This is how long the food in your fridge will last if you lost power in SC because of Helene

Those who have lost power in South Carolina because of Tropical Storm Helene are now on the clock — at least where their refrigerator is concerned.

More than 1.3 million South Carolinians were without electricity as of 9:30 a.m., according to poweroutage.us. Given how many are without power across the entire state, it seems likely that electricity won’t be restored to plenty of homes anytime soon.

As such, how long will food last in a refrigerator without power? Here’s what to know.

How long can food last?

According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, a typical refrigerator will keep food safe for up to 4 hours during a power outage. After that, you should start discarding perishable food from the fridge, such as meat, poultry, seafood, salads, soft cheeses, milk, yogurt, eggs, fresh cut fruits and pizza with any topping.

Here are some tips to follow:

• Never taste food to determine its safety. Check each item separately using this chart as a guide.
• Keep an appliance thermometer in both the fridge and freezer. Make sure the fridge temperature is at 40 F or below and the freezer is at 0 F or below.
• If the doors stay closed, food will stay safe for up to 48 hours in a full freezer and 24 hours in a half freezer.
• If you have a cooler, transfer as much food into it as you can and fill it with ice or frozen gel packs. Make sure there is enough ice to keep food in the cooler at 40 F or below.
• If you know your power will be out for a prolonged period, purchase dry ice or block ice. About 50 pounds of dry ice should hold an 18-cubic-foot freezer for two days.

This story was originally published September 27, 2024 at 9:57 AM with the headline "This is how long the food in your fridge will last if you lost power in SC because of Helene."

Patrick McCreless

The State

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Patrick McCreless is the Southeast service journalism editor for McClatchy, who leads and edits a team of six reporters in South Carolina, Georgia and Mississippi. The team writes about trending news of the day and topics that help readers in their daily lives and better informs them about their communities. He attended Jacksonville State University in Alabama and grew up in Tuscaloosa, AL.