Did you know that a flood, fire, national disaster,
or the loss of power from high winds, snow, or ice
could jeopardize the safety of your food? Knowing
how to determine if food is safe and how to keep
food safe will help minimize the potential loss of
food and reduce the risk of foodborne illness. This
fact sheet will help you make the right decisions
for keeping your family safe during an emergency.
ABCD’s of Keeping Food Safe
in an Emergency
Always keep meat, poultry, fish, and eggs
refrigerated at or below 40 ºF and frozen food at or
below 0 ºF. This may be difficult when the power is
out.
Keep the refrigerator and freezer doors closed as
much as possible to maintain the cold temperature.
The refrigerator will keep food safely cold for
about 4 hours if it is unopened. A full freezer will
hold the temperature for approximately 48 hours (24
hours if it is half full) if the door remains
closed. Obtain dry or block ice to keep your
refrigerator as cold as possible if the power is
going to be out for a prolonged period of time.
Fifty pounds of dry ice should hold an 18-cubic foot
full freezer for 2 days. Plan ahead and know where
dry ice and block ice can be purchased.
Be prepared for an emergency by having items on hand
that don’t require refrigeration and can be eaten
cold or heated on the outdoor grill. Shelf-stable
food, boxed or canned milk, water, and canned goods
should be part of a planned emergency food supply.
Make sure you have ready-to-use baby formula for
infants and pet food. Remember to use these items
and replace them from time to time. Be sure to keep
a hand-held can opener for an emergency.
Consider what you can do ahead of time to store your
food safely in an emergency. If you live in a
location that could be affected by a flood, plan
your food storage on shelves that will be safely out
of the way of contaminated water. Coolers are a
great help for keeping food cold if the power will
be out for more than 4 hours—have a couple on hand
along with frozen gel packs. When your freezer is
not full, keep items close together—this helps the
food stay cold longer.
Digital, dial, or instant-read food thermometers and
appliance thermometers will help you know if the
food is at safe temperatures. Keep appliance
thermometers in the refrigerator and freezer at all
times. When the power is out, an appliance
thermometer will always indicate the temperature in
the refrigerator and freezer no matter how long the
power has been out. The refrigerator temperature
should be 40 ºF or below; the freezer, 0 ºF or
lower. If you’re not sure a particular food is cold
enough, take its temperature with a food
thermometer.
Q. Flood waters covered our food stored on shelves
and in cabinets. What can I keep and what should I
throw out? How should I clean my dishes and pots and
pans? A. Discard all food that came in contact with flood
waters including canned goods. It is impossible to
know if containers were damaged and the seal
compromised. Discard wooden cutting boards, plastic
utensils, baby bottle nipples, and pacifiers. There
is no way to safely clean them if they have come in
contact with contaminated flood waters. Thoroughly
wash metal pans, ceramic dishes, and utensils with
hot soapy water and sanitize by boiling them in
clean water or by immersing them for 15 minutes in a
solution of 1 teaspoon of chlorine bleach per quart
of water.
Q. My home was flooded and I am worried about the
safety of the drinking water. What should I do? A. Drink only approved or chlorinated water.
Consider all water from wells, cisterns, and other
delivery systems in the disaster area unsafe until
tested. Purchase bottled water, if necessary, until
you are certain that your water supply is safe. Keep
a 3-day supply of water or a minimum of 3 gallons of
water per person.
Q. We had a fire in our home and I am worried about
what food I can keep and what to throw away. A. Discard food that has been near a fire. Food
exposed to fire can be damaged by the heat of the
fire, smoke fumes, and chemicals used to fight the
fire . Food in cans or jars may appear to be okay,
but the heat from a fire can activate food spoilage
bacteria. If the heat is extreme, the cans or jars
themselves can split or rupture, rendering the food
unsafe.
One of the most dangerous elements of a fire is
sometimes not the fire itself, but toxic fumes
released from burning materials. Discard any raw
food or food in permeable packaging—cardboard,
plastic wrap, screw-topped jars, bottles,
etc.—stored outside the refrigerator. Food stored in
refrigerators or freezers can also become
contaminated by fumes. The refrigerator seal isn't
airtight and fumes can get inside. Chemicals used to
fight the fire contain toxic materials and can
contaminate food and cookware. Food that is exposed
to chemicals should be thrown away—the chemicals
cannot be washed off the food. This includes food
stored at room temperature, such as fruits and
vegetables, as well as food stored in permeable
containers like cardboard and screw-topped jars and
bottles. Cookware exposed to fire-fighting chemicals
can be decontaminated by washing in soap and hot
water. Then submerge for 15 minutes in a solution of
1 teaspoon chlorine bleach per quart of water.
Q. A snowstorm knocked down the power lines, can I
put the food from the refrigerator and freezer out
in the snow? A. No, frozen food can thaw if it is exposed to the
sun's rays even when the temperature is very cold.
Refrigerated food may become too warm and foodborne
bacteria could grow. The outside temperature could
vary hour by hour and the temperature outside will
not protect refrigerated and frozen food.
Additionally, perishable items could be exposed to
unsanitary conditions or to animals. Animals may
harbor bacteria or disease; never consume food that
has come in contact with an animal. Rather than
putting the food outside, consider taking advantage
of the cold temperatures by making ice. Fill
buckets, empty milk cartons or cans with water and
leave them outside to freeze. Then put the homemade
ice in your refrigerator, freezer, or coolers.
Q. Some of my food in the freezer started to thaw or
had thawed when the power came back on. Is the food
safe? How long will the food in the refrigerator be
safe with the power off? A. Never taste food to determine its safety! You
will have to evaluate each item separately. If an
appliance thermometer was kept in the freezer, read
the temperature when the power comes back on. If the
appliance thermometer stored in the freezer reads 40
°F or below, the food is safe and may be refrozen.
If a thermometer has not been kept in the freezer,
check each package of food to determine the safety.
Remember you can’t rely on appearance or odor. If
the food still contains ice crystals or is 40 °F or
below, it is safe to refreeze . Refrigerated food
should be safe as long as power is out no more than
4 hours. Keep the door closed as much as possible.
Discard any perishable food (such as meat, poultry,
fish, eggs, and leftovers) that have been above 40
°F for 2 hours.
Q. May I refreeze the food in the freezer if it
thawed or partially thawed? A. Yes, the food may be safely refrozen if the food
still contains ice crystals or is at 40 °F or below.
You will have to evaluate each item separately. Be
sure to discard any items in either the freezer or
the refrigerator that have come into contact with
raw meat juices. Partial thawing and refreezing may
reduce the quality of some food, but the food will
remain safe to eat. See the attached charts for
specific recommendations.
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covered in this article include; power outages,
power generators, batteries, flashlights, battery
radios, refrigerators, freezers, power outages, food
power failures, safety in power failures, batteries, flashlights,
power generators, honda generators