Q: Should we save any garden produce if it was in or near flood water?
A: A number of food safety outbreaks started when contaminated field water touched leafy greens or other produce, then stuck through the harvesting and
packaging process. Assume the same can happen when manure or chemical-tainted floodwaters washed over your corn, pumpkins and tomatoes. Colorado State University suggests, "How to clean up after a Flood" not to eat produce unless it was more than two weeks away from maturing at the time of the inundation. Two weeks can give sun, air and time the opportunity to work magic.
Q: Can we drink the tap water safely?
A: Make sure your community has issued a safe tap water notice. Until then, boil any water you need to drink for three minutes, or use bottled resources from rescue operations, according to experts from the Louisiana Office of Homeland Security and Emergency Preparedness.
Q: Is soaked clothing hopeless?
A: Not necessarily, but you should sanitize the clothing if it sat in flood water or you are soiling clothes in cleanup operations and plan to use them again. "Bacteria from floodwaters can remain alive on fabrics for a long time," CSU warns. Extension agents recommend, depending on the fabric, one of four materials: quaternary, such as Roccal; liquid chlorine; pine oil; or phenolic, such as Pine-Sol or Sea-Air.
Q: Will the flood cause another plague in the form of bugs?
A: Water and muddy puddles will increase the hazards of mosquitoes and flies that can bite or contaminate food. Colorado has had a flurry of West Nile cases lately from mosquitoes, and those risks will increase with ponds and puddles from the foothills to the Nebraska border. You can create a bigger perimeter of safety by looking for and eliminating standing water in your yard or work area. Dump out a kiddy pool, tip over a full wheelbarrow, and unclog the gutters. If there are dead birds, fish or other carcasses nearby, bury them or get them to a disposal area.
Q: Are there other hazards to consider?
A: Slip and fall is a big one, when stairs, yards and slick interior floors are covered with even slicker mud or residue, Louisiana experts warn. They see a large number of secondary injuries during flood cleanup, as homeowners step briskly onto unexpected dangers. Louisiana rescuers also hand out stout gloves in cleanup kits that include mops and bleach. Debris is rife with broken glass, rusty nails, splinters and other risks. Bacteria-laden mud compounds the danger of any cut. Keep a good first-aid kit handy during neighborhood cleanup efforts.
