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Why EVERYONE should put a quarter on a cup of ice before evacuating for a storm
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Tell your friends who live in places threatened by hurricanes. - photo by Melinda Fox
With all the hurricanes and storms threatening, many people are making the choice to evacuate to safety.

Last year, during Hurricane Matthew, Sheila Pulanco Russell posted this easy tip that everyone should do before evacuating.

Basically, you stick a cup of water in the freezer until frozen. Then you stick a quarter on top of it. When you return home from the evacuation, look at the cup. If the quarter is still on top of the ice, you know that your freezer maintained enough power to keep the food in your freezer frozen, so it's safe to eat.

Alternately, if the quarter has fallen to the bottom of the cup, you know that your food thawed and refroze while you were gone. This way you know it could possibly be contaminated food, and should be thrown away.

To the people in Puerto Rico and the East Coast of the United States, stay safe; we're praying for you.