Storm Safety

• Never use open combustion units (gas or charcoal barbecues, hibachis) inside the home.
• If traffic lights go out, treat all intersections as 4-way stops. It’s required by law for safety.
• Stay away from downed power lines and sagging trees with broken limbs.

Turn off lights and electrical appliances except for the refrigerator and freezer. Even if it is dark, turn light switches and buttons on lamps and appliances to the “off” position.

After you turn the lights off, turn one lamp on so you will know when power is restored. Wait at least 15 minutes after power is restored before turning on other appliances.

• Don’t touch or get near any fallen lines
• Stay away from objects or puddles in contact with downed power lines
• Notify the utility company

No. Thermostats, furnace fans, and blowers all run on electricity.

• Wear extra layers of clothes and use several layers of blankets
• Do not get wet if there is no way to get dry
• Drink and eat enough to preserve your health
• Close off all rooms that are not in use and do not need to be heated
• To keep rooms warm, close curtains, shades, or drapes, and cover doors and windows.

• Do not burn anything inside your home without adequate ventilation to the outdoors
• Have enough fuel available for alternate heat sources, such as wood for a wood stove
• Never use gas ovens, gas ranges, barbecues, and most portable or propane heaters for indoor heating
• Before using an alternate heat source, read the manufacturer’s instructions
• Have firefighting materials: dry powder, fire extinguisher, heavy tarp or blanket, and water available

Use generators only as independent power sources. Keep them outside and run a cord inside. Don’t connect generators to main service panels. This could injure or kill utility workers trying to restore power.

• Use foods that spoil rapidly first
• Keep cold food cold by using dry ice or an ice chest
  • In winter, store food outside
• Keep refrigerator and freezer doors closed to conserve cold air
• If food is cold to touch, it is probably safe to keep, use, or refreeze
• Discard meat, seafood, dairy products, and cooked food that are not cold to touch
• Fruits, vegetables, and food in undamaged cans are safe
• Food that needs no refrigeration: jelly, butter, margarine, ketchup, mustard, pickles, relish
• If in doubt, throw it out
• For information on food safety, call your health department or cooperative extension service

If the water from your tap is clear:

• Boil it for three minutes - this kills disease-causing bacteria and parasites

or

• Add 1/8 teaspoon household bleach per gallon of water and let it sit for 1/2 hour

If water is cloudy:

• Pour it through a coffee filter and boil it for three minutes
• If you cant boil it, filter it and add 1/4 teaspoon of bleach per gallon, and let it sit for one hour

Operate the door by hand. Read the owner’s manual or call the manufacturer.

Yes. Talk to your doctor about an emergency supply of prescription medicine. Keep a 30 day supply in your emergency kit. Be aware of the expiration date on the medication and rotate a fresh supply into the kit on a regular basis. If you are on life support, have a backup power supply on hand.

• Flashlights, extra batteries, and matches
• Battery-powered radio
• Battery-powered or wind-up clock
• Canned or dried non-perishable foods, and a manual can opener
• A safe alternate source of heat and extra fuel (wood, kerosene)
• Extra blankets and warm clothes
• One gallon of bottled drinking water per person per day
• A gallon of liquid chlorine bleach for sanitizing utensils and dishes
• A regular (not cordless) phone