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What to do Before, During, and After a Storm
(Tips from Mobile Press Register)
Preparations for the start of the storm season:
- Check insurance coverage.
- Locate and know how to shut off electricity, gas, and water at main switches.
- Re-check manufactured home tiedowns.
- Repair any cracks in ceilings and foudation.
Documents
- Place original documents in water-tight container. Mail copies to friends or family who are outside this area.
- Consider as you prepare- birth certificates, mortgages, deeds, any records detailing your home's worth, insurance policies, car titles, passports, visas, wills, Social Security cards and back-up disks of home computer records.
- Update and copy the inventory of your possessions.
If a hurricane watch has been issued:
- Clear out refrigerator. If power goes out, many refrigerator foods will last only a couple of hours, but ice may delay spoilage.
- Food in a fully packed freezer will keep one or two days if the power goes out. If frozen food warms above 40%, toss it.
- Bring all loose items in from outside. Items that are too big to bring in must be securely anchored.
- Fill your car's gas tank as soon as possible.
- Bring pets indoors.
- Conditions will deteriorate fast, so get inside quickly.
- Store any valuables in water tight containers, in a high place in case of flooding.
- Scrub bathtubs, jugs, bottles, and cooking utensils thoroughly and sponge them with bleach. Rinse and let dry completely. Fill jugs and bottles with water for drinking, and bathtubs for sanity purposes.
- Close all windows.
- Tell friends and family where you will stay during the storm.
- If you are in a moblie home, leave during any hurricane.
- Moor boats securely, or move to designated safe area.
If you evacuate:
- Do not wait or delay your departure. Give yourself time for traffic, and travel.
If you go to a shelter:
- Complete preparation activities, and bring along the following items: First aid kit; prescription medicines; baby food and diapers; cards, games, books; toiletries; battery-powered radio; flashlight; extra batteries; blankets or sleeping bags; identification; valuable papers (insurance); credit card or cash.
What to do with your pets:
- Do not leave your pets at home.
- Plan ahead of where you will take your pets.
- Take a pet disaster kit along with pet documents.
- Get your pet an ID tag.
- Get a pet carrier.
- Take a clear picture of your pet, and keep with pet documents.
When the storm is hours away:
- It is now too late to do most of what needs to be done. If you have chosen to stay home, there is still time to:
Fill tub and bottles with water; prepare food and water, store and move any valuables off the floor; move furniture away from windows; continue to listen to the radio and TV; stay inside; unplug appliances that are not being used, turn refrigerator to coolest temperature; stay calm; use the phone for emergencies only; close all interior doors; if necessary cover yourself with a mattress or climb into the bathtub with a mattress; stay off the phone; Don't light any candles or kerosine lamps, and don't cook; dont party; If your home is about to flood and you can get to your fuse box safely, then shut off power.
After the storm:
- Open all doors and windows so noxious smells and gases can escape.
- If you must, call loved ones but be brief to keep lines open.
- Use cellphones sparingly.
- If you are not at home, do not return until you get the all-clear.
- Do not leave your home until emergency officials say it is safe.
- Don't touch power lines.
- Watch and listen for reports of spawned tornadoes.
- Be careful about letting your pet outside. Landmarks and scents might be gone, and your pet might get lost. It might also be attacked by animals let loose by the storm.
Living without electricity:
- Don't smoke indoors until everything has dried.
- Never use a charcoal grill or generator inside your home.
- Be careful walking around your home. Loose electrical wires, ceiling and beams might fall.
Plumbing/water
- The toilet may back up. If necessary, use water from the bathtub to flush the toilet. Pour bleach in the bowl after each use.
- If water remains in your house, try to rent or borrow a pump or bail by hand. Then shovel out mud, sand or silt. Disinfect floors.
Kitchen
- The rule should be, when in doubt throw it out.
- Cook perishable proteins- meats and poultry first.
- Throw out any raw or cooked meat or dairy that has been at room temperature for more than two hours.
- Keep hands and preparation surfaces clean. Use a baby wipe to clean surfaces, water may contaminate areas.
- Use bottle water only for washing food, hands, surfaces, and untensils.
What will keep?
- These foods will keep at least a few weeks without power:
Vinaigrette salad dressings- but no creamy ones; ketchup; mustard; relishes; pickles and chutney; foil packs of mayonnaise; steak sauces; tabasco and any commercially bottled hot sauce made with vinegar; barbecue sauces, jellies and jams made with sugar; commercial prepared salsa (label must say it contains vitamin C, citric acid or vinegar);cereal and grains; boxed cereal; nuts (whole or chopped); flours; seeds; rice, barley, pastas, oats; cake mixes, dry pet food; unopened foods; unopened cans; boxes and pouches are safe unless the boxes get wet or are dented (throw out wet or dented foods); peanut butter; processed cheese or cheese spreads not from the refrigerated case; hard-cooked eggs in the shell, kept cold, will keep for up to four days; honey; most oils; spices(check for weevils; the taste quality will be afftected after storage or high heat); candied fruit; sweetened coconut; chocolate or fruit syrups; chocolate; potatoes, carrots, and turnips generally will last at room temperatures (but they will rot if wet).
Water
-Don't ration, drink as much as you need. Look for more water later.
- Treat opened bottles of water as food; open it and use it quickly or chill it.
- You can use water in water heater. Turn off power and open spigot at the bottom. Don't reconnect the water heater until you're told the water supply is safe.
Special needs:
- Diabetics- although insulin will keep safely for about a month at room temperature, diabetics need to ensure they will have a cool place to store insulin. Label a small cooler with your name, doctor's name, address, and the cooler's contents. Also, diabetics should remember that blood-sugar monitoring is important at times of an emergency because of the stress and irregular eating.
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