WATER
TREATMENT
EMERGENCY FOOD HANDLING
WHAT IS NEEDED...
WHAT TO DO...
SPECIAL CONSIDERATIONS FOR FLOODING
WATER TREATMENT
1.
Filter the water using a piece of cloth or coffee filter to
remove solid particles.
2. Bring it to a rolling boil for about one full minute.
3. Let it cool at least 30 minutes. Water must be cool or the
chlorine treatment described below will be useless.
4. Add 16 drop of liquid chlorine bleach per gallon of water,
or 8 drops per 2-liter bottle of water. Stir to mix. Sodium
hypochlorite of the concentration of 5.25% to 6% should be the
only active ingredient in the bleach. There should not be any
added soap or fragrances. A major bleach manufacturer has also
added Sodium Hydroxide as an active ingredient, which they state
does not pose a health risk for water treatment.
5. Let stand 30 minutes.
6. If it smells of chlorine. You can use it. If it does not
smell of chlorine, add 16 more drop of chlorine bleach per gallon
of water (or 8 drops per 2-liter bottle of water), let stand
30 minutes, and smell it again. If it smells of chlorine, you
can use it. If it does not smell of chlorine, discard it and
find another source of water.
If
local public health department information differs from this
advice, the local information should prevail.
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Emergency
Food Handling
One thing that usually comes with
disasters is power outages. Sudden power outages can be frustrating
and troublesome, especially when they are prolonged. Perishable
foods should not be held above 40 degrees for more than 2 hours.
If a power outage is 2 hours or less, you need not be concerned,
but how do you save your food when the refrigerator is out for
longer times? Being prepared can help. By planning ahead, you
can save your perishables.
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What
is needed:
-One
or more coolers. Inexpensive styrofoam coolers can do an excellent
job as well.
-Shelf-stable foods, such as canned
goods and powdered or boxed milk. These can be
eaten cold or heated on the
grill.
-A digital quick-response thermometer.
A digital thermometer should be a necessity in your kitchen
anyway. With these thermometers you can quickly check
the internal temperatures of
food for doneness and safety.
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What to do...
-Do
not open the refrigerator or freezer. An unopened refrigerator
will keep foods cold enough for a couple of hours
at least. A freezer that is half full will hold for up
to 24 hours and a full freezer for 48 hours.
-If it looks like the power outage
will be for more than 2-4 hours, pack refrigerated milk, dairy
products, meats, fish, poultry, eggs, gravy, stuffing
and left-overs into your cooler surrounded by ice.
-If it looks like the power outage
will be prolonged, prepare a cooler with ice for your freezer
items.
-As soon as the power returns, check
temperatures. If the food in the freezer has ice crystals
and is not above 40 degrees you can refreeze. Perishable
foods in the refrigerator should not be above 40 degrees F for
more than two hours. Use this chart to see what
has to be discarded and what can be kept.
-Before
you go to bed, pack your perishables into your coolers if
you haven't already done so and put in as much
ice as you can. Also, when you go to bed, leave a bedroom
light switched on. When the power goes back on, it will wake
you, so you can check the condition of your foods in
the freezer.
-If the power goes out while you are
out of the house, and it has been more than a few hours
before you get home, try to determine how long the power has
been out. Check the internal temperature of the food in your
refrigerator with your quick-response thermometer. A
liquid such as milk or juice is easy to check. Spot check
other items like steaks or left-overs also. If the internal temperature
is above 40 degrees, it is best to throw it out.
-If the power goes out and comes back
on while you am out. If your freezer is fairly full and
you know it was not longer than 24 hours, the food should
be OK. There will be loss of quality with refreezing,
but the food will be safe. If the refrigerator was
out for more than 2-4 hours, you are best to discard the perishables.
-Once-frozen foods which have thawed
completely and warmed to temperatures above 40 F should
be cooked or eaten immediately or discarded. After cooking,
items can be refrozen.
-Partially
thawed frozen foods with ice crystals may be safely refrozen.
-Breads can
be refrozen as well as fruits and vegetables that are still
at or below 40 degrees.
-Discard all
stuffed poultry.
-Do not refreeze
frozen dinners that have thawed.
-Discard any
meat that has a questionable odor or has reached 40 F for
two hours.
-Foods in a freezer
without power may stay frozen from one to three days, depending
on these conditions:
-The door must remain closed.
-The freezer must be mostly full.
-The
temperature outside must be moderate.
-The freezer must be large and well-insulated.
Dry ice can be placed in a
freezer on boards or heavy paper on top of packages to keep
temperatures below freezing. Allow 2.5 to three pounds of
dry ice per cubic foot of space. More will be needed in an
upright freezer, because dry ice should be placed on each
shelf. Dry ice can cause burns, don't handle dry ice with
bare hands.
-Save
liquids from canned vegetables to substitute for water in
cooked dishes.
-Juices from canned fruits can
be used as salad dressing or as a beverage.
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Flooding
Flooding poses another problem to food. Flood water is often
contaminated with various unknown wastes and chemicals. Because
its contents are unknown, all flood water is considered contaminated.
Please take the following actions should your food supplies
be exposed to flood waters.
Destroy the following foods
if they have been covered by flood waters: fresh
fruits and vegetables; foods in cardboard or paper cartons;
foods in bags, such as rice and flour; foods, liquids or beverages
in crown-capped bottles or containers with pull-tops, corks
or screw caps. This includes canned foods in glass jars, whether
you bought them or canned them yourself.
Destroy
all foods that were covered by water which may have been contaminated
with industrial waste. This includes those foods sealed in
unopened cans.
Foods
in sealed cans not fouled by industrial waste may be safe
to eat if the cans don't have bulges or leaks, but you must
first disinfect the cans before you open them.
To disinfect cans, remove labels and wash the containers with
soap or detergent. Rinse in a chlorine bleach solution
using two tablespoons of household laundry bleach to each
gallon of water. Rinse containers in clean water, dry and
relabel them. The cans can also be sterilized by covering
with water and boiling for at least 10 minutes.
Get you water from a well, cistern, pond, or hauled
storage, DO NOT DRINK, BATHE, OR USE THE WATER UNTIL THE SYSTEM
HAS BEEN PROPERLY DECONTAMINATED AND FLUSHED TO AVOID HARMFUL
BACTERIA. It is highly recommended that you have your
water tested after decontamination to be sure all harmful
bacteria has been killed. For more information on well
decontamination please view
the Post Flood Recovery and Safety Tips page,
and click on "Well Disinfection." For more information
on getting your well tested for bacteria, please contact your
local health department.
Until your well can be decontaminated and tested, use
bottled water or boil water
(see above procedure).
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These are interventions to put
into action after a disaster happens to protect food and water.
Please visit "Disaster Planning" or select the appropriate
link on the left to learn how to prepare food and water supplies
in case of disaster.
Information
obtained from
The American Red Cross.
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