COLCHESTER - The Vermont Department of Health is urging residents to prepare for a possible worldwide flu pandemic by stocking their pantries with enough food to stay home for two weeks.

People should buy things like dried foods that have a long shelf life, said Health Commissioner Wendy Davis.

"The idea behind that is that people might need to be home for a period even of up to two weeks while everybody's getting over being ill and while we're trying to contain the spread of illness," Davis said.

Public health officials say that during a flu pandemic families won't be able to go to work, school or the store and businesses will have to be able to operate for weeks without employees showing up for work.

Burlington is one of nine communities around the country taking part in a pilot project sponsored by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services to get ready for what scientists believe is the coming pandemic.

As evidence, experts point to the virulent, deadly flu strain that spread across the globe in 1918 and killed millions.

"And we think it's not unlikely that it could occur fairly soon," Davis said.

Some of the foods the Health Department is recommending people stock up on are peanut butter, jelly, dried milk, raisins, nuts, cans of pumpkin, diced tomatoes, rice, pasta, flour and sugar.

The Health Department estimates it would cost about $200 for a family of four to have enough food for two weeks.