When in doubt, throw it out. Never taste food to decide whether it is safe, and do not eat any food that may have touched floodwater.
| Where | How long it stays safe with the door closed |
|---|---|
| Refrigerator | About 4 hours |
| Full freezer | About 48 hours |
| Half-full freezer | 24 hours |
Keep it cold, and measure it
Keep an appliance thermometer in the refrigerator and the freezer. The refrigerator should be at 40°F or below and the freezer at 0°F or below. Keep the doors closed as much as possible. Coolers with frozen gel packs help if the power is out for more than 4 hours, and 50 pounds of dry ice should hold an 18-cubic-foot full freezer for about 2 days.
What to throw away after an outage
Refrigerated food is safe if power was out no more than 4 hours. Throw away perishable food, including meat, poultry, fish, eggs and leftovers, that has been above 40°F for 2 hours or more. Frozen food that still has ice crystals, or is at 40°F or below, can be refrozen. Partly thawed raw beef, veal, lamb, pork, ground meat and poultry can be refrozen if they still have ice crystals, and must be thrown away if they were above 40°F for more than 2 hours. Fish and shellfish can be refrozen with some loss of quality. Throw away ice cream and frozen yogurt, and anything that touched raw meat juices.
Food that touched floodwater
Do not eat any food that may have touched floodwater. Throw away food that is not in a waterproof container, meaning screw caps, snap lids, pull tops or crimped caps. Throw away cardboard juice, milk and formula boxes and home-canned foods that touched floodwater. Throw away cans that are swollen, leaking, punctured, cracked, deeply rusted or badly dented.
Salvaging sealed metal cans
All-metal cans and retort pouches can be saved. Remove removable labels, wash the can with soap and water, hot if available, and rinse with safe water. Then sanitize it by boiling it in water for 2 minutes after the water reaches a boil, or by soaking it for 15 minutes in 1 tablespoon of unscented liquid chlorine bleach per gallon of drinking water. Air-dry for at least 1 hour before opening or storing.
Safe drinking water
Use bottled water that was not exposed to floodwater when you can, and follow advice from local officials. To treat water, the CDC says to filter cloudy water through a clean cloth or let it settle, then bring the clear water to a rolling boil for 1 minute (3 minutes above 6,500 feet), let it cool and store it in clean covered containers. If you cannot boil it, the CDC says to follow the label on your bleach. For bleach that is 5% to 9% sodium hypochlorite, add 8 drops (a little less than 1/8 teaspoon) per gallon, double that if the water is cloudy, and let it stand at least 30 minutes. Water containing fuel or toxic chemicals cannot be made safe by boiling or disinfecting.
Food that looks and smells normal can still be unsafe. Never taste food to decide.
Check your own location
See current official alerts and the impact for your ZIP code.
Sources
- USDA FSIS: Keeping Food Safe During an Emergency
- CDC: Returning Home After a Natural Disaster
- CDC: Keep Food Safe After a Disaster or Emergency
- CDC: How to Make Water Safe in an Emergency
Reviewed by the Storm Incoming editorial team on October 24, 2026. Follow local emergency officials if their instructions differ.