Though we may not always think about it on a day to day basis, there may come a time when an emergency will strike when we’re not expecting it to happen. If you want to be prepared for such an unexpected crisis, it helps to have some ideas in place in order to make sure you’re not caught completely off guard. Ms. Sheila Pulanco Russell, a resident of Lumberton, North Carolina, shared an ingenious idea for just such an unpredictable occasion.
She called this piece of helpful advice the “One Cup Tip.” In order to carry out her suggestion, you will need a coin, a regular sized mug of water, and your freezer. You may wonder how on earth these three items could be of any use during an emergency.
If you’re ever evacuated or need to leave quickly from your home during either a national or local emergency, you may not be guaranteed that your home’s electricity will remain on throughout the duration of the evacuation period. Since you also cannot be entirely certain about the timing of your return to your home, this little tip could come in very handy.
If you don’t already have a cellar stocked with non-perishable food items, you’ll want to pay especially close notice to the “One Coin Tip.” It could help you to determine whether you should keep or throw away all of the perishable food items stored in your refrigerator and freezer. Once you return home, this invaluable trick should help you decide if your food is safe to keep, or if it will need to be discarded.
In order to make sure you’re prepared for such an unexpected event, simply place a cup of water in your freezer until the water is completely frozen solid. Then set the coin on top of the cup of ice and place it back inside your freezer. That’s all you need to do. Just leave it there in the freezer, and if an emergency ever does force you to leave your home, you can check the cup upon your arrival back to your place of residence. If the frozen water in the cup completely melts, you’ll know right away that your food is unsafe to keep. If the coin is still safely on top of the cup of ice, and looks just as it did when you left it, you’ll have peace of mind knowing you can keep your frozen and refrigerated items. If the coin has dropped to the middle of the cup, you’ll want to cautiously inspect your food when determining if it’s still good, because that would indicate that the electricity was off for at least part of the time you were gone, but then it kicked back on at some point.
Even if you never need to evacuate your home, this tip is still helpful for those times when your power is temporarily out due to a storm or other natural disaster in your area. If you aren’t completely sure your food has been stored in safe conditions, it’s always advisable to get rid of it. As the old adage goes, “When in doubt, throw it out!”
Whether you’re facing an hurricane evacuation, or some other local or national crisis, this tip can hopefully give you a little peace of mind. Here’s hoping that everyone out there will remain calm and safe no matter what unexpected events the future may hold for each one of us. You can share this information with friends and family on social media to make sure everyone you know is prepared to face uncertain circumstances.