Fact Sheet: Keep Food and Water Safe After a Disaster or Power Outage

HIGHLIGHTS

Throw out food that may have been in contact with flood water or storm water or has thawed.
For babies using formula from powder, use bottled water, boiled water, or water that has been treated.
If the water is not safe, follow local instructions to use bottled water or to boil or disinfect water.

Food

Food may not be safe to eat during and after an emergency. Safe water for drinking, cooking, and personal hygiene includes bottled, boiled, or treated water. Your state, local, or tribal health department can make specific recommendations for boiling or treating water in your area.

Identify and throw away food that may not be safe to eat.

Throw away food that may have come in contact with flood or storm water.
Throw away food that has an unusual odor, color, or texture.
Throw away perishable foods (including meat, poultry, fish, eggs and leftovers) that have been above 40 degrees Fahrenheit (F) for 2 hours or more.
Thawed food that contains ice crystals or is 40 degrees F or below can be refrozen or cooked.
Throw away canned foods that are bulging, opened, or damaged.
Food containers with screw-caps, snap-lids, crimped caps (soda pop bottles), twist caps, flip tops, snap-open, and home canned foods should be discarded if they have come into contact with floodwater because they cannot be disinfected.
If cans have come in contact with floodwater or storm water, remove the labels, wash the cans, and dip them in a solution of 1 cup of bleach in 5 gallons of water. Relabel the cans with a marker. Include the expiration date.
Do not use contaminated water to wash dishes, brush your teeth, wash and prepare food, wash your hands, make ice, or make baby formula.

Store food safely.

While the power is out, keep the refrigerator and freezer doors closed as much as possible.
Add block ice or dry ice to your refrigerator if the electricity is expected to be off longer than 4 hours. Wear heavy gloves when handling ice.

Feeding Infants and Young Children

Breastfed infants should continue breastfeeding. For formula-fed infants, use ready-to-feed formula if possible. If using ready-to-feed formula is not possible, it is best to use bottled water to prepare powdered or concentrated formula. If bottled water is not available, use boiled water. Use treated water to prepare formula only if you do not have bottled or boiled water.

If you prepare formula with boiled water, let the formula cool sufficiently before giving it to an infant.

Clean feeding bottles and nipples with bottled, boiled, or treated water before each use.

Wash your hands before preparing formula and before feeding an infant. You can use alcohol-based hand sanitizer for washing your hands if the water supply is limited

Clean and sanitize food-contact surfaces.

CDC recommends discarding wooden cutting boards, baby bottle nipples, and pacifiers . These items cannot be properly sanitized if they have come into contact with contaminated flood waters. Clean and sanitize food-contact surfaces in a four-step process:

Wash with soap and warm, clean water.
Rinse with clean water.
Sanitize by immersing for 1 minute in a solution of 1 teaspoon of chlorine bleach (5.25%, unscented) per gallon of clean water.
Allow to air dry.

Related Resources

USDA Meat and Poultry Hotline: 1-888-MPHotline.
Available for consumers questions and concerns about food safety.
USDA Alert: Keeping Food Safe During Flooding and Power Outages
USDA Food Safety Information related to Hurricane Katrina
Hand Hygiene After a Disaster
When to wash your hands & how to do it without running water…
Sanitation and Hygiene
Basic hygiene during the emergency period…
Keeping Food Safe in an Emergency, U.S. Department of Agriculture
General fact sheet and FAQs on food and water safety including guidance on when to discard perishable foods…
www.foodsafety.gov - Consumer Advice: Disaster Assistance with Food
Provides resources on food safety related to fires, floods, hurricanes, power outages…
Food Safety Office, CDC
Comprehensive food safety information…
Food Safety Information for Hurricane Aftermath, FDA
Tips to help people protect their health & food supply…
Being Prepared, American Red Cross
Comprehensive site on preparing for emergencies including power outages…

Water

Water may not be safe to drink, clean with, or bathe in after an emergency such as a hurricane or flood. During and after a disaster, water can become contaminated with microorganisms, such as bacteria, sewage, agricultural or industrial waste, chemicals, and other substances that can cause illness or death. This fact sheet offers the following guidance to help you make sure water is safe to use:

Listen to and follow public announcements. Local authorities will tell you if tap water is safe to drink or to use for cooking or bathing. If the water is not safe to use, follow local instructions to use bottled water or to boil or disinfect water for cooking, cleaning, or bathing.
Use only bottled, boiled, or treated water for drinking (however, see guidance in the Food section for infants), cooking or preparing food, washing dishes, cleaning, brushing your teeth, washing your hands, making ice, and bathing until your water supply is tested and found safe. If your water supply is limited, you can use alcohol-based hand sanitizer for washing your hands.
If you use bottled water, be sure it came from a safe source. If you do not know that the water came from a safe source, you should boil or treat it before you use it.
Boiling water, when practical, is the preferred way to kill harmful bacteria and parasites. Bringing water to a rolling boil for 1 minute will kill most organisms. Boiling will not remove chemical contaminants. If you suspect or are informed that water is contaminated with chemicals, seek another source of water, such as bottled water.
If you can't boil water, you can treat water with chlorine tablets, iodine tablets, or unscented household chlorine bleach (5.25% sodium hypochlorite). If you use chlorine tablets or iodine tablets, follow the directions that come with the tablets. If you use household chlorine bleach, add 1/8 teaspoon (~0.75 milliliter [mL]) of bleach per gallon of water if the water is clear. For cloudy water, add 1/4 teaspoon (~1.50 mL) of bleach per gallon. Mix the solution thoroughly and let it stand for about 30 minutes before using it. Treating water with chlorine tablets, iodine tablets, or liquid bleach will not kill many parasitic organisms. Boiling is the best way to kill these organisms.
Do not rely on water disinfection methods or devices that have not been recommended or approved by local health authorities. Contact your local health department for advice about water treatment products that are being advertised.
Use water storage tanks and other types of containers with caution. For example, fire truck storage tanks and previously used cans or bottles may be contaminated with microbes or chemicals. Water containers should be thoroughly cleaned, then rinsed with a bleach solution before use.

Mix soap and clean water in container. Shake or stir to clean inside of container, then rinse.
For gallon- or liter-sized containers, add approximately 1 teaspoon (4.9 mL) household bleach (5.25%) with 1 cup (240 mL) water to make a bleach solution.
Cover the container and shake the bleach solution thoroughly, allowing it to contact all inside surfaces. Cover and let stand for 30 minutes, then rinse with clean water.

Flooded, private water wells will need to be tested and disinfected after flood waters recede. If you suspect that your well may be contaminated, contact your local, state, or tribal health department or agriculture extension agent for specific advice. See Disinfecting Wells After an Emergency for general instructions.
Practice basic hygiene. Wash your hands with soap and bottled water or warm water that has been boiled or disinfected. Wash your hands before preparing food or eating, after toilet use, after participating in clean-up activities, and after handling articles contaminated with floodwater or sewage. Use an alcohol-based hand sanitizer to wash your hands if you have a limited supply of clean water.