There are many reasons to prepare and have a stock of (at least) food and water. Many people find out the hard way and too little, too late! This week the Midwest is being hit hard with severe weather; storm after storm bring cold winds, snow and misery!
I have always known that, in reality, stores don’t stock much food. They must constantly be rotating through their stocks and replacing anything that goes bad before it sells – so it only makes sense that they have a limited supply. I recently read THIS blog posting about the supply of food within a city. While I agree with his opinion that food storage is much more affective at the family level – inside our homes, rather than stores – I find myself in conflict with some of his reasoning.
This one in particular “If we draw a boundary at, say, the city limits of Chicago and measure how much food is available within it, we can get frightened at how little there is: a few days supply. But that’s not really Chicago’s whole food supply, is it? If we enlarge the boundary to, say, what can be delivered to the city within an hour’s drive, suddenly that food supply contains all the farms and gardens, warehouses, cold-storage units, processing plants, feedlots, ships anchored in Lake Michigan full of grain, distribution centers, rail depots, and other sources of food within a 50-mile radius. That’s a lot more than a four-day supply. Then, enlarge the box to a day’s drive and the food supply will last for weeks. And if we increase the box to include the entire nation or continent—which is still only a part of our food system—we now have an essentially infinite supply of food…”
My problem is that this model assumes that all food within that “box” is ONLY going to Chicago – it’s NOT!!! How many other cities, and towns are also counting that as “their” food? Well according to THIS map – over 20! Now expand it as he suggests and that number grows exponentially. My point is that not all that food is going to one place, it must go to several locations in order to provide food to all the nation. Thinking that all of the food within a certain radius is allocated strictly to that city is absurd. Perhaps this isn’t want he meant – and I misinterpreted his writings – that’s fine, but let it be known that the US does not produce enough food to feed all off the PEOPLE in the entire nation. Hence why we still have starving people in this country (well one reason anyways).
Yes, the food will regenerate as he states, but that takes time. There’s no magical formula to make food simply appear because we want it. There’s a process for growing. Granted scientists have engineered food to grow bigger and ripen slightly faster through chemicals – but do we really want to eat that? I guess in a survival scenario it’s better than nothing!
Like the author, I would much rather have a supply of my own at home. It’s simply easier, and frankly more comforting knowing that I don’t have to rush to the store to ensure I’ll make it through the next few days. That’s what preparedness is about – surviving when nature doesn’t want you to! Think back to disasters in recent years and you can see how preparedness could have helped most of those people. The firestorms of 2007 in Southern California – many were evacuated from their homes and left with no provisions. Hurricane Sandy left the Eastern seaboard devastated and without power for weeks, not days. How did they prepare meals or stay warm?
My point is, don’t rely on the Government for aid when the time comes. They won’t be able to help everyone. It’s better to have a plan and be prepared. Today, on Twitter, I saw a tweet from FEMA (I know, I know) that made think. They said “Winging it is not an emergency plan!” I actually really liked that! You don’t have to have it all figured out before you start. You’ll never start if that’s the case. Simply start stocking a little bit of food until you have, what you feel, is enough for your family's needs. Every family is different and requires a different plan. Just plan!
There is not single right way to prepare – and the only wrong way is to not prepare at all! If you need help making a plan – ask me, I’d be happy to help you get started!
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