Following a flood or flash flood, you should stay out of any building if floodwaters remain around the building as floodwaters often undermine foundations, causing sinking, floors to crack or break and buildings to collapse; avoid entering any building before local officials have said it is safe to do so. Buildings may have hidden damage that makes them unsafe. Gas leaks or electric or waterline damage can create additional problems. Also report broken utility lines to the appropriate authorities. Reporting potential hazards will get the utilities turned off as quickly as possible, preventing further hazard and injury. Check with your utility company now about where broken lines should be reported.
You should also avoid smoking inside buildings as smoking in confined areas can cause fires. When entering buildings, use extreme caution since building damage may have occurred where you least expect it. Watch carefully every step you take. Wear sturdy shoes. The most common injury following a disaster is cut feet. Use battery-powered lanterns or flashlights when examining buildings. Battery-powered lighting is the safest and easiest, preventing fire hazard for the user, occupants and building.
Examine walls, floors, doors, staircases and windows to make sure that the building is not in danger of collapsing. Inspect foundations for cracks or other damage. Cracks and damage to a foundation can render a building uninhabitable. Look for fire hazards. There may be broken or leaking gas lines, flooded electrical circuits or submerged furnaces or electrical appliances. Flammable or explosive materials may travel from upstream.
Fire is the most frequent hazard following floods. Check for gas leaks. If you smell gas or hear a blowing or hissing noise, open a window and quickly leave the building. Turn off the gas at the outside main valve if you can and call the gas company from a neighbor's home. If you turn off the gas for any reason, it must be turned back on by a professional.
Look for electrical system damage. If you see sparks or broken or frayed wires, or if you smell burning insulation, turn off the electricity at the main fuse box or circuit breaker. If you have to step in water to get to the fuse box or circuit breaker, call an electrician first for advice. Electrical equipment should be checked and dried before being returned to service.
Check for sewage and waterline damage. If you suspect sewage lines are damaged, avoid using the toilets and call a plumber. If water pipes are damaged, contact the water company and avoid using water from the tap. You can obtain safe water from undamaged water heaters or by melting ice cubes.
Watch out for animals, especially poisonous snakes, that may have come into buildings with the floodwaters. Use a stick to poke through debris. Floodwaters flush snakes and many animals out of their homes.
Finally, to help with recovery and damage assessment, take pictures of the damage, both of the building and its contents, for insurance claims. Help a neighbor who may require special assistance - infants, elderly people and people with disabilities. Also, people who care for them or who have large families may need additional assistance in emergency situations.
After returning home, throw away food that has come in contact with floodwaters. Some canned foods may be salvageable. If the cans are dented or damaged, throw them away. Food contaminated by floodwaters can cause severe infections.
If water is of questionable purity, boil or add bleach, and distill drinking water before using. Wells inundated by floodwaters should be pumped out and the water tested for purity before drinking. If in doubt, call your local public health authority. Ill health effects often occur when people drink water contaminated with bacteria and germs.
Pump out flooded basements gradually (about one-third of the water per day) to avoid structural damage. If the water is pumped completely in a short period of time, pressure from water-saturated soil on the outside could cause basement walls to collapse.
Service damaged septic tanks, cesspools, pits and leaching systems as soon as possible. Damaged sewage systems are health hazards.
Your local Red Cross
chapter offers Be Red Cross Ready, a free one-hour class, to help get people ready for disasters and emergencies
of all scales. Contact the chapter at 252-9596 or e-mail chapter@ccredcross.org to learn more.
Susan Marteney is executive director of the Cayuga County Chapter of the American Red Cross.
Examine walls, floors, doors, staircases and windows to make sure that the building is not in danger of collapsing. Inspect foundations for cracks or other damage. Cracks and damage to a foundation can render a building uninhabitable. Look for fire hazards. There may be broken or leaking gas lines, flooded electrical circuits or submerged furnaces or electrical appliances. Flammable or explosive materials may travel from upstream.
Fire is the most frequent hazard following floods. Check for gas leaks. If you smell gas or hear a blowing or hissing noise, open a window and quickly leave the building. Turn off the gas at the outside main valve if you can and call the gas company from a neighbor's home. If you turn off the gas for any reason, it must be turned back on by a professional.
Look for electrical system damage. If you see sparks or broken or frayed wires, or if you smell burning insulation, turn off the electricity at the main fuse box or circuit breaker. If you have to step in water to get to the fuse box or circuit breaker, call an electrician first for advice. Electrical equipment should be checked and dried before being returned to service.
Check for sewage and waterline damage. If you suspect sewage lines are damaged, avoid using the toilets and call a plumber. If water pipes are damaged, contact the water company and avoid using water from the tap. You can obtain safe water from undamaged water heaters or by melting ice cubes.
Watch out for animals, especially poisonous snakes, that may have come into buildings with the floodwaters. Use a stick to poke through debris. Floodwaters flush snakes and many animals out of their homes.
Finally, to help with recovery and damage assessment, take pictures of the damage, both of the building and its contents, for insurance claims. Help a neighbor who may require special assistance - infants, elderly people and people with disabilities. Also, people who care for them or who have large families may need additional assistance in emergency situations.
After returning home, throw away food that has come in contact with floodwaters. Some canned foods may be salvageable. If the cans are dented or damaged, throw them away. Food contaminated by floodwaters can cause severe infections.
If water is of questionable purity, boil or add bleach, and distill drinking water before using. Wells inundated by floodwaters should be pumped out and the water tested for purity before drinking. If in doubt, call your local public health authority. Ill health effects often occur when people drink water contaminated with bacteria and germs.
Pump out flooded basements gradually (about one-third of the water per day) to avoid structural damage. If the water is pumped completely in a short period of time, pressure from water-saturated soil on the outside could cause basement walls to collapse.
Service damaged septic tanks, cesspools, pits and leaching systems as soon as possible. Damaged sewage systems are health hazards.
Your local Red Cross
chapter offers Be Red Cross Ready, a free one-hour class, to help get people ready for disasters and emergencies
of all scales. Contact the chapter at 252-9596 or e-mail chapter@ccredcross.org to learn more.
Susan Marteney is executive director of the Cayuga County Chapter of the American Red Cross.
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