08/12/2026
Important information from Columbus Public Health on staying safe in the aftermath of yesterday's storm, with power still out for many Clintonville neighbors:
Keep Your Food Safe
Keep Appliance Doors Closed
•Do not open your refrigerator or freezer doors unless necessary.
•An unopened refrigerator keeps food safely cold for up to 4 hours.
•An unopened full freezer maintains its temperature for about 48 hours if it’sfull. (24 hours if half full).
Group Frozen Foods Together
•Pack frozen items tightly together inside the freezer to slow down thawing.
•Move Perishables to the Freezer
•Transfer critical refrigerator items to the freezer if you expect a long outage.
•Focus on high-risk items like fresh meat, poultry, milk and leftovers.
Use Coolers and Ice
•Pack food into insulated coolers if the power is out for more than 4 hours.
•Surround the food completely with ice cubes, frozen gel packs, or frozen water jugs.
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Keep Your Medicine Safe
To keep your refrigerated medicine safe:
Keep Your Medicine Cool
•Keep the refrigerator door closed.
•Move your medicine to a cooler if the outage passes 24 hours.
•Add ice packs and use a barrier like paper towels or a cloth so ice does not touch the medicine directly.
Verify the Safety of your Medicine
•Check for changes in the color, cloudiness or texture.
•Ask your pharmacist or doctor if the drugs are still safe to use.
•Discard drugs kept too warm too long, unless they are life-sustaining and you have no other choice.
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Protect Yourself from Tetanus
To protect yourself from tetanus during storm clean up:
•Make sure your standard 10-year tetanus booster is current.
•If you sustain a deep, dirty, or puncture wound from debris or floodwaters, get a booster if it has been more than 5 years.
•Immediately wash cuts with soap and water and cover them.
Follow these tips to help you prepare for and cope with sudden loss of power.
