Cleaning Up after a Flood

1. The Return: Again, do not enter until the authorities have given the go-ahead. You may be instantly charged if you do not comply with their precautions. Remember, they are trying to help by checking structures for integrity and other hazards such as possible gas leaks. Also check to see how the authorities want you to return to the site. They may limit the number of people you take in, have check in/out points, or other rules in place.

2. Tetanus: Make sure you have a current tetanus vaccination.  Although the CDC has stated on their website that it is now not required to work in a flood disaster area, they do mention that it is beneficial in case an accident does occur. Tetanus should be boosted every 10 years. You should have a good idea if you have this beforehand. In Cedar Rapids, tetanus vaccinations were offered to those who had need. However, with the new information on government websites like the CDC, these programs may not happen at future floods. Therefore, know if you have one so if you do get injured treatment can be simplified.

3. Gear: Protect yourself with goggles, masks, watertight boots, shoes with thick soles, thick rubber gloves, and a hard hat if necessary. Depending on equipment used you may also need earplugs. Bring in a first aid kit and bug repellent. Wear long sleeves and pants. Remember that water may possibly have dead fish, sewage and chemical residue. It is not pleasant and the less it touches your skin the better!

4. Water: Bring in a lot of clean water for while you work. Some agencies may offer water, however, due to need it may not be enough. When working at the office we were not able to get more then one 8oz bottle per person and this only if they came in person. If working with a crew or team, bring in your own. Also bring in jugs of water for washing hands as well as sanitation wipes and/or gel cleaners. The cleaner you can get your hands at breaks the better. Also, keep fire extinguishers at the recovery site as there will not be running water if a fire does break out.

5. Lighting: Bring a lot of flashlights. Only go during the day when you have the daylight to assist you in recovery. However, even with sunlight, without electricity there will be many rooms and areas that will need the extra lighting. Do not use matches or smoke when working in the structure. If you use a generator, make certain it is outside and only run according to manufacture directions.

6. Camera: Remember your camera or video recorder and make certain to document the losses before removing items. You will need this for your records when working with your insurance company and relief agencies.

7. Work Safely: Do not overdo the work. Take breaks often. You will be in an environment with poor lighting, terrible air quality and slick obstacles at every turn. Keeping your energy up and your body healthy should be the first priority. Wash your hands. Drink clean water. Get healthy snacks. Get outside and try to get fresh air. Keep in mind that in an area hard hit, even the outdoors will be filled with repugnant odors. You may need to leave the site to get some fresh air! Really keep an eye on your breathing and body’s reaction to the environment. At our office it took only a day for black mold to begin to grow along the walls after the water receded – it is nasty to look at and terrible on your health – be safe!

8. Keep Organized: It is overwhelming all the items that have to be discarded from the flooring to pictures on the wall. Try not to get overwhelmed and organize items for disposal and recovery. Put all lost building and general waste in one area, all computers, chemicals and other special items in another area and finally anything deemed possibly salvageable in another location. Check with local authorities for any special preferences as they may set up a process for waste disposal.

9. Drying: Open all windows and doors possible. If you are working with a generator, you may bring in fans and dehumidifiers to get out moisture. The fans should be at windows pointing outside, this way they will be taking moist air out of the structure and not kicking up mold inside. Use caution when using anything electrical with the generator. Keep extension cords up from the water and removed from the work path to avoid tripping.

10. Don't bring along any children or pets!

Battling Mold after a Flood

1. According to the CDC, anything that has been wet for two days has mold whether you can see it or not. Get these items out to dry as quickly as possible.

2. If it cannot be washed in hot water it will need to go.

3. Wear a mask, rubber gloves and long sleeves and pants. Limit direct skin contact with damaged items.

4. Hard surfaces that do not adsorb water can be cleaned using a mixture of bleach and water. Ratio suggested by the CDC as 1 cup of bleach to every gallon of water.

5. Make sure doors and windows are open when cleaning with bleach. When possible try to do some recovery outside.

6. Once washed leave items out to dry – the sun can be your friend if it is out. Especially if working with paper documents this can help destroy some of the mold. We were able to salvage many documents by pealing them apart when wet and laying them in the sun to dry. Not perfect, but important information can then be retrieved. However, for businesses, most documents can be salvaged by professional cleaners. Only immediate documents or household documents could be pealed apart as it is a daunting and time consuming task!

~Return to Main Article~

More Information:

FEMA and the American Red Cross have made a pamphlet entitled Repairing Your Flooded Home which is available as a PDF. A great resource, page 55 has a very useful emergency contact list as well.

• Click here for Repairing Your Flooded Home by FEMA and the American Red Cross (PDF)

Some Ways to Help Our Neighbors

Aidmatrix Network - Iowa
www.aidmatrixnetwork.org/CashDonations/
Default2.aspx?ST=Iowa
The Safeguard Iowa Partnership and the Iowa Disaster Human Resource Council have partnered to provide the Aidmatrix Network, an easy way to make monetary and product donations to the nonprofit organizations that are assisting in the response and recovery efforts following recent disaster events in Iowa.

Cedar Rapids Czech & Slovak Museum
www.ncsml.org
The National Czech & Slovak Museum & Library staff and board continue to work through the challenges of flood recovery. Our five museum buildings are cleaned out and secure. Visitors from across the country have been calling to plan summer visits. Some have already made their way here and are shocked and dismayed to find a sight they never expected - boarded up buildings, sandbars in the garden, and piles of debris. We are assuring them we will survive and be back in business, but it will take time. To us it's surprising there's still a world out there that doesn't know about the flood!

Cedar Rapids Public Library
Our public library lost all of the first floor which included books and magazines for adults.  The children's book section was mostly recovered.  They are currently looking for temporary space:
"07 July 2008 - Librarians are compiling a list of books and other materials that the CRPL’s book distributor will hold until the library has a place to put them. The books will arrive pre-processed, which means that staff will be able to shelve them immediately, saving an enormous amount of time.
Once the list is compiled, individuals will have an opportunity to select a book from the list to donate. “Many of our patrons and supporters have been asking what they can do. This will be a way to help rebuild our library,” says Glise. “By fall, we hope to have a wish list available.”
For future information on donating books or cash please visit: http://www.crlibrary.info/

Corridor Recovery
www.corridorrecovery.org
Corridor Recovery is a not-for-profit partnership between government, civic, business and faith-based organizations, created to respond to the Flood of 2008. As the flood waters peaked, Corridor Recovery quickly became the primary resource for materials and information for Linn County and Cedar Rapids. We provide resources for local governments and agencies to distribute flood-recovery information to the public in a critical time of need, and to coordinate volunteer efforts in the clean-up and recovery process.

Greater Cedar Rapids Community Foundation
www.gcrcf.org
The Greater Cedar Rapids Community Foundation opened the Flood 2008 Fund on June 15. The Flood 2008 Fund is for flood relief and recovery donations. One-hundred percent of financial donations to the fund will support response, recovery and rebuilding efforts throughout the Cedar Rapids-metro and surrounding communities. The first priority will be to work with local nonprofit organizations to support individuals and families affected by the floods. The GCRCF is committed to helping individuals, families and the nonprofit community recover and rebuild from the catastrophic flood.

Embrace Iowa 2008 Disaster Fund
www.desmoinesfoundation.org/page10002684.cfm
Embrace Iowa is a program of statewide outreach by the Des Moines Register.  Since it already has an established logo, identity, and donation tracking mechanism, the Iowa Disaster Collaborative is using the Embrace Iowa website as one way for donors to make a donation and learn more about the 2008 Iowa Disaster Fund.

Iowa Commission on Volunteer Service
http://volunteer.united-e-way.org/icovs/volunteer/
If you are interested in helping in a particular area of the state, please use this section of our Web site to get in touch with local officials, who are collecting a list of where and when volunteers are most needed.

University of Iowa Foundation
www.uifoundation.org/GiveToIowa/WebObjects/
GiveToIowa.woa/wa/goTo?area=floodfund
For those wishing to support the University as it struggles to recover from flood-related damage not covered by insurance or other resources, we encourage contributions to the UI Flood Relief Fund.

Sources for this article which include even more detailed information:

Center for Disease Control
CDC.gov (www.cdc.gov) is your online source for credible health information and is the official Web site of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). CDC is committed to achieving true improvements in people’s health. CDC applies research and findings to improve people’s daily lives and responds to health emergencies—something that distinguishes CDC from its peer agencies. Working with states and other partners, CDC provides a system of health surveillance to monitor and prevent disease outbreaks (including bioterrorism), implement disease prevention strategies, and maintain national health statistics. CDC also guards against international disease transmission, with personnel stationed in more than 25 foreign countries

FEMA – Federal Emergency Management Agency
http://www.fema.gov/
FEMA has more than 2,600 full time employees. They work at FEMA headquarters in Washington D.C., at regional and area offices across the country, the Mount Weather Emergency Operations Center, and the National Emergency Training Center in Emmitsburg, Maryland. FEMA also has nearly 4,000 standby disaster assistance employees who are available for deployment after disasters. Often FEMA works in partnership with other organizations that are part of the nation's emergency management system. These partners include state and local emergency management agencies, 27 federal agencies and the American Red Cross.

National Flood Insurance Program
http://www.floodsmart.gov/
Congress established the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) to address both the need for flood insurance and the need to lessen the devastating consequences of flooding. The goals of the program are twofold: to protect communities from potential flood damage through floodplain management, and to provide people with flood insurance.

SBA – Small Business Administration
http://www.sba.gov/
The U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) was created in 1953 as an independent agency of the federal government to aid, counsel, assist and protect the interests of small business concerns, to preserve free competitive enterprise and to maintain and strengthen the overall economy of our nation. We recognize that small business is critical to our economic recovery and strength, to building America's future, and to helping the United States compete in today's global marketplace.