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Disaster tips from the county Department of Emergency Service 

  • Before a storm hits, set your refrigerator to the coldest setting to keep food fresh longer if you lose power.
  • Keep your refrigerator closed as much as possible. Do not assume refrigerated foods are safe.
  • Foods that are fully frozen are safe to use.
  • Foods that have warmed to room temperature for more than two hours or have come into contact with flood waters should be discarded. When in doubt, throw it out.
  • During a prolonged outage, discard these foods if they were not kept below 45 degrees Fahrenheit: meat, poultry, seafood, cold cuts, hot dogs, eggs, cream, sour cream, yogurt, milk, custards, puddings, soft and shredded cheeses, cut fruit, cooked vegetables, pasta, casseroles, unbaked cookie and bread dough, gravy, creamy salad dressings, fish sauces, hoisin sauce, opened spaghetti sauce and garlic in oil.
  • After disposing of spoiled food, disinfect the refrigerator to avoid further contamination.
  • Discard any cans of food that are rusted, dented or open.
  • If appliances are wet, turn off the electricity at the main fuse box or circuit breaker. Then, unplug appliances and let them dry out. Have appliances checked by a professional before using them again.
  • Storm clean-up can produce a great deal of garbage, which invites insects and rodents. Store your garbage in watertight, rodent/insect-proof containers with tight-fitting covers.
  • Motorists should stay off the roads when major storms are in the forecast. Flash-flooding can quickly occur, swamping vehicles and putting motorists in significant danger.
  • Never run a generator in a basement, garage, porch or carport. Generators produce carbon monoxide that can quickly be lethal indoors.  Only operate a generator outdoors and away from open windows.
  • Do not exceed the rated capacity of your generator. Overloading your generator can damage it and any appliances connected to it. Fire may result.
  • If your generator has a detachable fuel tank, remove it before refilling. If this is not possible, shut off the generator and let it cool before refilling.

If you lose power, call  NYS Electric and Gas directly. The phone number is:  NYSEG electricity power outage: (800) 572-1131; NYSEG gas power outage: (800) 572-1121.

Practical tips on these and other topics can be found at: https://emergencyservices.westchestergov.com/severe-weather or https://www.ready.gov/