After the Event

NEVER USE CHARCOAL INSIDE YOUR HOUSE OR GARAGE!
The smoke and fumes are deadly.

After the storm, check the listing of Generator Ready Businesses posted to this Web site for grocery stores, home improvement stores and other locations that are most likely to be open quickly after a storm to sell food, ice, water and other essential items.

Power outages can take from a few hours to days to be restored to residential areas. Without power or a cold source, food stored in refrigerators and freezers can become unsafe. Bacteria in food grows rapidly at temperatures between 40 and 140 degrees Fahrenheit, and if consumed, could make someone sick.

Do:

• Keep food in covered containers.
• Keep cooking and eating utensils clean.
• Keep garbage in closed containers and dispose outside.
• Keep hands clean by washing them frequently with soap and water that has been boiled or disinfected.
• Discard food that has come in contact with contaminated floodwater.
• Discard food that has been at room temperature for two hours or more.
• Use ready-to-feed formula, if possible, for formula-fed infants. If ready-to-feed formula is not possible, use bottled water to prepare powdered or concentrated formula. If bottled water is not available, use previously boiled water. Breastfed infants should continue breastfeeding.

Thawed food usually can be eaten if it is still “refrigerator cold.” It can be re-frozen if it still contains ice crystals. To be safe, remember, “When in doubt, throw it out.”

Updated April 2013