Item 5 of 6The eskyAll six items
Food and medicines in a power outage
Keep the fridge and freezer closed and note the time the power went off: NSW Health warns that when a power failure reaches the fridge or freezer, some foods and medicines may become unsafe. How long they hold depends on who you ask: two of the pages quoted here put a closed fridge at about four hours (one says up to four), and a closed freezer at anywhere from 24 hours to two days, depending on the source and how full the freezer is.
General information from electricity networks’, the NSW Government’s and NSW Health’s own pages, each labelled with its state. For how a medicine should be stored, NSW Health says to ask your pharmacist.
Before the power goes: set things up to hold
CitiPower and Powercor, in their tips for a planned outage, ask you to make sure your fridge is set to five degrees or below, so food stays as fresh as possible. NSW Health’s list of preparations before summer starts with checking that fridges and freezers, along with air conditioners and fans, are working properly, and learning how to store food and medicines safely in hot weather, especially during and after a power outage.
Jemena, a Victorian network, suggests planning how you will keep food cold: freezer packs kept frozen, a cooler, water frozen in jugs or containers, or bags of ice; knowing where you can buy block ice; and a freezer-sharing plan with friends in another part of town. If there is time before a storm, it suggests filling up the freezer with plastic bottles of water and freezing them. Endeavour Energy, in New South Wales, lists eskys with ice packs for long outages, alongside three to seven days of food and drinking water for everyone in the home. The rest of its list is on item 1, an outage plan for your household.
When the power goes: keep it shut, and note the time
NSW Health: “If you experience a power outage, make note of the time the power failed and keep the refrigerator and freezer doors closed as much as possible.”
The networks agree on the doors. Essential Energy’s outage tips include avoiding opening the fridge or freezer while the power is off, and SA Power Networks says to try to keep the doors closed to hold the cold.
How long it holds: the figures differ
Three pages give holding times, no two quite the same, and a fourth points to health advice instead. Each figure stays with its source and the situation its page describes.
| Source | Fridge, door closed | Freezer, door closed | What the page is about |
|---|---|---|---|
| NSW Climate and Energy Action (NSW) | “up to 4 hours” | “24 hours” | What to do in a power outage |
| CitiPower and Powercor (VIC) | About four hours, unopened | Two days, if full and unopened | Preparing for a planned outage |
| Jemena (VIC) | Not given | 36 to 48 hours fully loaded; generally 24 hours half full | Preparing for an emergency, such as a storm |
| SA Power Networks (SA) | Not given | Not given | Points to SA Health’s advice for outages longer than four hours |
None of these pages says whether a particular food is still safe to eat. The health advice below is the place to look for that.
When the power comes back
NSW Health’s heat planning page says: “If a power failure affects your refrigerator or freezer there is a risk that some foods and medicines may become unsafe.” For food safety and for managing medicines in an outage, it refers readers to its guide to staying safe and healthy during extended power outages, linked from that same page. In South Australia, SA Power Networks refers people to SA Health for outages that last more than four hours.
Medicines
NSW Health’s advice on managing medicines is written for hot weather. In its words:
- “Most medications should be stored below 25 degrees Celsius.”
- “Only store medicine in the refrigerator if the label says so, or if your doctor or pharmacist has told you to.”
- “If you need to go out in hot weather, consider just taking the medicines you will need while you are out. Think about how you will keep these cool and dry.”
- “If unsure, ask your pharmacist about how your medication should be stored.”
NSW Health, Plan ahead to beat the heat.
Before summer, the same page asks anyone with a chronic health condition, or on regular medications, to speak to their doctor about what to do during hot weather. NSW Health also asks you to check, before hot weather arrives, that friends and family have enough food and medication not to need to go out in the heat.
If you may need to leave home, Endeavour Energy’s evacuation list includes medical documents among the essentials to pack. NSW Health suggests keeping a torch, a radio with batteries, and a first-aid kit handy.
Cooking and water without power
Endeavour Energy lists a backup way to cook, such as a camp stove. CitiPower and Powercor, in their tips for a planned outage, add a safety line for barbecues and other outdoor fuel equipment: “Be safe – outdoor equipment should not be used inside your home.” Where a household’s water depends on an electric pump, NSW Climate and Energy Action asks you to store enough water for your needs while the power is off.
After a flood, the NSW Government’s recovery page says to call the NSW SES if you are cut off and need essentials like food, fuel or medicine.
If the fridge or freezer will not run properly once the power is back, or its circuit keeps switching off, a licensed electrician can check the power point and the circuit it runs on.