We’ve all grown pretty accustomed to getting everything we need from the grocery store, from food to cleaning products today’s supermarket is a haven of necessities and not-so-necessities for our modern age.
But what happens when there’s a major natural disaster? Even if your supermarket isn’t damaged a natural disaster on a large enough scale can not only impact your food supply, but wipe it out completely. Check out the list of viable natural disasters below, how they each can impact your food supply, and what to do to prevent it from happening to you.
Massive Hurricane
Hurricane Katrina was a category 5 hurricane that struck the US during the 2005 Atlantic hurricane season. This hurricane killed over 1,800 people and cause more than $80 billion in damage.
So what does this mean for your food, especially if you weren’t in the area of the hurricane’s damage? Well, it means the world actually. First, for those people in the path of the hurricane, all food supplies were instantly cut off. The only food they had access to is what they had stored for themselves. Those that didn’t prepare were left at the mercy of government aid that was, to say the least, hard to come by. For people not in the hurricane’s path, food supplies from around the world were strained as harbors were destroyed and trucking roads were decimated.
- Food Impact: All grocery stores and other food sources completely destroyed. All forms of travel to deliver food destroyed.
- Preparations: At least 1 month of food stored safely in your basement and accessed at the first sign of disaster. Ideally dehydrated and freeze-dried food, as with a hurricane flooding can be massive and the need to move with food makes weight important. Here is an affordable long-term food kit.
Solar Flare/EMP
Let’s face it, we’re all pretty big fans of the sun. It gives us light, warmth, and helps us grow all the food we need to survive. All in all, it’s a pretty nice thing to have around.
With all that good comes a large possibility for bad, also. The sun is capable of producing solar flares that carry with them strong Electromagnetic Pulses, or EMPs. These EMPs can wipe out electronics ranging from your cell phone to the satellites we use for navigation and communication, to the power plants that generate the power we need for food production. Without these, the delivery of food would be pretty greatly impacted.
- Food Impact: Food deliveries would be heavily impacted as navigation, tracking, and computer systems all go down at the same time. Long-term power outages would sweep the country and the world, meaning no quick fix to get things back online. While food can easily grow without power, integrated watering and harvesting systems would all be destroyed along with the ability to transport the food where it’s needed.
- Preparations: This is one of the big disasters that require the most preparation possible. 1 year of stored food is the best solution here, as self-reliance will be the only way to survive in a completely power-down society.Pair with this year of canned and freeze-dried food some solid gardening skills and an existing garden, along with canning and preserving skills, and your food worries will be all but abated.
Widespread Drought
Most of our food comes from a few key areas around the world. If any of these areas were to experience massive droughts, the impact on the world’s food supply could be disastrous.
Worse yet, what if your area is in a long-term drought and some other disaster strikes? Now not only is your food impacted by some natural disaster, but you don’t even have the ability to grow your own food. The stacking of disasters is what makes the need for food prepping so necessary. Without the right food storage plan, a simple drought could mean the end of your survival plan, in a very bad way.
- Food Impact: All food in the drought area will either grow poorly or die completely. This means issues ranging from local food shortages up to and including worldwide food shortages. Food rationing and continued shortages will drive inflation and cause mass riots as people try to feed themselves.
- Preparations: Just as with the risk of an EMP, a drought can cause long-term issues with food availability. At the very least, 3-4 weeks of food is necessary to be safe, but 6-12 months is the ideal goal.A mix of preserved, canned, and freeze-dried foods are all needed to round out a healthy survival diet.
Epic Snowstorms
Depending on the part of the world you live in, a massive snowstorm can cause short to long-term food outages for you as well as your community. Places in the mountains and higher elevations can experience months at a time where not only is it nearly impossible to get to the local store, but once there it’s easy to see that it’s completely impossible for food delivery trucks to get through anyway.
- Food Impact: Lack of travel or dangerous travel means food deliveries can be delayed by weeks or months in times of bad storms. Even if you don’t live in the mountains, snowy climates can easily get record-breaking snow that will clear out supermarket shelves in hours.
- Preparations: At least 1 month of food stores are your safest bet here. This is above and beyond the normal food you keep and should only be dipped into in time of extreme emergency.
Earthquake
Few disasters can impact food getting to an area quite like a large-scale earthquake. Earthquakes destroy just about everything in their path from roads, to railways, to infrastructure like power, water, and bridges.
A large enough earthquake can cut an area off for weeks from food deliveries and can destroy the areas ability to make their own food by damaging power stations and power transmission lines.
- Food Impact: Delivery of food will be the most heavily impacted, but farms and other food producers will be impacted as well, since water, power, and feed for animals can be cut off as well.
- Preparations: At least 2 months of food stores is the minimum for anyone worried about earthquakes. This should be enough time to reconnect roads and railways, and to get power restored. Ideally you should have 6 months saved, as earthquakes are the most unpredictable type of disaster in this list.
- Here is a great 72-hour food supply for a family of 4
The Food
So, you have a basic idea of some natural disasters that can impact your ability to find food, but what should you store? While you can piece together food stores yourself, the far easier method is to buy food pre-stored and ready to use. This way, when it’s time to use the food, you know it’s been stored correctly and is ready for you.
For example, this 60-day dinner package equates out to less than $4 per meal and gives you 807 calories per meal.
Freeze dried food like this gives you the nutrients from vegetables you require if you’re unable to grow or buy your own fresh in time of emergency.
Check out other food storage methods here and start prepping now so when a natural disaster hits, you’re safe.