ANCHORAGE, Alaska (KTUU) – As several neighborhoods saw hurricane-force wind gusts over the weekend, the storm that passed through the southcentral region left tens of thousands of households without power.
As of Tuesday afternoon, nearly 900 Chugach Electric customers remain without power, primarily on the Anchorage hillside.
Over the last week, much of the region has seen temperatures well above freezing and leaving groceries outside in those temperatures potentially won’t keep them cold enough.
Luckily, there are a few other solutions to keep food fresh, according to the FDA.
The FDA estimates a refrigerator will keep food cold for around four hours if the door remains closed.
It’s recommended that homeowners keep coolers on hand in case a power outage lasts longer than several hours.
The FDA suggests moving items from the fridge to the freezer ahead of the power going out and grouping them together to help keep them colder for longer.
The goal is to keep the freezer at or below 0° and the fridge at or below 40°. Mitch Palmer, Alaska Ice Operations Manager, said if all else fails try dry ice.
“Dry ice just lasts for quite a while and it takes it down to a temperature that most [wet ice] and normal things when you don’t have power, can’t.” He explains, “Just five pounds of dry ice will typically last you about 18 hours. Where 5 pounds of wet ice, normal ice that we would get from the store will not.”
Experts recommend using loose-fitting, thermally insulated gloves or tongs when handling dry ice, and avoiding touching it with bare hands. Mishandling dry ice could cause frostbite or other skin damage.
According to the FDA, any perishable food that has been held at room temperature for two hours or more should be thrown away.
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