Last updated on November 7th, 2019 at 10:29 pm
On July 13th a blackout in NYC left parts of Midtown and the Upper West Side dark, leaving over 70,000 people without power.
As temperatures continue to rise, the demand for power can become overwhelming, potentially leading us to another blackout.
The USDA has provided some helpful tips with respect to keeping food safe in case of a power outage :
- A refrigerator will keep food safe for up to 4 hours, if it’s unopened.
- Keep the refrigerator door closed to keep in as much cold air as possible
- A full freezer will keep food safe for 48 hours. An emptier one, for 24 hours.
- Keep the freezer door closed as much as possible to keep the cold air i.n
- If the freezer is not full, keeping food close together will help it stay cold longer.
- Keep appliance thermometers in the freezer and refrigerator at all times.
- No matter how long the power is out, An appliance thermometer will always indicate the temperature.
- Temperature in the refrigerator should be forty degrees or lower, zero degrees or lower in the freezer.
- If the outage last for more than 4 hours, meat poultry, fish, eggs and any leftovers should be thrown out.
- Food kept in a freezer that still has ice crystals or is below 40 degrees, can be safely refrozen.
**** Do not taste food to determine if it’s still good…use the chart provided by the USDA
