One Thing Wednesday: Special Dietary Needs

DEM Blogger

April 15, 2015

The Do 1 Thing site won the Awareness to Action category of FEMA’s 2014 Individual and Community Preparedness Awards. It’s a 12-month program of small steps that you can take to increase your personal and household preparedness. Throughout 2015, DEM will feature Do 1 Thing items during our weekly blog post series of One Thing Wednesdays. Check back here every week for a new preparedness activity or tip!

It’s April, which means the local food scene is blooming along with the flowers. The Lexington Farmers’ Market is moving back outdoors, food trucks are rolling out, and it’s warm enough for grilling. Accordingly, April’s theme is food: how to keep yourself and your household fed in an emergency.

If you or someone in your household is on a special diet for health reasons, keeping up with those unique needs can be difficult under emergency conditions. The key to staying healthy and comfortable is preparedness.

If you rely on special preparation or feeding equipment, like a blender, feeding tube, or food scale, be sure you can use it under austere conditions. Determine whether an uninterruptible power supply (UPS), like those used as backup power for desktop computers, can power any critical small appliances – and, if so, how long it will last. Consider keeping backup equipment at the home of a friend or relative in case you have to evacuate your own residence and can’t take your usual items with you.

Discuss your dietary and preparedness needs with your healthcare provider. Determine what non-perishable menu items you can keep in your emergency pantry that will satisfy your needs.

Print and laminate a medical fact sheet with:

• A description of your medical condition;
• A description of your dietary needs;
• A list of any prescriptions; and
• Your healthcare provider’s contact information.

Keep it in your emergency kit. Update it whenever any of this information changes.