Fifteen years ago, amidst the threat of Avian Flu, we developed a list of things we wanted to have in our house in case all the dire predictions actually came true. Fortunately they didn't, and since then we've moved into a condo. Jack suggested I develop a list of things people in apartment or condo buildings should try to keep in stock in case serious shortages redevelop. So here's my edited list:
- Canned goods (pasta, soups, chili, vegetables, fruit, tuna, meats, lots of peanut butter, etc.) We keep four or five backup soups, four or five backup cans of tuna/salmon, and at least one backup jar of peanut butter on our shelves; and of course we rotate our stock of everything.
- Ready-to-eat foods (raisins, cheese, crackers, granola/energy/protein bars)
- Some perishable foods (fruits and vegetables)
- Plenty of potent Multi-Vitamins, Vit C, etc. [We try to keep at least a 30-day supply of all the placebos supplements we take]
- Dried milk
- Pancake and biscuit mix & syrup
- Rice -- how much depends on your tastes and storage space.
- Dried beans, again depending on your tastes and space.
- Plenty of flour
- Potatoes. But in an apartment, a box or two of instant potatoes for easy storage works well.
- Quick oats and/or other grains?
- Pasta, several packages
- Extra sugar if you use it much (we don't)
- Extra honey
- Extra cooking oil
- Baking powder & baking soda
- Bottled water (at least one backup package)
- Paper or plastic plates/bowls/cups/utensils
- Laundry and dish detergent
- Quality manual can opener
- Kitchen matches and disposable lighters
- Candles
- Plenty of liner and garbage bags (water storage & waste storage)
- Toilet paper and, if needed, sanitary napkins, diapers, paper towels
- Baby wipes (saves water for personal hygiene use if there are ever water problems)
- Flashlights (ideally LED) and more than one portable radio (update: maybe a hand-crank one as a backup)
- Plenty more batteries, at least three sets, for each of the above
- Backup chargers for phones, watches, tablets, etc.
- Solar charger to keep your phones, electronics, and chargers charged
- Alcohol and Hydrogen Peroxide
- Aspirin/Tylenol/Motrin, Pepto Bismol, etc.
- Prescription drugs filled, and as much extra as possible. Always.
- First aid kits
- Fire extinguishers
- Plenty of masks
- Water filters
- possibly a Coleman cook stove and fuel,etc. We decided against keeping a camp stove around. We had a small propane bbq that we probably should have kept but we gave it away.
- Duct tape, staple guns, and staples.
Of course a household doesn't necessarily need to keep all these things on hand. This is just a list of things to consider, depending on your circumstances and living arrangements, your available storage space, your risk tolerance, and your expectations about the seriousness of any possible threat.
Our additions (we tend to keep a good supply of these on hand):
- scotch
- vodka
- lime juice
- diet tonic water
- Coke Zero
- chocolate bars
- cribbage board and cards