Do you know how to protect yourself and your loved ones from the risks brought by floodwater? Floodwater and standing water can be dangerous and can make you vulnerable to infectious diseases, chemical hazards, and injuries.

Try to return to your home during the daytime so that you do not have to use any lights. Use battery-powered flashlights and lanterns, rather than candles, gas lanterns, or torches.

• If you have standing water in your home and can turn off the main power from a dry location, then go ahead and turn off the power, even if it delays cleaning. If you must enter standing water to access the main power switch, then call an electrician to turn it off.
• Have an electrician check the house’s electrical system before turning the power on again.
• If you smell gas or suspect a leak, turn off the main gas valve, open all windows, and leave your house immediately. Notify the gas company or the police or fire departments or State Fire Marshal’s office, and do not turn on the lights or do anything that could cause a spark. Do not return until you are told it is safe to do so.
• If the house has been closed up for several days, enter briefly to open doors and windows to let the house air out for a while (at least 30 minutes) before you stay for any length of time.
• If your home has been flooded and has been closed up for several days, assume your home has mold. Next week we will talk about how to address mold in your home.

We don’t know exactly what is in floodwater at any given point in time. Floodwater can contain:

• Human and livestock waste
• Household, medical, and industrial hazardous waste (chemical, biological, and radiological)
• Coal ash waste that can contain carcinogenic compounds such as arsenic, chromium, and mercury
• Other germs and contaminants that can lead to illness
• Physical objects such as lumber, vehicles, and debris
• Wild or stray animals such as rodents and snakes

If you come in contact with floodwater:

• Wash the area with soap and clean water as soon as possible. If you don’t have soap or water, use alcohol-based wipes or sanitizer.
• Take care of wounds and seek medical attention if necessary.
• Wash clothes contaminated with flood or sewage water in hot water and detergent before reusing them.
• If you must enter floodwater, wear rubber boots, rubber gloves, and goggles.

Exposure to contaminated floodwater can cause:

• Wound infections
  • Avoid exposure to floodwater if you have an open wound.
  • Cover clean, open wounds with a waterproof bandage to reduce chance of infection.
  • Keep open wounds as clean as possible by washing well with soap and clean water.
  • If a wound develops redness, swelling, or oozing, seek immediate medical attention.
• Skin rash
• Gastrointestinal illness
• Tetanus

Keep Food Safe After a Disaster or Emergency

• Keep refrigerator and freezer doors closed.
• If the doors stay closed, food will stay safe up to 4 hours in a refrigerator, 48 hours in a full freezer, 24 hours in a half-full freezer.
• If the power has been out for 4 hours, and a cooler and ice are available, put refrigerated perishable foods in the cooler. To keep them at 40°F or below, add ice or a cold source like frozen gel packs.
• Never taste food to know if it is safe to eat. When in doubt, throw it out.
• Throw out perishable food in your refrigerator (meat, fish, cut fruits and vegetables, eggs, milk, and leftovers) after 4 hours without power or without a cold source like ice. Throw out any food with an unusual smell, color, or texture.
• If you have an appliance thermometer in your refrigerator, check to see if it is still at 40 °F or below.
• Check temperatures of food kept in coolers or your refrigerator with an added cold source. Throw out food that has thawed or is above 40°.
• You can safely refreeze or cook thawed frozen food that still contains ice crystals or is at 40 °F or below.
• Throw away these foods
  • Perishable food that has not been refrigerated or frozen properly due to power outages
  • Food that may have come in contact with floodwater or stormwater
  • Food with an unusual smell, color, or texture
  • Food in packages that are not waterproof
  • Food in cardboard containers, including juice/milk/baby formula boxes
  • Food containers with screw caps, snap lids, crimped caps, twist caps, flip tops, and snap tops
  • Home-canned foods and canned foods or food containers that are bulging, open, or damaged
  • Throw out cans or food containers that spurt liquid or foam when you open them or contain food that is discolored, moldy, or smells bad
• Clean and sanitize food-contact surfaces that have been flooded
  • Throw out wooden cutting boards, baby bottle nipples, and pacifiers if they have come into contact with floodwaters. Sanitizing methods are not effective for removing contaminates in floodwater from these items.
  • Clean and sanitize dishes, utensils, and other surfaces that touch food (like refrigerator drawers or kitchen countertops) in a four-step process:
    • Wash with hot, soapy water.
    • Rinse with clean, safe water.
    • Make a solution of 1 cup (8 oz/240 mL) of unscented household chlorine bleach in 5 gallons of clean water. Soak items for 1 minute in the beach solution (solution should completely cover the items). For items that you can’t put in the solution (like countertops), apply solution with a cloth.
  • Allow to air dry.