The Aftermath of a Disaster: Lessons Learned

Over the years we have seen many hurricanes that have had momentous impacts on North America. Call to mind Katrina, Ike, Sandy and most recently Harvey and Irma. Some of these events sat dumping trillions of gallons of water on the areas where they made landfall and the situation for many folks grew dire. Hurricane Harvey ended up dumping over fifty inches of rain onto Houston and the surrounding areas within about forty-eight hours which was forty percent more water than its average yearly rainfall in Texas of 34.25 inches, in a little over two days.

Darren Hudema, WLS, Restoration Products Specialist with Dri-Eaz Products Inc., provides his ingisht .

Having worked disaster relief following hurricanes and major flooding events, many who decide to respond have some idea of what to expect, but severely underestimated the sheer magnitude of the flooding. Food, gas and lodging are scarce, and with a lack of power, many ATM’s are down requiring large amounts of cash to do business. You can’t plan enough. Many logistical issues will develop when responding to disaster areas so good planning is essential to ensure success and safety for your business and team.

Plan for Your Business

Many homes will be uninsured and FEMA reimbursements may be delayed.
Importance of understanding FEMA guidelines (www.FEMA.gov)
Have accommodations – hotels will be booked for weeks or months and may be 1-2 hours away from Houston.
No ATMs, no credit cards - Many sales will be cash only, so have plenty of cash on hand
Fuel supplies limited. Many gas stations under water, no power or out gas - have plenty of fuel for vehicles, gensets, etc.

Planning for Your Team

Plan for safety. Beware of unstable structures, blocked or damaged roads and bridges, as well as looting, civil unrest, and slow response times from overwhelmed law enforcement and emergency services.
Proper PPE. By definition, flood water is contaminated! You are handling many different hazards, including but not limited to microbial, biological, airborne particulates and more. And note that as floodwaters recede, mud turns to airborne dust, diminishing outdoor air quality.
Have several days of adequate water and food supplies.
Have a family emergency contact plan so that everyone knows how to contact you or your team, who to call and where to meet.
Have a disaster supply kit ready, which should include a flashlight, batteries, cash, first aid supplies, and copies of your critical information.
Have local emergency contact numbers on hand. These should include Emergency Management Offices, County Law Enforcement, County Public Safety Fire/Rescue, · State, County and City/Town Government, Local Hospitals, local utilities.

Lesson One – Don’t Become a Casualty

What people see in the news media does not compare to reality and the dire situation on the ground. Due to the magnitude of the size of affected area, the number of residences, commercial and industrial buildings impacted by heavy rains and storms surge, restoration, rental, and carpet cleaners begin making plans to respond and offer their services. However, some lack experience and training, having a good business plan, local and state licenses (ie: business, mold remediation, asbestos abatement) to respond to these events. Attaining the appropriate licenses to do business in states such as Texas, Louisiana, and Florida can take many months to attain. Without the proper licenses and proper documentation can prevent companies from doing business, and those who do business without have little legal recourse if they take legal action against of property owners for non-payment.

Sadly, we see many companies that see major hurricanes as an opportunity to make a lot of money; leaving their hometowns with most of their employees, equipment resources, and vehicles to respond to the demand of flood remediation. This leaves their business in the balance, as many of their customers that they spent time developing having no option than to call their competitor for services.
Due to the extent and size of hurricanes such as Katrina, Harvey and Irma, deluge from devastating rains and floods, causing property losses to reach astronomical levels, a pressing question is raised, beyond how much human suffering it has left behind, is who will pay for the reconstruction? Homeowners will have to bear their own losses because the great majority of them did not buy flood insurance. Reports from Texas say that only 15-20% of the properties damaged from Harvey had flood insurance. So, unless wind, sewer, or drain backup and/or another covered cause can be identified, Harvey survivors in Texas will have a very hard time collecting home insurance funds for repairing and recovering. What does this mean for first response contractors? Unless they have prearranged agreements and proper contracts in place with the homeowners that include the agreed upon costs and services to be provided, form of payment upon completion, many contractors have found out themselves in dire circumstances financially. Some have spent months, even years trying to get paid for their services, even going to court only to have their case thrown out for not having the proper license to operate in that state. Sadly, many have lost their entire business and have declared bankruptcy.

Lesson Two – Health and Safety

Significant health and safety issues exists when responding to a major flooding event. There are two stages that first response contractors need to be aware of, during the flooding event with standing water, and after when waters recede and things begin to dry out. Going into the flood environment has significant risks in which even healthy people, could face health hazards related to contaminated water, polluted air, mold, infected wounds, contagious diseases, carbon monoxide, and insects. Proper protections are needed to protect oneself from dermal, inhalation, and respiratory exposure. It is important that all first responders consult with a physician on any immunizations that maybe needed before responding, such a HEP A and B (some shots maybe a three step process), and tetanus.

Risks in Flood Waters
Floodwaters and standing water make disease more likely occur. Floodwaters may contain sewage and toxic chemicals and can hide sharp objects made of metal or glass. Lurking below these waters can also include snakes and animals that can bite causing significant health concerns. Having the proper personal protection equipment (PPE) is extremely important. This equipment can include hip waders for standing water, rubber boots with steel toes and shank, proper gloves and eye protection, as well as a hard hat due to structural integrity issues.

Risks in the Air
Air pollution after the storm is also a significant health hazard for all to be concerned about. Once the contaminated waters begin to recede and dry out, mud begins to settles on ground, roads and buildings. As it dries, vehicles stir entering affected areas, stir this contaminated residue making it airborne and respirable, causing lingering respiratory symptoms -- including cough, runny nose, lung infections and sinus problems.

Contractors responding to areas devastated by hurricanes are exposed to others who may have respiratory or GI illness. Proper attention to personal hygiene becomes extremely important and this can become difficult with limited fresh water available due to systems being offline or even contaminated themselves. Being self-sufficient in these types of events is the recipe for success.

Hurricane season occurs during the middle of summer and hits areas with high temperatures and humidity. Crews working to clean up contamination from water and mold require proper PPE. This usually includes Tyvek suits, respirators, hard hats, steel toe boots and eye protection. Wearing such gear in these conditions can cause heat exhaustion in a very short period of time. It’s important for project managers follow proper OSHA guidelines to keep their teams safe at all times know the guidelines for how long personnel can work and take required breaks.
Another significant issue is working in confined spaces. It’s important for technicians to be properly trained utilizing proper safety gear, and understand the guidelines related to occupying a confined space, such as hazards that require permit required entries and proper notification and postings.

Lesson Three – Stay Flexible
Be ready to not only deal with, but to thrive in a dynamic situation. Many challenges will present themselves, so you have to be flexible when faced with these circumstances, or you will fail. Any action is better than no action and rather than give up, you have to keep moving forward and realize there are multiple routes to the desired end result; both literally and figuratively.