Flooded Basements
The following are guidelines for flooded basements:
- Do not enter the basement if electrical systems, i.e., outlets, appliances or furnaces, are flooded, until all power is turned off.
- While basement is flooded, avoid flushing toilets or using other water-connected appliances or fixtures whose discharge would increase the hazard or make the basement more difficult to clean.
- After cleaning the basement, make sure that all clothing and parts of the body which came in contact with sewage are thoroughly washed. Do not permit children to enter the basement until the floors and walls have been washed, disinfected and allowed to dry.
- Discard any contaminated food and vegetables in tightly covered, vermin-proof containers.
- Clothing, carpets, upholstered furniture, toys, bedding and similar items should be discarded unless they are thoroughly cleaned and disinfected.
After the sewage has receded, flush the floors and walls with water from a hose, then wash with detergent and hot water. Keep the water away from electrical equipment or wiring unless it is completely disconnected from the power source. Disinfect the floors and flooded portions with a chlorine solution of about one half to one cup of household bleach per gallon of water. Mops, brushes and cleaning rags should also be disinfected after use. The typical household laundry tub can be used. Add one and a half cups of bleach to five gallons of warm water and soak the soiled articles for five minutes to disinfect them. Ventilate the basement thoroughly to assist in drying. Do not mix chlorine bleach with ammonia because this combination produces poisonous gas.
Call Wayne County Public Health at 734-727-7000 or the DPW at 343-2460 for more information
