Foods to Have on Hand for Hurricane Preparedness

By Chris Newport, Head Coach & Sports Nutritionist

With Hurricane Florence on the way, we encourage everyone to be safe and ready as the storm arrives.

Clean water is crucial in a hurricane kit

The human body is a pretty amazing thing. But it can’t survive for very long without clean water.

Stock up on bottled water (don’t rely on your filter).

If you’re an athlete, chances are you have plenty of reusable water bottles lying around (perhaps even a separate cupboard full of them!). Fill up those extra bottles! You may need them for cooking, cleaning, teeth brushing, and more.

*Be sure to have at least 64oz (or closer to a gallon) per person per day for at least 3 days.

What foods should you have on hand for a hurricane?

Think shelf stable PROTEIN!

While milk might be flying off the shelves, minimize what you buy that’s fresh or frozen, as you may be tossing it if the power is out for several days.

Grab items that are high in protein and easy to eat like:

protein bars (buy them or make your own!)–PS–this is not the time to stress out over what kind of protein, whether it’s organic, etc–this is survival food!
jerky
nuts (any kind!)
peanut butter (or other nut/seed) jars or single serve packets
sunflower seeds
packaged roasted chickpeas
ready-to-drink/shelf-stable protein drinks

Be sure you have a manual can opener and stock up on canned foods like (3 days worth!):

beans
tuna
chicken
salmon
clams
sardines (although you’d better not come to my house if you open a can of those things!).

Single serve soy sauce, wasabi, sriracha, mayo, mustard, ketchup and relish packets (pick some up at the local sushi or burger joint) go a long way in spicing up an otherwise boring can of food.

Think like a hiker or camper and you can also have things like dried or freeze-dried fruit if you need a shelf-stable sweet treat. A little goes a long way!

*Be sure to have at least 3 days worth of food per person (somewhere around 40-60g of protein per person).

Don’t forget the fun foods

While it’s ok to have a little “fun” food on hand like chips, cereal, candy, (wine), and other packaged items, don’t go overboard.

Take care of the health and safety of your family during this stressful time just like any other time.

For more hurricane preparation information, check out this Build-A-Hurricane-Kit provided by the Department of Homeland Security.

Be safe everyone and stay away Florence!