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Not recipes but tips that don’t cost a dime during emergency situations when you know a few hours in advance that bad weather might cause the water and electricity to go down.

Fill every container you have with water - pans, pitchers and saved clean soda bottles and plastic ice cream buckets. The gallon sized ice cream buckets store easily as they stack inside each other until time to use. Mixing bowls of water can be covered with platic wrap. Make up koolaid and tea and put in the fridge as it will stay cool for several hours after the power goes. Put any bottled juice and other beverages in the fridge. If you need your coffee but don’t mind the temperature, turn on the coffee maker as soon as the storm approaches.

Cook the raw meat from the fridge so it doesn’t spoil. When the power is gone, it’s easy to grab a piece of chicken or make a cold meatloaf sandwich so you’re not having to worry about cooking. Of course, home canning is an option for some.

Besides cooking up your raw meats, it’s time to do some baking. Use up those eggs and dairy products in cakes and cookies because those items don’t need refrigeration. If the power outage is short or doesn’t happen then package those goodies for the freezer and you’re ahead of the game.

Clean and slice up fresh veggie sticks or salads so those are ready to eat without any further preparation. Remember, the fridge will only stay cool a day so you’ll have to discard everything after that.

The freezer will stay safe for 3-4 days so foods you know you won’t be able to eat that first day need to be put into the freezer in plenty of time so that it has the hours to freeze solidly. Fill any empty spaces with containers of water as those will freeze and help extend the cool temps and it gives you more drinking water if needed.

Ice cream will be the first to begin thawing so make it an ice cream party the first night. Frozen concentrate juice will also thaw quickly so make that. Don’t open the fridge or freezer more than you have to and be quick about it. Arrange them beforehand and put the ice cream and juice up front so it’s a quick grab.

Wash the dishes and clean and sanitize your kitchen before the power or water goes out because you may not have the means to do so later. Set out any bottles of hand sanitizer you have so the family will remember to clean their hands.

Canned veggetables and tuna is just fine to eat straight from the can. If you don’t have a manual can opener, you’ll have to work at the cans with a flat head screw driver and a hammer.

Please, don’t forget to fill plenty of water containers for the pets - buckets, kiddy pools, etc.

Don’t end up like those Katrina and Sandy folks who were starving the minute the storm passed (somehow I’m not believing that). Even if you don’t have advance notice, if you’re in the middle of some serious weather, start filling up containers of water.

In case someone doesn’t know, the toilet will flush with a gallon of water poured into the bowl so fill the tub and set a container (the ice cream container that have a handle work well) beside the toilet.