Stay Out Of Floodwaters - The Hidden Dangers

Water quenches your thirst, grows food, cleans yourself and your clothes, cools you down and powers industry. After a flood though, water can pose many threats. There is a good chance that flood water is not clean and could contain things that may harm your health. It may also be hiding hazards lurking under the floodwater. Here’s why you should stay out of floodwaters.

Turn Around, Don’t Drown! – Don’t Walk or Drive through Flooded Areas

• Always follow warnings about flooded roads.
• Cars or other vehicles won’t protect you from floodwaters as they can be swept away or may stall in moving water.
• It only takes 6 inches of moving water to knock a person off their feet.
• It takes just 12 inches of rushing water to carry away most cars and small SUVs and just 2 feet of rushing water can carry away SUVs and trucks.

Floodwaters contain many things that may harm health. You’ll never know exactly what is in floodwater at any given point in time, but it could contain:

• Downed power lines
• Human and livestock waste
• Household, medical and industrial hazardous waste
• Coal ash waste that can contain carcinogenic compounds such as arsenic, chromium and mercury
• Other contaminants that can lead to illness
• Physical objects such as lumber, vehicles and debris
• Wild or stray animals such as rodents and snakes

Prevent injuries, or worse.

• Unseen underwater debris can be sharp and cause injury
• Water depth can change unexpectedly such as storm drains, washed-out roads, or a manhole cover could be removed

Exposure to contaminated floodwater can cause:

• Wound infections
• Skin rash
• Gastrointestinal illness
• Tetanus
• Leptospirosis

Protecting yourself from floodwater regardless of source:

• Stay out of the water.
• If you must enter floodwater, wear rubber boots, rubber gloves and goggles.
• If you come in contact with floodwater, wash the area with soap and clean water as soon as possible. If you don’t have soap or water, use alcohol-based wipes or sanitizer.
• Take care of wounds and seek medical attention if necessary.
• Wash clothes contaminated with flood or sewage water in hot water and detergent before reusing them.
• Don’t attempt to move propane tanks you might find as they are dangerous and can cause a fire or explosion. If you find any, contact the police, fire department or your State Fire Marshal’s office immediately.
• Be extremely careful when removing car batteries. Even if they are in floodwater, car batteries may still have an electrical charge. Use insulated gloves and avoid coming in contact with any acid that may have spilled from the damage car battery.

Floods can be unavoidable and unpreventable at times but staying out of floodwaters is something you can do to protect yourself and your family. Make sure to check the weather regularly so you can be prepared ahead of time for potential threats.

Source: NOAA, CDC
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Story Image: ​An underpass crossing the B42 road in Oestrich, Germany. (DXR via Wikimedia Commons)