How To Avoid Foodborne Illness After Power Outage

CHARLOTTE, NC — Tropical Storm Florence continues to unleash its wrath on to North Carolina Friday, leaving many residents without power and adequate shelter and causing at least four fatalities.

As of 7 p.m. Friday, more than 860,000 people in the Carolinas were without power due to the tropical storm, according to PowerOutage.us. The storm has also claimed at least four lives, including a woman and her infant who died after a tree fell on their home in Wilmington.

While most of us are aware of the precautions to take to prevent injuries or possible death stemming from storm-related events, we rarely think of what do to with the food in our fridge in the event of a power outage. The Food and Drug Administration is sharing tips on how you can avoid getting sick by the food in your refrigerator if you lose power.

If your electricity goes out, be sure to keep the refrigerator and freezer doors closed as much as possible to maintain the cold temperature. The FDA notes a fridge will keep food cold for roughly four hours if it's unopened. A full freezer can hold its current temperature for about 48 hours — that number drops to 24 hours if it's half-full — if its door is closed.

You can also buy dry or block ice to keep a refrigerator as cold as possible if it's projected electricity will be out for an extended period of time.

Please note that if you are planning to eat refrigerated or frozen meat, fish or eggs while they are still at a safe temperature, be sure to cook these items to a safe minimal internal temperature to kill any foodborne bacteria. However, the FDA advises you to toss any food that was above 40 degrees Fahrenheit for two or more hours.

Here's how you can determine the safety of your food once power is restored:

• If an appliance thermometer was kept in the freezer, check the temperature when the power comes back on. If the freezer thermometer 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 its safety. 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 or cook.
• Refrigerated food should be safe as long as the power was out for no more than four hours and the refrigerator door was kept shut. Discard any perishable food — meat, poultry, fish, eggs, or leftovers — that has been at temperatures above 40° F for two or more hours (or 1 hour if temperatures are above 90º F).
• Perishable food such as meat, poultry, seafood, milk, and eggs that are not kept adequately refrigerated or frozen may cause illness if consumed, even when they are thoroughly cooked.

Other food safety tips shared by the FDA include:

• Do not eat any food that may have come into contact with flood water.
• Discard any food and beverage that is not in a waterproof container if there is any chance that it has come into contact with flood water.
• Discard any food in damaged cans. Damaged cans are those with swelling, leakage, punctures, holes, fractures, extensive deep rusting, or crushing/denting that is severe enough to prevent normal stacking or opening with a manual, wheel-type can opener.
• Thoroughly wash metal pans, ceramic dishes, and utensils (including can openers) with soap and water, using hot water if available. Rinse and then sanitize them by boiling in clean water or immersing them for 15 minutes in a solution of 1 tablespoon of unscented household (5.25 percent concentration) liquid bleach per gallon of water.
• Thoroughly wash countertops with soap and water, using hot water if available. Rinse and then sanitize by applying a solution of 1 tablespoon of unscented household (5.25 percent concentration) liquid bleach per gallon of water. Allow to air dry.

See also:

Driving Near Flooded Rivers, Roads: Do's And Don'ts

Florence Downgraded To Tropical Storm, Relentless Rain Continues

1,000 Out-Of-State Lineman Arrive In NC To Combat Storm Outages

Hurricane Florence: First Fatalities Reported In N.C

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