Partners,
The following are a series of posts that I hope you find helpful as you and your community members respond and begin to recover from Laura.
Feel free to share any and all of the following suggested posts with your residents on Nextdoor and other social channels. If you’d like to request that I write a post for you, please fill out this form.
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Floodwater can pose a drowning risk for everyone — regardless of their ability to swim. Swiftly moving shallow water can be deadly, and even shallow standing water can be dangerous for small children.
1) Always follow warnings about flooded roads.
2) Don’t drive in flooded areas — cars or other vehicles won’t protect you from floodwaters. They can be swept away or may stall in moving water.
Floodwaters contain many things that may harm health. We don’t know exactly what is in floodwater at any given point in time.
Floodwater can contain:
Exposure to contaminated floodwater can cause:
It is important to protect yourself from exposure to floodwater regardless of the source of contamination. The best way to protect yourself is to stay out of the water.
If you come in contact with floodwater:
If you must enter floodwater, when possible, wear rubber boots, rubber gloves, and goggles.
If you have evacuated and are staying with friends or family outside your household please keep the following in mind:
If you are staying at a shelter:
For more information, please see — https://www.cdc.gov/disasters/covid-19/hurricane_key_messages_covid-19_annex.html
Neighbors,
In an emergency, water contaminated with germs can often can be made safe to drink by boiling, adding disinfectants, or filtering.
IMPORTANT: Water contaminated with fuel or toxic chemicals will not be made safe by boiling or disinfection. Use bottled water or a different source of water if you know or suspect that your water might be contaminated with fuel or toxic chemicals.
If you don’t have safe bottled water, you should boil your water to make it safe to drink. Boiling is the surest method to kill disease-causing organisms, including viruses, bacteria, and parasites.
You can improve the flat taste of boiled water by pouring it from one container to another and then allowing it to stand for a few hours, OR by adding a pinch of salt for each quart or liter of boiled water.
If the water is cloudy:
1) Filter it through a clean cloth, paper towel, or coffee filter OR allow it to settle.
2) Draw off the clear water.
3) Bring the clear water to a rolling boil for 1 minute (at elevations above 6,500 feet, boil for three minutes).
4) Let the boiled water cool.
5) Store the boiled water in clean sanitized containers with tight covers.
If the water is clear, follow steps 3 through 5 above.
If you don’t have safe bottled water and if boiling is not possible, you often can make small quantities of filtered and settled water safer to drink by using a chemical disinfectant such as unscented household chlorine bleach. For more information on how to safely use disinfectants see this webpage — https://www.cdc.gov/healthywater/emergency/making-water-safe.html
Neighbors,
Below are tips to keep your food safe during a power outage. If you have other tips, leave them as a comment.
Neighbors,
Below are tips to keep your food safe after a power outage. If you have other tips, leave them as a comment.
- Never taste food to determine if it is safe to eat. When in doubt, throw it out.
- Throw out perishable food in your refrigerator (meat, fish, cut fruits and vegetables, eggs, milk, and leftovers) after 4 hours without power or a cold source like dry ice.
- Throw out any food with an unusual odor, color, or texture.- Check temperatures of food kept in coolers or your refrigerator with an added cold source.
- Throw out food above 40°
If you have an appliance thermometer in your freezer, check to see if it is still at 40 °F or below. You can safely refreeze or cook thawed frozen food that still contains ice crystals or is at 40 °F or below.
Did you know that it is only safe to use generators outdoors in well-ventilated areas away from all doors, windows, and vents?
If the power goes out, many of you will turn to generators. If you do, make sure you have carbon monoxide alarms in your home and do not use a generator in a wet area as this can cause shock or electrocution.
Also, be sure to connect appliances to the generator with heavy-duty extension cords. Do not fuel your generator when it is running as spilling gas on a hot engine can cause a fire.
If you have other generator tips, leave them below.
Neighbors,
If your property or nearby trees, power lines, roads, bridges, or buildings get damaged, it would be helpful to us if you would kindly take a picture and reply to this post with the location, description, and image. We will use this information to help coordinate a response if needed.
Please only venture outside if it is safe to do so.
Neighbors,
A Home Cleanup Hotline for survivors of Hurricane Laura will be open through September 14th, 2020. Call the number below for help with home cleanup. As they are able, reputable and vetted relief agencies may assist you and your neighbors in cutting fallen trees, removing drywall, insulation, flooring, furniture, appliances, tarp roofs, etc. All services are free, but the service is not guaranteed due to the overwhelming need.
TO REQUEST HELP CALL: (844) 965–1386
PLEASE NOTE: This hotline CANNOT assist with social services such as food, clothing, shelter, insurance, or questions about FEMA registration. Volunteers work free of charge and provide the tools and equipment necessary to complete the work.
If you know of other resources, please share them with your neighbors below.