The Two Rivers Public Health Department offered coping advice for the many people who experienced having inadequate supplies, evacuations and dealt with loss or damage of property due to historic flooding.
Health officials said bacteria can spread from flood water into well water, making it dangerous to drink. Water test kits were made available through the Two Rivers Public Health Department for a cost.
Health officials also said it is important to be up to date on tetanus shots. You’re advised to see your medical provider for locations to get boosters through your insurance.
Two Rivers director Jeremy Eschliman said it’s important to wash items you can keep thoroughly.
“Soap and water on anything that is nonporous, bricks, concrete, things like that. If there’s hard plastic toys, for example, that you want to clean, soap and water clean first and then one cup of bleach to one gallon of water is pretty effective and then disinfecting it. That’s the most important thing now. Anything that you’re going to keep like that you want to make sure it’s clean and disinfected,” he said.
Eschliman said you need to focus on your mental health, especially if you’re a first responder.
“We know like whenever there’s sort of a major weather event like we’ve experienced in our area. We have a lot of communities in our area that are hurting right now. People lost a lot of their possessions and their homes, that there’s a lot of long term mental health risks with that and suicides typically increase,” said Jeremy Eschliman, director of Two Rivers Public Health Department.