The official hurricane season starts in one month. If you haven’t done it already, it’s time to prepare your hurricane kit. There are lots of lists available for these kits and I suggest you to find one and follow the advice. There are also several Emergency Preparedness events happening in the county during the next couple of months, I’d also encourage you to take advantage of these opportunities to learn more and plan ahead…just in case.

Most of the emergency preparedness lists offer great advice on supplies and equipment to have on-hand. But most are fairly limited when it comes to any specific guidance related to food and food safety. They usually say something like “shelf stable foods” or “an emergency food and water supply”. Our Family and Consumer Science team from NC Cooperative Extension here in Brunswick County is prepared to offer you more specific suggestions in this area.

There are a couple of food safety related items that could be added to your kit. These are freezer and refrigerator thermometers (these are good to have all year round, not just in an emergency). Place thermometers in both the freezer and refrigerator. This way you can tell the temperature the inside these appliances if the power goes out.

Also get a tip-sensitive digital food thermometer like they use in restaurants. This will allow you to check the actual temperature of the food. The best way to determine if food left in the fridge or freezer is safe to eat is to know its temperature. Food kept below 41 degrees is safe.

Now’s the time to think about the food you already have in your house. You may want to start using up the food in your freezer to avoid loss if there is a power outage. As you do this, replace the food with containers of water. This will give you ice or drinking water should you need it down-the-road and will also help keep food in that appliance cold if the power is out. A freezer that is full will keep cold longer.

Quite often the food people eat during a hurricane was randomly picked up at the last minute at the closest store. Usually very little thought is given to how these foods will be eaten, meal planning or nutrition for three daily meals. Look through the staple food on-hand and think about what kinds of meals you could make with this food. You may need to purchase a few items to augment these items. This is where our Hurricane Meal Kit: Food Safety and Nutrition program can help.

We’re taking our Hurricane Meal Kit program on-the road. We’ll be at several locations sharing ideas for shelf stable foods, nutritious foods and meals you can prepare without power. We also have guidance regarding food safety during and after a power outage.
We’ll be at these Expos and conferences. Come by and visit with us.

Tuesday May 5 Ready Brunswick Preparedness Expo from 10 am until 2 p.m. at the Government Center in Bolivia. We’ll have a booth along with other Emergency Management and local hurricane resources.

Thursday May 28 Oak Island Hurricane Conference 6 pm to 8 pm. Town Council Chambers, 4601 E Oak Island Drive on Oak Island. Learn what the town has to offer and hurricane preparedness resources.

Saturday June 13 9 a.m. till noon Leland Hurricane Expo at the Leland Cultural Arts Center, 1212 Magnolia Village Way in Leland. This event brings together essential resources in one place, making it easier for residents to stay informed, prepared, and connected ahead of hurricane season.

We’re also offering Hurricane Meal Kit classes throughout the county. Join us at a location near you. At each class we’ll unpack our hurricane kits, share ideas along with nutrition and food safety tips.

Friday May 15 Leland Senior Center 10 -11 a.m.
Monday May 18 Southport Library 3-4 p.m.
Wednesday May 20 Calabash Senior Center 10 -11 a.m.
Tuesday May 26 Healthy Home Cooking Club, Rourke Library in Shallotte 3-4 p.m. Monday June 1 Southwest Calabash Library 3-4 p.m.
Thursday June 4 Leland Library 3-4 p.m.
Friday June 19 Rourke Library in Shallotte Library 11 a.m.-noon
Friday June 26 Oak Island Library 3-4 p.m.

The program is free of charge. Many of these locations offer pre-registration. I suggest you check with the location at which you’d like to attend for specific details.

I’d also like to encourage you to check out the Hurricane Meal Kit: Food Safety and Nutrition section of our NC Cooperative Extension Brunswick County Center website. There are recipes, videos, shopping lists and food safety fact sheets. The time to prepare for a possible hurricane is now.

Syracuse is a Family and Consumer Science team member and can be reached at NC Cooperative Extension, Brunswick County Center 910-253-2610 or by email at clsyracu@ncsu.edu