May 2011: Cleanup after Flodding

Preparedness Ward Bulletin Message for May
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We like to think of water as clean and healthy but flooding can bring chemicals, mud, and sewage into your home. Treat anything and everything touched by flood water as contaminated. If it can not be sterilized, it must be disposed of. Wear gloves and protective clothing while cleaning and sterilize any cuts and scratches with rubbing alcohol or anti-bacterial cream to prevent infection. Do not drink or use tap water for cleaning until you are told it is safe to do so. Let the pipes flush clean before using tap water again.

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May Day! This has been a very wet winter that has closed roads and caused some areas to flood. So our topic for May is advice on how to cleanup after a flood. It is too much information for a poster. Can you email it to Ward members?
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Post Flood Safety

- Don't touch anything in contact with fallen power lines including trees and puddles.
- Aggressively clean all cuts or scrapes – the risk of infection is high. Tap water may be polluted.
- Wear protective clothing, such as gloves and boots, to avoid contact with contaminated water.
- Expect an invasion of vermin (rats & snakes) and insects within a few days.
- Have a professional inspect electrical appliances that get wet before you plug them in.

Clean-up after Flooding

- Open windows and doors to ventilate and dry your home.
- Shovel away as much mud and debris as possible. Wash and disinfect the walls, floors and anything else in contact with flood water.
- Drain the basement no more than one foot per day to minimize further damage. Groundwater outside creates enormous inward pressure on basement walls and floors.
- Throw away flooded items that cannot be washed and disinfected (such as mattresses, carpeting, carpet padding, rugs, upholstered furniture, cosmetics, stuffed animals, baby toys, pillows, foam-rubber items, books, wall coverings, drywall, insulation, and most paper products).
- Discard wooden cutting boards, wooden dishes and utensils, plastic utensils, baby bottle nipples, and pacifiers that have come into contact with flood water. These items cannot be safely cleaned.
- Sanitize kitchenware by boiling in clean water or immersing them for 15 min. in a solution of 1 tablespoon of unscented, liquid chlorine bleach per gallon of drinking water (or the cleanest, clearest water available).
- Thoroughly wash counter tops and all surfaces with soap and and hot water. Sanitize by applying a solution of 1 tablespoon of unscented, liquid chlorine bleach per gallon of drinking water (or the cleanest, clearest water available). Allow to air dry.
- Carefully clean corners, cracks and crevices, door handles, and door seals, in rooms that have been affected by flood water.
- Discard refrigerators that have been submerged in flood water.
- Run your dishwasher, empty through three complete cycles to flush the water lines and assure that they are cleaned internally before washing equipment and utensils in it.
- Discard any ice from an ice dispenser and flush the water line clean.