Public Health And Hygiene Information Following Cyclone Gabrielle

Cleaning up: Dust Advice

Flood waters have deposited large quantities of silt around Hawke’s Bay.

When the silt dries the surface layer can become airborne when disturbed by wind, vehicles or clean-up activities.

Airborne dust can affect people’s health and cause eye irritations, a cough, exacerbate asthma or lead to other respiratory problems. Silt may also contain other toxic substances.

If practical, remove silt deposits as quickly as possible and take the following precautions:

Foot and Skin Injuries

We have had a number of reports of foot and skin injuries from people standing on nails and/or debris when walking through flood water and sludge.

Because flood water and sludge contains nasty bugs, wounds can easily become infected which can lead to serious illness like tetanus.

When cleaning up in floodwater and sludge, remember to:

Looking after yourself following a disaster

The flooding caused by Cyclone Gabrielle has greatly impacted our community and our staff.

It is understandable to feel sad, distressed, worried, confused, anxious and angry at the moment. It’s ok to not feel ok. These symptoms almost always pass with time. It can help to keep up usual routines, share your thoughts and feelings with whānau and exercise if you can.

Tackle the jobs that need to be done one bit at a time and count each small success.

It’s time to ask for help if your sleep is badly affected, you feel very distressed, irritable, on edge or agitated much of the time, or you feel hopeless and want to give up.

If you need to talk to someone, counselling is available for free by calling/texting 1737.

Mental Health and Addiction Clinicians as well as cultural support people are connecting with our civil defence centres and some community hubs for people who cannot access help via usual telephone lines.

Medical Officer of Health Dr Bridget Wilson

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