Injury Prevention after a Disaster | Personal Hygiene after an Emergency | Stress and Coping after a Disaster | Food Safety after an Emergency | Drinking Water Safety after an Emergency | Emergency Information on Private Wells and Onsite Sewage Systems | Dealing with Mold after an Emergency | Prevent Carbon Monoxide Poisoning | Dealing with Animals after a Disaster
When the wind and waters recede, people in the areas affected by a disaster will continue to face a number of hazards associated with cleanup activities. Follow these tips to keep yourself and your family safe.
Wear Protective Gear
Beware of Electrical Hazards
Avoid Carbon Monoxide
Carbon monoxide is an odorless, colorless gas that is poisonous to breathe. During cleanup, operate all gasoline-powered devices such as pumps, generators and pressure washers outdoors and away from open windows, doors, and air vents. Never bring gasoline-powered devices indoors. This will help to ensure your safety from carbon monoxide poisoning.
Prevent Muscle and Bone Injury
Special attention is needed to avoid back injuries associated with manual lifting and handling of debris and building materials.
To help prevent muscle and bone injury:
Beware of Structural Instability
Never assume that damaged structures or ground are stable. Buildings that have been submerged or have withstood rushing flood waters may have suffered structural damage and could be dangerous.
Avoid Hazardous Materials
Disasters can dislodge tanks, drums, pipes and equipment, which may contain hazardous materials such as pesticides or propane.
Be Prepared for Fires
Fire can pose a major threat to an already badly damaged area because of inoperable fire-protection and firefighting water supply systems, hampered fire department response and flood-damaged fire-protection systems. To protect yourself against fires after a natural disaster, keep at least two fire extinguishers, each with a UL rating of at least 10A, at every cleanup job.
When entering moving water, you are at risk for drowning, regardless of your ability to swim. Because those in vehicles are at greatest risk of drowning, it is important to comply with all hazard warnings on roadways and to avoid driving vehicles or heavy equipment into water of an unknown depth.
Reduce Risk of Heat Exhaustion and Cold Temperature Injuries
While cleaning up after the hurricane, you are at risk for developing health problems from working in hot or cold environments.
To reduce heat-related risks:
To reduce cold–related issues or working in water which is cooler than 75 F (24 C):
Prevent Fatigue-Related Injuries
Continued long hours of work combined with exhaustion can create a highly stressful situation during cleanup.
Animal and Insect-Related Hazards
Basic hygiene is very important following an emergency or disaster. To help prevent the spread of diseases that can cause illness it is important to wash your hands often, especially during cleanup efforts after a storm. Debris, floodwater and other remnants of the storm may harbor disease-causing bacteria and viruses.
Before an emergency, make sure you have created a Disaster Supply Kit with personal hygiene items you may need.
Always wash your hands with soap and water. Germs are spread when people forget to wash their hands or don’t wash their hands thoroughly. If your tap water source has been contaminated in some way, wash your hands with water that has been boiled and cooled:
How to Wash Your Hands:
Bathing after a water-related emergency should only be done with clean, safe water. Listen to public announcements for further instructions. Sometimes water that is not safe to drink can be used for bathing.
Brushing your teeth after a water-related emergency should only be done with clean, safe water. Listen to public announcements to find out if tap water is safe to use. If tap water is not safe, use the water stored in your Disaster Supply Kit or follow instructions to properly disinfect your tap water.
Keeping wounds clean and covered is crucial during an emergency. If you have open cuts or sores, keep them as clean as possible by washing well with soap and clean, safe water to control infection. If a wound develops redness, swelling, or drainage, seek immediate medical attention. When providing first aid for a wound, clean hands can help prevent infection (see the handwashing information above.)
How to Care for Minor Wounds:
The days and weeks after a disaster take a mental toll on all who are experiencing the incident and even those with no direct involvement in the incident. The Prince William Health District advises that in addition to your physical health, you take some time to consider your mental health as well. Remember that some sleeplessness, anxiety, anger, hyperactivity, mild depression, or lethargy are normal and may go away with time. If you feel any of these symptoms severely, seek counseling.
Individual responses to a threatening or potentially-traumatic event may vary. Emotional reactions may include feelings of fear, grief and depression. Physical and behavioral responses might include nausea, dizziness and changes in appetite and sleep patterns, as well as withdrawal from daily activities. Responses to trauma can last for weeks to months before people start to feel normal again. You may have strong feelings right away, or you may not notice a change until much later, after the crisis is over. Stress can change how you act with your friends and family. It will take time for you to feel better and for your life to return to normal. Give yourself time to heal. Seek medical care if you become injured, feel sick, or experience stress and anxiety.
The following are ways to ease disaster-related stress:
Ask for help if you:
Disaster Distress Helpline
The Disaster Distress Helpline (DDH) is the nation’s first hotline dedicated to providing disaster crisis counseling. The toll-free Helpline operates 24 hours-a-day, seven days a week. This free, confidential and multilingual, crisis support service is available via telephone (1-800-985-5990; TTY for deaf and hearing impaired: 1-800-846-8517) and SMS (Text ‘TalkWithUs’ to 66746; Spanish-speakers can text “Hablanos” to 66746) to residents who are experiencing psychological distress as a result of a natural or man-made disaster, incidents of mass violence or any other disasters.
Power outages can occur at any time of the year and it may take from a few hours to several days for electricity to be restored to residential areas. Without electricity or a cold source, food stored in refrigerators and freezers can become unsafe. Bacteria in food grow rapidly at temperatures between 40 and 140 °F, and if these foods are consumed, people can become very sick. In the case of an electrical outage, it is important to take careful precautions to ensure food safety. The risk of food poisoning is heightened when refrigerators and ovens are inoperable. Discard any food that has been at room temperature for two hours or more, and any food that has an unusual odor, color or texture. Just remember, “When in doubt, throw it out!”
Practice safe food handling and prevent food-borne illness by following these tips from the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA):
Steps to Follow to Prepare for a Possible Emergency
Steps to Follow After the Emergency
During Snow and Ice Storms
If Flooding Occurs
To Remove Odors from Refrigerators and Freezers
For additional information, please visit:
Virginia Department of Health
Food Safety Information from the Federal Government
Watch a Video from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA):
Drinking contaminated water may cause illness. Listen to local announcements on the safety of the water supply following an emergency. If the public water system lost pressure, a boil water notice will likely be issued for your area. People in these areas should take precautions to avoid contaminated water, especially individuals with private wells. If your well is in a flooded area, your water may contain disease-causing organisms and may not be safe to drink. Additional information on private wells is provided in the section below.
What you Should do if your Drinking Water is Contaminated:
For additional information, please visit:
VDH Office of Drinking Water
Below are some concerns about private wells and onsite sewage systems when the area faces major storms or flooding, followed by links to other sources of information. If you have specific questions before or after an emergency, call the Prince William Health District Environmental Health Division at 703-792-6310. While the emergency is in progress, Prince William Health District personnel will be monitoring for public health impacts and coordinating with local and state officials.
Power outages can cause problems for homeowners with wells and/or certain onsite sewage systems. If your home is served by a well, the well pump will not work when the power goes out. Keep sufficient potable water on hand for drinking and cooking. Toilets can be flushed by pouring a bucketful of water either into the tank and using the handle, or by pouring a bucketful into the bowl. Many well pumps operate on a 240 volt circuit, so if you plan to use a generator to run your well pump during a power outage, have the connections established by a licensed electrician. Remember – water and electricity are very dangerous together!
Some onsite sewage systems may also fail to operate properly during a power outage. The pump won’t work without power in systems with pumps, but most onsite sewage systems with a pump should have 100‐200 gallons storage capacity above the high level alarm. Exceeding this storage capacity could cause the pump chamber to overflow, spilling raw sewage on the ground. Use water sparingly.
Many alternative systems also have electrical components such as aerators, flow control switches and other equipment. Many alternative systems also include a pump and therefore should have a limited amount of storage capacity as noted above. Alternative system owners should call their licensed Alternative Onsite Sewage System Operator as soon as possible once the power returns if some components do not seem to be functioning properly.
People who rely on private wells for their water should consider their well contaminated if it was
submerged or they believe it is possible the well became submerged during the emergency.
If the well was flooded and underwater, do not turn on the pump until you are sure the electrical
system is completely dried out (See the EPA link below – What to do After the Flood.) Consider a well that has been submerged contaminated and disinfect the well and the water system once you are sure the electrical system is safe. The water should not be consumed
until bacteriological testing indicates the well is not contaminated. Two satisfactory bacteriological tests
performed on samples taken at least 24 hours apart will indicate your water supply has been properly
disinfected. Labs certified to test drinking water are available at:
If you are unsure if the well was flooded, assume that it was and use another water source until the
water supply is disinfected. A satisfactory water test following disinfection indicates that the water supply has been disinfected initially. The second water test, taken at least 24 hours later, indicates that there is no ongoing contamination of the water supply. Be sure to follow the instructions from the lab carefully when collecting your water samples. Exposing the water or container to a source of bacteriological contamination (fingers, breath, etc.) could give a false positive result.
Onsite Sewage Systems
For any type of onsite sewage system, conventional or alternative, a hurricane or flood could submerge
the system, causing a backup of sewage into the house. Look for sewage backups in the plumbing
fixtures at the lowest elevations in your house. The wax seal between the toilet and the floor and the
first floor or basement bathtub. Wear gloves and other protective gear when cleaning up sewage.
Flooding can wash soil away from the septic tank, drainfield lines or other components, causing damage
to the components or introducing raw or partially treated sewage into the yard. Flooding may also just
cause the onsite sewage system to operate sluggishly because the soil in the dispersal area is saturated,
preventing effluent from the tank from seeping into the ground. Hurricane Isabel in September 2003,
left Virginia with acres of fallen trees from high winds combined with saturated soil. Some homeowners
found that the roots of falling trees pulled up some shallow drainfield lines and damaged some other
components such as septic tanks and distribution boxes.
If your septic tank/drainfield system is damaged by the storm or if the soil is saturated, minimize water
use within the house to prevent raw sewage from discharging to the ground surface. Minimize contact
with sewage contaminated waters. Use gloves and protective gear and wash any exposed skin with
soap and water as soon as possible. Disinfect any exposed human contact surfaces with diluted bleach
Following the storm, saturated soils should begin to drain and restore function to many sluggish
systems. If your system has been damaged or remains sluggish, you will need to complete an
application to repair your damaged system with the Prince William Health District or contact your Alternative Onsite Sewage System Operator to inspect your alternative system.
For additional information, please visit:
Virginia Department of General Services - Virginia Certified Laboratories
CDC - General Food and Water Sanitation in Emergencies
EPA - What to do After the Flood
EPA - Coliform, Fecal coliform and E. coli bacteria explained
CDC - Well Testing
CDC - Water Related Diseases and Contaminants in Private Wells
The Prince William Health District urges residents to take precautionary measures to avoid indoor air quality problems when cleaning up after a disaster. Moisture that enters buildings from leaks or flooding accelerates mold growth. Molds can cause disease, trigger allergic reactions and continue to damage materials long after the incident. Failure to control moisture and mold can present short and long-term health risks.
To protect against health risks associated with mold:
Do not mix cleaners and disinfectants, as hazardous gases may produce hazardous chemical reactions. Mixing certain types of products can produce toxic fumes and result in injury and even death. Read and follow label instructions on all products carefully before using them. Don’t forget to open windows and doors to provide plenty of fresh air. If it is safe for you to use electricity and the home is dry, use fans both during and after the use of disinfecting, cleaning, and sanitizing products.
EPA's Fact Sheet: Flood Cleanup: Avoiding Indoor Air Quality Problems - discusses steps to take when cleaning and repairing a home after flooding. This fact sheet provides tips to avoid creating indoor air quality problems during cleanup. Please visit http://www.epa.gov/iaq/flood/ to access this information.
PWHD Information Sheet: Prevent Carbon Monoxide Poisoning
Use of gas-powered appliances and charcoal or gas grills following a disaster increases the number of carbon monoxide poisoning cases and fatalities. As residents begin turning to alternate means to provide electricity and cooking capabilities, the Prince William Health District urges the public to avoid carbon monoxide exposure that can be a silent killer.
Carbon monoxide is an invisible, odorless, tasteless gas and is highly poisonous. Depending on the level of exposure, carbon monoxide may cause:
The Prince William Health District recommends the following precautions to help prevent carbon monoxide poisoning:
The CDC has prepared many card-sized carbon monoxide resources that can be printed and placed on generators and other sources of carbon monoxide. These resources are available at www.bt.cdc.gov/disasters/co-materials.asp.
For additional information, please visit:
Virginia Department of Health
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
Watch a public service announcement from the CDC:
After a disaster, wild and domestic animals may be displaced from their habitat. Once displaced, animals will shelter wherever they can, including on your property and even inside your home. The following information will help you determine the correct course of action should you encounter a wild or domestic animal following a disaster.
Do not feed or attempt to approach any wild animal. Wild animals can inflict serious physical injury to humans. Call animal control immediately if the animal poses a danger to you.
An easy way to decrease your chances of coming into contact with wild animals is to make your backyard less inviting. This includes picking up trash that could be consumed by animals and the removal of debris that could act as shelters for rodents, reptiles and insects. All homeowners should be aware of:
Although domestic, stray dogs and cats can pose a serious health risk to you and your family. Displaced animals are often under large amounts of stress and are in search of food. You should not attempt to feed or approach any stray animal. Even the most innocent or sick looking dog or cat can cause serious physical injury if provoked. Stray animals can also pose a serious medical risk to humans since these animals often become sick from coming into contact with other sick wild animals or by eating them.
Zoonoses are infectious diseases that are transmitted by vectors (animals/insects) to humans. The following is a list of zoonoses to be aware of.
Rabies Virus: The Rabies virus is one of the most deadly animal to human transmitted diseases in the world. The rabies virus attacks the central nervous system of mammals causing the following symptoms: drooling, convulsions, excitability, loss of feeling, loss of muscle function, low grade fever (102 and lower), muscle spasms and restlessness. Without proper treatment rabies is 100% fatal. Rabies is transmitted when an uninfected human or animal comes in contact with the saliva or bodily fluid of an infected animal. In humans, this contact often comes in the form of a bite from an infected animal.
We stress that avoiding contact with stray or wild animals is the easiest way to protect your family from Rabies. If you see an animal that looks confused, off-balance, frothing/foaming at the mouth, or out of place (raccoon in daylight) seek shelter and call Animal Control immediately. If you are bitten, seek medical attention immediately and ensure that your healthcare provider has notified Animal Control and the Prince William Health District. It is very important to have your pets vaccinated for rabies. Vaccinations may prevent your pet from becoming infected and possibly infecting members of your family.
Vector-borne Illnesses: Domestic and wild animals are at an increased risk of acquiring various vector borne illnesses after natural disasters such as hurricanes and severe thunderstorms that produce extensive flooding. Moist and flooded areas are perfect breeding grounds for various vectors such as ticks, fleas and mites. Vectors such as ticks become infected by attaching themselves to smaller animals like mice, rats, rabbits and other rodents to feed, primarily off of the their blood. Infected animals transmit the bacteria to the vector which then falls off, digests the meal, and then begins searching for a new host. It is at this stage of the of the vector’s life where it poses serious health risks for pets and humans.
For additional information, please visit:
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)