Division of Environmental Health and Sustainability Phone: DISASTER RECOVERY AND FOOD HANDLING FOLLOWING A FLOOD OR NATURAL DISASTER

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1 Divisin f Envirnmental Health and Sustainability Phne: Sanitatin and Hygiene: Preventing illness DISASTER RECOVERY AND FOOD HANDLING FOLLOWING A FLOOD OR NATURAL DISASTER Basic hygiene is very imprtant during this emergency perid. Always wash yur hands with sap and water that has been biled r disinfected befre eating and after tilet use; cleanup activities; r handling items cntaminated by fldwater, debris r sewage. Use f hand sanitizers fllwing hand washing is encuraged. Fld waters may cntain fecal matter frm sewage systems, agricultural and industrial waste, and septic tanks. If yu have pen cuts r sres expsed t the fldwater, keep them as clean as pssible by washing them with sap and disinfected r biled water. Apply antibitic intment t reduce the risk f infectin. D nt allw children t play in fldwater r with tys that are cntaminated by fldwater. If fldwaters are cvering yur septic tank and leach field, yu shuld nt use any flush tilets attached t the system. Create a hmemade pt-a-jhn: Use 5- galln buckets lined with heavy-duty plastic garbage bags. Add dedrizer such as lime, husehld bleach r kitty litter. Keep buckets, with tight lids, in a cl, dark place/ D nt thrw human waste in regular trash. Dispse f waste by flushing dwn the tilet when services are restred r bury it. Clean and disinfect buckets. Handling Fd Fllwing a Fld Fd cntaminatin may be a prblem after a fld, trnad, fire r ther natural disaster. Fldwaters may carry silt, raw sewage, il r chemical wastes. Filth and disease bacteria in fldwater may cntaminate any fds the water tuches, making them unsafe t eat. Flded areas may have lst electrical pwer. Always keep meat, pultry, fish and eggs refrigerated at r belw 41 F, and keep frzen fd frzen. If yu lse pwer, keep the refrigeratr and freezer drs clsed as much as pssible t maintain the cld temperature. The refrigeratr will keep fd safely cld fr abut 4 hurs if it is unpened. A full freezer will hld the temperature fr apprximately 48 hurs (24 hurs if it is half-full) if the dr remains clsed. 1

2 Obtain dry r blck ice t keep yur refrigeratr as cld as pssible if the pwer is ging t be ut fr a prlnged perid f time. Fifty punds f dry ice shuld maintain an 18-cubic-ft full freezer fr tw days. Examine fd carefully after a fld. Cntaminatin may ccur if fldwaters have cvered, dripped n r seeped int the fd. Sme fds may be prtected by their cntainers. If yu have any dubt abut the safety f a fd, it is always better t thrw it ut rather than risk disease. IF IN DOUBT THROW IT OUT!! The fllwing guidelines will help yu decide when t thrw ut fds and hw t disinfect fds that can be saved. D nt try t save the fllwing fds if they have cme in cntact with fldwater: Fresh prduce frm yur garden such as lettuce, cabbage and ptates Cntainers f nuts, spices, seasnings and flavrings Canisters r bags f grains, sugar, salt, cffee and tea Paper, plastic, clth, fiber r cardbard bxes f fd Plastic bags f fd, even if bxes and cntainers inside the bags seem dry. These include pastas, cereals, rice, dried milk, crackers, ckies r mixes. Screw-tpped r crimp-tpped jars r bttles f fd that have been tuched by fldwaters, even when jars have nt been pened. There is n lid in use n glass fd cntainers that will keep ut water if the cntainer is immersed. This includes all hme-canned fds in glass jars and bttles as well as all jams, jellies, hney, mlasses, syrups, fruits, pickles, etc., in glass jars. Prus nn-fd items that are used with fd r put int the muth, and items made f hard rubber, plastic r ther flexible (prus) materials, such as baby bttle nipples, pacifiers, and plastic r wden dishes and utensils. Disinfecting Fd and Utensils after a Fld Cans f Fd - Cans that d nt have dents r rust can be saved if they are handled prperly befre they are pened: Remve labels. Re-label with a permanent marker. Wash the cans in a strng detergent slutin with a scrub brush t remve all silt. Immerse scrubbed cntainers cmpletely in a lukewarm slutin f chlrine fr ne minute. See directins in table belw fr making a chlrine disinfecting slutin. Remve cntainers frm the chlrine slutin. Allw t air-dry befre pening. Re-label with a permanent marker, if necessary. Use as sn as pssible, because cntainers may rust. Dishes and Utensils - Glass, ceramic and china dishes; metal and glass ckware; glass baby bttles; and empty canning jars can be saved in the fllwing way: Thrughly wash them in a strng detergent slutin, remving all filth and mud. Disinfect in a chlrine slutin in the strengths described in the table belw. If cncerned abut harm frm the bleach, dishes and utensil can be biled in water fr 10 minutes. Allw t air-dry befre using. 2

3 Handling Hme Furnishings Fllwing a Fld In general, d nt try t save mldy, prus items (items that absrb water). The fllwing items must be thrwn away when yu can see r smell mld and/r the materials have been under water: Carpet, carpet padding and rugs Uphlstered furniture, mattresses and bx springs Cmputers, micrwaves, windw A/C units and ther electrnics/appliances that had fans and were hused in mldy rms Papers and bks Items that typically can be saved: Nnprus items such as china, glass, jewelry, prcelain and metal All-wd furniture with mld grwth but therwise in gd cnditin Sme electrnics and small appliances (depends n flding cnditins) Phtgraphs, bks and valuable r imprtant legal dcuments with minr levels f mld grwth Artwrk, textiles and clthing that are nt physically damaged Husehld Cleanup Fllwing a Fld It can be difficult t thrw away items in a hme, particularly thse with sentimental value. Hwever, keeping certain items saked by sewage r fldwaters may be unhealthy. Materials that cannt be thrughly cleaned, disinfected and dried within hurs shuld be discarded. Walls, hard-surfaced flrs and many ther husehld surfaces must be cleaned with sap and water and disinfected. See directins in table belw fr making a chlrine disinfecting slutin. Thrughly disinfect surfaces that cme in cntact with fd and children's play areas. Replace fiberbard, insulatin and dispsable filters in yur heating/cling system. Wear rubber bts and waterprf glves during cleanup. Making a Chlrine Disinfecting Slutin Husehld bleach cntains frm 5.25 t 8.25 percent chlrine. The amunt f bleach t add t water depends n the percent chlrine it cntains. Check the bttle label and fllw these guidelines: Outcme Disinfect Desired Cncentratin Maximum Maximum Range Range (ppm) (%) 5.25% Frmula/Recipe based n % Sdium Hypchlrite (Bleach t Galln f Water) 5.25% 6% 6% 8.25% 8.25% Apprpiate Surface Surface Cntaminated fld water % 1/4 Cups 60 ml 3.5 TBSP 53 ml 2.5 TBSP 38 ml 3

4 Preventing the Grwth f Mld Misture that enters buildings frm leaks r flding accelerates mld grwth. Mlds can cause disease, trigger allergic reactins and cntinue t damage materials after the strm. Remve standing water frm yur hme r ffice. Remve wet materials prmptly and ventilate; use fans and dehumidifiers if pssible. If mld grwth has already ccurred, it is best t have a prfessinal remve it. Individuals with knwn mld allergies r asthma shuld never clean r remve mld. Small areas f mld grwth can be remved with sap and water. Garbage Strage, Cllectin and Dispsal Fllwing a Fld As yu start cleaning, yu will likely prduce a great deal f garbage. Lcal authrities will tell yu where and when cllectin will ccur. Garbage invites insects and rdents. Rdents, in particular, may be lking fr fd because the fld may have destryed their hmes and nrmal fd surce. Stre any garbage in watertight, rdent/insect-prf cntainers with tight-fitting cvers. Use plastic liners if available. Standing Water: Preventing msquit-brne illness Heavy rains and flding can lead t an increase in msquites that may be infected with West Nile virus. T prtect against msquites, remain diligent in yur persnal msquit prtectin effrts. Avid being utdrs when msquites are mst active. Fr many species, this is during the dusk and dawn hurs. Als, bserve the fllwing precautins: Wear clthing that cvers mst f yur skin. Repellents cntaining DEET (N,N-diethyl-m-tluamide), picaridin r OLE (il f lemn eucalyptus) are ptins. Use strictly accrding t label instructins. D nt allw children t apply repellents, and avid applying repellents t the hands f yung children. Check arund yur hme t rid the area f standing water. Eliminate ther breeding sites. Remve ld tires and turn ver r remve empty plastic cntainers. Swimming Pls, Ht Tubs and Spas Pls affected by fld waters shuld be drained and super-chlrinated. Refilling a pl with water frm a public water system n a bil rder is allwed as lng as the pl maintains an adequate disinfectin level. 4

5 Use f gasline-pwered generatrs r pressure washers Carbn mnxide (CO) pisning frm engine exhaust is a cmmn and serius danger that can result in death if generatrs r gasline-pwered pressure washers are used. Never use generatrs, pressure washers r ther gasline-pwered tls indrs r in a garage, carprt r basement. They all prduce large amunts f CO that can build up t dangerus levels in minutes. Keep yur generatr r pressure washer engine utdrs and well away frm windws, drs and intakes. Get t fresh air right away and seek prmpt medical care if yu suspect CO pisning and are feeling dizzy, light-headed r nauseated. Generatrs can cause severe electrical hazards and may cause electrcutin r fire if used imprperly. Mst prtable generatrs are designed t wrk with a few appliances r pieces f electrical equipment that may be plugged directly int the generatr withut the use f a generatr transfer switch. This type f generatr culd be especially useful, but it isn t recmmended if yu are perating sensitive equipment r have numerus large appliances r business machines. When using a prtable generatr, yu als must purchase an electric pwer crd t feed the electrical equipment. This shuld be a heavy-duty, utdr-rated extensin crd sized fr the ttal electrical lad (vltage and amps) yu may need. Chse a crd that exceeds the ttal expected lad t prevent excessive heat buildup and degradatin f the pwer crd. Ensure the crd has three prngs and n splits, cuts r hles in the external insulatin cvering. An verladed r damaged pwer crd can cause electrcutin r ptentially start a fire. Fr additinal infrmatin, please cntact yur lcal public health agency r the Divisin f Envirnmental Health and Sustainability at