> When we were still in danger of losing our
> electricity, I kept saying to my husband how if we had to leave the
> house, we had to be sure to have enough food for Aaron for about a
> week.  How to collect all this in the dark?  I now know that the next
> time we expect a bad storm like this, I will pack a bag or two of
> groceries for him before it becomes a crisis.  Just one of those things
> to do as we start collecting  the candles, batteries, flashlights and
> radio and drinking water together.
> Just a thought.  Dale Robin
>

I know I'm late responding to this, but I kept thinking about this thread.

IMO everyone, but especially people with severe food allergies or other
medical conditions should pack themselves an emergency bag containing
items they would need/want if they had to leave their home for a shelter
in an emergency.  Do it now, when nothing is brewing, and always keep it
available.  In some cases you don't get much warning.  What would
happen if a storm blew up quickly, fooling forecasters, and you were low
on groceries when it hit?  etc...

You should try to pack a week's worth of non-perishable food,
medications, supplies (diapers, etc.) for your family into a bag that
you keep in a convenient location.  In some scenarios (hurricane,
earthquake) it's conceivable that even the shelters would not be able
to get adequate supplies, so you may be very thankful to be able to
supply the necessities for your family.  You may also want to include
toiletries (toothbrush, deodorant, etc.) and some form of entertainment
(playing cards).  You should probably also keep some emergency cash on
hand (if the power goes out, no ATMs).  Of course foods and medicines
should be rotated regularly, perhaps every 6 months when you change
your smoke detector batteries.

Of course this is just my opinion.  In most cases the Red Cross would be
able to provide mundane supplies and you would probably have enough time
to get/gather/pack but IMO people should not leave this to chance and
should take this small step to ensure that their family would be safe.

Especially in snow country, you should also considering packing a small
bag for your car with a couple of days' worth of food and water, a blanket,
etc. in case you got stranded somewhere during a storm.  That way you don't
get stuck living on 2 tic-tacs and melted snow (a bad idea, btw, it's very
impure).

I'll get off my soapbox now. ;-)  I didn't realize I was going to go on
quite so long.

Be safe,
--Robyn