Recommendations for health protection following floods

Damage relief following floods can be linked to health risks. The Office of Public Health of the Slovak Republic (ÚVZ SR) summed up recommendations on how to avoid them effectively.

Hand washing

Wash your hands carefully and often! This simple and basic rule is one of the most important measures that will allow you to protect your health during the remediation and restoration of your homes. Wash your hands preferably with soap and warm water after any contact with objects that have been in contact with flood water or sludge, also always before eating and drinking, before touching your face and of course always before and after using the toilet. When cooking and handling food (including dishes, work equipment, work areas), wash your hands before starting work, immediately after contamination of hands, when switching from one type of work to another, after smoking, after dressing and separately after using the toilet. Especially at the beginning of the remediation works, it is advisable to add hand washing and using disinfectants that act antibacterially or virucidally (i.e. destroy also viruses).

Drinking water
For drinking, cooking (including ice), handling food and washing dishes, work equipment and other surfaces in contact with food, but also for cleaning your teeth, use only water of which health safety is reliably verified.

Water from your own well
If your well has been directly flooded, do not use the water from it for drinking and other household purposes (e.g. cooking, ice preparation, food handling, dishwashing, work equipment and other surfaces coming into contact with food, but also brushing teeth, washing, washing, cleaning surfaces, rinsing objects, etc.) until its sanitation and water analysis results confirm that the water quality is satisfactory.

Sanitation of own wells

The well is suitable only after the fall of flood waves, stabilization (stabilising) of the water regime in the affected area, after cleaning the surrounding well (removal of deposits) and after its construction and technical security. We recommend leaving the wells to professional workers, especially in the case of dug wells where descent into its premises is necessary. Always carry out self-rehabilitation in the presence of at least three persons, in case of need for first aid to the person entering the well.

Procedure for the remediation of own wells:

• Wash the outer walls of the well, cover and pumping equipment from mud deposits or repair the well cover with pressure water. If the pump is located it is necessary to disconnect the power supply before opening the well. If possible, pull out the affected pumping device, clean it and let it be verified.
• Open the well and completely drain the water (preferably with another sludge pump) or pump water until it no longer shows a sign of pollution according to the sensory evaluation. Ensure that drained water does not affect the well's water quality in a manner that is sufficiently distant from the well to suitable discharges.
• Perform an internal air check of the wells for the presence of toxic gases that make breathing impossible by launching an inflamed candle to the bottom of the well. If the oxygen-free environment is extinguished, the flame intensity will be revived if methane (a odorless gas) occurs.
• After thorough mechanical cleaning of the interior walls of the well, pumping equipment as well as the bottom of the well with pressure water, or brush, rinse the cleaned areas thoroughly with clean water and drain the water completely. Wash the interior walls of the well and all equipment inside the well with a disinfectant based on chlorine. As a matter of principle, work in gloves, wear protective glasses. Leave the disinfectant on the cleaned walls for at least 2 hours or follow the manufacturer's instructions for use.
• After re-flushing the inner walls of the well with clean water, drain the water again, remove the sludge layer from the bottom of the well and replace it with a new suitable material (pure gravel, coarse grain sand).

• Fill the well with water, and if the water is still cloudy, continue pumping it until the cloud is removed.
• The final stage of the well remediation is water disinfection. For disinfection for drinking water, use only the preparations intended for this purpose and follow the instructions for use. When applying disinfectants (whether tablets or solutions) ensure that the product is delivered to the entire volume of water (to be mixed with the entire volume of water). Apply it in an appropriate way (e.g. by sprinkling) directly to the water level in the well and the interior walls of the well.
• The home water supply system, which is connected to its own well, must be completely drained after the floods and drained with water from the well with disinfectant so that it passes through the whole distribution system and reaches all taps and outlets (showers etc) in your house. Particular attention should be paid to possible water stagnation sites. Water with the product should be allowed for about 8 hours. Equipment such as perlators etc. needs to be uninstalled, cleaned and disinfected from the wiring.
• Only after the well has been drained and the water disinfected can water be sampled for laboratory control.

Food (instructions for households)

Flooding agricultural crops
All agricultural crops that have been flooded with flood water, sludge and mud should be considered as harmful to health. Never consume these crops, even though they were flooded only partially and continue to grow, in any case, without the assessment of the competent regional public health authority (RPP). Their use for animal feed must be decided by the relevant Regional Veterinary and Food Administration (RMP).

Fruit on trees and bushes not directly affected by floodwater, sludge and mud may be eaten after thorough washing with drinking water.

Flooding food

Do not eat food inundated with flood water, sludge and mud, except foods hermetically packaged in glass, metal packaging, including foods sealed in rigid plastic packages, unless they show signs of deterioration or deterioration or changes in their external appearance, readability of their labels, shape distortions and other breaches of the packaging of such foods. However, water should be thoroughly cleaned, washed, disinfected and thoroughly rinsed with drinking water before use. Foods with damaged packaging, labels or labels cannot be used.

Chilled and frozen food
Do not consume chilled or frozen food, in particular if, due to the malfunction of the refrigeration or freezing equipment, such changes appear to be perceived by senses that exclude their further use for human nutrition purposes (scent, consistency/group changes, colour, etc.). When the cooling or freezing equipment is disabled (hereinafter: "destroyment') it is necessary not to open it in order to keep the temperature as low as possible and to follow the following points:

• if the malfunction lasts less than 3 hours, the food (chilled, frozen) may be considered harmless if it does not exceed 5 °C;
• if the rendering inoperable lasts more than 3 hours, the refrigerated food must be examined laboratoryly and the decision on consumability shall be made on the basis of the results of that examination; in the absence of laboratory testing, it shall be discarded;
• if the malfunction lasts for more than 12 hours, the frozen food should be used immediately for further processing and their re-freezing is not permitted.
  N.B.: If chilled and frozen foods have been flooded - the rules referred to in paragraph (a) apply.
  
  Do not consume any other food, if in direct contact with flood water, mud or sludge:

• any open food packages, including unopened in a paper package or with a waxed paper cap, with a leaking plastic cap, in particular if they contain mayonnaise and dressings;
• bags of herbs and teas;
• flour, cereals, sugar, coffee in sacks and bags;
• all foods in cardboard containers, including juice/milk/children's feed boxes;
• food in packages which are not watertight, such as packaging with screw cap, snap cap, lift cap, rolling cap;
• all foods in paper, fabric and cellophane containers - even if they look dry and intact (salt, cereals, pasta, rice, biscuits, biscuits, chocolate, chocolates and similar).

If you have any doubts about the flawlessness of the food, contact the competent regional public health authority and see your doctor after the first symptoms in case of abdominal pain, diarrhoea or temperature. Never underestimate the initial light symptoms!
Clean, wash, disinfect by appropriate means (use only the preparations intended for this purpose and follow instructions for use) and rinse thoroughly with potable water, utensils and other surfaces coming into contact with foods that have been flooded with water, sludge and mud.

Wood cutting boards, wooden utensils and utensils, baby bottles and teats, cooking and dining dishes, utensils, working surfaces coming into contact with food that is damaged (e.g. cracked, split), throw away if they come into contact with flood water, sludge and mud. Disinfection methods are not effective in removing contaminants of flood water, sludge and mud from these objects.

Flood disposal

• Use personal protective work equipment (rubber gloves and footwear) to eliminate the effects of the flood and especially when working with disinfectants.

Principles of house or apartment drying

• Drain the affected area and objects as soon as possible.

• Remove all mud and dirt from surfaces by mechanical cleaning and thorough washing with water.
• Disinfect the floors, walls, furniture, equipment and surfaces affected with disinfectant intended for this purpose, always following the instructions for use.
• Before starting disinfection, familiarise yourself thoroughly with the method of dilution of the disinfectant used and the possibilities for its use.
• Wash with clean water after disinfection.
• Disinfected equipment and articles coming into contact with food do not forget to rinse with drinking water as well as toys.
• Make in the rooms a draft by opening windows and doors.
• If possible, use fans and hot air sources.
• Be careful, though, when using petrol hot-air aggregates inside the house or the apartment, you can poison yourself with fumes (carbon monoxide)!
• Remove any moistened interior material and all that is falling (e.g. plasters on walls).
• Dirty laundry should be soaked in a disinfectant intended for use, always following the instructions. Wash the bleaching after disinfection using the usual washing powder.
• More valuable clothing that is not suitable to disinfect, dry, brush and clean in a professional dryer.

Disposal of animal waste

• Animal wastes should always be strictly separated and disposed of in cooperation with the public veterinary and food administrations through the rendering service during the destruction of the consequences of floods.
• In floodplain areas, burial of dead animals in the ground is prohibited.
• Wastes and decomposing bodies of animals may only be handled by means of protective work equipment and tools (protection clothing for work gloves, plastic or rubber gloves; packaging materials

Complete recommendations for the public of the ÚVZ SR can be found at website of the Slovak Hydrometeorological Institute (SBMÚ). These are always mediated directly at current hydrological warnings.