The Atlantic hurricane season officially runs from June 1 through November 30, and along the Carolina coast the busiest stretch is usually late summer into early fall. If you live or work near the water in places like Charleston, Beaufort, Myrtle Beach or Wilmington, you already know how it goes: a storm gets a name, stores empty out, and anything cold becomes a problem the moment the power goes.
This guide is about the cold side of storm prep. It is general guidance, so always follow your local emergency management and National Weather Service instructions first, including any evacuation orders.
Why cold storage is the first thing to fail
Power outages after a storm can last hours or days, and refrigeration is one of the first things you lose. Federal food-safety guidance says a closed refrigerator keeps food safe for only about four hours without power, and a full freezer holds for roughly 48 hours (about 24 if it is half full) as long as the door stays shut. After that, cold food generally has to stay at 40°F or below to be considered safe, and food that has been above that for more than two hours should be thrown out.
Those windows are short compared with how long recovery can take. For a household that means spoiled groceries and medicine to worry about. For a restaurant, grocer, florist or caterer it can mean an entire inventory.
For homes: a simple plan
- Start freezing early. Fill empty space in the freezer with water bottles or containers of water. Full freezers hold their temperature longer, and the frozen water doubles as drinking water later.
- Use an appliance thermometer in the fridge and freezer so you can tell what temperature things actually are, not what you hope they are.
- Set aside coolers. Group the essentials (medicine that needs refrigeration, baby supplies, perishable basics) so you can move them quickly.
- Plan more ice than you think. Coolers eat ice quickly in coastal humidity, and a multi-day outage means refilling. As a rule of thumb, sizing for the longer outage rather than the shorter one is the safer way to plan, since you cannot easily buy more once roads and stores are affected.
- Keep the doors closed. Every opening costs you cold air.
If you are staying put and expect a long outage, ask whether ice can be delivered after the storm passes and conditions are safe. We deliver bagged ice around the clock when roads and conditions allow.
For businesses: protect the inventory
Restaurants, bars, grocers, florists, caterers and event venues have the most to lose, because the cold chain is the business. A few questions to answer before a storm, not during one:
- What has to stay cold, and at what temperature?
- How many hours of backup does your current refrigeration realistically give you?
- Where will the overflow go if the walk-in loses power?
- Who has the keys, the generator information and the vendor phone numbers?
If the answers are uncomfortable, a refrigerated trailer is worth considering. A trailer is basically a portable walk-in: it cools down to -10°F or runs just chilled, we deliver and set it up, and it fits in a standard parking space. It runs on a standard 110V/20A outlet, and if there is no power on site, a generator is available for an extra fee. We also accept hurricane reservations, so you can line up a trailer ahead of the busiest part of the season rather than after a storm gets a name.
A word on power and safety
- Never run a generator indoors, in a garage or near windows. Carbon monoxide is a real danger after storms.
- Place any trailer on level, high ground away from flood-prone areas and overhead hazards, and follow local guidance on when equipment needs to be secured or moved.
- Do not put yourself or your staff at risk to protect inventory. If officials say evacuate, evacuate.
Keeping extra ice frozen
Whether it is a few bags for the household coolers or hundreds for a business, extra ice only helps if it stays frozen until you need it. Ice stored in open coolers or a hot vehicle melts fast. If you are holding more than a day's worth, a storage chest or an on-site storage trailer keeps it from melting, and it keeps your working coolers topped up without trips back to the store. For commercial users, recurring daily or weekly delivery after a storm helps with the recovery period when everything is open again but supply is uneven.
After the storm
- Check food temperatures before you use anything. When in doubt, throw it out.
- Restock coolers with fresh ice and keep ice for drinks separate from ice used for chilling.
- Crews working on repairs, cleanup and rebuilding need cool water and ice on site, often in heat. See our guide to keeping crews hydrated on job sites.
- Take notes on what you ran short of. The next storm plan starts with this one.
Where we serve on the coast
Our SC branch, based in Charleston, serves coastal towns including Charleston, Mount Pleasant, Kiawah Island, Beaufort and Myrtle Beach, plus Savannah, GA. Our NC branch, based in Fayetteville, serves Wilmington and the rest of North Carolina. Both branches are open 24/7.
Pre-storm cold checklist
- Freeze water in empty freezer space.
- Put appliance thermometers in the fridge and freezer.
- Decide what has to be kept cold and where it will go.
- Line up ice, coolers and a storage plan for the extra.
- For businesses, ask about a hurricane reservation for a trailer.
- Know your evacuation route and follow official guidance.
