Dealing with storm damage? Here's how to avoid injuries or illnesses

Cleaning up after a storm this hurricane season can have many health risks.

Transcript

00:00This hurricane season, storms can lead to significant damage around your home.

00:06As you begin to clean up, safety should be top of mind.

00:10You have to be very careful about debris in your area.

00:13There's fallen trees and branches and things like that, so you have to be careful.

00:17Hospitals see an uptick in patients after hurricanes or tropical storms.

00:22The biggest injury that we see spike following a storm in the emergency department

00:26has to do with injuries related to storm cleanup and exploration after the storm.

00:32These include lacerations, puncture injuries, falls, and particularly chainsaw injuries.

00:39To avoid getting hurt, exercise caution while cleaning.

00:43If you need to use a ladder, make sure you're on steady ground and wearing slip-resistant shoes.

00:49You should also wear protective clothing when using a chainsaw or removing debris.

00:53Long-sleeved shirts, thick leather work gloves if you're going to be working and picking up and cleaning debris.

00:58If you must clean in flooded areas, wear boots to avoid the risk of skin or stomach infections.

01:04If your power is out and you're using a generator,

01:07keep it outside to prevent carbon monoxide exposure, electrocution, or fires.

01:12And if you're in an area that has actual power lines,

01:14I would not be going out or going near those until you have clearance.

01:19While cleaning up, make sure to stay hydrated.

01:22Not drinking enough fluids can lead to heat-related illnesses.

01:25If you're going to be working in the yard, sweating, losing more water,

01:28you need to drink additional quantities to account for that.

01:31For AccuWeather, I'm Emmy Victor.