Food safety important in hurricanes and flood

Advance preparation is a key to food safety during a hurricane and the floods that can accompany it. Those living in hurricane areas should keep supplies on hand because power will likely be disrupted, putting food in danger.

EMERGENCY SUPPLIES

•Food and water for four to five days

•Hand can opener

•Battery-powered radio

•Extra batteries

•Camp stove or other emergency cooking equipment

•Flashlights, candles, matches, kerosene lamp

•Fire extinguisher and first aid kit

HURRICANE 'WATCH'

If the National Weather Service www.nhc.noaa.gov/aboutnhc.shtml announces a hurricane watch, expect hurricane conditions within 24 hours.

Purchase commercially bottled water if possible and store in a cool, dry, dark place. Each person will need a gallon of drinking water daily for three to four days.

Children, nursing mothers, people who are ill and those living in hot environments may require extra water. Remember to include drinking and clean-up water for your pets.

Store an additional 1/2 gallon per person per day for food preparation and hygiene needs.

Keep an appliance thermometer in the refrigerator and freezer at all times to see if food is being stored at safe temperatures (40 degrees F or lower for the refrigerator; 0 degrees F for the freezer).

Turn your refrigerator and freezer to the coldest setting.

Keep your freezer as full as possible by freezing water in plastic containers and using them to fill any empty spaces not occupied by frozen food.

Group meat and poultry on the bottom shelf of the freezer or on separate trays so their juices will not contaminate each other or other foods if the meat and poultry thaw.

Keep a clean cooler on hand. Keep freeze-pak inserts frozen for use in the cooler.

HOW TO STORE WATER

To prepare the safest and most reliable emergency supply of water, it is recommended that you purchase commercially bottled water.

Keep bottled water sealed in its original container until you need to use it. Observe the expiration or "use-by" date.

To prepare your own containers of water, use only food-grade, water-storage containers from surplus or camping supplies stores, or two-liter plastic soda bottles.

Do not use containers that have had milk or fruit juice in them because the protein and sugars cannot be all removed and provide an environment for bacterial growth.

Thoroughly clean plastic soda bottles with dishwashing soap and water, then rinse completely to remove soap residue.

Sanitize bottles and caps with a solution of 1 teaspoon of non-scented liquid household chlorine bleach to a quart of water. Rinse.

Fill containers to the top with regular chlorinated tap water. If using water that is not chlorinated, add two drops of non-scented liquid household chlorine bleach.

Tightly close the containers using the sanitized original caps. Date and store in a cool, dark place. Replace after six months.

USING DRY ICE

Know in advance where you can buy dry and block ice. Purchase three pounds of dry ice per cubic foot of freezer space. A 50-pound block of dry ice placed in a full 18-cubic foot freezer should keep food safe without electricity for two days. Dry ice registers -216 degrees F, so rubber gloves or tongs must be used when handling it. DO NOT CONSUME DRY ICE. Wrap the ice in brown paper and separate it with a piece of cardboard from direct food contact. Fill a partially empty freezer with crumpled newspaper to cut down on air currents, which cause the dry ice to dissipate. Provide adequate ventilation for carbon dioxide in areas where dry ice is used. Do not cover air vent openings of freezer.

MAKE SURE YOUR WATER IS SAFE

After a major storm, listen to a local radio or television station for announcements from appropriate authorities about the safety of drinking water. You can drink water from the community water system unless you have been told or have reason to suspect it has become contaminated. Consider all water from wells, cisterns and other delivery systems in the disaster area to be unsafe until tested. Do not use water that has a dark color, an odor or that contains floating material.

If the water is contaminated:

•Use your emergency supply of water or purchase bottled water until water is safe.

•Water from melted ice cubes made before the disaster occurred is generally safe.

•Water from undamaged hot water tanks and water pipes is generally safe to drink. Turn off the main water valve before draining water from these sources. Do not use water from toilet flush tanks or bowls, radiators, waterbeds, or swimming pools/spas.

•Bottled juices and the liquid from canned fruits and vegetables are a source of water.

•If you need to find drinking water outside your home, you can use rainwater, streams, rivers and other moving bodies of water, ponds and lakes, and natural springs. If you question its purity, be sure to treat the water first. Use saltwater only if you distill it first. Do NOT drink floodwater.

IF THE POWER IS OUT

As during other types of disasters, electricity to the refrigerator and freezer may be off. The key to determine the safety of foods in the refrigerator and freezer is how cold they are, since most foodborne illness is caused by bacteria that multiply rapidly at temperatures above 40 degrees F.

Leave the Freezer Door Closed

A full freezer should keep food safe about two days; a half-full freezer, about a day. Add bags of ice or dry ice to the freezer if it appears the power will be off for an extended time.

Refrigerated Items: These foods should be safe as long as the power is out no more than about four hours. Discard any perishable food that has been above 40 degrees F for two hours or more and any food that has an unusual odor, color or texture. Leave the door closed; every time you open it, needed cold air escapes causing the foods inside to reach unsafe temperatures.

If it appears the power will be off more than four hours, transfer refrigerated perishable foods to an insulated cooler filled with ice or frozen gel packs. Keep a thermometer in the cooler to be sure the food stays at 40 degrees F or below.

Never Taste Food to Determine Its Safety: Some foods may look and smell fine, but if they 've been at room temperature longer than two hours, bacteria able to cause foodborne illness can begin to multiply very rapidly. Some types will produce toxins, which are not destroyed by cooking and can possibly cause illness. Use the following "Power Out" chart to decide which foods are safe to use or refreeze when power is restored.

Power Out Chart

Discard: The following foods should be discarded if kept over two hours at above 40 degrees F.

Meat, poultry, fish, eggs and egg substitutes -- raw or cooked

Milk, cream, yogurt and soft cheese (blue, Roquefort, Brie Camembert, cottage, cream Edam, Monterey Jack, ricotta, mozzarella, Muenster, Neufchatel), shredded cheese

Casseroles, stews or soups

Lunch meats and hot dogs

Creamy-based salad dressings

Custard, chiffon or cheese pies, cream-filled pastries, Refrigerator and cookie dough

Discard open mayonnaise, tartar sauce and horseradish if above 50 degrees F for more than eight hours.

Save: The following foods should keep at room temperature a few days. Still, discard anything that turns moldy or has an unusual odor.

Butter or margarine

Processedand hard cheese (Cheddar, Colby, Swiss, Parmesan, provolone, Romano)

Fresh fruits and vegetables, fruit juices

Dried fruits and coconut

Vinegar-based salad dressings, jelly, relish, taco sauce, barbecue sauce, mustard, ketchup, olives and peanut butter

Fresh herbs and spices

Fruit pies, bread, rolls and muffins

Cakes, except cream cheese-frosted or cream-filled

Flour and nuts

Refreeze: Thawed foods that still contain ice crystals may be refrozen. Thawed foods that do not contain ice crystals but you are certain have been kept at 40 degrees F or below for no more than 1 to 2 days, may be cooked, then refrozen or canned.

Bob Guinn is Beaufort County Clemson University Cooperative Extension Service home economics and community development senior agent.