After The Storm Passes - Live5News.com | Charleston, SC | News, Weather, Sports

CLEAN UP CHECKLIST

When cleaning your yard, be wary of downed power lines.  Downed power lines could spring to life, snapping like a fully charged, loose water hose as power comes on without warning.

Bag small waste, such as leaves and sticks, to help crews speed the clean up.

Cut large debris to 4-foot lengths and keep piles under 4-feet high.

Put household garbage and recycling materials out on the normal trash days.

Separate hazardous substances, such as pesticides, paints, antifreeze and other chemical products, from regular household waste.

Report illegal dumping to your local government, law enforcement, or environmental agency.

Call professionals to remove large items, such as uprooted trees.

Do not burn debris piles.  There may be natural gas leaks in your area.

WATER SAFETY CHECKLIST  

It's always a good idea to be prepared by storing drinking water and knowing how to purify water.

Store tap water in clean, tightly covered containers is a dark area.  Count on each person using 3 gallons per day for drinking and non-drinking uses.

If tap water is not safe to drink, your local water management service will alert customers by issuing a "boil water advisory" to every television and radio station.  If in doubt, purify tap water before drinking it.

There are several ways to purify water:

• 1) Boil vigorously for at least one minute.
• 2) Use purification tablets - available at grocery/drug stores.
• 3) Use 8 drops of unscented liquid household bleach (hypochlorite, typically5.25%) per gallon of water and let stand for 30 minutes before using. DO NOT use granular bleach - it is poisonous.