Home Improvement Advice for Disaster Recovery

Do it Yourself Tips for Disaster Recovery

Flood Scenes

Water is known as the universal solvent and all life forms need it to survive and prosper. Just imagine a grow bag, it is soil, seed and water. A flooded building can be a giant grow bag, but instead of tomatoes or flowers, the result can be mould, fungi and bacteria, the seeds are always in the air or, like bacteria, are carried in the water.

Any water that enters a building from outside sources will have moved over or through soil, drains and sewers. Contaminants can include chemicals, oil, solvents from nearby garages, factories, even hospitals and surgeries.

There are over 1,700 bacteria and 1,200 viral infections known to contaminate these types of flood waters, which include sea, river, sewage and may even include burst water mains.

Effects can include heart disease, meningitis, hepatitis and gastric enteritis.

The risks may be small but these are potential hazards. See our guide to Health and Safety.

Those most at risk are people with diminished immune systems, which include:-

Those on long term prescription drugs

Alcohol or drug abusers

The elderly whose immune systems are diminishing

The very young whose immune system has yet to fully develop