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Hot Topic for January

What to do when the power goes out

Chances are a winter storm may leave you without power. Before that happens, download “Your Guide to Preparing for Emergencies” for helpful information, which includes articles from the links below.

Download Guide

Meal Preparation and Food Safety After a Power Failure
A fireplace or fondue pot will come in handy if you can’t use your stove. Never use a fire-burning camp stove or charcoal burner inside your home. The fumes can be deadly.

When the Power Is Out – When to Save Refrigerated Food and When to Throw It Out
A handy chart lists foods in categories such as dairy, eggs, cheese, fruits, vegetables, meat, poultry, seafood, pastry, breads and pastas.

When the Power Is Out – When to Refreeze Frozen Food and When to Throw It Out
If meat still contains ice crystals and feels cold, it is safe to refreeze. If it has thawed and has been held at over 40 degrees F for more than 2 hours, throw it out.

cans Foods that Require No Cooking
Peanut butter, canned vegetables and canned meats are some of the foods to have in your pantry when the power goes out.

Helping Your Child Through a Crisis
A power failure can disrupt routines. A short period without power may seem like an adventure to a child; a prolonged period can become frightening. Read more on how to help your child through a crisis (LINK to this page) and for entertainment ideas. (LINK to entertainment page.)

Caring for Pets
If you must go to some type of community shelter during a power outage, you may need your pet’s license or identification and rabies tags, steel or fiberglass crate, food, water in unbreakable containers, special medications, newspapers and paper towels, litter scooper, plastic bags.

Use Chainsaws Safely
When a major storm scatters broken trees and other debris, cleanup can involve chainsaws. But each year, about 40,000 people die or are injured in chainsaw accidents. To protect your life and your property, you need to how know to use this tool properly.

How to Care for Ice-Damaged Trees
tree ice damage It’s important to address two questions: Does the condition of the tree warrant efforts to save it or should it be removed? Can you handle the damage repair yourself or should you seek professional help?

Preventing Frozen Pipes
Some precautionary steps include knowing where and how to shut off water from the main shut-off valve, sealing air leaks around pipes that allow cold air to seep in, insulating pipes near outer walls, in crawl spaces or in attics and using heat tape or cables to prevent freezing.

Proper Care with Generators
When electric power service is out due to a major storm, many people turn to gasoline-powered generators to run household appliances. Knowing how to use generators safely is important to protect life and property.

Kerosene Heater Safety
flame Portable kerosene heaters can supply homeowners with temporary heat during a power outage. New models are manufactured with numerous safety features, but operator error such as using gasoline instead of kerosene, failure to provide adequate ventilation and fuel spills have resulted in numerous home fires.