Hurricane Food Kits

Hurricane season is here and it's time to prepare an emergency hurricane kit. There are lots of lists available to follow, however, most of these lists are fairly limited when it comes to advice about food and food safety. They usually say something like “shelf stable foods” or “an emergency food and water supply.” The Family and Consumer Sciences (FCS) team from the Cooperative Extension in Brunswick County has developed a program that expands and clarifies these instructions.

The Hurricane Meal Kits: Nutrition and Food Safety program encourages assembling a kit of food specifically for use during and after a hurricane. Developing a plan, a shopping list and collecting a few recipes with shelf stable foods will enable the preparation of nutritious and safe meals during a natural disaster. Being prepared and having a hurricane meal kit can help reduce stress and anxiety and will provide healthy meals during an emergency. Food safety before, during, and after power outages is also an important part of the meal kits program.

The Family and Consumer Science team is taking this Hurricane Meal Kits: Nutrition and Food Safety program on the road to several of the libraries in the county. These classes are free of charge and open to the public. Pre-register at the specific library. Upcoming class locations include:

• June 6: 10-11 am at Barbee Library, Oak Island

• June 10: 10-11 am at Southwest Library, Carolina Shores

• June 24: 11 to noon at Rourke Library, Shallotte

Teams will also be at the Hurricane Expo at the Leland Cultural Center on Saturday, June 14, from 10 am t0 2 pm. A sample hurricane kit will be shared along with suggestions for how to personalize a kit.

Team members are available to teach this class at additional locations. If you have a group that would be interested, contact Avery Ashley, Brunswick County Family and Consumer Science Extension Agent at 910-253-2610 or at arashley@ncsu.edu.

Information on the Hurricane Meal Kit program can also be found in the Family and Consumer Science (FCS) section of the NC Brunswick County Cooperative Extension website. This information includes sample hurricane shopping lists and recipes that use these foods. There is also a link to a YouTube video featuring hurricane foods along with a simple no-cook recipe.