FOODFACTSFrom the U.S. Food and Drug Administration

Safety n Health n Science n Nutrition December 2007

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Food and Water Safety During Hurricanes, Power Outages, and FloodsWhat Consumers Need to Know Emergencies can happen. When they do, the best strategy is to already have a plan in place. This includes knowing the proper food and water safety precautions to take if hurricanes — or other flooding/power outages — do occur.

1.Makesureyouhaveappliance thermometers in your refrigerator and freezer.

• Checktoensurethatthefreezertemperatureisatorbelow0 °F,andtherefrigeratorisatorbelow 40 °F.

• Incaseofapower outage,theappliancethermometerswillindicatethetemperaturesintherefrigeratorandfreezertohelpyoudetermineifthefoodissafe.

2. Freeze containers of waterforicetohelpkeepfoodcoldinthefreezer,refrigerator,orcoolersincasethepowergoesout.Ifyournormalwatersupplyiscontaminatedorunavailable,themeltingicewillalsosupplydrinkingwater.

3. Freeze refrigerated itemssuchasleftovers,milk,andfreshmeatandpoultrythatyoumaynotneedimmediately.Thishelpskeepthematasafetemperaturelonger.

Be Prepared for Emergencies

When the Power Goes Out . . .Herearebasictipsforkeepingfoodsafe:• Keeptherefrigerator and freezer doors closed

asmuchaspossibletomaintainthecoldtemperature.—Therefrigeratorwillkeepfoodcold for

about 4 hoursifitisunopened.—Afull freezerwillkeepthetemperaturefor

approximately48 hours (24hoursifitishalffull)ifthedoorremainsclosed.

—Buydry or block icetokeeptherefrigeratorascoldaspossibleifthepowerisgoingtobeoutforaprolongedperiodoftime.Fiftypoundsofdryiceshouldholdan18cubicfoot,fully-stockedfreezercoldfortwodays.

• Ifyouplantoeatrefrigeratedorfrozenmeat,poultry,fishoreggswhileitisstillatsafetemperatures,it’simportantthateachitemis thoroughly cooked to its proper temperaturetoassurethatanyfoodbornebacteriathatmaybepresentaredestroyed.However,ifatanypointthefoodwasabove40ºFfor2hoursormore—discardit.

• Wash fruits and vegetables withwaterfromasafesourcebeforeeating.

• Forinfants,trytouseprepared,cannedbabyformulathatrequiresnoaddedwater.Whenusingconcentratedorpowderedformulas,preparewithbottledwaterifthelocalwatersourceispotentiallycontaminated.

Once Power Is Restored . . .You’llneedtodeterminethesafetyofyourfood.Here’show:• Ifanappliancethermometerwas

keptinthefreezer, check the temperaturewhenthepowercomesbackon.Ifthefreezerthermometerreads40°Forbelow,thefoodissafeandmayberefrozen.

• Ifathermometerhasnotbeenkeptinthefreezer,check each packageoffoodtodetermineitssafety.Youcan’trelyonappearanceorodor.Ifthefoodstill contains ice crystalsoris40°Forbelow,itissafetorefreezeorcook.

• Refrigeratedfoodshouldbesafeaslongasthepowerwasoutforno more than 4 hours andtherefrigeratordoorwaskeptshut.Discardanyperishablefood(suchasmeat,poultry,fish,eggsorleftovers)thathasbeenabove40°Ffortwohoursormore.

Keepinmindthatperishablefoodsuchasmeat,poultry,seafood,milk,andeggsthatarenot kept adequately refrigerated or frozenmaycauseillnessifconsumed,evenwhentheyarethoroughlycooked.

Power Outages: During and After

KEEPCLOSED

4. Group food togetherinthefreezer.Thishelpsthefoodstaycoldlonger.

5. Have coolers on hand tokeeprefrigeratedfoodcoldifthepowerwillbeoutformorethan4hours.

6.Purchaseormakeice cubes in advance andstoreinthefreezerforuseintherefrigeratororinacooler.Freezegel packsaheadoftimeforuseincoolers.

7.Checkoutlocalsourcestoknowwheredry ice and block ice canbepurchased,justincase.

8. Store food on shelvesthatwillbesafelyoutofthewayofcontaminatedwaterincaseofflooding.

9.Makesuretohaveasupply of bottled water storedwhereitwillbeassafeaspossiblefromflooding.

n n n FOODFACTS

1.Usebottled waterthathasnotbeenexposedtofloodwatersifitisavailable.

2. Ifyoudon’thavebottledwater,youshouldboil water tomakeitsafe.Boilingwaterwillkillmosttypesofdisease-causingorganismsthatmaybepresent.•Ifthewateriscloudy,filteritthroughcleancloths,

orallowittosettleandthendrawofftheclearwaterforboiling.

•Boilthewaterforoneminute,letitcool,andstoreitincleancontainerswithcovers.

3. Ifyoucan’tboilwater,youcan disinfect it using household bleach.Bleachwillkillsome,butnotall,typesofdisease-causingorganismsthatmaybeinthewater.

When Flooding Occurs — Keep Water SafeFollowthesestepstokeepyourWATER SAFE during – and after – flood conditions.

•Ifthewateriscloudy,filteritthroughcleancloths,orallowittosettleandthendrawofftheclearwaterfordisinfection.

•Add1/8teaspoon(or8drops)ofregular,unscented,liquidhouseholdbleachpereachgallonofwater.Stiritwellandletitstandforatleast30minutesbeforeyouuseit.

•Storedisinfectedwaterincleancontainerswithcovers.4.Ifyouhavea wellthathasbeenflooded,thewater

shouldbetested and disinfectedafterfloodwatersrecede.Ifyoususpectthatyourwellmaybecontaminated,contactyourlocalorstatehealthdepartmentoragriculturalextensionagentforspecificadvice.

2Formoreinformation,contact:TheU.S.FoodandDrugAdministrationCenterforFoodSafetyandAppliedNutritionFoodInformationLineat1-888-SAFEFOOD(tollfree),10AMto4PMET,MondaythroughFriday.OrvisittheFDAWebsiteatwww.cfsan.fda.gov.

Safety n Health n Science n Nutrition December 2007

1. Do not eatanyfoodthatmayhavecomeintocontactwithfloodwater.

2. Discard any foodthatisnot in a waterproof containerifthereisanychancethatithascomeintocontactwithfloodwater.•Foodcontainersthatarenotwaterproofinclude

thosewithscrew-caps,snaplids,pulltops,andcrimpedcaps.

•Alsodiscardcardboardjuice/milk/babyformulaboxesandhomecannedfoodsiftheyhavecomeincontactwithfloodwater,becausetheycannotbeeffectivelycleanedandsanitized.

3. Inspectcannedfoodsand discard any food in damaged cans.Candamageisshownbyswelling,leakage,punctures,holes,fractures,extensivedeeprusting,orcrushing/dentingsevereenoughtopreventnormalstackingoropeningwithamanual,wheel-typecanopener.

4.Undamaged,commerciallypreparedfoodsinall-metal cansand“retort pouches” (likeflexible,shelf-stablejuiceorseafoodpouches)canbesavedifyoufollowthisprocedure:•Removethelabels,iftheyaretheremovablekind,

sincetheycanharbordirtandbacteria.•Brushorwipeawayanydirtorsilt.•Thoroughlywashthecansorretortpoucheswithsoap

andwater,usinghotwaterifitisavailable.Rinsethecansorretortpoucheswithwaterthatissafefordrinking,ifavailable,sincedirtorresidualsoapwillreducetheeffectivenessofchlorinesanitation.

When Flooding Occurs — Keep Food SafeFollow these steps to keep your FOOD SAFE during — and after — flood conditions.

•Sanitizecansandretortpouchesbyimmersioninoneofthetwofollowingways:— Placeinwaterandallowthewatertocometoa

boilandcontinueboilingfor2minutes,or— Placeinafreshly-madesolutionconsistingof

1tablespoonofunscentedliquidchlorinebleachpergallonofdrinkingwater(orthecleanest,clearestwateravailable)for15minutes.

•Airdrycansorretortpouchesforaminimumof1hourbeforeopeningorstoring.

•Ifthelabelswereremovable,thenre-labelyourcansorretortpouches,includingtheexpirationdate(ifavailable),withamarkingpen.

•Foodinreconditionedcansorretortpouchesshouldbeusedassoonaspossiblethereafter.

•Anyconcentratedbabyformulainreconditioned,all-metalcontainersmustbedilutedwithcleandrinkingwater.

5. Thoroughlywashmetalpans,ceramicdishes,andutensils(includingcanopeners)withsoapandwater,usinghotwaterifavailable.Rinse,andthensanitizethembyboilingincleanwaterorimmersingthemfor15minutesinasolutionof1tablespoonofunscented,liquidchlorinebleachpergallonofdrinkingwater(orthecleanest,clearestwateravailable).

6.Thoroughlywashcountertopswithsoapandwater,usinghotwaterifavailable.Rinse,andthensanitizebyapplyingasolutionof1tablespoonofunscented,liquidchlorinebleachpergallonofdrinkingwater(orthecleanest,clearestwateravailable).Allowtoairdry.

Everyone can practice safe food handling by following these four simple steps: