It’s July. It’s hot. That adds up to one thing – hurricane time. Hurricane season begins in June but on the Gulf Coast, our worries increase for the months of August and September. Indeed, last August, hurricane after hurricane threatened to come this way. After Hurricane Ivan’s destruction of a few years ago, no one in this community takes hurricane’s lightly.

It’s time to restock the hurricane supplies. If you haven’t stocked up at all or haven’t done so since last year, get on with it.

If you have supplies, then you need to check food and medication expiration dates and see of those batteries still have any power.

Yesterday, while shopping, I was checking expiration dates of canned and packaged foods to try to find ones that are at the end of 2010. That means they will be good for this hurricane season and next years. (See I am hoping not to use them this year!)

Some of my favorites to have in my hurricane kit:

• Peanut butter and jelly on crackers- crackers will keep for months in my hurricane kit where as bread would spoil
• Ready to eat rice- these packets only need to be opened and eaten, no cooking involved. Open the packet, dump in a can of tuna or chicken, stir and eat. I have cans of tuna, turkey and chicken.
• Progresso Soups- I the interesting flavors of these soups, like Sante Fe Chicken, and because they are not condensed, water is not added to them. Water is at a premium during an emergency so these ready to open and eat soups are a good choice.
• Juice boxes- Kids’ lunch juice boxes are not something I normally have on hand but are great because they are sanitary, have a long shelf life and don’t require refrigeration. Watch the juice content! Some only are juice flavored- having as little as 15 percent juice and the rest is sugar water. If there is an emergency, you’ll need good nutrition, not sugar water. I bought Juicy-Juicy for its 100 percent real juice.
• Couscous- Since a box of couscous only require a cup of water, this is also a good choice. I’ll add the liquid from a can of vegetables plus enough water to make one cup. Then I’ll add the veggies for a vegetarian meal.

I take a few grocery bags and pack up my hurricane foods and tie them shut. Then they are stacked on a shelf in the back of the laundry room- convenient yet out of the way. This also keeps the goodies from being consumed!

Organizing tip: Hurricane season ends December 1st. Grab a pen and make a note on your calendar. I open the bags then and take out anything that will expire before the next hurricane season. I move those soups, crackers and items into my regular pantry so they are used. I try to not waste them.

There are plenty of things that you need that don’t expire, such as paper plates, paper cups, aluminum foil, paper towels and the like. Plenty of canned goods last two or three years. I don’t want to start from scratch every year so I just removed the expiring items. To make next hurricane season shopping easier, make a list of what you removed from the bags. Tape the list to the bags so you know what you need to buy six months down the road.

Ready to get started? Here is a hurricane supply checklist.

Look for this related post. It’s the one hurricane food I don’t want to be without!