Keep Your Home and Family Safe After a Flood
Following a flood, standing water and wet materials can become a breeding ground for microorganisms, such as viruses, bacteria, and mold. Flood waters can also bring in chemical contaminants and drive pests indoors. Exposure to these contaminants can cause disease, trigger allergic reactions, and continue to damage materials long after the initial flood event.
 If you live in an area prone to flooding, be prepared by learning what you can do to keep you and your loved ones safe when cleaning up your home after a flood. Check your flood risk using FEMA’s Flood Map Service Center.
Stay Safe as You Clean Up
Some people should not help. Children, pregnant people, and people with weakened immune systems or chronic breathing problems like asthma should not take part in flood cleanup.
Wear personal protective equipment when you clean up, including goggles, an N95 respirator, long sleeves, protective gloves, pants, and boots or work shoes.
Be aware of the risk of electrocution. Do not touch electrical equipment if it is wet or if you are standing in water. If it is safe to do so, turn off the electricity to prevent electric shock.
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CAUTION: Operate portable generators safely. NEVER use a fuel-powered portable generator inside your home, garage, shed, or any enclosed areas. Always use generators outside and at least 20 feet away from buildings. Generator exhaust contains deadly carbon monoxide (CO) and other pollutants. Learn more about how to safely provide power during an outage.
Clean and Dry the House and Everything In It
Sort materials and throw away anything you cannot clean and dry. EPA’s What Can I Keep? infographic can help you decide.
Clean the house and everything in it. Clean hard surfaces with detergent and water. Do not mix cleaning products together or add bleach to other chemicals.
Dry the house and everything in it within 24-48 hours if you can. While cleaning, ventilate and dry your home using fans and dehumidifiers, and by opening doors and windows, if possible.
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To learn more, visit EPA’s website Flood Cleanup to Protect Indoor Air and Your Health.
Know Where to Get Help
Flood cleanup may be too difficult or dangerous to do yourself. See our website for tips on what to ask before hiring a professional for flood cleanup.
If you must clean up yourself, be sure to take adequate breaks and ask for help from family, friends, and neighbors. To learn more, watch this video on Worksite Safety from EPA’s Flooded Homes website.
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