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Food Safety News published hurricane recovery guidance on Oct. 9, 2026, warning that flooding and extended power outages can make food and kitchen items unsafe. The advice includes discarding refrigerated and frozen food after several days without power, avoiding food or drinks exposed to floodwater, and cleaning or discarding affected utensils.
Food Safety News published hurricane recovery guidance on Oct. 9, advising people to discard food that may have contacted floodwater and to throw away refrigerated and frozen food when power has been out for several days. The recommendations address risks to food, drinking water and kitchen items after flooding and prolonged outages.
The report says never taste food to judge whether it is safe. If a refrigerator and freezer have been without power for several days, it advises discarding their contents. The source refers readers to a food safety chart for decisions after a prolonged outage, but the supplied report does not include the chart or specific time and temperature thresholds.
For water and drinks, the guidance says to use bottled water or other beverages that have not contacted floodwater. Bottles with screw caps are not waterproof; discard their contents if floodwater may have reached them. If bottled water is unavailable, the report directs readers to instructions on safely boiling or disinfecting water.
Food in packaging that is not waterproof should be discarded if it may have contacted floodwater. The report identifies screw-cap, snap-lid, pull-top and crimped-cap containers as non-waterproof. It says undamaged, commercially prepared food in all-metal cans and retort pouches may be salvageable if handled according to the USDA Food Safety and Inspection Service’s severe-storm and hurricane guide.
For dishes and equipment, wash metal pans, utensils and ceramic dishes exposed to floodwater with hot, soapy water, then rinse and sanitize. The report gives two sanitizing options: boil the items in clean water, or immerse them for 15 minutes in a mixture 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.
Keeping Floodwater Out of Meals
Floodwater can contaminate food and food-contact surfaces, while a long outage can leave refrigerated or frozen items unsafe. Following the guidance can help households avoid consuming contaminated food or drinks and prevent cleaned-looking items from being treated as safe without proper sanitation.
The distinction between what may be salvaged and what should be discarded matters during recovery, when people may have limited supplies. The source permits possible salvage of certain undamaged, commercially prepared foods in sealed metal cans or retort pouches, but does not extend that advice to other packaging. When exposure is possible and packaging is not waterproof, the recommendation is to discard it.
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Risks After Storm Damage
The guidance concerns two different hazards that can follow hurricanes: loss of refrigeration during power outages and food or household items coming into contact with floodwater. It treats those situations separately: prolonged outages call for discarding refrigerator and freezer contents, while suspected floodwater exposure calls for discarding food in non-waterproof packaging and certain porous or plastic items.
Food Safety News attributes the cleaning and salvage guidance to federal food safety resources, including the USDA FSIS consumer guide for severe storms and hurricanes. The report also lists the USDA Meat and Poultry Hotline at 1-888-674-6854, available Monday through Friday from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Eastern time in English or Spanish. Questions may also be sent to MPHotline@usda.gov or submitted through Ask USDA live chat.
Outage Details and Local Conditions
The report does not identify a particular hurricane, affected location or local emergency order; it presents general recovery guidance. It also does not provide the referenced outage chart, so readers are not given item-by-item decisions or precise temperature and time thresholds in the supplied material. The recommendation for food kept in a refrigerator or freezer is framed around power being out for several days.
Whether an item contacted floodwater may not always be clear, and the report does not describe testing that can establish safety at home. It advises against tasting food as a safety check. Local water advisories and the current condition of household supplies are not covered in the report, so those details may require guidance from local authorities or USDA resources.
Check Supplies and Seek Guidance
During cleanup, households can separate food and kitchen items that may have contacted floodwater, discard items identified as unsafe, and follow the stated washing and sanitizing steps for eligible metal and ceramic items. For outage-related decisions, consult the FSIS severe-storm and hurricane guide and its food safety chart rather than guessing from appearance or smell.
People with questions can contact the USDA Meat and Poultry Hotline during its listed weekday hours, email the hotline or use Ask USDA live chat. Any further advice should be checked against current local water and emergency guidance, since the report does not specify conditions for an individual community.
Key Questions
Should I taste food to check whether it is safe after a hurricane?
No. Food Safety News says not to taste food to determine its safety. Follow food disposal guidance instead.
What should I do with refrigerator and freezer food after a prolonged outage?
The report advises throwing away food in the refrigerator and freezer if power has been out for several days. It points readers to the USDA FSIS chart for more detailed outage decisions.
Can food in cans be kept after floodwater exposure?
The report says undamaged, commercially prepared food in all-metal cans and retort pouches may be saved by following the FSIS severe-storm and hurricane guide. It does not say that food in other packaging can be salvaged.
How should flood-exposed dishes be sanitized?
Wash metal pans, utensils and ceramic dishes with hot, soapy water and rinse them. Then boil them in clean water or immerse them for 15 minutes in a solution of one tablespoon of unscented liquid chlorine bleach per gallon of drinking water.
Which flood-exposed kitchen items should be discarded?
Discard wooden cutting boards, plastic utensils, baby bottle nipples and pacifiers that may have contacted floodwater, according to the report.
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