SEATTLE — Over 550,000 people around western Washington lost power during the bomb cyclone that formed off the coast and slammed the region with near hurricane-level winds.
Most, if not all of the homes impacted by the loss of power likely have refrigerators and/or freezers that were rendered not functional as a result.
So how long will food stay in refrigerators or freezers without power?
The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) said after four hours without power, perishable food items from refrigerator should be thrown out. This includes meat, poultry, fish, eggs and any leftovers. The USDA has a chart that can be referenced for whether food can last beyond the four-hour threshold, but they also stress "when in doubt, throw it out" when evaluating items.
Food can keep longer in a freezer, the USDA said, with up to 48 hours for a full freezer and up to 24 hours in a half-full freezer.
A cooler can also be utilized if you are able to get ice or frozen gel packs to keep food at 40 degrees or below.
As of 9 a.m. Wednesday morning, Puget Sound Energy was reporting over 390,000 customers were without power. Seattle City Light reports over 44,000 customers without power and Snohomish County Public Utilities District reports nearly 67,000 people are without power.
