BEFORE-STORM — APPLIANCES AND COLD SOURCES
Date / household plan / current official update source:
Refrigerator thermometer / displayed value and unit / time:
Freezer thermometer / displayed value and unit / time:
Device instructions checked / error or uncertainty:
Eligible foods frozen in advance / actual completion:
Water containers or gel packs / frozen or still preparing:
Cooler available / cold source / supply limitation:
Shelf-stable meals and safe drinking water available:
Who records outage discovery and actual start if known:
Unfinished task / person responsible / appropriate next step:
Local instructions and personal safety come before food tasks.

BEFORE-STORM — OUTAGE PLAN HANDOFF
Named refrigerator, freezer and cooler:
Current cold-storage readings and measurement times:
Food history or handling question already unresolved:
Keep doors closed; record actual outage start if known:
Discovery time, if different / start remains unknown:
Cooler/cold-source plan / actual supply and contact:
Transfer: food identity, time, earlier history and destination:
Public-health guidance and food-category record to use:
Floodwater or other contamination requires separate action:
Do not taste food, reset exposure or rescue unsafe food by cooking.
This plan is not a tested duration or a keep/discard calculator.

Check actual temperatures, not only the control setting
Keep an appliance thermometer in both the refrigerator and freezer. 
FDA's handling guidance
 recommends a refrigerator consistently at 40°F or below and a freezer at 0°F or below. These correspond approximately to 4°C and −18°C; preserve the thermometer's original displayed unit in your record.
A control dial marked “3” or “colder” is not a temperature measurement. Record the appliance, thermometer, displayed value, unit and measurement time. Follow the actual device and appliance instructions for appropriate placement, use, cleaning and any checking procedure. This guide supplies no universal calibration or sensor-placement method for every product.
Before-storm appliance and supply checks
Check
What to confirm
Record
Do not assume
Refrigerator temperature
An appropriate appliance reading at 40°F or below.
Value, unit, thermometer and actual time.
A numbered control setting measures temperature.
Freezer temperature
An appropriate appliance reading at 0°F or below.
Value, unit, thermometer and actual time.
A frozen-looking package verifies every location.
Device use
The actual instructions and a readable, usable device.
Placement/method and error or missing information.
A food probe and appliance-air device answer the same question.
Cold sources
Water containers or gel packs actually frozen in advance.
Type, location and completed or pending status.
Buying packs means they are already frozen.
Cooler and supply
A usable cooler and cold sources actually available.
Location and replenishment limitation.
A cooler alone continues refrigeration.
Food and separation
Eligible foods, sound containers and raw-food separation.
Foods moved/frozen and unresolved history.
Freezing repairs food already stored unsafely.
Outage information
A place to record times and use current official updates.
Discovery, actual start if known and responsible person.
The time you notice an outage is its confirmed start.
If a reading is warm, missing or doubtful before the storm, preserve that fact and address the actual problem through appropriate instructions or qualified help. Do not mark the appliance checked because a later reading is cold, or decide that every existing perishable is safe from one air measurement. Each food's earlier handling remains a separate question.

Freeze cold sources and eligible food in advance
FDA
 advises freezing water containers for ice, preparing ice cubes and gel packs ahead of time, freezing refrigerated foods you may not need immediately, and grouping food together in the freezer. 
CDC
 likewise recommends frozen water containers and gel packs. These are advance actions; they do not establish a fixed number of packs or freezing hours for your appliance.
Separate preparation actions from completed cold storage
Task
Practical preparation
Limit
Freeze water containers
Use safe water and suitable containers according to their instructions.
A filled container is not yet a frozen cold source; allow for the container's freezing requirements.
Prepare gel packs or ice
Freeze them ahead of time and identify where they are stored.
A pack at room temperature is not ready merely because it is on the list.
Freeze food not needed immediately
Use eligible properly handled items and suitable packaging.
Do not freeze questionable perishables as a rescue.
Group freezer food
Keep the freezer food together as FDA recommends, within the appliance's actual instructions.
Do not transfer this advice into blocking refrigerator airflow or overloading an appliance.
Separate raw and ready-to-eat food
Use sound packaging and prevent raw-food leakage.
Cold temperature does not clear cross-contamination.
Protect supplies from contaminated water
Keep food and safe drinking water out of expected flood exposure where feasible.
An unopened package is not automatically waterproof or safe after flood contact.
FDA's 
safe handling guidance
 says to refrigerate or freeze perishables promptly and never thaw food on the counter. Do not leave food out while rearranging the kitchen and then use a before-storm checklist to disregard its handling history. Keep raw meat, poultry, seafood and eggs separate from other foods.
Choose foods to freeze according to what you expect to use and the item's appropriate handling. Freezing can affect texture; it is not a requirement to freeze every carton or cooked dish. If you later assess partially thawed freezer food, use the separate category guide rather than a blanket “refreeze everything” rule.

Make the cooler and backup-food plan before you need it
Have a cooler and actual cold sources available while appliances are still working. FDA advises preparing coolers when a power loss could exceed four hours. CDC says that, after four hours without power, refrigerated perishables should be moved to an available cooler with ice or another cold source to keep them at 40°F or below. [
FDA
; 
CDC
]
Prepare before that point; do not wait for a deadline to discover there is no ice, the packs never froze or the cooler cannot be found. Keep the earlier food history with any eventual transfer. A cold destination does not restart a safety allowance or repair earlier unsafe storage.
Different planning statements, different conditions
Situation
Official planning guidance
Keep this limit
Unopened refrigerator during outage
About four hours of retained cooling, according to FDA.
Not four hours of permission on a counter or above a temperature threshold.
Full freezer with door closed
Approximately 48 hours, according to FDA.
A planning estimate, not a tested duration for your appliance or every package.
Half-full freezer with door closed
Approximately 24 hours, according to FDA.
Do not write 48 hours simply because it is a freezer.
Cooler with actual cold sources
CDC uses 40°F or below and directs checking cooler foods.
No universal ice ratio or guaranteed number of hours is established here.
Unknown or already unsafe history
Keep unknowns visible and follow applicable food guidance.
New ice, a restored freezer or cooking does not erase unsafe handling.
Know where additional ordinary ice or cold packs can actually be obtained, with a fallback if that supply is unavailable. Do not make the plan depend on a shop remaining open or a journey being safe during the storm. Follow local warnings rather than travelling through a hazardous situation to save food.
FDA discusses dry or block ice as options, but this ordinary household checklist does not provide dry-ice handling, ventilation, generator installation or electrical instructions. Use the relevant actual safety and manufacturer guidance if a specialised option is considered.
Stage shelf-stable meals and safe drinking water so the household is not pressured to eat questionable perishables. Keep food and water contamination separate from cooling: a cold reading does not clear floodwater exposure.

EXPLAINED CASES

1. The refrigerator control dial reads “3,” but no temperature was measured. Is that a confirmed 40°F-or-below reading?
No. Record the temperature as unmeasured until an appropriate actual reading exists.
A control setting is not a temperature unit. Identify the appliance thermometer, displayed value, unit and time, following the actual instructions.

2. Gel packs have been purchased but are still at room temperature. Is the cold-source preparation complete?
No. Keep the purchase and the freezing action separate.
The sources recommend freezing packs in advance. An item on a shopping list is not a completed frozen cold source or a tested amount of ice.

3. A half-full freezer is kept closed. Does the FDA planning estimate give it the same 48 hours as a full freezer?
No. FDA gives approximately 24 hours for a half-full closed freezer.
Both durations have conditions and are planning estimates. They are not guarantees that every package stayed suitable or that opening the door is irrelevant.

4. Questionable perishables were already stored unsafely before the storm. Can freezing them now reset their history?
No. Follow the appropriate food guidance; freezing is not a rescue for unsafe storage.
New cooling and subsequent cooking cannot erase an unsafe history. Keep uncertainty visible and do not taste-test questionable food.

5. You have a cooler but no usable ice or cold packs. Does the cooler by itself continue refrigerator storage?
No. A cooler needs actual cold sources and suitable conditions.
CDC uses 40°F or below for cold storage and directs checking cooler foods. No universal packing ratio or guaranteed duration is supplied by this checklist.

6. An evacuation instruction arrives while the preparation record is unfinished. Must every field be completed before leaving?
No. Follow the local instruction and stop the food task.
The record is an advance planning aid. It must not delay evacuation, urgent support or another required safety action.

Sources checked 31 October 2026:
https://www.fda.gov/food/buy-store-serve-safe-food/food-and-water-safety-during-power-outages-and-floods
https://www.fda.gov/food/buy-store-serve-safe-food/safe-food-handling
https://www.cdc.gov/food-safety/foods/keep-food-safe-after-emergency.html
Original before-storm preparation prompts; no appliance, food or cold-source test, duration guarantee, medical refrigeration rule or unsafe-food salvage.