Communities in Western North Carolina are dealing with floodwater damage and need to know important food safety information as they start to recover.  Floodwater can bring silt, raw sewage, oil, and chemicals into your kitchen and contaminate stored food making it unsafe to eat. Consider these recommendations for keeping food safe after a flood.

Kitchen Clean Up After Flooding

Compounds in floodwater can leave dangerous bacteria or chemicals on your food or utensils and equipment such as pots, pans, serving and storage containers making food unsafe to eat. Proper cleaning and sanitizing can help keep food safe. For safety, water for cleaning should be of the same quality as that used for drinking or cooking. For more information, see Kitchen Clean-Up After a Flood.