Preparing Food Before the Storm

The last, waning days of summer are upon us and before we know it school will be starting and Hurricane season will be in full swing. With several years of reprieve from major hurricanes and outages, our minds have wandered from the hurricane prep of past years. We have become relaxed with the weather and more focused on family, football, school and fall festivities.

Food becomes a major factor when power outages of any kind occur. Having a plan that includes fun makes a power outage less stressful. Our food choices during outages, depending on the duration and the devastation accompanying the event, depend heavily on what is available and if we are able to travel or need to stay safe at home.

For simple storm related outages that will last a day or two, having some great ideas for mixing food and fun will ease your tension and worry. The more you think ahead and gather your thoughts, the more prepared you will be should an event actually occur.

Hot weather and power outages leave little time to get to the insanity of a grocery store. But if you plan ahead throughout the summer and early fall you can have plenty of meals ready whether you have a Generac Generator or not. If you have a stand-alone freezer, fill some empty juice bottles with water. Not only will these serve for fresh water, but they will also serve to keep your food cold longer. Milk and other perishables will appreciate the thinking ahead and so will your nerves when you know you don’t have to brave the checkout line at the local market or store!

Freezing some lunchmeats, hamburger, hot dogs and simply cooked fish and meats will give you plenty of room in your freezer for whatever added things you may wish. Summertime and fresh vegetables from a market or garden will provide you the nutrition you need from vegetables and most do not need to be refrigerated or kept cold. Grill those vegetables alongside your meats and serve up a fabulous meal. If the power is out for seven days, you will be glad you have a freezer full of meats to cook!

Keep your plans as simple as possible and plan for no other leftovers from your meals, eliminating the need for refrigeration. Keep things tightly packed in the freezer so they will stay cold longer and open the freezer door as little as possible. Fill every crack of your freezer with something throughout the summer to keep your energy costs down and to also be prepared for the summer storms and hurricanes!

Before the storm, fill your pitchers, Igloo coolers, bathtub, sinks and whatever buckets you can, designating drinking water and  be ready for the storm. You must have seen the pleas from Floridians about bottled water. Know that if you have running water before the storm, USE IT and save it! Bottled water will become hard to find and be limited as the potential for contaminated water and powerless homes increases. Use what is free and then should you run out, you can seek other water sources.

Thinking ahead gives you a better chance to act in a storm situation rather than react! Begin jotting down things that you can do ahead of time to reduce your storm stress and increase your preparedness and ability to take care of your family and neighbors!

For more helpful tips visit on how to Beat the Storm our Storm Preparedness Center.

Thinking ahead gives you a better chance to act in a storm situation rather than react! Begin jotting down things that you can do ahead of time to reduce your storm stress and increase your preparedness and ability to take care of your family and neighbors!

For more helpful tips visit on how to Beat the Storm our Storm Preparedness Center.