Ultimate Hurricane Preparedness Guide: Essential Food and Water Safety Tips You Can’t Miss!

Hurricanes can bring devastating consequences, including prolonged power outages and flood damage, both of which pose significant risks to your food and water supplies. Preparing in advance is crucial to ensuring your safety and well-being during and after the storm. The time to prepare for a disaster is long before the storm hits. This comprehensive guide provides essential information on hurricane preparedness, focusing on food and water safety, creating an emergency food kit, and safeguarding your supplies.

Building Your Hurricane Food Kit

A well-stocked hurricane food kit is essential for ensuring you have access to nutritious meals when grocery stores may be closed or inaccessible. Aim for at least a three-day supply of food for each person in the house.

Inventory and Planning: Begin by checking your cupboards for non-perishable items, noting expiration dates, and identifying gaps in your supplies.
Shopping List Essentials: Create a shopping list featuring non-perishable, nutritious foods. Plan to keep your hurricane food in a cool, dry spot, and make sure that containers are sealed tightly after each use.

Recommended Food Items

Emergency Food Supply Kits: An emergency food supply can’t be beat if you’re looking for a one-stop shopping option. These kits offer ready-to-eat meals for breakfast, lunch, dinner, and snacks. Just add water and wait about 15 minutes before eating.
Canned Soup: Safe to eat cold, canned soup provides a healthy and nutritious meal during a natural disaster.
Milk: Powdered milk is a great source of protein, calcium and vitamin D during a natural disaster. Shelf-stable non-dairy milk, such as almond milk, is also great to have on hand.
Peanut Butter: Packed with flavor and protein, peanut butter is a versatile option for snacks and full meals. Choose a variety that does not need to be refrigerated after opening, or choose from ready-made and powdered peanut butter varieties.
Granola Bars: Ideal for long-term storage, granola bars provide the carbohydrates and other nutrients you need to maintain your energy.
Crackers: Pair saltine crackers with high-protein nut butter for a filling snack when hunger strikes.
Dried Fruit: A healthy, shelf-stable snack to stock up on in case of a natural disaster. Apples are particularly long-lasting and can be stored in a cool and dry pantry for up to four weeks or in the refrigerator for up to two months.
Trail Mix: This energizing snack food is typically high in protein to power you up-and it sneaks in some chocolate.
Canned Tuna: For a convenient source of protein that won’t need refrigeration, look to canned tuna. It’s an easy and healthy choice when preparing for natural disasters.
Canned Vegetables: Pantry essentials for a reason. They make sure you get in your greens even during natural disasters, and they last forever-most canned vegetables can be stored up to two years past their best-by date.
Pet Food: Don’t forget your pets! Stock up on your furry friends’ canned or dry pet foods, too.
Whole Grain Bread: This isn’t something that can be stored for months, but whole grain bread is good for about a week. It’s versatile and filling, and it provides essential fiber and nutrients-exactly what you want from emergency food.
Fruit Juice: A family favorite: not only does it taste delicious, but it’s loaded with vitamin C to support immune defense.
Dry Cereal: An easy breakfast (or dinner) when the power is out. And individual boxes are ideal for long-term storage.
Canned Meats: For meats, check the canned goods aisle of your local grocery story for canned meats.

Water Safety: A Critical Component of Hurricane Preparedness

Access to a safe water supply is key during an emergency. Be sure to have plenty of bottled water on hand as part of hurricane preparedness. The Federal Emergency Management Agency, Red Cross and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommend a minimum of one gallon of water per day for each member of the family. Store at least a 3-day supply of water for each person.

Ensuring Water Potability

Bottled Water: Water should be bottled and store-bought to avoid possible contamination and kept at home in a dry, dark place.
Boiling Water: If bottled water is unavailable, boil water for one minute to kill most disease-causing organisms, such as cholera, typhoid, salmonella, giardia, E. coli, and amoebas.
Disinfecting Water: If boiling isn't possible, disinfect water by adding 1/8 teaspoon (or 8 drops) of regular, unscented, liquid household bleach per gallon of water.

Well Water Considerations

If you have a well that has been flooded, the water should be tested and disinfected after flood waters recede. Your local health department will determine whether tap water can be used for drinking.

Food Safety During and After a Hurricane

Prolonged power outages and flood damage are two of the biggest risks to your food. Illness-causing bacteria grow in temperatures between 40 F and 140 F. We call these temperatures the “Danger Zone” for food. Bacteria that develop at these temperatures generally do not alter the taste, appearance, or smell of the food but can make you sick. Caution-never taste food to determine its safety. When in doubt, throw it out!

Power Outages

Power loss is common in severe storms, but there are ways to increase the time the food in your fridge will remain safe to eat. It’s important to keep the refrigerator and freezer doors closed. Food in an unopened refrigerator is safe to consume if the power outage lasts less than 4 hours. For refrigerated items, after the 4-hour power outage, it is best to pack them into a cooler surrounded by ice or frozen gel packs for storage.

Flood Safety

Throw out any food that has been in contact with flood water. This includes any canned foods with signs of damage such as holes, leakages, and punctures. Discard food and beverage containers with screw-caps, snap lids, crimped caps (soda bottles), twist caps, flip tops and home canned foods, if they have come in contact with flood water.

Hygiene and Sanitation

Food safety doesn’t stop with inspecting the packaging. Thoroughly wash pots, pans, ceramic dishes, and utensils (including can openers) with soap and water, using hot water if available. Thoroughly wash countertops with soap and water, using hot water if available. Rinse and then sanitize by applying a solution of 1 tablespoon of unscented household (5.25% concentration) liquid bleach per gallon of water.

Formula for Infants

For infants, ready-to-feed formula should be used. However, if only concentrated or powdered formula is available, prepare the formula with bottled water or water that has been sterilized. Your doctor or public health authorities can advise if water needs to be boiled before use. Use bottled water that has not been exposed to flood waters if it is available.

Additional Considerations

Emergency Kit: Consumers, especially in storm-prone areas, should maintain an emergency kit stocked with non-perishable food, extra medication and hygiene supplies.
Storage: Store your supply of food, water, and medication on shelves that will be safely out of the way in case of flooding. Be sure to take into account the dietary needs of your family, and to routinely check the expiration or “use by” dates on these items.
Evacuation: A hurricane or severe storm may trigger an evacuation and many businesses, including pharmacies, may be closed during and after the storm. Food, water and medical supplies will become harder to find in the days before an expected storm. In addition to first aid and other essentials, including food and water supplies in your home emergency kit is the best way to be prepared for hurricanes and flooding.
Pets and Service Animals: Don’t forget to prepare an emergency kit for your pets or service animal. Dogs that help people with disabilities are allowed in any hotel or commercial lodging, and in general population and Red Cross shelters, if they meet the Americans with Disabilities Act regulations for service animals. More information can be found at Frequently Asked Questions about Service Animals and the ADA. Some state and local laws define service animal more broadly than the federal ADA regulations do. However, only select emergency shelters accept regular pets (non-service animals), so finding a pet-friendly shelter may be difficult. Contact your local emergency management agency for information about which emergency shelters allow pets. Try to call the shelter before you go, as some pet-friendly shelters may require advance notice.

Pet Emergency Kit Essentials

Important documents: Registration information, adoption papers and pet insurance documents (if you have them).
A picture of you and your pet or service animal together: If you become separated, a picture of you and your pet or service animal together will help you document ownership and allow others to assist you.
First aid kit: Cotton bandage rolls, bandage tape and scissors; veterinary antibiotic ointment; flea and tick prevention; latex gloves, isopropyl alcohol and saline solution.
Crate or pet carrier and leash: Have a sturdy, safe crate or carrier and a leash ready in case you need to evacuate.

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