It is vital that those living or finding themselves in the path of hurricane Irene make sure they have enough food, water, and prescription medications, the FDA (Food and Drug Administration) announced. When storing water and food, it is important to take precautions so that they do not become contaminated.

If there is a power outage and cellphones don't work, your radio may become the only way to stay in touch with local authority announcement. Make sure you have a supply of batteries.

Citizens have also been advised to make sure they have an a plan for emergency medical supplies and medications for both themselves and their pets. If there is a power outage, individuals dependent on certain medical devices need to make sure their equipment still works. Advice regarding food Have a stock of ready-to-eat foods that require no cooking or cooling, and do not depend on electricity.

If you suspect any of your food has come into contact with flood water throw it out, do not consume it.

Any food that has been packed in cardboard, cloth, paper or permeable material that has been in contact with flood water should not be consumed.

The following food and drinks containers cannot be disinfected if they come into contact with flood water and should be discarded: those with snap lids, crimped caps (soda bottles), twist caps, flip tops, and screw caps.

Your refrigerator temperature must be below 40 °F and the freezer below 0 °F.

In order to keep the refrigerator and freezer temperatures as low as possible, keep their doors closed for as long as you can.

Have a supply of food, water and medicines on shelves or in cupboards that are least likely to get wet if there is a flood. Advice regarding water Your local area health department will tell you whether your tap water is OK to drink.

If you cannot drink the tap water, drink bottled water.

If you have no bottled water, boil water for one minute, leave it to cool and store in clean containers with a cover.

If you can't boil water, add 8 drops (1/8 teaspoon) of regular, unscented, liquid household bleach to 1 gallon of water, stir it thoroughly and leave it for 30 minutes before drinking. If the water is cloudy, get some clean cloths and filter the water through them, or allow it to settle and draw off the clear water before sterilizing with bleach.

If there has been flooding, do not drink water from a well, unless you are sure it has been tested and you know it is safe. Advice regarding pets If you have to evacuate your home, remember you are the best person to look after your pet, take it with you.

Keep your pet on a leash or contained in a carrier.

Natural disasters, such as flooding, earthquakes, or hurricanes can affect pets in various ways - they may display bizarre behaviors which can linger for several weeks.

If you have taken your pet to a new place, give it time to get used to its new surroundings. Take familiar toys or blankets with you if you can. Advice regarding medications What to do if your life-saving prescription medications have been exposed to water? If the container is wet but the contents are unaffected - if the tablets/pills are still dry - they may be used until you can get hold of replacements. If the tablets/pills are wet, they are likely contaminated and should be thrown out.

Other medications, such as skin medications, oral liquids, injection drugs, inhalers, and pills should be thrown out if they have become wet with flood or contaminated water, even if they are in their original containers. The FDA added "In the ideal setting, capsules, tablets, and liquids in drug containers with screw-top caps, snap lids, or droppers, should be discarded if they are contaminated. In addition, medications that have been placed in any alternative storage containers should be discarded if they have come in contact with flood or contaminated water."

Reconstituted medications - some children's medications have to be reconstituted - made into a liquid using water. In such cases only use bottled or purified water.

Insulin storage and switching between products - insulin loses its potency in warm temperatures; the longer the exposure the greater the loss of potency. In emergency situations patients may still have to use insulin that has been stored over 86 °F. If the insulin has lost potency, there is a risk the patient may eventually lose blood glucose control. Do whatever you can to store the insulin in a cool place, do not expose it to direct heat or sunlight. However, do not freeze the insulin if you are using ice to cool. As soon as you have access to fresh insulin supplies, throw out and replace the insulin vials that were exposed to heat. Advice regarding medical devices Contact the provider of any life-sustaining or life-supporting medical devices you depend on to find out how they can continue working if there is a power outage.

Be careful to maintain the devices dry and clean.

Consider contacting your local Public Health Authority for help in evacuating before the hurricane arrives. Advice regarding vaccines, blood, biologics If there is a power outage, write down exactly when this occurred and keep freezer and refrigerator doors closed as much as you can to keep temperatures down.

When power comes back, check the temperatures inside the fridge and freezer before things start getting cold again.

If the electricity supply takes a long time to come back, remove the products from the freezer/refrigerator and pack them in dry ice or ice as appropriate.

If any of the products came into contact with flood water, they are probably contaminated and should be discarded.