I live in rural east-central Alabama. Folks around here are anticipating power-outage for at least a week, possibly two. (With Opal, it was out 8-12 days.) We've prepared for the flooding, bought kerosene, and are storing water in all possible containers including bathtub and washing machine. What I'm worried about, however, is frozen and refrigerated items.
Please help me think through possible options.
I have a small dorm-room-sized fridge. Would it be a good idea to put some frequently-used items in there so that I can keep the larger fridge closed as long as possible? Maybe fresh fruits and vegetables and possibly cheese, jam, ketchup, etc. Things that are better kept cold, but won't spoil in a day if they're not.
Or would it be better to put my must-be-kept-cold items in the small fridge and just not open it at all? (Would the small fridge or the larger one stay cold longer without power?)
My grandmother (next door) has a good fridge that she rarely uses and is virtually empty. That one could also be used, if there's some way to divide the food into use-first, use-second, and use-last categories. Because it's nearly empty, though, it might not hold the cold very long.
I used the freezer of said grandmother's fridge it to freeze a jug and a couple bowls of water. (The freezer is full of stuff so it ought to stay frozen, but nothing too important so it doesn't matter if it melts.) I thought that, after a day or so, I might place the frozen water into my fridge to help keep things cold. Am I being too optomistic about the helpfulness of that?
Any other ideas of how I can plan to make sensible use of my resources? I don't have canning or drying equipment available.
Please help me think through possible options.
I have a small dorm-room-sized fridge. Would it be a good idea to put some frequently-used items in there so that I can keep the larger fridge closed as long as possible? Maybe fresh fruits and vegetables and possibly cheese, jam, ketchup, etc. Things that are better kept cold, but won't spoil in a day if they're not.
Or would it be better to put my must-be-kept-cold items in the small fridge and just not open it at all? (Would the small fridge or the larger one stay cold longer without power?)
My grandmother (next door) has a good fridge that she rarely uses and is virtually empty. That one could also be used, if there's some way to divide the food into use-first, use-second, and use-last categories. Because it's nearly empty, though, it might not hold the cold very long.
I used the freezer of said grandmother's fridge it to freeze a jug and a couple bowls of water. (The freezer is full of stuff so it ought to stay frozen, but nothing too important so it doesn't matter if it melts.) I thought that, after a day or so, I might place the frozen water into my fridge to help keep things cold. Am I being too optomistic about the helpfulness of that?
Any other ideas of how I can plan to make sensible use of my resources? I don't have canning or drying equipment available.