XFINALETHE PANTRY

CH·PANTRY · hard times, plainly

THE PANTRY

The tank for hard times. Set your people and your days and the shelf fills. Every number comes from the agency that wrote it, not from us.

People 2
Days

6gallons of water. At least one per person per day, for drinking and sanitation.
12,000calories. 2,000 a day is the general guide on US food labels. Needs vary.
300 gprotein. The label's daily value is 50 g.
168 gfiber. The label's daily value is 28 g.

Kids, older adults, nursing mothers, the sick and hot weather all change these. Pets need their own water and food. Sources: ready.gov, FDA, FDA daily values.

The shelf

Food that keeps and needs no cooking. Buy what your household already eats.

Protein

  • Canned beans
  • Ready-to-eat canned meat, fish or chicken
  • Peanut butter, nuts

Energy

  • Crackers, dry cereal, granola
  • Dried fruit

Vitamins

  • Canned fruit and vegetables
  • Shelf-stable pasteurized milk

Don't forget

  • A manual can opener and utensils
  • Baby formula and food, if you need it
  • Your medicines
  • Pet food
Eat the oldest first and restock. A pantry you rotate never goes stale. Source: ready.gov.

Heat & light

Light

  • Flashlights, not candles. Keep spare batteries.
  • If you light a candle: keep it at least 12 inches from anything that burns, in a stable holder, and blow it out when you leave the room or go to bed.

Heat

  • Never run a generator in the home or garage, even with doors and windows open. Run it outside, more than 20 feet from windows, doors and vents.
  • Never burn charcoal or use a camp stove indoors.
  • Never run a car in an attached garage, even with the door open.
  • Never heat the home with a gas oven or stove.
  • Space heater: 3 feet from anything that can burn, plugged straight into the wall, off when you leave the room or sleep.
  • A battery-operated or battery back-up carbon monoxide alarm near every sleeping area. Working smoke alarms.

Stay warm

  • Wear layers. Use blankets.
Sources: USFA, CDC, NFPA.

When the fridge goes dark

  • Keep the doors shut. A closed fridge holds about 4 hours.
  • A full freezer holds about 48 hours, a half-full one about 24.
  • Meat, fish, cut fruit and vegetables, eggs, milk and leftovers: throw them out after 4 hours without power, or if they're above 40°F.
  • Never taste food to test it.
Source: CDC. When in doubt, throw it out.

Headache, dizziness, nausea or confusion with a heater or engine running? That can be carbon monoxide. Get everyone outside into fresh air and call 911.