5 weather tips that could save your life

CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Keep yourself and loved ones safe and get ahead of the storms with these Severe Weather Center 9 hacks.

If you own a head lamp, you can strap it onto a water jug to create a makeshift light when the power fails.

Don’t own a headlamp or need more light? You can have illumination for hours by making a candle out of Crisco shortening or by lighting the tip of a crayon.

If you’re out of luck with the wrong size of batteries, you can use aluminum foil to convert AAA batteries into AAs.

If the power goes out and you’re trying to store vital food products, you can create a makeshift zeer pot to keep perishable items cooler for longer. A zeer pot is a type of evaporative cooler consisting of two terracotta pots, which are traditionally unglazed.

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Place the smaller pot inside the bigger pot, then fill the space in between the two with sand or small rocks. Then pour water or any liquid available into the sand or the rocks.  Place food inside the dry inner pottery and cover it with a wet cloth.

Remember that a full deep freezer will stay colder longer, and you can keep milk jugs filled three-fourths of the way with water in the freezer to fill the empty air space. Saving liquids for later consumption could save a life.

Cox Media Group