Recent events in West Virginia have illustrated the importance of having stored water. If there is a chemical spill in your area, you may not be able to drink water coming from your taps, perhaps for days or even weeks. If that happens, bottled water and even bagged ice will disappear from store shelves faster than a pot of coffee at an AA meeting.

However, there is another lesson to be learned from this event. Many preppers rely upon dehydrated and/or freeze-dried foods for their long-term food storage. While it sounds like a decent plan to go out and purchase a pallet’s worth of these items, thinking then you’re family will be covered for a year or more, the reality is that without water, those foods are all but worthless. You need water to rehydrate so they’ll be edible.

Even those prepper mainstays of rice and beans require water for preparation.

As we’ve seen in West Virginia, when a water ban like this is enacted, all but the most critical businesses shut down. Stores won’t be open. Neither will restaurants, hotels, and any place else you can think of where you might be able to get a meal. You’ll truly be on your own.

Do yourself and your family a favor. Be sure to add plenty of “ready to eat” foods to your pantry. Primarily, these would be canned goods like:

–Chili
–Stew
–“Chunky” type soups
–Veggies
–Tuna
–Chicken
–Fruit

Many varieties of canned veggies and fruits are packed in water, which gives you another source for hydration. I’m not necessarily saying to drain the water from your canned green beans into a cup and drink it. Rather, use it in a soup or stew.

I’m not saying you shouldn’t invest in any dehydrated or freeze-dried foods. The point here is to not rely solely upon them as a proactive measure for long-term food. Diversify your pantry so you’re covered, no matter what happens.