Water, sewage and food disruptions

How to use this guide

This guide is intended for households dealing with a water outage, low pressure, suspected contamination, sewage overflow, a power outage that affects food refrigeration, or a combination of several disruptions. It follows an action sequence: understand what happened, protect drinking water, maintain hygiene, manage food, and decide when assistance or relocation is required.

How the guidance was determined: Instructions on water quality, food safety, and infant formula are based first on authoritative Israeli sources. The distinction between types of water notices and additional hygiene principles during disasters also draws on CDC and WHO material for explanation only. Whenever a specific Israeli notice exists, it takes precedence.

Four questions to ask first

• Has an official notice been issued, and what exactly is prohibited: drinking only, all use of water, or use in a specific area?
• Is anyone at home dependent on water, refrigerated medication, special feeding, or increased hygiene?
• Are toilets, sewage, elevators, and building water pumps functioning?
• Is there enough safe water and suitable food until the next update?

Important: Do not rely on smell, color, or taste to decide whether water or food is safe. Do not use tap water contrary to an official notice, and do not boil water when the notice says “do not drink” because of a chemical contaminant or says “do not use.”

1. Prepare in advance

Water and storage containers

• Keep an amount of water appropriate to Home Front Command guidance and your household characteristics, and rotate the supply according to expiration dates.
• Use sealed bottles or clean food-grade containers with intact lids.
• Clearly separate water intended for drinking from water intended for cleaning or toilet flushing.
• Store water in a shaded place, away from cleaning products, fuels, and pesticides.
• Prepare a clean pouring utensil; do not dip cups or hands into the container.

Hygiene and sanitation

• Soap, hand sanitizer, wipes, toilet paper, strong garbage bags, and disposable gloves.
• Absorbent products, baby supplies, and equipment for a person who needs considerable assistance with daily activities, as needed.
• A bucket or dedicated container for non-drinking water, clearly marked.
• Cleaning products that do not require dangerous mixing of chemicals.

Food and refrigeration

• Food that does not require refrigeration or cooking, adapted to medical needs if necessary.
• A refrigerator/freezer thermometer, if possible.
• A cooler and frozen ice packs.
• A manual can opener and disposable eating utensils for times when water is not safe for washing dishes.

2. Understand a water-quality notice

Water-quality notices may use different wording. The table below explains common categories only to help understand the type of risk. In Israel, follow the exact wording issued by the Ministry of Health, water provider, and local authority, including which uses are permitted and prohibited.

3. During an unexpected water outage

These actions are needed when a water outage occurs without advance notice:

• Check whether the problem is inside your home, in the building, or area-wide. Do not operate a main water valve without authorization.
• Close taps that were left open to prevent flooding when supply returns.
• Protect drinking water: open containers only when needed and keep dirty hands or utensils away from the water.
• Prioritize drinking, preparation of medically necessary food, and medications. Bathing, laundry, and cleaning should be postponed or performed with non-drinking water when that is allowed.
• Do not use water from a heating system, air conditioner, radiator, swimming pool, stream, or unapproved reservoir for drinking.
• Contact the local authority hotline or water corporation before your stored water runs out.

4. Toilets, sewage, and hygiene

An extended water outage may affect sewage and toilet use, especially if it is accompanied by a power outage or failure of pumping facilities. Actions therefore need to match the actual condition of the system.

If toilets are still working normally

• Reduce flushing, including by using water stored in advance for that purpose. Do not put wipes, sanitary pads, diapers, or grease into the plumbing.
• Use non-drinking water for flushing only if it is safe and permitted in the building.
• Wash hands with soap and safe water. If there is no water, hand sanitizer can help when hands are not visibly dirty.

If sewage is backing up or toilets cannot be used

• Immediately stop using toilets and sinks connected to the affected line.
• Keep children, food, and medical equipment away from contaminated areas.
• Do not try to open a main blockage and do not enter a sewer pit.
• Never mix bleach with any other cleaning product.
• Report the problem immediately to the water corporation or local authority, and in a shared building also to the building committee or management company.

If toilets cannot be used or basic needs cannot be managed safely, contact the local authority early and consider temporary relocation according to its guidance. Do not wait for sanitation conditions to deteriorate.

Important: After skin contact with sewage water, remove contaminated clothing and wash the area with soap and safe water. An exposed wound, fever, diarrhea, vomiting, or medical deterioration requires appropriate medical advice.

5. Keeping food safe during an extended power outage

Beyond the inconvenience of a long power outage, there are specific hazards to avoid. One is consuming spoiled food. The following actions can reduce that risk:

• Keep refrigerator and freezer doors closed.
• Write down the time the power failed.
• Move food to a cooler with ice only if it can be kept cold and safe.
• Do not taste food to decide whether it is safe.
• Follow Ministry of Health guidance, the type of food, and refrigeration temperature. Ministry of Health professional guidance notes that during a prolonged outage, temperature-sensitive food should be moved to alternative refrigeration; appearance or smell alone is not enough.
• Do not decide whether to refreeze food based on “how it feels.” Consider temperature, duration of the outage, and Ministry of Health guidance. When storage conditions are unknown or there is doubt about perishable food, discard it.

Discard without hesitation

• Food that came into contact with floodwater or sewage.
• Food in swollen, open, leaking, broken, or unsealed packaging.
• Perishable food that remained warm longer than the relevant guidance allows.
• Food with an unusual smell, color, or texture.
• Infant food or medical food when storage conditions are unknown.

6. Preparing food when water is limited

Preparing food during a prolonged water outage or other water restriction can be difficult. Keep the following points in mind:

• Prefer ready-to-eat food or food that requires little water and few utensils.
• Use safe water for drinking, cooking, making beverages, ice, tooth brushing, and washing fruits and vegetables.
• Do not use tap water from an ice maker or plumbed-in water dispenser when a water-quality warning has been issued.
• Separate raw food from ready-to-eat food.
• Use disposable utensils when there is no safe water for washing.
• Do not prepare infant formula with prohibited water or water of unknown quality. Follow Ministry of Health instructions about the type of water and preparation method. Ready-to-feed formula may reduce dependence on water when it is appropriate for the infant and available.

Reminder: what must never be done

• Do not drink, cook, or prepare food with water that has been prohibited, even if it looks clear.
• Do not boil water when a notice prohibits drinking or use because of a chemical substance, unless the relevant authority specifically instructs you to do so.
• Do not use water from an unapproved source for drinking, including a swimming pool, heating system, stream, or private reservoir.
• Do not enter a sewer pit, open a main cover, or handle a large overflow without a professional.
• Do not mix bleach with acid, limescale remover, ammonia, or another cleaning product.
• Do not taste food to see whether it has spoiled, and do not give questionable food to an infant, ill person, or someone who requires extensive assistance with daily activities.
• Do not use a generator, grill, or other combustion device inside the home, in a protected space, or near a window because of the risk of carbon-monoxide poisoning.

7. People who need additional planning

Babies and toddlers

Use only safe water for food preparation, clean bottles, diapers, and hygiene. Remember that infants are more vulnerable to dehydration and infection.

Older adults and people with disabilities

Assistance may be needed with carrying water, toilet use, bathing, and regular drinking. Do not assume that a person will ask for help on their own.

Person who needs substantial help with daily activities

Plan for absorbent products, skin cleaning, water for medications and feeding, and safe waste disposal.

Chronic conditions

Diabetes, kidney or heart conditions, and medical diets may change water and food needs. Do not reduce fluid intake or change diet without advice.

Refrigerated medications

Follow health-fund or manufacturer instructions. Do not discard or use a medication that was exposed to heat without professional guidance.

8. When the home is no longer safe to stay in

When safe drinking water, sanitation, medical care, or safe living conditions cannot be ensured, contact the local authority, water corporation, or relevant medical provider and consider a planned relocation. If an evacuation order is issued, follow it and take medications, documents, personal equipment, and essential information.

In any case, consider self-evacuation from the home, if possible and safe, when:

• there is no safe drinking water and no official time has been announced for restoring supply or providing water another way;
• toilets cannot be used or the needs of a person who requires care cannot be managed;
• there is sewage overflow, a strong sewage odor, flooding, or contamination that cannot be isolated to part of the building;
• essential food or medications cannot be kept safely;
• someone shows signs of dehydration, illness, or worsening of an existing condition;
• the building depends on pumps or an elevator that are not working and there is no safe alternative;
• the local authority, Ministry of Health, or another competent body instructs residents to evacuate or avoid staying.

9. After water service resumes

Restoration of water supply after a prolonged outage is not enough by itself. Before returning to routine use:

• Wait for an official notice that the water is permitted for use.

• Check whether flushing, running water, or cleaning filters and appliances is required.

• Discard ice and drain water from plumbed-in devices when the notice requires it.

• Clean containers, utensils, and food-contact surfaces with safe water.

• Check for leaks, flooding, or equipment failures, such as in a boiler or filters.

• Photograph and document damage to food, equipment, or property before disposal when it is safe to do so.

• Restock supplies and record shortages for future events.

10. Short checklist

Action sheet during a disruption

A short page that can be saved on your phone or printed in advance.

Print the action sheet or save as PDF

Independent publication: This guide was developed by the Prepared Home project. It is not produced, approved, or operated by the organizations mentioned in it.

Main sources and review date

Authoritative Israeli sources take precedence: Home Front Command, the Ministry of Health, the Water Authority, and the local water corporation. CDC and WHO sources are used only to supplement general principles. All links were checked in August 2026.

Home Front Command. Emergency equipment.

Home Front Command. Preparing for extended power outages.

Water Authority. Emergency information.

Ministry of Health. Food-safety guidance for refrigerator/freezer food after an extended power outage. 2023.

Ministry of Health. Instructions for boiling drinking water. 2011.

State Comptroller. Drinking-water supply during emergencies. 2022.

CDC. Drinking Water Advisories: An Overview. 2024.

CDC. Keep Food Safe After a Disaster or Emergency. 2025.

WHO. Water, sanitation and health in humanitarian emergencies.