Floods in Florence May Contain Hidden Hazards: Electrocution, Injury and Infection

Tropical storm Florence pours virtually unlimited amounts of rain into parts of the Carolinas, causing catastrophic floods that, in addition to damage to homes and businesses, pose serious health risks to residents.

Muddy, opaque waters can hide large, dislodged objects during a storm that can lead to injuries ranging from fracture to major laceration, said ABC News Medical Correspondent Dr. Jennifer Ashton. The water may also contain snakes or other wildlife, human waste from submerged sewer lines or leached or spilled chemicals from flooded sites.

Ashton, who was on the ground in Texas after Hurricane Harvey last year, said the flooding dangers she witnessed included drowning, electrocution from fallen power lines ground and an infection.

"When you talk about what's in this water – human waste, raw sewage, toxic chemicals, oil, gasoline, potentially wild, snakes, alligators – then there's a possibility for anyone who has an entrance cutoff, Entry for the bacteria to enter, "Ashton said on" GMA "on Friday.

Chip Somodevilla / Getty Images

Stagnant water is a paradise for bacteria, and any open wounds allow bacteria to enter the body. This can lead to a simple soft tissue infection or a much more serious infection. People with weak immune systems are the most vulnerable.

Jim Lo Scalzo / EPA via Shutterstock

In addition, as Florence moves inland, environmental regulators monitor more than three dozen toxic waste sites on its way, and many low-level water and wastewater treatment plants are at risk. experience flooding.

The Environmental Protection Agency has identified 41 Superfund sites in endangered areas of the Carolinas, Virginia and Maryland and Georgia, including polluted industrial sites, chemical plants, coastal shipyards and military bases.

EPA spokesman John Konkus said the agency listened to any spills of oil or hazardous substances, adding that the federal government's coordinators and on-site equipment were ready to deploy. if necessary.

Wastewater can also mix easily with rainwater, carrying bacteria that can cause short-term or worse gastrointestinal illness.

NYC Emergency Management via Reuters

A few days after the passage of Hurricane Harvey on the Gulf Coast in 2017, "GMA" asked Terry Gentry, of Texas A & M University, to collect and evaluate samples of the waters of flood.

He found that the levels of E. Coli were over 125 times higher than those recommended by the EPA for swimming and 15 times higher than those of the standard. E. coli infections can range from mild to severe.

North Carolina, with one of the country's largest pork industries, also risks being contaminated by the flooding of pork sluice pits, coal ash dumps, and ponds. 39, other industrial sites.

Andrew Carter / The News & Observer via AP

Here are some common sense strategies to avoid unnecessary risks from flooding:

• After flooding, make sure your drinking water is disinfected and wash your hands thoroughly after contact with floodwater. Disinfect objects that have been in contact with flood waters before offering them to children or toddlers.

• Try to avoid exposure to floodwater for long periods of time to prevent physical injury. Wear waterproof boots if you have them.

• Keep open wounds clean, dry and covered if you have to cross the water. Seek medical care for all wounds that do not heal or that are healing or making you sick.

Associated Press contributed to this report.