Nine meals from being a cannibal?
I heard a statement on television the other day that stuck in my head — thought it sounded interesting and began to
research it.
Here is the statement ... In reference to disasters, such as the most recent earthquake in Haiti, hurricane Katrina, floods, rock slides and tornadoes, one announcer said, "Most of us are about 9 meals away from cannibalism."
After a "google" check, I found this expression was "coined by Lord Cameron of Dillington, a farmer who was the first head of the Countryside Agency set up by Tony Blair to describe the perilousness of Britain's food supply.
With more research, I uncovered a statement most agree is true, "In a disaster, most of us have 72 hours or 3 days to exist before we can expect any help to arrive. Some also say we only have 72 hours before anarchy, or 3 days before the rule of law breaks down and it is "every man for himself." As far back as Plato, leaders have been predicting the fall of civility. Plato said that society is "just about four meals away from barbarism."
Ouch, could that be true? It gave me pause for reflection.
What does this mean? Well, look around. How much food and water do you have in storage?
How long could you feed the people in your household if the roads were closed and trucks were not able to haul replacements for the food found on the shelves in stores today?
What can we do about it? First, plan to take care of yourself. In case of a catastrophic disaster, even under the best scenarios, it will take 3 to 7 days before any kind of rescue effort can be up and working. In any emergency, your survival will depend on you and your own efforts. You need to be able to provide water, food, clothing and shelter for yourself and your family.
You will also need batteries, a radio that runs on batteries, matches, candles, and blankets.
Survivalists recommend you plan to store a gallon of water per day for at least 30 days for each person who lives in your home. Not only do you need water for drinking and cooking, but also for keeping clean, and, even if a city's water supply has been cut off, toilets will flush if water is poured into the bowl, allowing, at least, some level of sanitation.
Also, plan to store extra bottles of "clean wipes," disinfectant, hand gels, liquid soap and shampoo.
Let's face it, food will become a huge problem, and as time goes on, will be the major problem. What can you do? Begin to think about the kinds of foods you can keep in storage.
Also, you may not be able to cook, as electricity will possibly be out, so think of foods that can be eaten right out of the can and keep plenty of non-electric can openers on hand. Soup, peanut butter, beans, tuna and other canned meats as well as fruits and vegetables are good choices.
Ramen Noodles is another good choice, since the product is cheap (as low as 10 cents per serving), stores easily, and is tasty.
Crackers store well, as well as toaster pastries, granola bars, snack cakes, and other pre-packaged snack foods.
With so many calamities and disasters unfolding before our eyes, we can consider ourselves as pre-warned. We need to remember, "Failing to plan is planning to fail."
