Flood Related Health Hazards

With recent flooding from wild weather occurring in several states across the country, perhaps it’s time to discuss the various health hazards that exhibit an increase of frequency after an area has experienced a flood. Inclement wet weather has adversely affected residents from Pennsylvania to Florida, as well as from Wisconsin to Colorado, and current weather patterns suggest more is on the way. In fact, there are two Pacific storms being tracked off the coast of Hawaii which could cause flooding in that state as well.

One of the biggest concerns people have when flooding occurs is their home. Home is where we feel the most comfortable and secure. It is also where we store a majority of our valuables and items of personal significance. If the home gets damaged, or worse completely destroyed, as a result of the flooding, then a new shelter is going to be a top priority.

Loss of life is also an enormous concern when flooding occurs, and is a very real possibility if you do not bug out before the water levels rise.

Uncontrolled Debris:
Aside from those two prominent concerns, there are several other hazards that could have an adverse effect on the health of you or your family members and friends. Debris during a flood is often uncontrollable. It will flow with the current created by the flood, and does present the possibility of causing excessive damage and destruction. While some debris may be visible, quite a bit of it remains unseen due to being submerged. These underwater hazards can cause serious injury, or potentially fatal.

Chemical Spillage:
When flooding occurs you not only have to worry about industrial chemicals entering the waterways, but you also have to be concerned with commercial and residential chemicals polluting those same waterways. This means that all water in the area must be filtered and purified prior to consumption, or bottled water will need to be consumed as an alternative. Even after the water levels recede, chemical pollutants will collect in land depressions. These will create puddles, which if you recall from childhood, are a favorite place to play. Do not allow your children to run around in water left behind by flooding!

Electrical Hazards:
Power outages are normally a side effect of flooding. Homes and businesses lose power as the water levels continue to rise. Some of these power outages are directly linked to downed power lines. Downed power lines can arc a great distance when on dry land; they can arc much further, and cause more significant damage when added to rising water levels. As we should all know by now, electricity and water do not play well together. To prevent, or reduce, the probability of being electrocuted, it is recommended to avoid entering the water, if at all possible.

Snakes & Rodents:
Both of these animal groups prefer dry ground. When flooding occurs, they will seek drier ground, which will normally also be higher ground. Sometimes that higher ground they find is inside buildings rather than out in nature. It is not uncommon to encounter these animals in the upper floors of homes and buildings that did not become submerged during the flood. It is therefore advisable to use extreme care and caution when entering these areas shortly after a flood, especially if you moved most of your valuables and household items to these floors to try and save them from being damaged. While snakes may be venomous and therefore lethal if bitten, rodents can carry with them a host of diseases, many of which can be just as deadly, if contracted.

Food Crop Contamination:
Floods can also adversely affect local food crops through chemical contamination, or become obliterated altogether if caught by debris or uprooted by raging water at higher than normal levels. If the food crops are affected by flood waters, then they should not be considered safe for consumption regardless of what any “authority” says to the contrary.

Additional Health Concerns:
Malaria, Campylobacteriosis, Necrotising Fasciitis, Cholera & Typhoid Fever outbreaks are also quite possible after a significant flood occurs. The longer standing stagnant water is present, the risk of disease is present, and may even be escalating depending on environmental factors associated with the flood results.

With the proper training and education you can be very well prepared and equipped to survive the storm when it happens, regardless of where you happen to be.

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