As Louisiana residents continue to clean their homes this week after bad weather and flooding, the American Red Cross urges vigilance and offers some important safety tips.
SAFETY MEASURES ON YOUR RETURN HOME
- Keep children and pets away from dangerous places and floods. If you have children, leave them with a family member or friend while you do your first home inspection after a disaster. The website can be dangerous to children and seeing the damage firsthand can make them even more upset and have long-term repercussions, including nightmares.
- If there is a break in power lines outside of your home, avoid walking in puddles or standing water. Immediately inform the energy supply company.
- Check the exterior of your home before entering. Look for loose power lines, broken or damaged gas lines, foundation cracks, missing support beams, or other damage. Damage to the outside can indicate a serious problem inside. Have a house inspector or contractor inspect the structure before entering.
- Don't cut or run colored tape on doors or windows to mark damaged areas unless you've been told it's safe to do so. If a home inspector has put a color-coded sign on the house, don't enter it until you have received more information, advice, and instructions from local authorities.
- Beware of snakes, insects, and other animals that may be in or around your home. When inspecting your home, hit the floor hard and often with a stick to indicate you are there.
- For insurance purposes, take photos of damage to the home, both buildings and their contents [Notes: redcross.org]. Make temporary repairs such as: B. Covering holes, propping up walls and removing dirt. Save all receipts.
- If the door is stuck, don't force it open as it can help the rest of your house. Find another way to get in.
- Use a flashlight in the event of a power failure. Do not use open flames, including candles, to inspect for damage or as alternative lighting.
- Sniff gas. If you spot natural gas, propane, or hear a hissing noise, leave the property immediately and drive away. Call the fire department after you get to a safe location.
- When the weather is dry, open windows and doors to ventilate and / or dry your home.
- Wear protective clothing, including rubber gloves and rubber boots, and be careful when cleaning.
- Discard items that absorb water and cannot be cleaned or disinfected. These include mattresses, carpets, cosmetics, cuddly toys and baby toys.
- Discard all food, drink, and medication that will be exposed to floods and mud. When in doubt, put it away. This includes cans, plastic utensils, bottle nipples, and containers of sealed food or liquids.
- Be careful when moving furniture or foreign objects as they can get damp and heavy.
- If gas or electrical appliances have been flooded, do not use them until they have been checked for safety.
- Gradually pump out flooded basements (about a third of the water per day) to avoid structural damage. If the water is pumped out completely in a short time, the pressure of the water-saturated soil can cause the basement walls to collapse.
- Maintain damaged septic tanks, septic tanks, wells, and leach systems as soon as possible.
- If you have a propane tank system, close all valves and contact a propane supplier to check the system before using it again.
- Is your roof sagging? This means it got wet, which makes it heavy and dangerous. It needs to be replaced so you can try removing it. Warning: Wear safety glasses and a helmet, use a long stick, and stay away from the damaged area. Drill holes in the roof starting from the outside of the bulge to allow the water to slowly drain away. If you hit the center of the damaged area, the entire roof could collapse.
- Has the ground sunk? It could collapse under your weight so don't get on it! Small, sunken sections can be covered with thick sheets of plywood or thick, sturdy boards that extend at least 8 to 12 inches on each side of the slack area.
-------------------------------------------------- ----------
Stay in touch with us anytime, anywhere.
Click HERE to access the newsroom or to report a typo / correction.
Sign up to receive the newsletters by email in your inbox. Choose from these options: Latest News, Evening News Headlines, Latest COVID-19 Headlines, Morning News Headlines, Specials
Aucun commentaire:
Enregistrer un commentaire