Recovering from a Disaster - Picking Up the Pieces home

Food and Water Safety

Prepare food without power:

• When fuel is limited, choose food that cooks quickly or no-cook food. Many canned foods can be eaten cold.
• Prepare only the food you need for one meal and discard or share perishable leftovers.
• Grill food outdoors or wrap it in foil and cook it in a fireplace. Never use charcoal for indoor fires, however, as the carbon monoxide is dangerous.
• A propane or butane camp stove may be used to cook food, but use only outside the house. Propane and butane fires are difficult to extinguish and a fire could get quickly out of hand.
• Fondue pots or chafing dishes can be used inside as long as the fuel is approved for indoor use.

Keep food cold during power outages:

• Food will stay chilled in a refrigerator without power for about 4 hours. To maintain temperature, keep door closed as much as possible.
• To keep refrigerator temperatures cool longer, place bags of regular ice on the upper shelves and put pans on the lower shelves to catch melting ice. The more ice you use, the longer the temperature will stay cool.
• A full freezer will keep food frozen for about 48 hours (24 hours if it is half full) and the door is kept closed.
• Food can be safely refrozen if it still has ice crystals or is at 40°F or below when checked with a food thermometer.

Check food when the power comes back on:

Once your freezer and refrigerator are working, evaluate the safety of the affected food. For frozen food, consider the type of food and the extent of thawing. For refrigerated food, consider the temperature inside the refrigerator before the return of power, the type of food, and the length of time the foods have been stored above 40°F. Never taste food to determine its safety!

When in Doubt, Throw it Out!

Discard these foods if the temperature is above 40°F for more than two hours:

• Milk, cream, yogurt, soft cheeses
• Lunch meats/hot dogs
• Casseroles, stews or soups
• Raw or cooked meat, poultry, fish, seafood
• Eggs, fresh or hardboiled
• Cooked pasta, pasta salads
• Mayonnaise

Follow these guidelines for other foods:

• Fruit juices – Usually will be safe unrefrigerated until power returns, but discard if cloudy, moldy, or fermented.
• Fresh fruits and vegetables – Usually safe unrefrigerated until power returns, but discard if mold, yeasty odor, or slimy texture develops.
• Hard cheeses, butter, margarine – Usually safe unrefrigerated if well-wrapped, but discard if mold or rancid odor develops.
• Opened containers of jelly, jam, mustard, ketchup, pickles and olives – Safe unrefrigerated until power returns.

Food Safety Hotlines:

• USDA's Meat and Poultry Hotline
  1-888-MPHotline (888-674-6854)
  1-800-256-7072 (TDD/TTY)
  E-mail: mphotline.fsis@usda.gov
• FDA's Food Safety Information and Seafood Hotline
  1-800-FDA-4010 or 1-888-SAFEFOOD (1/888-723-3366).
• MN Foodborne Illness Hotline
  1-877-366-3455 (1-877-FoodIll)

Make certain water is safe:

• City water users are notified if their water supply is contaminated.
• If you have a private well and if floodwater came with 50 feet of the well or it was under water assume your water supply is unsafe. Contact your local health department for detailed instruction on disinfecting and testing your well.

How to purify water for immediate use:

• Use bottled water or purify all water before drinking, preparing food, brushing teeth, or washing dishes, unless you are absolutely certain your water supply has not been contaminated.
• If water contains sediment or floating material, strain it through a cloth before purifying it.
• If you have access to heat or power, boil water at a hard boil for 1 minute. Cool. Store in clean containers with covers.
• If there is no access to heat or power, treat with chemicals (chlorine or water purification tablets).
• Bleach – Regular, unscented, liquid household bleach containing 5.25 % sodium hypochlorite – add 1/8 teaspoon (or 8 drops) for each gallon of water. Stir well and let stand for 30 minutes before use. Store disinfected water in clean containers with cover.
• Water purification tablets may be used to purify water. Purchase at drug stores, or camping and sporting goods stores. Carefully follow the manufacturer's instructions. Purification tablets are for emergency use only, not everyday use.


If water contains sediment or floating material, strain it through a cloth before purifying it.

Food Safety section reviewed by Suzanne Driessen, Extension, and Sue Hibberd, Minnesota Department of Health, 2008.