Amanda Fox
MPH 584
April 19, 2014
Dr. Brodie
Disasters cause much havoc in communities when they strike. One specific area that
these disasters affect is the environment. When hurricane's strike, many issues arise within the
specific areas they hit. Some common effects of hurricanes include storm surge and tidal
flooding, high winds, tornadoes, and heavy rain and flooding. The storm surge is the rising wall
of water that comes ashore with a land-falling hurricane, and is the most devastating effect from
a hurricane. The storm surge is responsible for 90 percent of hurricane related deaths (National
Academy of Sciences, 2007). The winds are important to look act because the wind speed
determines how powerful the storm is. Tornadoes can cause a lot of damage and even death
from the high wind and blowing debris. Finally, heavy rain and flooding cause damage and
destruction in homes and businesses, and can even knock out power. As stated above, along
with the weather threats and destruction comes environmental health threats. One particular
environmental threat is contaminated water.
After a major storm or hurricane, water can become contaminated. Water can become
contaminated for numerous reasons including waste from sewage, septic systems, household
chemicals, chemical facilities, oil refineries, and other sources (EPA, 2014). The main health
issues health officials usually see after a hurricane are diarrheal illness. Because the United
States does not have a lot of bad or deadly germs, there is not a big concern with outbreaks of
diseases like cholera and typhoid (Esper, 2012). There are other bacteria that can be in the water
after a hurricane such as coliform bacteria and E-coli. As the water sits for days, the amount of
bacteria can increase because of the warming temperatures of the water. If people wade through
this type of water, there is a significant increase in infections like Vibrio. Germs can spread
quickly through water, so it is important to inform and educate the community on prevention
measures to take to decrease their risk of illness.
Once a major storm hits, people must assume that all water is contaminated until told
otherwise. It is important to for individuals to know how to purify their water supply before
using it. One of the main concerns for health officials during this time is to put a notice out to
tell people to boil their water. There are a few different ways to purify water, though, in order to
use it; 1.) boil at a rolling boil for 10 minutes, 2.) add 8 drops of liquid chlorine (i.e. Chlorox) per
gallon of water, 3.) add 20 drops of two percent iodine per gallon of water, or 40 drops per gallon
of cloudy water, and 4.) add water purification tablets according to the directions on the package
(Caito, 1992). It is important for people to know the exact amounts of substance to put into the
water, how long to allow the substance to sit in the water before it is safe to drink, and how long
to boil before it is safe to drink.
Other components that are important to look at to prevent the consumption of
contaminated water is just having enough safe water on hand. It is easy to get dehydrated,
especially if it is warm and there is no power. Individuals must have enough purified water on
hand to stay completely hydrated. Also, households that have well water need to be informed
and understand that they cannot drink water from their wells. This water is contaminated as
well, and must go through a purification process. It is also important for those individuals to
know not to turn on the pump after a storm due to the increased risk of electrical shock.
In order to prevent these instances from occurring, there are community programs to help
inform the general public about prevention strategies. One program in general is funded by the
Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) called the National Hurricane Program
(NHP). The NHP helps protect communities and residents from hurricane hazards, like
contaminated water, through various projects and activities. "The NHP is constantly striving to
educate citizens and decision-making officials by producing cutting edge preparedness,
awareness, educational publications, and decision assistance tools that address hurricane hazards
and issues" (FEMA, 2012). The NPA has partnering agencies which provides multiple training
opportunities, various multi-media awareness publications for the emergency management
community and the general population in order to support the program's vision of “A Nation
Prepared- protecting human life and property from the hazards of hurricanes and tropical
systems" (FEMA, 2012).
It is important for those who are in areas that potentially could have a hurricane strike, to
know and understands the dangers associated with the disaster. Contaminated water is a big
environmental health risk that can impact many in a population if they are not aware of
preventative strategies to implement during those times. Understanding that specific infections
can arise in contaminated water, and even wading in standing water increases the risk of these
infections, is important for the general population to be aware of. Health officials need to make
sure there is enough information provided ahead of time to decrease the amount of illness that
occurs due to contaminated water.
Resources
Caito, R. (1992). Dealing with the aftermath of a hurricane. Retrieved on April 20, 2014, from
http://seagrant.gso.uri.edu/factsheets/aftermath_hurricane.html.
Environmental Protection Agency. (2014). Drinking water. Retrieved on April 20, 2014, from
http://www.epa.gov/sandy/disinfectdrinkingwater.html.
Esper, L. (2012). Flood waters from sandy pose risk of water supply contamination. Retrieved
on April 20, 2014 from http://www.foxnews.com/health/2012/11/01/flood-waters-fromsandy-pose-risk-water-supply-contamination/.
Federal Emergency Management Agency. (2012). National hurricane program. Retrieved on
April 20, 2014 from http://www.fema.gov/region-iii-mitigation-division/nationalhurricane-program.
National Academy of Sciences. (2007). Hurricane katrina: challenges for a community.
Retrieved on April 20, 2014, from http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK54237/.