Emergency preparedness, even that of an organization, cannot be deemed complete without a discussion of food.

FEMA suggests having enough food and water for each person, ideally enough for up to two weeks. That hardly seems reasonable for an office building or a hospital, but that doesn’t mean the responsibility can be dismissed.

Water

FEMA recommends one gallon of water per person, per day. For a minimum of three days. That is a lot of water! Storing water is hard, as it is heavy. But there are some great tips for organizations of any size to prepare.

Do it gradually. Buy one or two durable containers at a time, don’t sacrifice the quality for the cost.

Invest in some large, durable water storage containers, preferably a military grade one.

Don’t buy containers that hold more than 7 gallons of water, because someone is going to have to move it.

Encourage employees to have their own water supply, in a durable container, at their desk or primary place of work.

Food

The age old discussion of quality and quantity is going to rear its ugly head when discussing emergency food supplies. For one thing, we know that fresh food is not going to be an option, especially when buying in bulk. Keeping in mind the number of people you may need to feed in an emergency will dictate how much you can spend on each meal.

One option is purchasing food from a company like Emergency Essentials. The Prepared did a comparison on these types of emergency food systems, and this was their favorite. The three-bucket option includes enough meals to feed two people for 15-18 days, at a range of 2,200 to 2,700 calories per person, per day. Now, this would really add up if you were planning to have enough to feed 20 people for two weeks, but it’s an option.

Hopefully, this conversation has prompted some questions and some conversation within your organization. You may decide that your company will provide these things for employees, and you may also remind employees that they may want to keep some supplies in their offices as well.

The only time it is too late to talk about emergency response, is after the event begins. Talk today with your organization about steps to take to be better prepared.

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