Hurricane Sandy Health Information
Generator Safety
Food and Safety Issues Following Storm
The Christie Administration and Health Commissioner Mary O'Dowd urge all residents to throw away any food that may have come in contact with flood or storm waters and individuals that have suffered power outages should keeptheir refrigerator and freezer doors closed as much as possible to maintain the cold temperature.
Commissioner O'Dowd urged all residents to dispose of any perishable food that may have been above 40 degrees for two hours or more. Food will stay cold in the refrigerator for about four hours if it is unopened. A full freezer will keep the temperature for approximately 48 hours (24 hours if it is half full) if the door remains closed. However, food above 40 degrees for 2 hours or more must be discarded.
"Perishable food such as meat, poultry, seafood, milk, and eggs that are not kept adequately refrigerated or frozenmay cause illness if consumed, even when they are thoroughly cooked," said Health Commissioner Mary E. O'Dowd.
Thawed food that contains ice crystals or is 40 degrees or below can be refrozen or cooked. If you plan to eat refrigerated or frozen meat, poultry, fish or eggs while it is still at safe temperatures, it's important that each item is thoroughly cooked to the proper temperature to assure that any foodborne bacteria that may be present is destroyed.
Information about municipalities that have issued boiled water advisories as well as instructions for safely boiling water for drinking can be found at:
http://www.nj.gov/health/er/documents/hurricane_health_safety_tips.pdf
Below are some additional food safety tips to prevent illness during power outages, flooding and hurricane conditions:
Add block ice or dry ice to your refrigerator if the electricity is expected to be off for more than four hours. Fifty pounds of dry ice should keep an 18-cubic foot fully-stocked freezer cold for two days.
Discard any food that is not in a waterproof container if there is any chance that it has come into contact with flood water. Food containers that are not waterproof include those with screw-off caps, snap lids and pull tops.
Discard cardboard juice/milk/baby formula boxes and home canned foods if they have come in contact with flood water, because they cannot be effectively cleaned and sanitized.
Inspect canned foods and discard any food in damaged cans. Can damage is shown by swelling, leakage, punctures, holes, fractures, extensive deep rusting, or crushing/denting severe enough to prevent normal stacking or opening with a manual, wheel-type can opener.
Check to ensure that the freezer temperature is at or below 0 °F and the refrigerator is at or below 40 degrees
Wash fruits and vegetables with water from a safe source before eating.
For infants, if using formula, try to use prepared, canned baby formula that requires no added water. When using concentrated or powdered formulas, prepare with bottled water if the local water source is potentially contaminated.
During power outages, the appliance thermometers will indicate the temperatures in the refrigerator and freezer to help you determine if the food is safe.
Once Power is Restored . . .
You'll need to determine the safety of your food. Here's how:
If an appliance thermometer was kept in the freezer, check the temperature when the power comes back on. If the freezer thermometer reads 40 degrees or below, the food is safe and may be refrozen.
If a thermometer has not been kept in the freezer, check each package of food to determine its safety. You can't rely on appearance or odor. If the food still contains ice crystals or is 40 degrees or below, it is safe to refreeze or cook.
Refrigerated food should be safe as long as the power was out for no more than 4 hours and the refrigerator door was kept shut. Discard any perishable food (such as meat, poultry, fish, eggs or leftovers) that has been above 40°F for two hours or more.
For additional information on food safety and power outages, please visit: http://www.nj.gov/health/er/natural.shtml and http://emergency.cdc.gov/disasters/hurricanes/recovery.asp
Tips to help kids and their families work through events like hurricanes
Director of the Division for Child Behavioral Health, Jeffrey Guenzel offers these tips on helping your child cope with the stress of the hurricane.
Children of all ages need to feel safe and that they can turn to their caregivers to provide safety. Caregivers should let their children express their concerns and fears.
· Be as calm as possible around your children. That sense of calmness can really help. You can share your own fears and concerns in basic terms, but try to avoid “venting” your own emotions with your children. Try to find another supportive adult to “vent” your emotions.
· Following a disaster, children need reassurance that they are safe. Provide that reassurance, however it needs to be honest, not a false sense of reassurance. Avoid telling them that a disaster will never happen again, rather reassure them that adults are working hard to protect them and focus on the positive things your family did to get through the disaster.
· Be honest and open, but keep it simple. Don’t get into needless detail about the disaster. Too much information can be confusing and can raise anxiety. At the same time, children can often sense when information is being hidden from them. So, be honest, but keep it simple.
· Maintain your daily routines as best as possible. Once you get past the first few days of managing the disaster, work towards getting back to your children’s normal activities as best as possible.
· Be aware that your children get information from other sources such as friends and the media. Encourage them to talk with you about what they hear. This not only gives them a chance to talk about it, it also gives you a chance to dispel bad information that they may believe is true.
· Manage the amount of information about the hurricane your child is exposed to in the media. Viewing images or hearing descriptions of the hurricane and its aftermath may only heighten a child’s anxiety. For example, a young child may not understand that media footage of collapsing buildings or distraught victims are replays of an event, and may think that a new hurricane has arrived.
· Respect and take the time to listen to your child’s feelings, thoughts and reactions, even if they are different from your own.
· Keep in mind that feelings and thoughts of other events your child may have experienced, such as 9/11, may come back up during this time. Also, the stress of going to school and being away from home can create anxiety for some children. Again, listening and talking with them about this can be very helpful, while also supporting them getting back into their normal routine of going to school and learning.
Finally, caregivers should seek additional help if needed. If a child seems “stuck” and keeps focusing on the hurricane, can not seem to get past the anxiety or sadness, is having trouble sleeping, or is having any continued problems with their daily lives, seek professional help. Talk with your pediatrician or seek out a mental health professional directly. Obtaining professional help as soon as you recognize that your child is having trouble dealing with the effects of a disaster can aid in their recovery. To obtain services for a child through the New Jersey Division of Child Behavioral Health Services, please contact 1-877- 652-7624.
Is It Safe To Cook In My Kithcen After Flooding?
Yes, but precautions must be taken to protect food contact surfaces from contaminating your food. When cleaning or disinfecting, wear protective clothing, such as gloves, to avoid skin contact, irritation, or infection.
• Discard wooden cutting boards, wooden dishes and utensils, plastic utensils, baby bottle nipples, and pacifiers that have come into contact with flood water. These items cannot be safely cleaned.
• Thoroughly wash countertops with soap and water, using hot water if available. Rinse, and then sanitize with a solution of 1 tablespoon of unscented, liquid chlorine bleach per gallon of drinking water (or the cleanest, clearest water available). Allow to air dry.
• Make sure to clean corners, cracks and crevices, door handles, and door seals, in rooms that have been affected by flood water.
Protection Against Infectious Diseases
Regardless of your vaccination status, there are steps you can take to avoid injury and prevent infection while working in flood-affected areas. Recommendations include:
What To Do If There Is a Delay in Refuse Collection
There may be refuse collection delays in some areas. Here are things you can do to to miminize problems:
Pour fats, drippings and grease into glass jars and seal with a screw on lid; add a capful of ammonia to reduce odor in garbage containers; double plastic bag wet garbage
Separtate hazardous household waste: Separate fluorescent lights, paints and thinners, incsecticides and herbicides and store out of reach of children. Hold until county hazardous waste collection day.
Clean Your Home and Stop Mold