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Members of the Rumpled Quilts Guild of Patterson and Cane Cutters Quilting Guild of Houma hosted an open house Aug. 24 for the annual Quilt Show at Artists Guild Unlimited Everett Street Gallery located at 201 Everett St. in Morgan City. The free show continues through Aug. 11. Show hours are 1-4 p.m. Wednesday through Friday and 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Saturdays. From left, are Tina Levron, Helene Allen, Esther Gilmore, Sue Williams, Agatha Wiggins, Jamie Elfert and Pat Gray.

When storms knock out the power, what’s the best way to handle refrigerated or frozen foods?
Err on the cautious side. When in doubt, throw the food out.
“Food can be very expensive to throw away but not as costly as food-borne illnesses, which can cause lifelong health effects as well as death,” said Joyce McGarry, a food safety educator with Michigan State University. “If any food is suspected to be contaminated, it is not worth the risk, especially for young children, seniors and those with compromised immune systems.”
Electrical interruptions are unpredictable. Causes include, severe weather, equipment failure, damage from wildlife and power-line scrapes with tree limbs, among other things. Disruptions can extend from minutes to months, and many foods spoil rapidly without refrigeration.
“Animal products and cooked plant items are the most problematic from a safety standpoint,” said Sue Snider, a professor of Animal and Food Sciences at the University of Delaware. “Recommendations are not to let these items stay at room temperature for more than two hours.”
That doesn’t mean you can’t ease food losses. Buy a small generator or portable solar panels to provide temporary power.
Separate your disaster planning into three steps: preparation, measures to take during an outage and things to do once power has been restored.
PREPARATION
Be ready for power outages by keeping freezers full, freezing water containers to fill in the empty spaces. Those containers of water can also be used for drinking if needed, McGarry said. “Keep coolers on hand and buy freezer packs, and keep them frozen for use in the coolers,” she said.
As for food, keep a supply of dried foods (beef jerky, crackers, dried fruit, powdered milk, cereal), canned foods (make sure to have a manual can opener) and high-energy foods (granola bars, protein bars). “Rotate the inventory every six months,” she said.
DURING AN OUTAGE
“Keep an appliance thermometer in the refrigerator and freezer at all times,” McGarry said. “That will let you know if the food is being stored at the right temperatures.” Refrigerator temperatures should be at 40 degrees Fahrenheit or below, and freezer temperatures at 0 or below, she said.
A refrigerator will keep food cold for about four hours if it’s unopened. If you move items into the freezer, it will last 24 to 28 hours, McGarry said.
ONCE POWER IS RESTORED
Quickly check food temperature and condition before it refreezes, otherwise you might not be able to determine its safety, Snider said.
“You may safely refreeze most foods if they still contain ice crystals or if they have been kept cold (40 degrees or less) and have been thawed no more than 24 to 48 hours,” Snider said.
Do not rely on appearance or odor, and never taste food to determine its safety, McGarry said.
“Some foods may look and smell fine but if they have been warm too long, they may contain food poisoning bacteria that could make you sick,” she said.
—Online:
For more about food safety emergencies caused by power outages, see this University of Delaware College of Agriculture & Natural Resources fact sheet: http://extension.udel.edu/factsheets/when-the-power-is-out/

A suspect has been arrested in connection with burglaries in the Lakeside Subdivision area of Morgan City, Police Chief James Blair said in a news release.

—Jordan Poole, 19, of Filmore Street in Morgan City, was arrested at 2:52 p.m. Thursday on warrants charging him with two counts of simple burglary and one count of theft less than $1,000.

Poole was arrested at the police department on warrants. The warrants stem from an investigation that began July 15 in regard to burglaries of vehicles in the Lakeside Subdivision area. Video surveillance of Poole was captured by surveillance systems burglarizing vehicles in the area of Diane Drive, Blair said. The investigation continued when warrants were prepared for Poole’s arrest.

Upon being taken into custody, Poole allegedly identified himself in surveillance photos. Poole was booked into the Morgan City Jail and incarcerated. The investigation is still ongoing.

Blair reported that officers responded to 58 calls and reported the following arrests:

—Agatha M. McCleary, 26, of Roderick Street in Morgan City, was arrested at 8:05 a.m. Thursday on warrants charging her with criminal trespass, soiling on sidewalks and lawns and unauthorized use of a motor vehicle.

McCleary was located at her home and arrested on warrants. An incident that occurred in June alleges that McCleary came onto the victim’s property and allowed her animal to defecate on the lawn. An investigation was also conducted on an incident that occurred July 10, which alleges that McCleary used a motor vehicle without the owner’s permission. McCleary was jailed.

—Ethan M. Mensman, 21, of Riverview Drive in Patterson, was arrested at 8:30 a.m. Thursday on charges of possession methamphetamine with intent to distribute and possession of drug paraphernalia.

Officers responded to a home on Roderick Street in regard to an individual that was not allowed on the property. Officers were able to locate the individual identified as Mensman. While talking to officers, Mensman appeared nervous. Officers were given consent to search Mensman’s backpack and located suspected methamphetamine, which was packaged for sale and drug paraphernalia, Blair said. Mensman was jailed.

—Katherine V. Stoute, 25, of La. 182 in Morgan City, was arrested at 11:39 a.m. Thursday on a warrant charging her with three counts of failure to pay fines. Stoute was located at her home and arrested on a city court warrant. Stout was jailed.

—Colby T. Nicholas, 18, of Wren Street in Morgan City, was arrested at 2:14 p.m. Thursday on a charge of disturbing the peace fighting and a warrant charging him with possession of synthetic marijuana with intent to distribute.

Officers responded a home on Roderick Street in regard to a disturbance. Officers arrived and located a 16-year-old juvenile, 14-year-old juvenile along with Nicholas.

The juveniles and Nicholas admitted to being in a physical altercation with one another, Blair said. The juveniles and Nicholas were arrested. Nicholas held an active arrest warrant stemming from July 6 investigation in which suspected synthetic marijuana packaged for sale was located at Nicholas’ home, Blair said. All of the people involved were transported to the Morgan City Police Department for booking and incarceration. The juveniles were released to their guardians.

—Lindsey Fernandez, 31, of Delmar Avenue in Bayou Vista, was arrested at 4 p.m. Thursday on a warrant charging her with contempt of court. Fernandez was arrested in city court. Fernandez was jailed.

—Joseph J. Jessie, 39, of Utah Street in Berwick, was arrested at 4 p.m. Thursday on a warrant charging him with failure to appear for arraignment. Jessie was arrested at the police department on a city court warrant. Jessie was jailed.

—Amber L. Theriot, 31, of Rose Street in Berwick, was arrested at 6:05 p.m. Thursday on warrants charging her with possession of marijuana, no turn signal and illegal use of a controlled dangerous substance in the presence of a juvenile.

Theriot was located on Duke Street and arrested on a warrant. The warrant stems from a July 24 investigation in which a traffic stop was conducted on a vehicle driven by Theriot.

Officers located suspected marijuana inside the vehicle, Blair said. Theriot was jailed.

—Dale Fromenthal, 62, of Sixth Street in Morgan City, was arrested at 9:15 p.m. Thursday on charges of possession of crack cocaine and possession of drug paraphernalia.

Officers came into contact with Fromenthal in the area of Sixth Street. During the investigation, officers located suspected crack cocaine and drug paraphernalia in Fromenthal’s possession, Blair said. Fromenthal was jailed.

—Cherie A. Welch, 25, of Teche Court in Morgan City, was arrested at 11:42 pm. Thursday on charges of possession of synthetic marijuana and possession of drug paraphernalia.

Welch was a passenger in a vehicle involved in a traffic stop on La. 70. When officers made contact with Welch, they found her in possession of suspected synthetic marijuana and drug paraphernalia, Blair said. Welsh was jailed.

St. Mary Parish Sheriff Scott Anslum reported that deputies responded to 43 complaints in the parish and reported the following arrests in east St. Mary Parish:

—Conley Jones, 69, of Joseph Street in Morgan City, was arrested at 10:10 p.m. Thursday on charges of improper turn, license plate obstruction, driving under suspension and possession of drug paraphernalia.

A deputy patrolling the area of Morgan City observed a vehicle make an illegal left turn at the intersection of Allison Street and Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard. The deputy made contact with the driver, Jones. The deputy learned that Jones was operating the vehicle with a suspended driver’s license, Anslum said.

The deputy received consent to search the vehicle and located a glass pipe, the sheriff said. Jones was jailed with bail set at $3,000.

—Jonathan Beadle, 28, of Pecan Drive in Franklin, was arrested at 1:51 a.m. Friday on a Patterson Police Department warrant charging him with simple assault, possession of marijuana and possession of Xanax.

A deputy patrolling the area of Patterson responded to a suspicious vehicle complaint at a boat landing. The deputy made contact with the driver of the vehicle, Beadle. Through the investigation, the deputy located marijuana and Xanax inside the vehicle, Anslum said. No bail was set.

—Georgeallen Ribardi, 27, of North Third Street in Morgan City, was arrested at 5:42 p.m. Thursday on charges of reckless operation and off-road vehicles on a public roadway.

Narcotics section detectives patrolling Bayou Vista observed an ATV being operated recklessly on Teche Road. After a short pursuit, detectives made contact with the driver, Ribardi in a cane field off of La. 182. Ribardi was released on a summons to appear in court Oct. 5.

Patterson Police Chief Janis Merritt reported the following arrests:

—Trey M. Simoneaux, 35, of Red Cypress Road in Patterson, was arrested at 7:40 p.m. Thursday on charges of domestic abuse battery and simple criminal damage to property. Bail was set at $3,250.

—Christopher A. Marquez, 32, of Bernard Street in Patterson, was arrested at 12:58 a.m. Friday on charges of criminal mischief and suspended or revoked driver’s license. Bail was set at $558.

Berwick Police Chief James Richard reported the following arrest:

—Traylon Grogan, 26, of River Road in Berwick, was arrested at 6:25 p.m. Thursday on a charge of remaining where being forbidden. Grogan posted $301 bail.