Food and Water Safety Tips For Returning Fire Evacuees

Health officials urge you to check your food and water when you return to your home after an evacuation.
Here are some general guidelines:

FOOD:

Refrigerators keep foods cool for about four hours without power. A fully loaded freezer keeps
foods frozen for two days.

Discard the following if kept more than two hours above 40 degrees: Meats, dairy, leftovers, open jars of baby
food/formula, mayonaise, etc.

Fresh and dried fruits and vegetables, fruit juices, bread, fruit pies, peanut butter and some condiments may be kept a
few days at room temperature.

Contact your physician or pharmacist for information on refrigerated medications.

If in doubt, throw it
out!

WATER

If you don´t know for sure that your water supply is not contaminated, drink only bottled water or other beverages.

If
you are not sure and have no other water supply, treat the water by one of the following methods:

Bring water to a rolling boil for at least 3-5 minutes
or up to ten minutes if you are uncertain.

or–Disinfect with unscented household chlorine bleach. Use eight drops of bleach per gallon.

DO
NOT USE CONTAMINATED WATER for making ice, brushing teeth or washing dishes.

For information regarding well disinfections, contact the
Environmental Health Department at 754-6399 or go to www.co.calaveras.ca.us.