Prepare Your Kitchen for a Power Outage

Here's a post from the archives that may be very important for people on the east coast in the coming days. Please keep an eye on Hurricane Joaquin and prepare accordingly.

When summer storms leave you in the dark, one of your first concerns should be about the food in your refrigerator and freezer.

Depending on the severity of the storm, the power may be out for a few hours, a few days, or (in the case of a strong hurricane) a few weeks. Taking precautions before the storm will give you peace-of-mind and save many dollars in spoiled food.

If the temperature in your refrigerator is above 40 degrees F for more than four hours, perishable food items (milk, lunch meat, mayonnaise based salads, poultry items, leftovers, etc.) may be unsafe to eat.

If the temperature in your freezer is above 40 degrees Fahrenheit, the food may be unsafe to eat well. Food that still contains ice crystals should be safe. Always check the color and odor of food, particularly meat when it is thawed. If it is questionable, throw it out.

Print out this chart from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services to help determine whether your food is safe to keep.


Before the power goes out:

• Install a thermometer in your fridge and freezer.

• If you anticipate a power outage, such as in the case of a hurricane, reduce the temperature of your fridge and freezer. The colder your food is the more time it takes to thaw.

• Keep containers of ice in your freezer to keep the temperature down. A full freezer will stay cold longer than a half-empty freezer. If you have empty space, fill it with ice before the storm.


When the power goes out:

• Cover the fridge or freezer in newspapers and blankets. Keep vents clear in case the freezer starts operating again.

• Avoid opening the door.

• Use dry ice, if available. Identify a source for dry ice in advance and remember that if the power outage is widespread, there may be a lot of competition for this resource.

If you don’t know the temperature of your fridge or if the fridge was off for more than four hours, the food should be discarded. Eating perishable food that has not been kept cold can cause food poisoning, even if it is refrozen or cooked.

When in doubt, throw it out!

Check out the other posts in this series here:

Preparing for a Power Outage - Emergency Lighting

Prepare Your Family for Hurricane Season - Getting Started

Why You Need a Corded Phone

Preparedness Essentials - The Weather Radio

(I love the convenience of shopping online and I think you will too. The links in this post are my referral links. Read my disclosure policy here.)

Photo Credit

Why You Need a Corded Phone

 
During a power failure, your cordless phones will not work. But, unless the phone lines are also down, a corded phone will work. This was such a relief for us during Hurricane Wilma. The power was out for five days but we always had phone service thanks to the old-fashioned corded phone.

I have used the corded phone during several shorter power outages as well. I tape the customer service number of the power company to the phone. That way, as soon as we loose power, I am able to call the power company to report the outage and get an estimate of when power will be restored.

You may be thinking that you can just use your cell phone and that may work for a while. But let me just say (from experience) that during a crisis (such as a hurricane) the cell phone lines may be overloaded and eventually the cell phone will need to be recharged.

If you don't have a corded phone, head to the nearest thrift store where you should be able to pick one up super cheap. Or, you can still buy them at Amazon for around $10.

If you don't want to use the corded phone on a regular basis, you can store it with your other emergency supplies (such as flashlights). When the power goes out, you'll be glad you did!

How to Prepare for a Power Outage - Emergency Lighting

When the power goes out, the first thing we usually notice is lack of light. For small children or other family members that don't especially like to be in total darkness, power failure lighting makes all the difference.

For many years, each member of our family has kept a flashlight next to their bed in case of a power failure and I still think this is a great idea. However, when the lights go out, there is still that period of total darkness while we fumble for the flashlight. Fortunately, there are many products on the market that can assure that you will never be in complete and total darkness.

Basically these products plug in to your wall outlet and illuminate automatically when they detect a loss of power. I have tested several of these products in my home and have found them to be a source of comfort when a storm threatens to knock out our power.

For over three years, I have had the Datexx Sentina Emergency Smart Light in my bathroom where it makes a great night light. But it is also a power failure light that lights up when the power goes out. It can also be used as an emergency flashlight that lasts up to 8 hours.

When used as a nightlight, it turns on automatically at dusk and shuts off at dawn. It features a motion detector light that shines more brightly as you walk by. This is especially useful along stairs or dark hallways.

Our new family favorite is the Garrity Power Failure Rechargeable Flashlight. If you have the room at your electrical outlet, this one is the most like a traditional flashlight. It's easy to grab in a black out. The downside is the size but if you have a spot for it, it shines a bright light and is easy to handle.

In most parts of the country, it's only a matter of time before a power outage occurs. With these products, your family will never be left in the dark.

For more hurricane preparedness solutions, check out the other posts in this series:

Prepare Your Family for Hurricane Season - Getting Started

Why You Need a Corded Phone

Preparedness Essentials - The Weather Radio



(I love the convenience of shopping online and I think you will too. The links in this post are my referral links. Read my disclosure policy here.)

Why You Need a Weather Radio

With severe weather affecting large areas of the country recently, this is a good time for a reminder about weather radios.

A weather radio will alert you to severe weather as well as many other adverse situations that may be affecting your immediate area.

When an emergency situation is unfolding (such as the recent tornadoes), every second counts. A weather radio will provide you with as much lead time as possible to deal with the oncoming situation.

It is important to understand the features available on weather radios.

I recommend that you choose a weather radio with S.A.M.E. technology (Specific Area Message Encoding) S.A.M.E. will allow you to program the unit so that you are only hearing alerts for the counties that you choose.

In addition, some units will allow you to block alerts that are not of interest to you. For example, if you live on high land and are not particularly interested in hearing about flooding in other parts of the county, you may want to block the flood alerts. If you live near the ocean, but marine warnings are not of interest to you, you are able to block those alerts. A radio that is constantly sounding due to events that are of no concern to you will quickly be shut off or ignored.

A moderately-priced unit that has both S.A.M.E. and event-specific capabilities is the Midland WR-300.

I have owned the Midland WR-300 for over five years and it has proven it's worth over and over. I am immediately alerted to severe thunderstorms and tornadoes, as well as the updated status of tropical storms and hurricanes.

I only receive alerts for my immediate area, and I only receive alerts for the situations that I have selected. That way, when my weather radio sounds an alert, I know it is something that may affect my family.

And we pay attention.

(I love the convenience of shopping online and I think you will too. The links in this post are my referral links. Read my disclosure policy here.)

Prepare Your Family for Hurricane Season - Getting Started

Hurricane season is upon us once again and this season is forecast to be a rough one. Even if you don't live in a hurricane-prone area, I know that you will benefit from the preparedness tips we will cover in the next few weeks.

Hurricane season began June 1. So, technically, I guess we should all be prepared by now. But I know that I have a way to go and I'm guessing many of you do as well. Or, perhaps, you are all ready and can share some tips with the rest of us.

Here are some links to get us started:

The National Hurricane Center is in my "favorites" all year long. During hurricane season, I check it daily. It's a great way to get a heads-up on what is going on in the tropics. The site also has lots of information about hurricane forecasting and preparedness.

Here's the link to the National Hurricane Center's recommended Disaster Supply List.

And check out my post on the weather radio, an important tool that will keep your family notified of severe weather as well as many other types of disasters.

For more hurricane preparedness tips:

Why You Need a Cordless Phone
This post is linked to Works for Me Wednesday.