Like what many restoration experts would advice, water should be removed as soon as possible to prevent your furniture and other items from getting damaged. Why is there such a rush to have water removed? Precisely because water, when not removed on time, pose a threat not only to our belongings but also to our health.



Standing water, such as those found in flooded basements, can be a good breeding ground for mosquitoes. These mosquitoes can bring malaria, encephalitis or the equally dreaded dengue fever. Timely water removal prevents the mosquitoes from laying their eggs, and thus, stops their number from growing.

The bacteria E. Coli can also be found in flood waters especially if human or animal feces are present. A simple contact with contaminated water can cause a person to have diarrhea, headaches and abdominal cramps.

Another parasite that one could encounter due to delayed water removal is the cryptosporidosis. Also known as crypto, this parasite induces the same symptoms as those present in E. Coli-infection. Giardia is another type of parasite that can be found in water contaminated with fecal material. Just like the crypto, it can cause one to have diarrhea and abdominal cramps. In critical infection cases, the person might experience considerable weight loss.

Flood waters can also carry Salmonella. It is a type of virus that enters the body thru contaminated food or drinking water. It can cause acute gastroenteritis as well as typhoid fever.

Late water removal can also cause Shigellosis, an infection brought about by contact with water contaminated with the Shigella bacteria. An infected person would experience watery, and even bloody, diarrhea. Fever, nausea and abdominal cramps are also present.

Flood waters may also carry with it rat urine. Rat urine is the leading cause of Leptospirosis, an infection brought about by the bacteria Leptospira. Symptoms of infection include general body malaise, headache; and later on, liver damage and renal failure. Timely water removal can prevent leptospirosis from infecting family members with open wounds.

Tetanus is another flood water-related infection that could affect family members via open wound. It is primarily identified by lockjaw and its accompanying difficulty in swallowing.

Hepatitis A is another disease connected with water contaminated with fecal material. It is characterized with yellowing of the person's skin and eyes as well as fatigue, loss of appetite and fever.

Melioidosis is a flood-water related disease that is also airborne making it doubly contagious. Persons suffering from this disease exhibit skin sores, fever, cough, headache and confusion. The bacteria that causes this disease usually thrives beneath soil surface but can be carried by flood waters to the surface. It enters the body thru cuts and open wounds that come in contact with contaminated water.

Prompt water removal should be taken seriously not just to save your belongings but to also ensure that you would still be around to enjoy your salvaged belongings.