The U.S. Department of Agriculture's Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) is urging residents of coastal states to plan ahead this hurricane season and minimize the potential for foodborne illness in the event of power outages, flooding, and other problems that could be associated with weather emergencies.  “As you prepare your home for hurricane season, remember to protect food from being exposed to contaminated water or unsafe storage temperatures in a power outage,” USDA Under Secretary for Food Safety Dr. Elisabeth Hagen said.  Steps to follow to prepare for a possible weather emergency include:  Keep an appliance thermometer in the refrigerator and freezer to help determine if food is safe during power outages. The refrigerator temperature should be 40° F or lower and the freezer should be 0° F or lower.  Store food on shelves that will be safely out of the way of contaminated water in case of flooding.  Freeze refrigerated items such as leftovers, milk and fresh meat and poultry that you may not need immediately — this helps keep them at a safe temperature longer.  Have coolers on hand to keep refrigerator food cold if the power will be out for more than 4 hours.  Purchase or make ice and store in the freezer for use in the refrigerator or in a cooler.