During and after an emergency, food and water sources may not be safe for use. Next time a storm heads your way, be sure to follow these important tips from the Centers for Disease Control.

Identify and throw away food that may not be safe to eat. This includes:

[bul]Food that has come in contact with flood or storm water.

[bul]Food that has an unusual odour, colour or texture.

[bul]Perishable foods, including meat, poultry, fish, eggs and leftovers, that have been above 40 degrees Fahrenheit for two hours or more.

[bul]Canned foods that are bulging, opened or damaged.

[bul]Food containers with screw-caps, snap lids, crimped caps, twist caps, flip tops, snap-open and home canned foods should be discarded if they have come in contact with floodwater because they cannot be disinfected.

[bul]Thawed food that contains ice crystals or is 40 degrees F or below can be refrozen or cooked.

If cans have come in contact with flood or storm water, remove the labels, wash the cans and dip them in a solution of one cup of bleach in five gallons of water, then identify with a marker. Be sure not to use contaminated water to wash dishes, brush your teeth, wash and prepare food, wash your hands, make ice or make baby formula.

It is also important to store food safely. While the power is out, keep the refrigerator and freezer doors closed as much as possible. Add block ice to your refrigerator if the electricity is expected to be off more than four hours.

Always wear heavy gloves when handling ice.

When it comes to feeding young children, continue nursing breastfed infants, but offer ready-to-feed formula for formula-fed infants. If ready-to-feed formula is not available, it is best to use bottled water to prepare formula, but boiled water can suffice when bottled water is not available. Only use treated water if you do not have bottled or boiled water.

Always allow formula prepared with boiled water sufficient time to cool before giving it to an infant. Clean all bottles and nipples with bottled or boiled water before each use and wash your hands before preparing formula and feeding your baby. Alcohol-based sanitiser can suffice when the water supply is limited.

Food contact surfaces can be cleaned and sanitised by washing with soap and warm, clean water, then rinsed with clean water. Then, sanitise by immersing for one minute in a solution of one teaspoon of unscented bleach per gallon of water. Allow the item to air dry. Boiling water is the preferred way to kill harmful bacteria and parasites. Bring the water to a rolling boil for at least one minute. However, boiling will not remove chemical contaminants. If you cannot boil water, treat the water with chlorine or iodine tablets by following the directions that come with the tablets.

You can also use unscented household bleach to disinfect by adding [1/8] teaspoon of bleach per gallon of water if the water is clear; use |0xbc| teaspoon per gallon for cloudy water. Treating water with chlorine or iodine will not kill many parasitic organisms, though. Boiling is the best way to treat parasites.

Water storage tanks and containers should be used with caution as previously used items can be contaminated with microbes or chemicals. Water containers should be thoroughly cleaned and rinsed with a bleach solution before use. Agitate the bleach solution, allowing it to come in contact with all inside surfaces, cover and let stand for 30 minutes before rinsing with potable water.