Questions and answers

It's the date until which food stays safe if it was stored as the package says. A best-before date is about quality rather than safety. If the storage conditions weren't followed, for example the food sat somewhere warm or damp for a long time, you can no longer rely on either date.

Throw it out without opening or tasting it. The same goes for food with mold, an odd smell or an unusual color. Questionable food is never taste-tested and never given to animals.

Often, yes: opened food frequently keeps for less time and under different conditions. The package usually says so directly. Find the line about storage after opening and mark the day you opened it on the package.

Keep them in a dry, cool place in tightly closing containers, check them from time to time and don't mix new grain with old. If insects show up in a pack, throw it out, wash and dry the shelf, and check the supplies next to it.

We don't give quotas: it depends on how many people and animals live in your home and how much water you usually use for drinking and cooking. Keep drinking water in sealed containers and replace it by the date on the package. If you're warned about a shutoff in advance, you can fill clean containers with water for household use.

A flashlight is better: it has no open flame and is safer around kids and animals. If you do light candles, set them on a stable, nonflammable surface, away from curtains and paper, and never leave them unattended.

No. Generators and camp stoves are never used indoors, not even briefly or with a window open. If it's cold at home, put on warm clothes, gather in one room and close the doors to the others.

Lower the screen brightness, close apps you don't need and make only necessary calls. Keep a power bank charged ahead of time and important numbers written down on paper. If a life is at risk, call 112 or your local emergency number.

In general terms: dressings, a thermometer and medicines your doctor prescribed, along with their leaflets. It's best to discuss what your particular family needs with a doctor. Keep the kit out of children's reach and check the dates regularly.

Don't take it. Remove it from the first-aid kit, and ask your doctor whether it needs replacing and how to dispose of it properly.

Copies of each family member's main documents, a paper list of important phone numbers (relatives, neighbors, building management, your doctor) and a short note on where things are kept at home. Keep it all in one folder in a dry place that every adult knows about.

Its usual food with a little extra, water, a bowl, a carrier or leash, veterinary records and cleanup supplies. Medicines for an animal only as prescribed by a vet. Pet food follows rotation too: the package bought first gets used first.