On February 4th, my friend Karen posted that she was on a quarantined ship for 14 days. “I’ll check in when I can.” Little did I know at the time that this would balloon into a worldwide pandemic. She was one of 696 people who ultimately tested positive for COVID-19 on the Diamond Princess cruise ship.

I’m strangely grateful to her for sharing her story of quarantine while on the ship, evacuation to a local Japanese hospital once she tested positive for the virus, time spent recovering, ultimately getting better, being sent to a Shinjuku hotel because she had been placed on a U.S. No Fly List, and then battling with Japanese authorities and the CDC to get proper permission to return home to the United States. Thanks to her, I was more prepared for what was to come than perhaps others. If you’re interested in her story, you can listen to her on Fox40.

I come from a family with a prepper mindset. A prepper is someone who considers ways to mitigate unanticipated scenarios which could limit access to food and other essentials. Some might think it’s focusing on a post-apocalyptic future world, but it’s actually much more practical and reality-based. The example I have always given to my wife is bad winter weather in New England. A storm hits that takes out the power and limits your ability to go anywhere or get anything for a significant period of time. This was a real event that directly impacted my extended Maine family: the Great Ice Storm of 1998.

“Better to have, and not need, than to need, and not have.” -Franz Kafka

You may have heard terms such as bugging out, bugging in, bug out bag, everyday carry items, car emergency kit, and work emergency bag. This blog post is about none of that. For now I’ll just mention some very basic things that every family should try to have, full well knowing that in the current pandemic we’re all experiencing it may be too late to get your hands on much of this. Hopefully some will learn from this event and find useful tidbits in the details below.

We have a pantry organizer in our basement where we keep extra cans of our frequently used food items. It’s a can-rotation system so you’re always using the oldest items first. We go to this as we need them on a regular basis and simply replace them as they’re used. The idea is to keep it well stocked at all times.

We keep water storage containers that we dump and refill every 6 months to ensure freshness. The general rule of thumb is 5 gallons of water per person per week. Pets are typically 1 ounce per day for every pound they weigh. You do the math. In the event of an emergency where the power goes out and water to your home is temporarily unavailable, you’ll be immensely grateful to have those hanging about. Just make sure they’re food-grade BPA-free FDA-approved storage containers.

We keep an assortment of other food aside from our weekly fresh food and the canned food on our pantry organizer. For long-term storage, freeze-dried food (Mountain House, Backpacker’s Pantry, Thrive Life) is good. It can have a shelf life of up to 30 years. They can be pricy, but they are normally complete meals that only require water and a heat source. It’s what many campers take with them when out on the trail.

Bulk dry food is always a solid bet: rice, dried beans, oatmeal, granola, dry cereal, pasta, powdered Gatorade. Have a stockpile of salt and other basic seasonings that you enjoy. Don’t underestimate the power of flavor if you’re forced to break into your rice and beans.

If you know an event is likely coming, grab those fresh veggies now and start making some meals. Casseroles and similar items that can freeze well. Portion them out and store them for later use.

Make sure to include some treats: chocolates and other candies that your family enjoys. Morale is important in these situations.

I once read an article suggesting that you make a list of seven recipes suitable for food storage that you’re family already eats and enjoys: 2 soups, 1 stew, 1 chili, 1 casserole, and 2 skillet dishes. Then, get those ingredients in bulk and in a form that will last long-term (canned, dehydrated, freeze-dried). In a disaster, you want to keep your food intake as normal as possible. Your body will already be processing enough stress - you don’t need to add to it. Thrive Life provides most of the basics freeze-dried, so you can get fruits, vegetables, proteins, and seasonings in a form that will last.

Hygiene items: hand sanitizer, wipes, soap, toilet paper. It can never hurt to store extra - these things don’t go bad and you always eventually use them.

Don’t forget your pets! Cat litter, treats, poop bags, and food. We keep 4 bags of dried dog food in the basement and simply cycle through them. The oldest bag is used first and then the next time we’re out we get a replacement for it. Ideally we always have 4 bags in the house. We do the same for cat litter and cat food. For our feline friends who eat nothing but wet food, we keep a decent volume of their canned food on-hand and then augment it with an emergency bag of dried cat food just in case.

I could go on, but I think that covers enough. I’ll end by reminding you to:

• wash your hands frequently with soap and warm water;
• don’t touch your eyes, nose, or mouth;
• wipe down frequently touched surfaces, such as doorknobs; and
• stay at home.

Social distancing is the best shot we have at flattening the curve. We need to limit the number of COVID-19 cases for as long as possible to prevent unnecessary death. Do it for your friends and family. Let’s be bored together online, but safe.