The May 8th and 9th 1995 New Orleans Flood struck the New Orleans metropolitan area, shutting down the city for two days. It was a two-event phenomenon. Areas south of the lake began receiving tremendous amounts of rain at approximately 5:30 p.m. on May 7th, continuing into the early morning hours of May 8th. The flooding began on the Southshore, Jefferson Parish and Orleans Parish, including the cities of New Orleans, Metairie, Kenner, River Ridge, and Harahan, on May 8. During a short period of twelve hours, some areas received twenty inches of rainfall. The next day, the Northshore of Lake Pontchartrain, including Slidell, Covington, etc. received similar amounts of rain and flooding.

The pre-packed survival kits are designed to supply you with all the essentials you will need to make it through the first 72 hours following a natural disaster or terrorist attack. Although many items are included, there are some personal things that would be beneficial for you to add to your kit.

• Change of clothing that is weather appropriate
• Pair of comfortable walking shoes and socks
• Extra pair of contact lenses or glasses
• Other sources of entertainment (no electricity)
• Personal hygiene products
• Diapers, baby clothes, formula, ect.. for infants
• Extra money
• Copy of credit cards or credit card information
• Medications / Prescriptions; include time and dosage
• Other medical information
• Spare keys to the house, cars, safety deposit box, ect..
• Copy of drivers license (or other identification)
• Copies of insurance policies
• Bank account information
• List of legal and personal phone numbers
• Local maps
• Family photos

The Willamette Valley Flood of 1996 was part of a larger series of floods in the Pacific Northwest of the United States which took place between late January and mid-February, 1996. It was Oregon's largest flood event in terms of fatalities and monetary damage during the 1990s. The floods spread well beyond Oregon's Willamette Valley, extending west to the Oregon Coast and east toward the Cascade Mountains. Significant flood damage also affected the American states of Washington, Idaho (particularly the north of the state) and California.

How Long Does Stored Food Last?

Canned Food

Canned food has a shelf life of at least two years from the date of processing. Canned food retains its safety and nutritional value well beyond two years, but it may have some variation in quality, such as a change of color and texture. Canning is a high-heat process that renders the food commercially sterile. Food safety is not an issue in products kept on the shelf or in the pantry for long periods of time. In fact, canned food has an almost indefinite shelf life at moderate temperatures (75° F and below). Canned food as old as 100 years has been found in sunken ships and it is still microbiologically safe! We don't recommend keeping canned food for 100 years, but if the can is intact, not dented or bulging, it is edible.

Dried Food Items - Shelf Life

• Baking powder/soda - 18 months
• Bread Crumbs - Six months
• Cereals - Six months
• Coffee creamer, dry - Six months
• Flour/cake mixes - One year
• Gelatin/pudding mixes - One year
• Herbs/spices - Six to 12 months
• Milk, nonfat dry - Six months
• Pancake/pie crust mixes - Six months
• Pasta/noodles - Two years
• Potatoes, instant - 18 months
• Rice, white - Two years
• Sugar, granulated - Two years
• Sugar, brown, confectioners'- Four months

Beans

Dried beans kept free from moisture can last for several years. This is an excellent way to stretch your money, plus beans are full of protein for healthy eating.

Drinks

Most juices that you buy, such as apple juice, can last 3-5 years un-opened. If you are unsure of how long your juice will last, contact the manufacturer consumer phone number.

Optional Items

• Chocolate - unsweetened 18 months
• Coffee, vacuum pack - One year
• Milk, canned - One year
• Molasses - Two years
• Nuts - Eight months
• Oils/salad dressings - Three months
• Peanut butter (unopened) - Six months
• Sauces, condiments, relishes (unopened) - One year
• Shortening - Eight months
• Syrups - One year
• Tea - 18 months

Water

According to the International Bottled Water Association, the FDA has not established a shelf life for water, so you can store those bottles indefinitely. As long as the packaging is intact and unopened, you shouldn't need to worry about any type of bacteria or microorganisms growing in the water. If the bottle has been opened, however, it can grow bacteria and algae if it is not consumed within 2 weeks.

So while it doesn't appear that unopened bottles of water actually go "bad" in the sense that they would make you sick, they might not taste the greatest after several years of sitting on the shelf collecting dust. 

The Red River Flood of 1997 was a major flood that occurred in April and May 1997, along the Red River of the North in North Dakota, Minnesota, and Southern Manitoba. It was the most severe flood of the river since 1826. The flood reached throughout the Red River Valley, affecting the cities of Fargo and Winnipeg, but none so greatly as in Grand Forks and East Grand Forks, where floodwaters reached over 3 miles (5 km) inland, inundating virtually everything in the twin communities. Total damages for the Red River region were US $3.5 billion.

Survival Kit Products

• Emergency Food and Water - 5 years (25 year shelf life food is available)
• Purification Tablets - 4-5 years
• First Aid Kits - 5 years
• Hygiene Kit - 5 years
• Body Warmer - 4 years
• Radio Batteries - 4-5 years
• Flashlight Batteries - 10 years (the flashlight can be recharged forever and has no shelf life)
• All other products do not have a manufacturer suggested shelf life and should not diminish in quality as years pass.

The North American ice storm of 1998 (also known as Great Ice Storm of 1998 and Great Ice Storm '98) was a massive combination of five smaller successive ice storms which combined to strike a relatively narrow swath of land from eastern Ontario to southern Quebec to Nova Scotia in Canada, and bordering areas from northern New York to central Maine in the United States, in January 1998. It caused massive damage to trees and electrical infrastructure all over the area, leading to widespread long-term power outages. Millions were left in the dark for periods varying from days to weeks, leading to more than 30 fatalities, a shut down of activities in large cities like Montreal and Ottawa, and an unprecedented effort in reconstruction of the power grid.