Please don’t make these common mistakes after a hurricane

Hurricane Idalia is expected to cause power outages, dangerous storm surge and high winds in Tampa Bay.

There are plenty of things to think about after the storm leaves the area, too. Here are some post-hurricane fails to avoid.

1. If you lost power, don’t assume all the food in the fridge is safe to eat

Should you keep all the old condiments in your fridge after losing power? Even if you didn’t open the door to your refrigerator once after you lost power, some of the stuff in there just needs to be tossed. For a complete list of what you can and cannot eat, click here.

2. Don’t drive through deep puddles

You like your car, right? If you drive it through a deep puddle, there are a few things that could happen: Your car stalls out because the engine floods. You drive over some tire-popping debris. A down electrical cable is hidden underneath. All of these are bad, so if you see a giant puddle, reroute.

3. Don’t run a generator inside the house

You don’t want to be sucking down noxious fumes all day, friends. How many times does someone have to tell folks this? Carbon monoxide is a lethal gas. Keep your generators outside of your house in a well-ventilated area so you don’t end up sucking up noxious fumes.

4. Don’t use charcoal barbecue grills indoors

If you have a charcoal grill, keep it outside. It was meant to be used outside. Charcoal grills can also create lethal levels of carbon monoxide.

5. Don’t just turn everything on at once when power returns

Remember how you were flipping all the switches to see if you really really lost power? Flip them all to the off position, except maybe one or two lights that will alert you that power has been restored. Turn on major appliances one at a time, also, so you don’t overload the system.

6. Be careful during clean up

You’d feel really bad if you survived a terrifying storm only to have a giant tree branch fall on your head as you are clearing out your yard. Put on work gloves, don’t climb ladders without a spotter, be careful using power tools, wear thick boots and hire someone who knows what they are doing if the job is too big.

7. Again, don’t use candles

Candles are pretty but they are not as safe as flashlights during a power outage after a hurricane. Do you want to accidentally set your house on fire? Nope.

This story was originally published in 2017.

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