For residents re-entering homes that have been ravaged by the floods, the State government has advised the following precautionary measures.
Step 1: After the water has drained out, check to ensure the power has been restored before you enter. Ensure you are wearing footwear and be careful so as to not slip on glass or sharp objects.
2: Check the home for snakes, scorpions or insects of any kind that may have gotten in. Do so carefully, by removing large objects from the home while looking
3: Wash the entire home with plain water, including the walls. Then, disinfect with phenyl, Lysol or Dettol completely.
4: Wash vessels or utensils two or three times at least before re-using them
5: For wet clothes, wash first in plain water, then soak in scented phenyl or Dettol for an hour and re-wash with plain water, dry, iron and use. It is better to dispose of badly damaged clothes
6: Sumps and overhead tanks should be cleaned. Drain out all the water in the sump. Scrub and wash it completely with bleaching powder. Clean the overhead tank too. Then the sump can be filled with Metro/tanker water. Subsequently, for every 1,000 litres of water in the sump, 4 grams of bleaching powder or 20 ml of liquid chlorine should be added. Dissolve the powder well in a bucket of water, allow it to settle for 15 minutes and then pour the supernatant fluid in and mix well in sump water. For borewells, use a funnel to pour in. Wait for an hour for it to act. Then, water can be pumped up. Release water in taps for first 10 minutes to wash out impurities and then use.
7: Boil drinking water before use. If there are any tanks or borewells still inundated, do not use until water has receded.
8: If you or a member of your family has diarrhoea, take plenty of liquids including rice kanji with salt and tender coconut water and seek medical help for diarrhoea or fever. Call 104 to check with paramedics.
Source: Directorate of Public Health, Tamil Nadu
Advises residents of homes ravaged by the rain that incessantly pounded Chennai
