Hugh,
Everything I read says to store food that is prepared and packaged for long-term storage in a cool, dry location. I have not, however, been able to find guidelines for keeping this food in a hot, humid climate if the SHTF. For example, if I have eight months of food stored and the SHFT so I lose air conditioning and refrigeration, will this food still be good eight months down the road? – T.T.
HJL Comments: Prepared long term foods will decline in nutritional value, flavor and possibly texture over time. If the food is packaged in water tight seals, the humidity isn’t so much of a concern, but the higher temperature will accelerate the decline in the quality of the food. If the temperature gets high enough for long enough, you end up with empty calories that taste bad, but they are still calories.
You may want to consider a root cellar if the water table allows it. This is a time honored method of lowering the temperature for storage foods. You can even use buried plastic barrels to create the same effect, though it is not as convenient. Also search on SurvivalBlog for the terms “hot and humid”. You’ll end up with many links like this: Two Letters Re: Storage Without a Basement