Hurricane preparation: Foods to stock up on before a storm hits

Making sure you have enough food before a hurricane hits your area is one of the most important things to do. AccuWeather recommends stocking up on the following items:

• Non-perishable foods like ready-to-eat canned meat, fruits, and vegetables and canned juices can provide essential nutrients.
• Vitamins will help replace nutrients you would have eaten on a normal diet.
• Be sure to have staples like sugar, salt, pepper and spices. A basic supply of seasoning and sweeteners will improve the flavor of both fresh and packaged food.
• High-energy foods like nuts and trail mix are healthy and convenient for snacking. Get energy bars and granola bars, which are an excellent source of carbohydrates.
• It's very important to have enough food for infants.
• Comfort foods are good to have around when you're stuck indoors for a long period of time.

Click here for the latest tropical weather news.

MORE HURRICANE & SEVERE WEATHER EXPLAINERS:

• What do hurricane categories mean?
• How does a hurricane form?
• When does a tropical storm become a hurricane?
• How tropical storms and hurricanes can cause tornadoes
• Hurricane, cyclone and typhoon: What's the difference?