Regarding long-term freeze-dried food storage: As long as the bag remains hermetically sealed, the real enemy of FD food is oxygen. The packaging is supposed to block oxygen, but it's not perfect. Most FD food should be edible up to 10 years, but it may not taste very good. I would throw out anything older than 15 years - at that point, enough oxygen has penetrated the bag to cause some really off flavors. Even if there is nothing biologically wrong with the food, psychologically it will make you ill. It's like being asked to eat cooked worms - nothing in the worms will make you sick, but you may chuck because of the idea of eating worms, along with the unusual taste , texture, and smell. Eating rancid fat shouldn't make you sick (it's just oxidized fats), but the smell won't be pleasant, and tells your brain "this is spoiled".

Regarding long-term water storage: If the water is pure (reverse osmosis water should qualify) it lacks the nutrients necessary for organisms to grow. Now put that in a non-reactive container (like a 5-gallon water bottle) and seal the cap on. It's good for as long as the bottle and its seal remain intact. For emergency use, I suggest digging a hole and burying one for each family member - safe from earthquakes, tornados, fires, and hurricanes (same treatment for at least one 5-gallon bucket full of FD food, then another bucket for whatever else you may need - first aid supplies, home protection gear, tarps for temporary shelter, etc.). A stash in your home does you no good if the structure has fallen down, burned, or been washed/blown away. You may not want to go this far - in that case, spread it around - some in the home, some in the yard, some in the shed. Then hope at least one location remains accessible.

If you have access to some land outside the city, consider repeating this caching exercise there too. It never hurts to have TWO family meeting places. If you can't get to the first one (it's on fire, people are rioting, etc.) you can go to the secondary spot and still have enough supplies to last a few weeks.

If Hurricane Katrina taught me anything, it's that you really need at least two weeks worth of supplies - and preferably a month's - because relief supplies may be slow in coming (roads destroyed, airport destroyed, docks destroyed). The hardest part is coming up with the $500 or so that it costs to put the initial supplies together. After that you just replace the food every few years - use the old stuff for camping while it's still good. The water can be left there forever. I hear it takes over 300 years for a 5-gallon bottle to decompose.... <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/wink.gif" alt="" />