Texas Emergency Weather Preparedness for Dummies

West Texas has seen a slew of severe weather recently, with strong winds and large hail, to tornado risks. It's important to stay on top of emergency preparedness for you and your loved ones. So, let's all thank the government for supplying these handy-dandy tips on staying ahead of any disasters!

Food Safety During Texas Disasters

Some helpful tips from the CDC (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) to keep your food safe during power outages include the following:

• Try adding a thermometer to your fridge or freezer
  • Fridges shouldn't exceed 40 degrees, and freezers should stay below 0 degrees
• Keep ice packs in your freezer to help keep the temps down or in case you have to move some food out to keep it cold
• If you feel the power could go out for a long time, buy some dry ice and place it in your fridge
  • Dry ice is great for temporary cooling since it skips the liquid stage when melting, so it goes straight from a solid to a gas (carbon dioxide)

Read More: Tips on Making Allergy Season in Texas More Bearable

Perishable food will only last, on average, four hours without power. Instead of risking it, just throw out any meat, veggies, eggs, milk, etc. if your fridge is off for over four hours.

You can check out the full list of what foods you can and can't eat during power outages from the Food Safety website.

First Aid When Disasters Strike

When it comes to severe weather disasters, a well-stocked first-aid kit can literally mean the difference between life and death during emergencies.

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It's advised that you always keep at least one kit at home and one in your car. They should be easy to access but out of reach from young children, similar to your fire extinguisher or a fire alarm.

The Mayo Clinic offers some must-haves when it comes to stocking your first-aid kit for emergencies:

• Adhesive tape
• Band-aids
• Super glue
• Rubber tourniquet
• Aluminum finger splint
• Cotton balls/swabs
• Scissors/tweezers
• Thermometer
• Plenty of pain relievers like Tylenol, Advil or ibuprofen

Each family is different and each household requires their own emergency goods, but when it comes to severe weather, especially here in west Texas, these are the shared requirements that everybody will benefit from when the chips are down.