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Food Safety News published hurricane recovery guidance on Oct. 9, 2026, warning that prolonged power outages and floodwater can make food and kitchen items unsafe. Its advice includes discarding refrigerated and frozen food after several days without power, avoiding food or drinks that may have contacted floodwater, and cleaning or discarding affected utensils according to material.
Food Safety News published hurricane recovery advice on Oct. 9, warning that floodwater and prolonged power outages can make food and kitchen items unsafe. The guidance tells residents not to taste food to check its safety, to discard refrigerated and frozen food if power has been out for several days, and to avoid food or beverages that may have contacted floodwater.
The report advises people to discard all food in refrigerators and freezers when power has been out for several days, and directs readers to consult food-safety guidance for specific decisions after an outage. It says food should never be tasted to determine whether it is safe. The report does not provide a specific outage-hour threshold in the supplied guidance.
For drinking water and other beverages, the advice is to use bottled water or drinks that have not contacted floodwater. Bottles with screw caps are not waterproof, the report says, so beverages that may have been exposed to floodwater should be discarded. If bottled water is unavailable, it refers readers to instructions for safely boiling or disinfecting water.
Food that may have touched floodwater should be discarded if it is not in a waterproof container. The report says screw-cap, snap-lid, pull-top and crimped-cap packaging does not qualify as waterproof. It identifies undamaged, commercially prepared foods in all-metal cans and retort pouches as items that may be saved by following the U.S. Department of Agriculture Food Safety and Inspection Service’s severe-storm guidance.
Keeping Floodwater Out of Meals
Hurricane recovery can leave households managing spoiled food, unsafe water and damaged kitchen equipment at the same time. Following the advice helps people avoid relying on smell or taste to judge food and reduces the chance of using items that may have been contaminated by floodwater. The guidance also distinguishes between packaging that may be salvaged and containers that cannot reliably keep floodwater out.
Kitchen items need separate attention. Food Safety News says metal pans, utensils and ceramic dishes that contacted floodwater should be washed thoroughly with hot, soapy water, rinsed and then sanitized. Its specified options are boiling in clean water or immersing the items for 15 minutes in a solution of one tablespoon of unscented liquid chlorine bleach per gallon of drinking water. Wooden cutting boards, plastic utensils, baby bottle nipples and pacifiers that may have contacted floodwater should be discarded.
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Outages and Flooding After Hurricanes
The report frames its recommendations around two common recovery hazards: loss of electricity and contact with floodwater. They affect food in different ways. An outage puts refrigerated and frozen foods at risk, while floodwater can contaminate food, drinks and kitchen items even when their packaging or surfaces appear intact.
The guidance points readers to the USDA Food Safety and Inspection Service’s Consumer’s Guide to Food Safety: Severe Storms and Hurricanes for details on saving eligible canned and pouch products. It also lists USDA’s Meat and Poultry Hotline, Ask USDA live chat and email as ways to seek food-safety help. The hotline number given in the report is 1-888-674-6854; its listed hours are Monday through Friday, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Eastern time, in English or Spanish.
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Case-Specific Safety Decisions
The published guidance does not identify a particular hurricane, affected region or number of households. It also does not give a detailed temperature history or a food-by-food outage chart in the supplied text. Whether a specific item is safe can depend on how long power was out and whether food or packaging contacted floodwater, so residents may need to consult the referenced USDA guidance or contact the hotline.
The report says bottled water is preferable when it has not contacted floodwater and refers readers to safe boiling or disinfection instructions if bottled water is unavailable. It does not reproduce those treatment steps in the supplied material. Local officials may also issue area-specific water advisories; the report does not describe any particular advisory.
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Use USDA Guidance During Cleanup
Residents assessing food after a storm can use the USDA severe-storm guide for decisions about eligible commercially prepared canned and pouch products, and seek advice through Ask USDA or the hotline. Cleanup should include separating items that must be discarded from dishes and metal equipment that can be washed and sanitized using the stated method.
For households without safe bottled water, the next step is to consult reliable instructions on boiling or disinfecting water and follow any local public-health notices. Food Safety News’ report provides general recovery advice; it does not report a new regulation, recall or specific local emergency order.
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Key Questions
Should I keep food from a refrigerator after several days without power?
Food Safety News advises throwing away food in the refrigerator and freezer if power has been out for several days. Do not taste food to decide whether it is safe. Consult the referenced USDA severe-storm guidance for more specific decisions.
Can I drink bottled water that may have been in floodwater?
The report says to discard bottled water or other beverages that may have contacted floodwater. Screw caps are not waterproof. If bottled water is unavailable, consult instructions on safely boiling or disinfecting water.
Which food containers may be saved after flooding?
According to the report, undamaged commercially prepared foods in all-metal cans and retort pouches may be saved by following the USDA Food Safety and Inspection Service’s guidance. Food in packaging that is not waterproof should be discarded if it may have contacted floodwater.
How should dishes and utensils exposed to floodwater be handled?
Wash metal pans, utensils and ceramic dishes thoroughly with hot, soapy water, rinse them, then sanitize by boiling in clean water or immersing them for 15 minutes in a solution of one tablespoon of unscented liquid chlorine bleach per gallon of drinking water. Discard wooden cutting boards, plastic utensils, baby bottle nipples and pacifiers that may have contacted floodwater.
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