Hurricane Preparations

I was trying to work out which of the gazillion things to cross of my to do list today and decided to let the weather dictate my direction. The overcast skies and rain put hurricane preparation at the top of my list. Belize weather is heading into hurricane season and it is a good thing to prepare for it.  Who needs hurricane season when you have yearly hurricane season? Actually I have seen a few good ideas on that show and some stockpiles that put ours to shame.

I started by cleaning out my food basket and the top shelves of our food cupboard so that we can start adding to our hurricane food supply.  You never know what the weather in Belize will hold for you, but it is a good idea to always be prepared.

While I was taking a break to let the shelves dry, I came back to work for a bit and opened a very timely email by Blaine Shranka Outreach Director Everyday Health in New York.  As part of Hurricane Preparedness Week  2012, Everyday Health has created The Hurricane Disaster-Proof Healthy Eating Guide to serve as the food preparedness resource for upcoming hurricane season and all natural disasters. Hurricane disaster experts advise that you store enough food and clean water for your family in case of an emergency. Everyday health has created a guide to good choices for health-conscious families, as well as those who have diabetes or other medical conditions. Hurricane Preparedness: A Guide to Eating Healthy in an Emergency.

After looking at the link Blaine sent, I decided to brave the rain and walk to the store to pick up a few more items. I ended up with Black Beans, 2 kinds of canned corn and a vanilla ensure.

Black beans, are very low in Saturated Fat, Cholesterol and Sodium. They also contain many essential minerals, including iron, Thiamin, Magnesium, Phosphorus and Manganese. Because of their iron and protein content, black beans are often recommended as an important part to a healthy  diet. To see more Black Bean nutritional data visit Livestrong.

From here on in, when we go to the store we will add a few extras for out hurricane food stash. This way if the time comes, we will not be scrambling to fill the cupboard. I remember during Hurricane Dean, we knew we were not going to stay at our apartment so we used a suitcase for our hurricane food supplies so it was easy to transport to Paul and Cindy’s place. Writing this post reminded me it is time to keep our five 5 gallon water jugs full as we sometimes get lazy about that.

When we get more rainy weather I will start tackling the other things to do on my hurricane preparation list:

– Get all important documents together, waterproofed  and put them in top shelf of our hall closet

– Go through our 3 first aid kits and see what needs to be replaced or added

– Check all lighting options

Hurricane safety tip – Do not use candles unless absolutely necessary. Candles can be hazardous if left burning for a long time in a tightly closed room. They produce carbon monoxide and will deplete the amount of oxygen in the room. Candles also present a danger if there is a gas leak.