BEFORE - PLAN AHEAD IF YOU CAN...
Place appliance thermometers in your refrigerator and freezer. Keep your freezer at 0 F or below and refrigerator at 40 F or below.
Keep the freezer full. Fill empty spaces with frozen plastic jugs of water and gel packs to help keep food cold if the power goes out.
Group foods together in both the refrigerator and freezer. This helps food stay cold longer.
If you think power will be out for an extended period of time, buy dry or block ice to keep the fridge or freezer cold.
DURING - WHILE THE POWER IS OUT...
Keep the refrigerator and freezer doors closed to maintain cold temperatures. A full freezer will hold its temperature for 48 hours. A refrigerator will keep food safe for 4 hours. If the power outage is longer than the above times, food should be thrown out.
AFTER - ONCE THE POWER IS BACK ON...
Never taste food to determine its safety! When in doubt, throw it out!
Food items you should throw out are...
Eggs and egg products.
Dough and cooked pasta.
Meat, poultry, and seafood products.
Milk, yogurt, and dairy products.
Soft and shredded cheeses.
HOW TO DISINFECT DRINKING WATER
First filter the water through clean cloths or a coffee filter, then follow one of these two procedures:
1)Boiling - Boil the water for 1 minute. Let it cool, and store it in a clean covered container.
2) Disinfecting with bleach - Add 8 drops (1/8tsp) of plain, liquid household bleach (5.25% chlorine) per gallon of water.
HOW TO DISINFECT WATER WELLS
Domestic water wells that are suspected to be contaminated should be properly disinfected. Follow these steps:
1) Add 1-2 gallons of plain, liquid household bleach (5.25% chlorine) into the well casing. Rinse well casing and piping with water to avoid corrosion.
2) The pump should be operated so as to thoroughly mix the chlorine with the water in the well. Pump the water onto the ground until there is an odor of chlorine.
3) The well should not be used for 24 hours.
4) Chlorinated water shall then be pumped to waste onto the ground until the odor of chlorine is no longer detectable.