What should we pay attention to after a rainstorm?

Everyone should have noticed that there is more rain this summer than in previous years. We hear about heavy rain and flooding somewhere every now and then, such as what happened in the past two days: "Liaoning Jianchang encountered heavy rain and the entire county stopped work and production", "Typhoon Fengmei caused 50 deaths in Zixing, Hunan", etc. In the face of such natural disasters, what do we need to pay attention to?

I believe everyone knows about flood prevention policies, strategies and first aid knowledge, but many people still feel that these are too far away from them and that they will be fine as long as they stay at home. But today I want to talk about a point that few people pay attention to: try not to wade in the water. Because you don’t know how serious the water pollution is.

01 Why is water polluted?

After every major flood, you can see many videos of people standing in the water with their pants wrapped around their legs while watching the rescue. In fact, at this time, the water is very dangerous. The danger here is not only because the flood itself is very powerful, but also because the flood is polluted. Some people may say, isn't it the heavy rain that causes waterlogging? How can the water be polluted?

I wonder if you still remember the incident where some college students were playing in the puddles after the rain and were later told that there was feces in the water.

Then everyone went back to wash themselves madly.

At this point, everyone should understand that the water will really be polluted.

02 How dirty is the water after the flood?

As shown in the picture below, water from the sewer will inevitably enter the flood.

Then, the pathogens in daily feces will be released into the flood. Feces are a concentration of pathogens, including E. coli, anaerobic bacteria, streptococci, proteus, staphylococci, lactobacilli, spores and yeasts.

Not to mention other sources of pollution.

Therefore, at this time, you must try to avoid contact with flood water. Especially children, they should wash well after contact to avoid diseases from entering the body through the mouth. If you have wounds, you should also avoid infection problems in the wounds.

03 What to do after exposure to flood?

The following content was forwarded by someone in the group chat. The source is unknown. It says it is from the CDC but I think it makes sense.

Open wounds and rashes exposed to floodwaters can become infected. For example, non-cholera Vibrio are naturally occurring bacteria that live in certain coastal waters and can cause skin infections when open wounds are exposed to them. This can happen during flooding. To protect yourself and your family, go to the hospital.

If you have open wounds, avoid exposure to flood water.

Cover clean open wounds with waterproof bandages to reduce the chance of infection.

Keep open wounds as clean as possible and wash them thoroughly with soap and water.

If the wound becomes red, swollen or oozing, seek medical attention immediately.

If any of the following occur, please seek medical attention as soon as possible.

There is foreign matter (soil, wood, metal, or other objects) embedded in the wound.

Wounds that present a special risk of infection (such as dog bites or wounds caused by dirty objects).

Old wounds that show signs of infection (increased pain and soreness, swelling, redness, pus discharge, or fever).

5. Protect yourself and your loved ones from diarrheal diseases.

Be aware that floodwaters may contain sewage, and eating or drinking anything contaminated by floodwaters may cause diarrheal illnesses (such as E. coli or Salmonella infections).

To protect yourself and your family.

Wash your hands after contact with flood water. Also make sure to wash your children's hands often with soap and water, and always before eating.

·Don't let children play in flooded areas. ·Don't let children play with toys that have been contaminated by flood water and have not been disinfected.

Do not bathe in water that may be contaminated by sewage or toxic chemicals. This includes rivers, streams, or lakes that have been contaminated by flooding.

Finally, try not to come into contact with floodwaters after a rainstorm. If you really have to, be sure to protect yourself and your family.