Don't wait for a hurricane warning. Learn what provisions you'll need, and how to cook them, if a hurricane hits.
By JANET K. KEELER
Published August 11, 2004
[Times illustration: Erik Hageman]
It's hurricane season. Do you know what you'll be eating after a storm hits?
If you are like many people in the storm-prone areas of the country, you probably haven't really thought that far ahead. Maybe you are like me and are planning to ride out the storm in Orlando with the Mouse.
Perhaps you like your odds. After all, the last hurricane to hit the Tampa Bay area was in 1921. Gosh, they didn't even name the storms then.
And if a real bad boy smacks the west-central coast, won't the Red Cross and the kindness of strangers feed us?
Perhaps.
But take it from folks who've been through the aftermath of even a lowly tropical storm: The people with the plans (and stores of food) win.
Devising a hurricane food plan can be as involved or as easy as you like. At the least, take the time to assess your family's nutrition needs. Gathering the nonperishable items to see them through a few days of hardship will ease your mind when a whirling dervish named Alex, Bonnie or Charley threatens.
Gary Vickers, Pinellas County emergency management director, pokes holes in my Orlando contingency. Fine idea under certain circumstances, but he tells me I better leave Pinellas with hotel reservations before the interstate turns into a parking lot. Apparently, my plan is not unique.
"First of all, the hurricane may follow you to Orlando," he says. "There is very little terrain difference between here and there. If there's a Category 2 hurricane here, Orlando will be Category 1, so you really haven't escaped the wind. Going inland keeps you away from storm surge, but about 40 percent of (Pinellas) County is outside of the storm-surge area." Oh.
What about depending on relief agencies for breakfast, lunch and dinner?
In a major disaster, there will be aid such as food and shelter, he says. It would be less stressful, though, if your family has at least some food. Remember, the lines for assistance can be long.
Eileen Coale, a marketing copy writer in Annapolis, Md., and her family were without power last September for three days when the remnants of Hurricane Isabel brushed the Chesapeake Bay region. After causing much damage in North Carolina, the once Category 5 Isabel was downgraded to a tropical storm by the time it reached Maryland.
Still, with no damage to their home or the surrounding neighborhood, the Coale family had no electricity.
"In 1999 we were without power for 24 hours after Hurricane Floyd," Coale says by phone from her home office less than 2 miles from the bay. "But Isabel caused much more damage because of the high winds."
Toppled trees downed power lines, she says, so even without hurricane status, Isabel caused a lot of inconvenience.
The family was not required to evacuate, and a well-stocked pantry and a refrigerator, plus gas grill and camp stove, saw them through. Coale also had plenty of bottled water.
She lost food to spoilage because she thought the electricity would be on sooner. Rather than eat it, she left it in the freezer.
"If we knew it would have been three days, we would have been cooking and having hurricane parties earlier," she says.
That's the thing about Mother Nature, Vickers says, you just never know.
"Think about it. We get upset if the electricity is out 30 minutes," Vickers says. "It has taken public and private entities decades to put infrastructure into place, so it can't be put back together overnight (after every storm)."
In the meantime, eat.
What food you'll want to stash in your hurricane kit will depend on your family's tastes and nutritional needs.
Here are some tips to get you started:
* The right amount of food. Federal disaster guidelines suggest you have three days of food and drink for each member of the family. That means 1 gallon of water per day per person. It's also a good idea to pack juices, instant coffee, tea and powdered milk. (Make sure you've stowed water for the milk.)
"It's really very basic," Vickers says. "Nonperishable food items. Things like beanie-weenies. Personally, I hate those things, but they're better than nothing."
Items to consider packing in your kit: canned vegetables, stews, tuna and chicken; spreads such as peanut butter, deviled ham and shelf-stable cheese; crackers and cereal; granola bars and fruit rollups; raisins and other dried fruit; nuts and trail mix; and comfort foods such as cookies and snack cakes. These foods require no refrigeration or cooking.
"It's a temporary situation and you have to eat," Coale says. "However you eat is fine; I don't think you have to worry about getting in your five fruits and vegetables."
* Medical conditions. Coale makes a good point but some people have dietary needs that can't be overlooked for an indefinite period. Vickers is an insulin-dependent diabetic and that is reflected in the lower-carbohydrate foods he would pack in his kit.
"I may pass on the peanut butter crackers, but go for the peanuts," he says. "I have to be careful. I try not to get into too many carbs."
Beef jerky is another high-protein, low-carb food that would provide sustenance in a dire situation, he says.
Children and the elderly also may have special needs. And what if a family member is pregnant during hurricane season? How about food allergies?
These questions need to be answered by individual families, and their physicians if need be.
"It requires a little bit of thought," Vickers says. "If you build a survival kit and then maintain it, it's not that hard."
* Out with the old. Vickers suggests stocking a hurricane kit at the beginning of the storm season (The season began June 1 and ends Nov. 30.) and then taking all the food out at the end of the season. Cycle it through your regular meals or donate it to a charity.
"Nobody wants to eat something that tastes terrible, but at least if it's fresh, it's palatable," he says.
* Get fresh. Unlike an earthquake that comes without warning, news that a hurricane is approaching can go on for days. Even though the storm's path and wall-to-wall TV coverage can be frustratingly uncertain, it's a good idea to pay attention.
Because we have warning, there is time to make a grocery store run (with everyone else). Buy a bag of apples, oranges, carrots and other sturdy produce that can last a week or so. These fresh items will augment your store of canned goods.
* Campers do it better. Campers, backpackers and boaters are likely to have an advantage over the rest of us who do our recreating in historic bed and breakfast inns. They are used to "doing without" and have the equipment to prove it.
Bill Jackson, the outdoor outfitters store in Pinellas Park, carries an extensive line of freeze-dried and dehydrated food that can be turned into dinner by just adding hot water. Kung pao shrimp, chicken enchiladas, three-cheese lasagna, chicken and rice, honey lime chicken and spaghetti with meat are just some of the entrees, which cost from $3 up to $7 for a variety of serving sizes. There are even breakfast and dessert items.
I shared a pouch of turkey tetrazzini there last week with Darry Jackson and buyer Dee Schilling and found it to be every bit as good as a can of soup, and much more appetizing than a jar of meat sticks. The sauce was flavorful and the turkey tender. Though the pasta was softer than al dente, it wasn't mushy.
The Jacksons invite their employees to gather at the store on U.S. 19 if a hurricane is headed for Tampa Bay. They do that for security, but also because they have lots of food, camp stoves, cots, sleeping bags, pillows and portable potties.
"During Elena (1985) we had 28 people, two dogs and a cat here," says Harriet Jackson, the matriarch of the store family. She brought along a loaf of bread and a jar of peanut butter.
Popular brands of camping foods include Richmoor, Natural High and Mountain House. They can also be purchased at other outdoor supply and marine stores and are available on the Internet. Prices do not vary much.
* Heating sources. A few pouches of camping food add variety to a stockpile of canned items, however, you'll need a way to boil water if your power is out. Gas grills and camping stoves can be a great asset after a hurricane, but Vickers wants you to promise you'll only use them outdoors.
If you want to invest more money in your kit, check out the backpacking stoves at Bill Jackson or other outdoor supply stores. There are several setups, one for as low as $20, that are light weight and provide several hours of heat. Schilling says that because it takes just a few minutes to boil two cups of water, the butane- and propane-powered minitanks last quite a while (up to four hours). The small camp stoves won't likely handle your regular pots. A smaller, lightweight pot will be needed.
For gracious living under duress, check out the French coffee press or tiny espressomaker.
* * *
Vickers urges me, with my lousy hurricane plan, and all area residents to get ready before a hurricane watch is posted. That's when stress levels start to rise and tempers flare.
"When things are starting to get stressful is not the time to play catchup," he says.
Find hurricane preparedness information at www.disasterhelp.gov or call the emergency management department for your county to request a packet: Pinellas: 727 464-3800; Hillsborough: (813) 272-6900; Pasco: (727) 847-8137; Hernando: (352) 754-4083; Citrus: (352) 746-6555. The St. Petersburg Times 2004 Hurricane Guide is available at Kash n' Karry stores, Allstate offices, lobbies of Times offices and the Tampa Bay Regional Planning offices.
