How many days of food supply should you have?

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Having a buffer of food for emergencies is about planning for when you can’t get to stores or the power is out. The practical minimum to aim for is a three-day supply of non-perishable food, about 72 hours. This amount gives you a safety net to ride out typical outages or delays in receiving help, while you decide whether to shelter in place or evacuate and wait for services to resume. One day isn’t enough if the disruption lasts longer than a day, and while longer supplies—like a week or two—are beneficial, they require more space, money, and ongoing management. Start with three days and adjust for your family’s needs and your storage space.