OVERTON, NEV. — At approximately 5 p.m. PST Sunday, Overton Power District No. 5 reported a system-wide power outage caused by fire. At that point, crews estimated power would be back on in 4-6 hours; however, an update on the Overton Power District No. 5 Facebook page at approximately 7 p.m. PST stated that the repairs may take as long as until midnight.
A system-wide power outage was triggered when one of the poles on a three-pole structure going into the Tortoise substation caught fire. A repair crew was dispatched, and the crew reported that the repairs were going to be more challenging than originally expected.
Representatives from the power district have offered the following suggestions from the U.S. Department of Agriculture for food handling:
Food safety and power outages
- Never taste a food to determine its safety!
- Keep the refrigerator and freezer doors closed as much as possible to maintain the cold temperatures. Each time the door is opened, a significant amount of cold air is lost. The refrigerator will keep food cold safely for about four hours if it is unopened. A full freezer will hold the temperature for approximately 48 hours (24 hours if it is half full and the door remains closed.)
- Food may be safely refrozen if it still contains ice crystals or is at 40° F or below.
- Obtain dry or block ice to keep your refrigerator and freezer as cold as possible if the power is going to be out for a prolonged period of time. Fifty pounds of dry ice should hold an 18-cubic-foot full freezer for two days.
- If the power has been out for several days, check the temperature of the freezer with an appliance thermometer or food thermometer. If the food still contains ice crystals or is at 40° F or below, the food is safe.
- If a thermometer has not been kept in the freezer, check each package of food to determine its safety. If the food still contains ice crystals, the food is safe.
- Discard refrigerated perishable food such as meat, poultry, fish, soft cheeses, milk, eggs, leftovers and deli items after four hours without power.
- When in Doubt, Throw it Out!
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