The following health risk and hazards are the common health threats:
Unsafe Food:
Flood water contains disease causing bacteria, dirt and oil, human and animal waste and if it comes in the contact with food items it can make food unsafe to eat and hazardous to human health. Power failures caused by flood also damage refrigerated and frozen food, which must be carefully monitored and examined prior to consumption. Food kept in cardboards plastic bags, jars, bottles and paper packaging equally subject to disposal if contaminated by floodwater. Even though the packages do not appear to be wet, they may be affected by mold contamination and can deteriorate rapidly.
Contaminated water and poor sanitation.
During and after flooding, water can become contaminated with microorganisms such as bacteria, sewage, heating oil, agricultural or industrial waste, chemicals and other substances that can cause serious illness.
People with private drinking water wells in flooded areas should assume that their water is contaminated, and take all precautions if:
- the well was covered with floodwaters or located near flooding
- there has been a change in water quality (odor or taste)
Until a water test confirms that the water is safe, get water from a known safe source or boil for 1 minute to use for:
- drinking
- cooking
- making juice or ice
- washing fruit and vegetables
- brushing teeth
DO NOT USE water for infant formula until a water test confirms it is safe.
DO NOT USE water at all for any purpose if the water has the smell of petroleum or chemicals.
The pollutants also saturated in the ground water and can infiltrate into water lines through the ground. In addition, wastewater treatment plants, if flooded and malfunctioned can be overloaded with polluted runoff waters and sewage beyond their disposal capacity, resulting into backflows of raw sewage to homes and low lying ground.
Mosquitoes:
Prolonged rainfall and floods provide new breeding grounds for mosquitoes and can lead to an increase in the number of mosquito-borne diseases such as Chikungunya and dengue.
Molds and mildews:
Excessive exposure to mold and mildews can cause flood victims, especially those with allergies and asthma to contract respiratory disease and to trigger cold-like symptoms, e.g. sore throat, watery eyes, wheezing and dizziness. Molds grow in as short period as 24 to 48 hours in wet and damp areas of buildings and homes that have been affected by flooding. Amongst others, infants, children, elderly and pregnant women are considered most vulnerable to mold induced health problems.
Ministry of Health, Agriculture and Human Services advise the communities located in the flooded areas to exercise the necessary precautions to avoid any health hazards that may occur post flooding.