Thursday, July 11, 2019

What Lies Beneath (the flood waters)

















#14,181

While the ultimate strength of soon-to-be Tropical Storm Barry remains uncertain, all of the forecasts agree that this system will bring heavy rains - and potentially serious coastal and inland flooding - to the northern Gulf Coast, including New Orleans and the low lying parishes of Louisiana.
As we've discussed many times, the dangers from a hurricane often increase in the days and weeks after the storm has passed, due to injuries or illness that occur during the `recovery' period.
Some of the many dangers include: 
But one of the most common, and dangerous threats comes from floodwaters which may linger for days, or even weeks.  Waters that may contain toxic chemicals, dangerous viruses and bacteria, and hidden hazards like snakes, rats, and broken glass, sharp metal, or even live electrical wires.
Overnight NOLA.Com ran an article called Floodwater in New Orleans like 'toxic' stew, experts warn, after social media posts showed people swimming in yesterday's flood waters.
This is a familiar theme, one which we've discussed many times before (see 2012's Flood Dangers Run Deep).  One example, we've seen cases of Vibrio vulnificus infection (see Vulnerable To Vibrio) spike following coastal flooding events.

The CDC maintains a webpage on the hidden health risks from flood waters (below):
Flood Waters or Standing Waters

Health Risks
Flood waters and standing waters pose various risks, including infectious diseases, chemical hazards, and injuries.
Infectious Diseases
For more detailed information, see CDC’s Infectious Disease After a Disaster page.
Diarrheal Diseases
Eating or drinking anything contaminated by flood water can cause diarrheal disease. To protect yourself and your family,
  • Practice good hygiene (handwashing) after contact with flood waters.
  • Do not allow children to play in flood water areas.
  • Wash children’s hands frequently (always before meals).
  • Do not allow children to play with toys that have been contaminated by flood water and have not been disinfected.
For information on disinfecting certain nonporous toys, visit CDC’s Household Cleaning & Sanitizing page.
Wound Infections
Open wounds and rashes exposed to flood waters can become infected. To protect yourself and your family,
  • Avoid exposure to flood waters 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 drainage, seek immediate medical attention.
For more information, visit
Other Health Effects
Trench foot, also known as immersion foot, occurs when the feet are wet for long periods of time. It can be quite painful, but it can be prevented and treated. For more information, visit CDC’s Trench Foot or Immersion Foot page.
Chemical Hazards
Be aware of potential chemical hazards during floods. Flood waters may have moved hazardous chemical containers of solvents or other industrial chemicals from their normal storage places.
      (Continue . . . )


One of the biggest reasons to be prepared for disasters - like hurricanes, earthquakes, and floods - is so that you and your family can stay put, and out of harms way, in the days that follow.
If you don't have food, fresh water, or first aid supplies you may find yourself forced to go out and wade through dangerous waters.
Being prepared for (hopefully) a minimum of 7 days can help keep you and your family safer, and less traumatized, during an extremely stressful time.

So . . . if a disaster struck your region today, and the power went out, stores closed their doors, and water stopped flowing from your kitchen tap for the next 7 to 14 days  . . .  do you already have:

  • A battery operated NWS Emergency Radio to find out what was going on, and to get vital instructions from emergency officials
  • A decent first-aid kit, so that you can treat injuries
  • Enough non-perishable food and water on hand to feed and hydrate your family (including pets) for the duration
  • A way to provide light when the grid is down.
  • A way to cook safely without electricity
  • A way to purify or filter water
  • A way to stay cool (fans) or warm when the power is out.
  • A small supply of cash to use in case credit/debit machines are not working 
  • An emergency plan, including meeting places, emergency out-of-state contact numbers, a disaster buddy,  and in case you must evacuate, a bug-out bag
  • Spare supply of essential prescription medicines that you or your family may need
  • A way to entertain yourself, or your kids, during a prolonged blackout

If you don't already have these preps in place, today would be a very good day to start.

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