Tips From Downstate LICH on Handling Sandy Aftermath

In the aftermath of Hurricane Sandy, Caitlin Jones, MD, medical director of the Emergency Department at Downstate Long Island College Hospital in Brooklyn shares advice for some residents' concerns and tips on how to approach cleanup injuries.

1)  If you sustain an injury - even a cut or scrape during the clean-up process - get a tetanus shot. 

2)  If you were evacuated, do not use your refrigerated or frozen food until you ascertain whether or not your home sustained a power loss while you were away.  Your food may have spoiled during the outage and then refrozen - but it's still spoiled.

3)  Do not drink tap water until your county/city/town informs you it's safe to do so.

4)  Be careful when reentering evacuated homes.  Often, stairs and foundations are weakened by water damage, which can cause you to fall and sustain injuries.  Make sure there's no smell of gas and that there is no danger of downed power lines in the vicinity. 

5)  Use waterproof gloves and boots to avoid contact with mold.  Asthmatics, in particular, need to be careful.

6)  Viral diseases such as coughs, colds, diarrhea do circulate in places where people congregate, such as shelters. Minimize your risk by frequent hand-washing and use of hand sanitizers. 

6)  Don't worry about diseases that are uncommon in the United States:  There's little danger of mass outbreaks of cholera or typhoid.