HEALTH & SAFETY
- Wear boots and gloves when working in areas that have been
flooded.
- Be sure the main electrical switch is off before entering a
flooded structure. Do not turn it back on until you are certain
there has been no damage to wires or appliances connected to the
electrical system.
- If you smell gas or suspect a gas leak, call 911. Then call
PG&E at (800) 743-5000. Warn your neighbors of the potential
problem.
- Wash your hands frequently and thoroughly. If you have
children who have been in contact with the water, be sure they
wash their hands, too.
- Keep children and pets away from floodwaters and avoid
outdoor areas that have been recently flooded. Remove shoes and
wipe paws before returning indoors.
- If you have open cuts or sores, protect them from the water.
Keep them clean by washing them with soap and applying an
antibiotic ointment to discourage infection. If a wound develops
redness, swelling or drainage, seek immediate medical attention.
- If you swallow floodwater, you should see a physician
immediately because of the risk of hepatitis A infection.
- If you are uncertain about the quality of drinking water, use
bottled water. Check with your local water provider for any boil
water orders. If you have a domestic well, it may require
disinfection if it was impacted by floodwaters. See guidelines here.
- Don’t let children play with toys that have been in contact
with floodwater until the toys have been disinfected. You can
disinfect toys using a solution of 1/4 cup of bleach in one
gallon of water.
- For general disinfection of surfaces, use a cloth soaked with
1 tablespoon of bleach in one gallon of water.
- Contact your local sewer authority if solid waste from sewage
is visible.
- Contact your insurance company for additional guidance if
your home sustained water damage.
- See more information from the Centers for
Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) on flood recovery.
CLOTHING AND UPHOLSTERED FURNITURE
- Wash all clothing, bedding and linens in hot water or dry
clean them.
- For mattresses and upholstered furniture that cannot be dry
cleaned or washed, air dry them in the sun and spray thoroughly
with disinfectant like Lysol.
BUILDINGS AND STRUCTURES
- Clean walls, hard surfaced floors and other surfaces with
soap and water. Disinfect with a solution of 1/4 cup of bleach
added to one gallon of water. Be especially careful to disinfect
areas where food is stored or prepared, such as countertops,
pantry shelves, refrigerator walls, and shelves.
- Prevent water outdoors from reentering your home. Rainwater
from gutters or the roof should drain away from the house; the
ground around the house should slope away from the house to keep
basements and crawl spaces dry.
- Ensure that crawl spaces beneath structures and spaces
beneath living units have proper drainage to limit standing
water. Ventilate to allow the area to dry out.
- Use fans and dehumidifiers to remove excess moisture. Fans
should be placed at a window or door to blow the air outwards
rather than inwards, so as not to spread the mold.
- Thoroughly wash and disinfect all dishes, utensils, and food
preparation equipment.
- Steam clean any carpeting that can be saved.
- Careless cleanup can do more harm than good by distributing
fungus and bacteria which can grow on wet materials to other
areas of the building and into heating and ventilation systems.
- Contact your insurance company for additional guidance if
your home sustained water damage.