

Opinions vary on how much food you should store in case of emergencies, ranging from at least 72 hours to up to 2 weeks. It is better to have too much food than too little. Make sure you have enough food for each person to eat at least one full, nutritious meal a day and if you are doing a lot of physical activity, it should be more. Unlike water, food can be rationed for quite a while before adverse physical effects set in.

If you are not going to be doing much physical activity, healthy people can safely live on half their normal food intake for an extended period of time. Remember, people throughout the world life on far fewer calories than we are used to for most of their lives. Plan on about 1100 calories per healthy person each day. It may be hard for children used to eating as much as they want to accept the idea of rationing. As such, if you feel this may be a problem, make sure you are the one with the manual can opener!

When your water supplies are running low, avoid fatty, salty or high protein foods as these can be dehydrating. Instead, eat a lot of salt free crackers, canned food with a lot liquid and whole grain cereals. Additionally, make sure that if your food is stored in cans, they are not dented, swollen, or corroded. While some foods can be stored indefinitely, others must be replaced every six months to a year. Do your research to determine what foods fall into which categories.

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