CDC offers storm safety tips

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The Centers for Disease Control has issued tips to help prepare for and cope with the sudden loss of power.

Food safety:

If the power is out for fewer than two hours, then the food in your refrigerator and freezer will be safe to consume. While the power is out, keep the refrigerator and freezer doors closed as much as possible to keep food cold for longer.

If the power is out for longer than two hours, follow these guidelines:

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.
Pack milk, other dairy products, meat, fish, eggs, gravy and spoilable leftovers into a cooler surrounded by ice; inexpensive foam coolers will work.
Use a food thermometer to check the temperature of your food just before you cook or eat it.
Throw away any food that has a temperature of more than 40 degrees Fahrenheit.

Safe Drinking Water:

When power goes out, water purification systems may not fully function. Safe water for drinking, cooking and personal hygiene includes bottled, boiled or treated water. Remember:

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.
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, boil or treat it before using.
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.

If you don't have clean, safe, bottled water and if boiling is not possible, you often can make water safer to drink by using a disinfectant, such as unscented household chlorine bleach, iodine or chlorine dioxide tablets. These can kill most harmful organisms, such as viruses and bacteria. However, only chlorine dioxide tablets are effective in controlling more resistant organisms, such as the parasite Cryptosporidium.

To disinfect water:

Filter it through a clean cloth, paper towel or coffee filter or allow it to settle.
Draw off the clear water.
When using household chlorine bleach:
Add 1/8 teaspoon (or 8 drops; about 0.625 milliliters) of unscented, liquid household chlorine (5-6 percent) bleach for each gallon of clear water (or 2 drops of bleach for each gallon of clear water (or 2 drops of bleach for each liter or each quart of clear water).
Add ¼ teaspoon (or 16 drops; about 1.50 milliliters) of bleach for each gallon of cloudy water (or 4 drops of bleach for each liter or each quart of cloudy water).
Stir the mixture well.
Let it stand for 30 minutes or longer before you use it.
Store the disinfected water clean, disinfected containers with tight covers.
When using iodine:
Follow the manufacturer's instructions.
Store the disinfected water in clean, disinfected containers with tight covers.
When using chlorine dioxide tablets:
Follow the manufacturer's instructions.
Store the disinfected water in clean, disinfected containers with tight covers.

Extreme Heat:

Be aware of the risk for heat stroke, heat exhaustion, heat cramps and fainting. To avoid heat stress, you should:

Drink a glass of fluid every 15 to 20 minutes and at least one gallon each day.
Avoid alcohol and caffeine; they both dehydrate the body.
Wear light-colored, loose-fitting clothing.
Take frequent cool showers or baths.
If you feel dizzy, weak or overheated, go to a cool place.
Sit or lie down, drink water and wash your face with cool water.
If you don't feel better soon, get medical help quickly.
Work during cooler hours of the day when possible or distribute the workload evenly throughout the day.

Heat stroke is the most serious heat illness. It happens when the body can't control its own temperature and its temperature rises rapidly. Sweating fails and the body cannot cool down. Body temperature may rise to 106 degrees or higher within 10 to 15 minutes. Heat stroke can cause death or permanent disability if emergency care is not given.

Warning signs of heat stroke vary but can include:

Red, hot and dry skin; no sweating,
Rapid, strong pulse,
Throbbing headache,
Dizziness, nausea, confusion or unconsciousness,
An extremely high body temperature (above 103 degrees)

If you suspect someone has heat stroke follow these instructions:

Immediately call for medical attention,
Get the person to a cooler area,
Cool the person rapidly by immersing him or her in cool water or a cool shower or spraying or sponging him or her with cool water,
If the humidity is low, wrap the person in a cool, wet sheet and fan him or her vigorously.
Monitor body temperature and continue cooling efforts until the body temperature drops to 101-102 degrees.
Do not give the person alcohol to drink.
Get medical assistance as soon as possible.
If emergency medical personnel do not arrive quickly, call the hospital emergency room for further instructions.

First Aid for Electrical Shock:

If you believe someone has been electrocuted, take the following steps:

Look first. Don't touch. The person may still be in contact with the electrical source. Touching the person may pass the current through you.
Call or have someone else call 911 or emergency medical help.
Turn off the source of electricity if possible; if not, move the source away from you and the affected person using a non-conducting object made of cardboard, plastic or wood.
Once the person is free of the source of electricity, check the person's breathing and pulse. If either has stopped or seems dangerously slow or shallow, begin cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) immediately.
If the person is faint or pale or shows other signs of shock, lay the person down with the head slightly lower than the trunk of his or her body and the legs elevated.
Don't touch burns, break blisters or remove burned clothing; electrical shock may cause burns inside the body, so be sure the person is taken to a doctor.

Power Line Hazards and Cars:

If a power line falls on a car, you should stay inside the vehicle; this is the safest place to stay.
Warn people not to touch the car or the line.
Call or ask someone to call the local utility company and emergency services.
The only circumstance in which you should consider leaving a car that is in contact with a downed power line is if the vehicle catches on fire.
Open the door; do not step out of the car, you may receive a shock. Instead, jump free of the car so that your body clears the vehicle before touching the ground.
Once you clear the car, shuffle at least 50 feet away with both feet on the ground.
Do not try to help someone else from the car while you are standing on the ground.

Safety at Work During Power Recovery:

As power returns after an outage, people at work may be at risk of electrical or traumatic injuries as power lines are re energized and equipment is reactivated. The CDC recommends that employers and employees be aware of those risks and take protective steps if they are in contact with or in proximity to power lines, electrical components and the moving parts of heavy machinery.