Access to safe water is a top concern in Western North Carolina after Hurricane Helene.
Hurricane Helene Recovery Resources
Ensure your water is safe and prevent waterborne disease or illness:
1. Identify Safe Water
Drinking water may not be available or safe to drink in disaster-impacted areas. This is particularly true in areas that have experienced flooding.
Do not use contaminated water to drink, wash or prepare food, make ice, prepare baby formula, wash dishes, brush teeth or wash hands.
Do not use contaminated well water.
Floods can damage drinking water wells and lead to contamination. Floodwater can contaminate well water with contaminants that can lead to illness. These contaminants include livestock waste, human sewage and chemicals.
Contamination is more likely in dug wells, bored wells and wells less than 50 feet deep. Even if there's no clear damage, there may be contamination.
Do not use water from heating systems.
Never use water from radiators or boilers that are part of a home heating system as potable water.
Use only bottled, boiled or treated water for drinking, cooking and personal hygiene.
For specific advisories about boiling or treating water in your area, check with your:
- Local health department
- Tribal agency
- Local media channels
2. Boil Water to Prevent Disease or Illness
If you do not have safe bottled water, boil your water to make it safe to drink. Boiling is the best way to kill germs in water.
- If the water is cloudy, first filter it through a clean cloth, paper towel or coffee filter. Another option is to let any particles in the water settle to the bottom, then draw off the clear water for boiling.
- Next, bring the clear water to a rolling boil for one minute (at elevations above 6,500 feet, boil for three minutes).
- Let the boiled water cool and then store it in clean, sanitized containers with tight covers.
Do not use gas appliances in an enclosed space to boil water due to risk of carbon monoxide poisoning.
During a boil water advisory:
- Use bottled water or boiled water for:
- Drinking and cooking
- Brusing teeth
- Cleaning (such as washable toys and surfaces)
- Caring for pets
- Be careful not to swallow any water when bathing and showering. Consider giving babies and children a sponge bath to prevent them swallowing water.
- Use disposable plates, cups, and utensils, if possible.
- Sanitize all infant feeding items using a sanitizing cycle in the dishwasher. Boil them, use steam, or clean carefully with a diluted bleach solution.
3. Ensure Well Water is Safe
If extensive flooding has occurred, do not drink well water. Listen to your local health authorities for advice on using well water to shower or bathe. Use water reserves, bottled water or boiled water until your well water is tested and deemed safe for use.
Steps to take:
- Do not turn on the electricity to your pump until flood waters recede.
- Contact a driller if you think your well will need service immediately after the flood. Find a list of certified well contractors.
- Find a nearby water testing lab to get sample collection bottles and instructions. You cannot see, taste or smell bacterial contamination in your well. Often, your local health department can test your water. If there is not a health department near you, your county extension agent can help you find a lab.
- Contact your local health department for more testing if you live near these areas, especially if you smell fuel or chemicals in your water:
- Animal feeding operations
- Agricultural fields where pesticides are applied
- Industrial chemical factories
- Did your well flood? Call your local health department or licensed well driller to shock chlorinate the well. A water well driller has access to more effective products, equipment and experience than that of a typical well owner.
More info about well water and health
More info: Ensuring safe water after emergency/natural disaster
Related Press Release: NCDHHS Urges Safe Water Usage following Hurricane Helene