• Stock up on shelf-stable foods—canned goods, juices, and "no-freeze" entrees.
• Plan ahead how you can keep foods cold.  Buy some freeze-pak inserts and keep them frozen. Buy a cooler.  Freeze water in plastic containers or store bags of ice.
• Know in advance where you can buy dry and block ice.
• If you heat your home with oil, check to see that your fuel tank cap is tight so that rain or floodwater cannot enter your tank.
• If your home has a private well, it is advisable to fill your bathtub with water to use for flushing toilets and other non-drinking purposes.

Food Safety

1. For the Freezer section: A freezer that is half full will hold food safely for up to 24 hours. A full freezer will hold food safely for 48 hours. Do not open the freezer door if you can avoid it.
2. For the Refrigerated section: Pack milk, other dairy products, meat, fish, eggs, gravy, and spoilable leftovers into a cooler surrounded by ice. Inexpensive Styrofoam coolers are fine for this purpose.
3. Use a digital quick-response thermometer to check the temperature of your food right before you cook or eat it. Throw away any food that has a temperature of more than 40 degrees Fahrenheit.

Dry Ice Safety

• Handle dry ice with caution and in a well-ventilated area.
• Do not touch dry ice with bare hands; wear gloves or use tongs.
• Wrap dry ice in brown paper for longer storage.  One large piece lasts longer than several small ones.
• To locate a distributor of dry ice, look under “ice” or “carbon dioxide” in the phone book.
• Buy 25 lbs of dry ice to keep a 10 cubic foot freezer full of food safe for 3-4 days; half-full – 2-3 days. A full 18 cubic foot freezer requires 50-100 lbs of dry ice to keep food safe 2 days; half-full- less than 2 days.
• The temperature of dry ice is -216 degrees Fahrenheit; therefore, it may cause freezer burn on items near or touching it.  Separate dry ice from the food using a piece of cardboard.

Cooking Safety

• Never use charcoal indoors – inadequate ventilation makes indoor cooking with charcoal dangerous and even deadly.
• Never use a gas grill indoors.  Use the grill at least ten feet away from any building.  Do not use the grill in a garage, carport, porch, or near any surface that can catch fire.

Drinking Water Safety

• Do not use contaminated water to wash dishes, brush your teeth, wash and prepare food, wash your hands, make ice, or make baby formula. If possible, use baby formula that does not need to have water added. You can use an alcohol-based hand sanitizer to cleanse your hands.
   
• If you use bottled water, be sure it came from a safe source. If you do not know that the water came from a safe source, you should boil or treat it before you use it. Use only bottled, boiled, or treated water until the Health Department notifies residents that the water is safe.
   
• Boiling water, when practical, is the preferred way to kill harmful bacteria and parasites. Bringing water to a rolling boil for 1 minute will kill most organisms.
   
• When boiling water is not practical, you can treat water with chlorine tablets, iodine tablets, or unscented household chlorine bleach (5.25% sodium hypochlorite):
   
  • If you use chlorine tablets or iodine tablets, follow the directions that come with the tablets.
     
  • If you use household chlorine bleach, add 1/8 teaspoon (~0.75 mL) of bleach per gallon of water if the water is clear. For cloudy water, add 1/4 teaspoon (~1.50 mL) of bleach per gallon. Mix the solution thoroughly and let it stand for about 30 minutes before using it.