This year will be one of those historic years you never forget. In addition to COVID-19, we need to remember that it is hurricane season until December.

Two to six Central Pacific tropical cyclones are expected in 2020. COVID-19 makes early preparation for potential hurricanes an especially wise idea to avoid those last-minute shopping crowds.

Question: Are there checklists to prepare for storms?

Answer: For online guides, Hawaiian Electric and the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have hurricane preparedness information to cover most typical disaster situations.

Q: What steps should be taken before a hurricane?

A: Adequate drinking water is a high priority for survival. The standard recommendation is to have two weeks of water available for drinking when a hurricane is on the way. The average person in a climate like Hawaii needs to consume a minimum of two quarts (or liters) per day. Physical activity and hot weather increase those water needs.

Purchasing cases of bottled water can be expensive and is, of course, environmentally unfriendly. Hawaii has safe tap water, so why not fill up containers with tap water? Two-liter bottles, like soda bottles, are convenient for storing water.

To keep stored water safe, CDC recommends adding two teaspoons of bleach to each 2-liter bottle, filling it with cold water, covering tightly, shaking well and letting sit for 30 minutes. Then, pour out the bleach solution, rinse out the bottle with tap water, add clean drinking water and cover with a tight lid.

Second to water is having calories in the form of food and beverages. So, this is a time when some of the water you stash away could be in the form of sodas — water plus calories. For those used to having caffeine daily, consider the higher-caffeine sodas as a good option. OK, it’s not “health food” and might not work for diabetics, but we are talking survival here!

Over the short term, getting enough calories from any form helps to slow the loss of protein from the body. So, inexpensive carbohydrate foods can be important. Oats can be mixed with water, peanut butter and raisins to make a spoonable no-bake cookie. Ideally you also have some high-protein foods available. Canned meats, fish, beans, high-protein bars, etc., can be ready to eat and easy to store.

Q: How do you prepare for electrical outages?

A: To maintain a cold temperature in your refrigerator, keep it filled. Fill open space with bottled water. Just prior to a storm, move a day’s worth of perishable food into a cooler with some ready-to-eat frozen food to help keep things cold and delay opening the refrigerator and freezer — hopefully, until electricity is restored.

It has never been more important to plan ahead.

Alan Titchenal, Ph.D., C.N.S., and Joannie Dobbs, Ph.D., C.N.S., are nutritionists in the Department of Human Nutrition, Food and Animal Sciences, College of Tropical Agriculture and Human Resources, University of Hawaii at Manoa. Dobbs also works with University Health Services.