Emergency Preparedness Stores Review

Turn on your TV. What do you see? Listen to the radio. What do you hear? Scan the newspaper. What do you read? Tragedy has always plagued the world around us, but recently disasters from tsunamis, earthquakes and tornadoes have struck more frequently in places like Japan, Haiti, Chile, Alabama and New Orleans. Not only are natural disasters occurring, but economic uncertainty, job loss, wars and riots pockmark the news.

Yes, this sounds a bit doomsdayish, but don't navigate away because you don't want to read yet another "The end is coming!" article; this is not one of those articles. We at TopTenREVIEWS want the very best for you, always. So, we have created an emergency preparedness review so you and your family can feel peace of mind, rather than anxiety, about what is occurring around you. We have scoured the web and reviewed the top 10 emergency preparedness web services. These online stores offer emergency food supply and disaster preparedness products, including food storage, water storage, freeze-dried foods, dehydrated food and much more. We have created a side-by-side comparison of our top 10 picks; you'll see that The Ready Store, Shelf Reliance and Emergency Essentials are our top three online stores. We've also written additional articles about emergency preparedness stores in our Learning Center.

Emergency Supply Store: What to Look For

We evaluated the top 10 emergency supply stores based on the following criteria:

Food Storage
Storing a 25-pound bag of garbanzo beans or a case of freeze-dried cheddar cheese under your bed may seem like a ridiculous idea now, but there may come a time when you lose your job and your family will need to survive on the items you have stored. Don't wait until that time of dire necessity, start now.

The thought of collecting 3-months, 6-months or a year's supply of food and other survival items is daunting. The investment of money, time and space are issues, we agree, but remember, you do not have to purchase that year's supply all at once. Take baby steps to creating a sustaining stockpile. Purchase a can of wheat here and a case of water there, and soon you will have an emergency food supply you can be proud of.

We suggest taking the time to browse through an emergency preparedness store's stock before selecting your food storage provider. Choose a company that offers food in number 10 cans, as they are easy to store and usually have the longest shelf life. These metal cans are the most common containers for long-term food storage. The volume of a number 10 can is around 0.82 gallons, but the weight varies depending on the type of freeze-dried or dehydrated foods the can holds.

When selecting cans, pouches and pails of food, you must remember to purchase a variety of foods. Don't just stock up on wheat or oats and nothing else. Remember, whatever you buy, you may need to live on. Make a list of your favorite recipes and choose food storage to accommodate those recipes. You need to take your specific dietary needs and allergies into consideration as well. Our number one emergency preparedness store, The Ready Store, has food storage specifically for vegetarians, those with peanut allergies and those who are gluten or lactose intolerant.

Emergency Preparedness
The thought of devastating natural disasters happening to you and your community is frightening, yes, but there are steps you can take for disaster preparedness. While food storage is extremely important, you should also purchase other emergency preparedness items such as survival gear.

Emergency preparedness stores, like our top three sites, carry preparedness items such as:

• First aid kits

• Generators

• Sanitation and hygiene kits

• Tools and knives

• Warmth and coverings

• Water filters and purifiers

• Security supplies

• Radios and other communication devices

Features
Whether it's just you and your spouse or you have a family of five, you need to know how many cans or pounds of food your family needs to survive. Shelf Reliance, our number two emergency preparedness store, has the best food storage calculator. It begins by asking about the members of your family, including their age and how many calories a day they usually consume. This food storage calculator allows you to know the nutritional needs of your family and plan your emergency food supply accordingly, saving you time and money.

Most emergency preparedness stores have pre-packaged first aid kits and food storage bundles. You may have special needs, however, and need additional supplies. If this is the case, we suggest looking for an emergency store that allows you to customize first aid kits and food storage packages.

Also, it's important that you are aware of what exactly is in the food you are purchasing for your family and how long the food will last on your pantry shelves. Nutrition information is extremely important, as it will help you determine the calorie and fat percentages needed to specify family rations. If you are allergic to soy or are lactose intolerant, you should read every ingredient in the freeze-dried foods and dehydrated foods you plan to purchase.

Ease of Site Use
Organization is key for any emergency preparedness website. Grains, dairy, fruit, soups, etc. should all be categorized and easy to find. If the website has survival gear, it should be categorized according to water and hydration, lighting, shelter, etc. There is no reason for you to have to dig to find what you want. Company contact information should be easy to find, and adding products to your cart, editing that cart and checkout should all be extremely user-friendly.

Help & Support
While we prefer live chat support to every other kind of technical support, only a few of the emergency preparedness stores we reviewed offer this service. The other emergency preparedness stores do offer FAQs, food storage education, telephone and email support as well as social media connections such as Twitter and Facebook. Before choosing an emergency storage provider, make sure you'll be able to easily contact them if you have a problem or question.

Gathering food storage and survival gear is more than collecting cans and cans of dehydrated foods, it's about knowing that what you gather today, you can use tomorrow or 20 years from now if an emergency, disaster, loss of job or other calamity arises. For the peace of mind emergency preparedness can give to you and your family, we urge you to begin emergency preparedness today. Start small, and gradually build your stockpile of supplies. You won't regret this investment.

At TopTenREVIEWS We Do the Research So You Don’t Have To.™