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Health & Fitness

Hurricane Survival Tips from the Fire Marshal

Tips to help avaid costly damage from flooding and food loss.

The single biggest cause of damage from a storm is from water and the most common place for it to appear is in the basement. However, many times that water comes from the roof! The most common cause of water in the baseman is gutters and down spouts that are plugged, or not properly discharging away from the house.

By insuring that your gutters and downspouts are clear and free of debris and that the downspouts discharge at least six feet away from the foundation will help make a big difference. With up to 11 inches of rain predicted with this storm, following this advice could save lots of damage and aggravation.

Another tip is to keep your refrigerator/freezer full. If there is a power failure a full freezer/refrigerator will last up to 48 hours, and maybe longer, depending on how much it is opened and how full it is. A half-full refrigerator may not even last 24 hours. This can be easily rectified by filling milk cartons, soda bottles, etc. with water and putting them in the refrigerator/freezer and removing them when you need the space. 

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In preparation for the storm, turn the freezer down as low as you can to store some of this energy. 

To determine the safety of foods when the power comes back on, check their condition and temperature. If food is partly frozen, still has ice crystals, or is as cold as if it were in a refrigerator (40 °F), it is safe to refreeze or use. It's not necessary to cook raw foods before refreezing. Discard foods that have been warmer than 40 °F for more than two hours. Discard any foods that have been contaminated by raw meat juices.

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Dispose of soft or melted ice cream for quality's sake.

For questions regarding storm preparation or, other fire safety topics please contact the New Canaan Fire Marshal’s Office at 203-594-3030.

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