Food and water may not be safe drink during and after natural or weather emergency. If an emergency or disaster strikes your community, you might not have access to food, water, and electricity for days or even weeks.
Make a plan with the necessary food, water, and items to get you through the various types of emergencies for your locale. Disasters don’t plan ahead. But you can.
Before: Make An Emergency Kit
A disaster (emergency) supplies kit is simply a collection of basic items your household may need in the event of an emergency. Have different kits ready for your home (shelter-in-place), for anywhere – so you can “grab-and-go” (mobile), and for your vehicle (in case you are stranded).
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Try to assemble your kit well in advance of an emergency. You may have to evacuate at a moment’s notice and will not have time to search for the supplies you need. Prepare and use an Emergency Supplies Checklist (see below).
Emergency Supplies Checklist
Here’s a free printable emergency supplies checklist, with a items necessary for your emergency preparedness kit.
- PDF Format (2 pages: View & Print )
During Disaster or Emergency
If you are in a disaster or weather emergency, it’s important that you take steps to prevent illness from unsafe food and water:
Food
Loss of Power: If you lose power, a refrigerator will keep food cool for 4-6 hours if you keep it closed. Food will stay frozen for one day in a freezer that is half-full and kept closed; or up to 2 days if it is full.
Flooding: Do not eat any food directly exposed to flood water. Do not eat food from non-waterproof containers or damaged cans.
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Emergency Survival Food
If purchasing commercial survival food is an option for you – there are two types of long-term stored foods: dehydrated foods and freeze-dried foods. Freeze-dried items typically have a longer shelf life than dehydrated and often a better flavor. Dehydrated has its place, though, and often have a better texture.
Look for foods that are stored in mylar bags, which protects better against oxygen and has a much longer shelf life than the old #10 cans used to store food. Ranging from 2-Day to 14-Day supplies, emergency food kits and buckets will get you through any situation.
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Water Dangers & Emergency Water Supplies
During and following natural disasters or weather emergencies, drinking water in affected areas may become contaminated and can cause outbreaks of disease. All water sources should be considered unsafe until they are tested and the proper authorities tell you it is okay to drink.
When water wells and municipal water treatment plants are flooded, the safest water is bottled water. Buy commercially bottled water before an emergency and store it in the sealed original container in cool, dark place.
Do not use water you suspect or have been told is contaminated to wash dishes, brush your teeth, wash and prepare food, wash your hands, make ice, or make baby formula.
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Additional Resources:
- Red Cross: Tools and Resources
(including Food Safety Checklist in many languages) - Red Cross: Food Safety
- CDC: Food, Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene Information for Use Before and After a Disaster or Emergency
- CDC: Keep Food and Water Safe after a Natural Disaster or Emergency
USDA: Keeping Food Safe During an Emergency
FDA: Hurricanes and Floods -Key Tips for Consumers About Food and Water Safety - FDA: Food Safety for Consumers Returning Home After a Hurricane and/or Flooding
- FDA: Restaurants and Grocers Reopening After Hurricanes and Flooding
- FDA Hurricane Preparedness Checklist
- Hurricanes: Health and Safety
- Food and Water Safety During Hurricanes, Power Outages, and Floods – What Consumers Need to Know
- Food Safety for Consumers Returning Home After a Hurricane and/or Flooding
- Power Outages – Key Tips for Consumers About Food Safety
- Hurricanes and Floods – Key Tips for Consumers About Food and Water Safety
- National Hurricane Center (NOAA)
- In an Emergency (FoodSafety.gov)
