--- title: Flood waters pose health hazards date: 2006-08-02T12:16:44-07:00 author: Bill Marler canonical_url: "https://marlerclark.com/news_events/flood-waters-pose-health-hazards" section: News --- [All News](/news_events) / # Flood waters pose health hazards Star Beacon By MARGIE TRAX PAGE Staff Writer mtrax@starbeacon.com MADISON – -Water, water, everywhere. Tall reeds and day lilies grow along the banks of the small creek on the east side of Chris and Tina Green’s home on Main St. The small, unassuming creek raged Friday morning, filling the Green’s basement and garage with five feet of murky brown water. The Green family all pitched in on Saturday and Sunday, hauling carpets, televisions, and waterlogged books to the curb, scrubbing hard surfaces with disinfectant and assessing the home’s water damage. Many families in Lake County are taking assessment belongings touched by flood water and have the difficult decision of what items to throw away and what can be salvaged. The Lake County Health Department is warning residents of infectious organisms, including intestinal bacteria such as E. coli, Salmonella, and Shigella; Hepatitis A Virus; and agents found in paratyphoid and tetanus, are often found in floodwater. “Of course, the first concern is immediate safety. But anyone who comes in contact with storm water should know how to disinfect and stay safe. The truth is, we don’t know what is in the flood water, but we have to assume the worst,” LCHD Director of Environmental Health Frank Kellogg said. Kellogg said the water could cause serious illness or infection. “Ingesting contaminated food or water brings about most cases of sickness associated with flood conditions. We don’t know the contents of the water. It could be sewage, it could be chemical soup,” he said. 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