Testing It Up

The worst has finally passed, and it is now time to assess whatever damage a hurricane has caused, and get on with life.
Here are food safety tips to remember post-hurricane, to ensure that you and your family are kept healthy and safe, as recommended by the Food and Drug Administration and U.S. Department of Agriculture.

Once local tap water is safe to drink after the storm has passed, you can expect an announcement from the local health department saying that this is so. Until such an announcement has been made, use bottled water exclusively.

If bottled water has run out or if you do not have any on hand, you can opt to boil water, as boiling water may kill most types of disease-causing organisms in the water. If the water is cloudy, it can be filtered through clean clothes, or allow it to settle, before boiling; draw only clear water for boiling. Boil water for one minute, then let it cool down before storing in clean containers with covers.

When it comes to your medications and that of the rest of your family’s, it is prudent to keep them in sealed plastic bags, which are then placed into water-tight containers, in order to keep them safe and dry, even before the storm.

Any medication that gets wet should not be used. In the case of important, life-saving medication that could not be replaced right away, you may choose to examine the container and its contents. If only the container is wet and got contaminated, but the contents are dry, then the medication may be used until replacements could be sourced. Otherwise, discard everything.

In a previous post, we shared tips from the Food and Drug Administration, regarding how to keep food safe when the power goes out during a hurricane. We now share a few more. When the power goes back on, remember to do the following things:

• Check the temperature of the freezer with an appliance thermometer, especially if power has been out for several days. A thermometer reading of 40 degrees Fahrenheit or below indicates that the food in the freezer is safe to re-freeze.

• If there is no thermometer, examine each package of food to determine safety. If the food in the package still contains ice crystals, then the food is still safe. Remember NOT to taste the food to determine safety.

If the food got wet, take note of the following things:

• DO NOT eat food that got wet. Flood water may contain sewer overflow or feces from the ground, which may carry dangerous diseases. This includes foods packed in plastic, paper, cardboard, cloth, and similar containers, as well as food and beverage stored in screw-caps, snap lids, crimped caps, twist caps, flip tops, and home-canned foods.

• Metal pans, ceramic dishes, and utensils that came in contact with flood water should be washed thoroughly in hot, soapy water, and sanitized by boiling in clean water or immersing them in 15 minutes in a solution that consists of 1 tablespoon of unscented, liquid chlorine bleach for each gallon of drinking water.

• Get rid of wooden cutting boards, plastic utensils, baby bottle nipples, and pacifiers.

• Wash and sanitize commercially-prepared foods stored in undamaged all-metal cans, shelf-stable juice, or seafood pouches. Labels that may harbor bacteria should be removed.

Hurricane Irene has made landfall and is making its way through the East Coast, and it seems a good a time as any to share food safety tips provided by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA).

One of the things that may happen during an exceptionally strong and heavy storm is that power goes out. If this does occur, follow the following steps:

• Group all food in the freezer, to help them stay cold longer. It helps if ice has been stored beforehand to help keep food cold later on.

• Help stretch and maintain cold temperature in freezers and refrigerators longer by keeping them closed as much as possible. A closed refrigerator may keep food safely cold for about 4 hours, while an unopened freezer will hold temperature for about 48 hours, or 24 hours if it is half-full.

• After 4 hours without power, get rid of such perishable food as meat, poultry, fish, soft cheeses, milk, eggs, leftovers, and deli items. When it comes to food, people are reminded not to taste food to see whether these are still safe.

• If it is determined that power is going to be out for a long time, get hold of dry or block ice in order to keep your refrigerator and freezer cold for as long as possible.