The Chatham County Health Department reminds residents and restaurant owners on Tybee, Wilmington, and Talahi Islands to discard any refrigerated, perishable food if they experienced a power outage of more than 4 hours.
A downed tree caused a power outage late Tuesday night into Wednesday morning for thousands of customers on the islands in Chatham County. During a power outage, perishable foods such as meat, poultry, fish, eggs, and dairy products can spoil quickly, even if they are kept in a refrigerator. The risk of foodborne illness increases significantly when these foods are not stored at the proper temperature.
If the refrigerator doors stay closed, food will stay safe for up to:
- 4 hours in a refrigerator.
- 48 hours in a full freezer; 24 hours in a half-full freezer.
Throw out perishable food in your refrigerator (meat, fish, cut fruits and vegetables, eggs, milk, and leftovers) after 4 hours without power. Throw out any food with an unusual odor, color, or texture.
Never taste food to determine if it is safe to eat. When in doubt, throw it out.
