Emergency Preparedness

Disasters can happen without warning. To help keep your family safe, here are our top tips for getting prepared in an emergency situation. When you have family members with celiac disease or gluten-free food requirements, it’s important to take their nutritional needs into consideration as well, which may require some additional planning.

General emergency preparedness list:

have enough food and water for 72 hours
keep one gallon of drinking water per day for each person in your household. Don’t forget about your pets!
make sure you have a non-electric can-opener
keep your cell phones charged, as well as any backup power sources, like portable charging batteries for your phones
keep a 14-21 day supply of mediation, and a list of medications and prescriptions on-hand
have a first aid kit
if possible, a non-power cooking source, such as a camping stove, BBQ or gas stove is very useful
flashlights
hammer, rope, tarp, hand crank radio, space blankets, candles, matches, set of house and car keys
a list of phone numbers and email addresses for relatives and close friends
copies of IDs and insurance papers
full change of clothes for each family member
Cash

Gluten-free food ideas to keep on hand in case of emergency:

non-perishables such as: crackers, canned beans, canned fruit or vegetables, canned fish or meats, dried fruit, granola bars, protein bars, nuts, peanut or soy butters, beef jerky, gluten-free cereal, powdered milk or canned milk, applesauce, freeze dried food, etc.
if you have a cooking source, consider: pasta, pasta sauce, rice and other pulses, gluten-free soup in cans or boxes, meats/fish.

Additional tips:

freeze bottles of water and place them in your freezer. If the power goes out, they will keep foods cold or frozen, and they contain water.
rotate your emergency supplies once a year. Keep an inventory list with expiration dates if possible. This is especially important with gluten-free food, because it does not have as long a shelf life as regular food.
consider keeping paper plates and utensils on hand, as well as foil pans for cooking on alternative sources
consider keeping supplies packed in a water proof bag near your front door, or in a reinforced area
some companies offer gluten-free food for emergency kits with shelf lives of up to 25 years (remember to read every label, every time)