Spring flood waters can make your water and food unsafe

Rising flood waters can potentially contaminate your water supply and stored foods, and disrupt electrical service to your home, which can affect the food safety of your refrigerated and frozen foods. Follow these guidelines to help ensure food and water safety when returning to your home after the flood waters subside.

Storing Water

Store water ahead for use in emergencies. Boiled water stored in sterilized containers will keep for six months to one year.

Well water contamination

If your well has been flooded or surface water has entered your well, the water needs to be treated with a chlorination treatment. (See UMaine Extension bulletin #7115, How to Disinfect Your Well, or contact your county UMaine Extension office.)

Disinfecting Water

Unless you are absolutely certain your water supply is not contaminated, purify all water before using it for drinking, preparing food, brushing teeth, or washing dishes. If the water contains sediment or floating material, strain it through a cloth before purifying it. If you have access to heat or power, water can be made safe by boiling. If not, you will have to treat it with chemicals.

Boiling (highly preferred method): Boil water at a rolling boil for 10 minutes to kill any disease-causing bacteria.

Bottled Water: Purchasing bottle water that has not been contaminated by flood water is another option.

Iodine will also purify water and comes in two forms: tablets and tincture of iodine If using tablets, one iodine tablet can disinfect one quart of clear water; if water is cloudy use two tablets. Tincture of iodine should be at 2 percent U.S.P. strength. Add five drops per liter or quart of clear water and ten drops per quart or liter of cloudy water and allow for water treatment to stand for 30 minutes

Food

Discard any foods that flood water has covered. Also discard any foods that flood water has dripped onto or seeped into the packaging of, or that flood water has contacted directly.

Destroy all foods that were covered by flood water, including home-canned foods. If you have a question about the safety of any item, dispose of it.

Commercially canned foods that do not have dents, swelling or rust can be saved if they are washed and sanitized properly before opening the can. For added safety, boil food for 10 minutes before eating it. Throw out any cans that have bulges or that you suspect have leaks.

Disinfecting Food Cans

To disinfect undamaged cans, remove paper labels (paper can harbor bacteria) and re-label with a permanent marker. Wash the containers in warm, soapy water and use a brush to scrub surfaces. Rinse well in clean water. Immerse the clean, rinsed containers in a household bleach solution (two tablespoons bleach per one gallon of water) for 15 minutes. Air-dry cans before opening or storing. Use foods from disinfected containers as soon as possible because cans may rust.

Commercially canned foods can also be boiled for 10 minutes as a disinfection treatment, but avoid this treatment for carbonated beverage cans.

Disinfecting Dishes and Utensils

Wash all dishes and utensils in hot, soapy water with a brush to remove dirt. Sanitize glass, ceramic and china dishes, glass baby bottles, and empty canning jars in the same way as for undamaged cans. Dishes with deep cracks should be thrown away. Metal pans and utensils can be disinfected by immersing them in water and boiling for 10 minutes or run them through the dishwasher when power returns.

If Your Power Goes Out

Follow these precautions regarding your perishable foods:

All meats, poultry, seafood, sandwich fillings, milk, and other dairy products should be kept at refrigeration temperatures of 40 degrees F or less. Foods can be placed in a cooler on ice and temperatures can be monitored with a food thermometer. Replace ice as needed. These foods should be thrown away if the temperature rises above 42 degrees for more than two hours. If you have any doubts of how long these foods were exposed to room temperatures, dispose of the food. Do not trust your sense of smell. Food may be unsafe, even if it doesn't smell bad.

If you lost power to your freezer, check the food items carefully. If foods still contain ice crystals, these foods can be refrozen safely. Thawed foods can be held safely at 40 degrees or less for 2 days, and then have to be immediately cooked and frozen or eaten.

Excerpted and adapted from “Is My Water Safe?,” bulletin #9031, “Safe Handling of Food and Utensils After a Flood,” bulletin #9005, and “Safety of Refrigerated Foods After a Power Outage,” bulletin 9003 from University of Maine Cooperative Extension. Visit UMaine Extension at www.extension.umaine.edu and click on “Publications” for information on additional topics.