Emergency Management

General Health Advice for People in Flood Areas

If you have an urgent health problem contact the Ambulance Service, your GP or your local hospital as you normally would.

Be prepared
Make an evacuation plan if your home is at risk of being flooded. Take any specific health needs you or your family have into account. Include pets or livestock in your plan.

Make sure you have at least a week’s supply of regular medications on hand at all times. Store your regular medications and essential health records in a place from which they can be quickly retrieved, and let others in the family know where they are.

Be sure your health provider, other carers, and (where appropriate) power company know if you or anyone in your family are dependant on continued electricity supply, oxygen supply, dialysis or other regular health services.

Plan how you would get medical help in an emergency if telephones are out of action.

Evacuation
Take all your regular medications and essential health records along with you if you have to evacuate your home.

Water supplies
Listen to the radio for information and advice, and follow Civil Defence instructions. If you have any concerns about water supplies, water bores, or sewage disposal, contact your local council Environmental Health Officer, or the Health Protection Officer at your local District Health Board or Public Health Unit.

If in any doubt at all, make all water safe before using it for drinking, cooking, washing, or brushing teeth. You can do this by boiling for one minute, or by adding 5 drops of household bleach per litre of water. Let bleach-treated water stand for 30 minutes before use.

Flood water contamination
Flood waters carry bugs that cause disease, and are usually contaminated by sewage and/or animal faeces. Toxic chemicals may also be present.

Regard all flood water as contaminated. Keep out of flood water as much as possible. Avoid getting flood water in your nose, mouth or eyes. Regard anything that has been in contact with flood water as contaminated.

Wash your hands thoroughly with soap and clean water after contact with flood water or contaminated articles. Always wash your hands before eating, drinking or smoking.

Children
Keep a close eye on children. Don’t allow them to play in flood water or contaminated areas. Wash children's hands frequently, and always before eating and drinking.

Kai moana
Floods can contaminate Kai Moana (shellfish). Don’t gather or eat Kai Moana until you have been assured it is safe to do so.

Medical advice
Seek medical advice as soon as possible if you, or anybody you are caring for, has any accident where the skin is damaged, or develops vomiting or diarrhoea.

Portable generators
Always place petrol or diesel powered portable generators downwind of where people are living. Never run portable generators indoors, in enclosed spaces such as sheds or under decks, or under house windows or domestic air intakes. Exhaust gases contain carbon monoxide which can cause death or severe illness.

After a flood
If your house or belongings have been contaminated by flood water your local authority and/or Public Health service will assess any health risks and advise you accordingly.

Mould spores may adversely affect some people. Use respiratory protection if you disturb mould when cleaning up after a flood.

Contact your local council civil defence staff for more details, advice or assistance with cleaning up after a flood. Contact details are in your yellow pages.

Floods are very stressful events. After being flooded some people may benefit from health interventions designed to help with stress, anxiety, or depression. Consult your usual health care provider if you have trouble sleeping or feel you are having difficulty coping with daily life, particularly if this persists for some time after the flood.

More information
See 'Protecting your Health in an Emergency' on the Health Education resources website.

Page last updated: 23 August 2007