Come hurricane season, emergency managers roll out a familiar refrain: make sure to have a 14-day supply of food and water on hand in case of a disaster.
This guidance is one of the cornerstones of personal emergency preparation, yet few of us have actually set aside two weeks’ worth of supplies.
A recent study by Hawaiʻi's major food banks found that just 21% of adult residents in Hawaiʻi feel prepared for a disaster. That number drops to 6% among residents who are also dealing with some level of food insecurity.
While the instruction to prepare 14 days of food and water seems straightforward enough, personal experience has taught me that the process of figuring out exactly what kind of foods to buy and how much you may need can feel overwhelming, especially if you're doing it on a budget. (There's a lot more math involved than I typically enjoy.)
In the hopes of saving our listeners from similar frustration, I spoke with emergency managers and experts about how to break down this guidance into actionable steps.
Whether this topic is just hitting your radar or you've been meaning to get around to making a kit for a while, here's everything you need to know to get started.
1. How much food do I need for 14 days?
Emergency managers generally concur that you want to be able to eat enough food to maintain your body weight. You can speak with your doctor about the exact daily amount right for you, but a good rule of thumb is to aim for 2,000 calories per day. Over 14 days, that adds up to 28,000 calories worth of food per person.
2. What kinds of food should I include?
Aim for non-perishable, easy-storage, nutrient-dense food. Canned goods like tuna, beans, soups and chili are a good bet, as well as nut butters, dried fruits, protein bars and trail mixes. Choose foods that don't require much preparation or water for cooking.
As provisions in your emergency supply near their expiration date, Eden Stewart with the Maui Emergency Management Agency suggests rotating them into your normal weekly meals so they don't go to waste.
For that reason, she advises people to steer clear of foods they don't actually like to eat — a lesson she learned firsthand during the early days of the pandemic.
"I was like, 'OK, we need canned goods. I'm getting green beans,'” she said. "The green beans were sitting on the shelf. Nobody really wanted to eat that."
While we are planning for a survival scenario, food isn't purely functional. It has an important emotional component, too, and can be a source of solace during a stressful time. Consider putting some comfort food in your kit as well.
"Even little things, like having furikake to put on your rice" will go a long way, said Elton Ushio, administrator for the Kauaʻi Emergency Management Agency.
3. How much will all this food cost?
To answer this question, I went to Walmart in Honolulu to buy supplies for my own emergency food kit. Here's a list of everything I purchased.
For a one-person supply of food for two weeks, roughly 28,000 calories in total, I spent about $104, including tax.
I anticipated that I would have to spend more, to be honest, given Hawaiʻi's notoriously high grocery prices. But a hundred bucks isn't chump change, and costs could quickly add up if you're prepping for a whole family.
To manage costs, Stewart recommends building your emergency kit over time. Pick up some extra cans on your next grocery trip. Keep an eye out for what's on sale, or buy in bulk with a friend and then split up the items.
4. What if I can't afford to build a full emergency kit?
Understandably, food insecure households name cost as the main deterrent in building an emergency stock.
People who are struggling with hunger are already in disaster mode, said Hawaiʻi Foodbank CEO Amy Miller.
"It really is not feasible for families in those situations to put aside 14 days’ supply of food and water," she said.
Eden Stewart said that people often get fixated on an all-or-nothing approach to building out their emergency supplies. But if the full 14 days' worth of food is out of reach, strive for something more feasible — start with three days, or even one.
If you do have the resources to create a full emergency supply kit, that individual action has a community benefit. If there's a disaster, your preparation allows emergency managers to focus resources on others who need it.
"Be as prepared as you can. The more we are, the better we can be for our communities," Stewart said.
5. What about the hydration station?
Emergency managers recommend that residents allot 1 gallon of water per day for each household member. That water is for drinking, as well as bare-bones hygiene and cooking.
For a family of four, that means a full supply of water adds up to 56 gallons for 14 days.
Storing that amount of water is daunting. Rather than keeping all of that water on hand at one time, experts suggest investing in refillable water containers that you can fill at the tap if a weather event like a hurricane is on the horizon.
You could invest in a water bag or bladder designed to fit in your bathtub. On Oʻahu, the Honolulu Board of Water Supply offers free reusable 2.5-gallon water bags to anyone who wants one. Even an extra ice chest can work in a pinch.
Sol Kanoho with the Kauaʻi Emergency Management Agency said he fills up a 30-gallon trash can with water if there's a storm approaching the islands. If the storm passes, he uses it to water his plants.
Experts do encourage having some water stored at all times in case a disaster like a tsunami or an earthquake occurs with little to no notice. And if you're using water from a nonsterile container for drinking, make sure to filter or boil the water before consumption.
Another tip from Kanoho — put a few wet wipes in your kit so you need less water for hygiene purposes.
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