It's 5:30 p.m. on a Wednesday evening. All day the weather forecasters have been announcing that a Nor'easter is due here in Massachusetts. You are driving home from work and you think "I should pick up a few things at the store - just in case." When you arrive, most of the shelves in the bread and cereal aisles are bare and the clerk informs you that they haven't had milk since 1:00 that afternoon. So, you grab some crackers and a box of Twinkies and home you go. Now fast forward to December 31, 1999 when people are fearful of a different disaster and this time the prediction is global. This problem of last-minute food purchases is multiplied many times over.

Knowing human nature and the lesson this story teaches us, doing something now about food storage can serve as insurance. In creating food storage there are a few things to remember, the most important being store what you eat and eat what you store.

How Much?
Your first step is to make a decision about how much food insurance you are going to store. Three days worth as suggested by the Red Cross, or two weeks, possibly a year? Remember that there is no penalty for too much preparation - only too little. If you store too much food you get to eat it, throw a party, or not have to worry about the next Nor'easter.

What to Store?
Once you have decided the amount of time you think a problem could last the next step is deciding what to store. The absolute emergency food storage plan basics are:

• Rice
• Beans
• Whole wheat
• Sugar
• Powdered milk
• Peanut butter
• Tomato juice
• Water

Although this is a pretty bland and boring diet, it will keep the average adult alive on 1858 calories per day. People who have had to exist on food storage for any length of time report that variety and comfort foods can make a big difference in stressful situations. As a result, it is suggested that you add the following to this basic list:

• Seeds for sprouting
• Corn meal
• Oatmeal
• Pasta
• Honey
• Oil
• Dry soup mixes
• Cake and pudding mixes
• Hard Candy
• A variety of canned vegetables and fruits
• Dried fruits
• Condiments and spices you normally use
• Cocoa powder
• Baking Powder and Soda
• Powdered drink mixes

How Much?
The third step is to determine quantity. Referring back to the basic emergency foods list, a family of four subsisting on only these items for a month would need to consume

• 35 lbs. Powdered milk
• 22 lbs. Whole wheat
• 30 lbs. Peanut butter
• 30 -30 oz. Cans of tomato juice

How to Store?
The fourth step is storing your food. If every time you go to the store you simply buy a few extra cans of this and a few extra boxes of that you will eventually end up with lots of food, but some will spoil and may attract vermin before you need it. The best way to store items not in cans or bottles is in sealed polyethylene bags inside of food-grade plastic buckets with lids. Visit Walton Feed's web site for instructions on storage. Walton and several other companies on the web sell everything you need to store food. But don't wait long if you plan on using these services as many already are back-ordered for months.