Food Preservation and Safety

• Fill up your refrigerator with food to keep it cool as long as possible. Turn it to its coldest setting just prior to the storms arrival.
• Fill up your ice trays, and bag extra ice prior to the storm arriving.
• Keep ice chest for your most commonly used food and drinks.  Limit the opening of refrigerators.
• Cover coolers and refrigerators with blankets to help keep them insulated.
• Be prepared to boil water if water supplies become contaminated and continue to do so until notified to stop.
• Purify water with bleach if unable to boil.  Use standard household bleach, 8 drops per gallon if your water is relatively clear of 16 drops of your water is cloudy or dirty.  Mix it and then let it sit for at least 30 minutes before using.  It will have the smell of bleach, if it does not you may have not used enough.  Repeat the previous steps to re-purify.
• Wash food before hand, this will preserve water that you have stored for drinking and bathing.
• Use Dry Ice if available to store frozen food in coolers.  It will keep food cold or frozen much longer than regular ice.
• Always use the most perishable food first.  These foods are more likely to spoil first. Be careful, some food may smell fresh but contain bacteria if it has been left un-refrigerated too long.
• Grill food on your outside grill.  Cooked meats will last longer but needs to stay cold none the less.
• Avoid salty foods as well as food that need additional washing in order to save water.