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APHA Scientific Session and Event Listing

Pavani K. Ram¹, Elizabeth Blanton², Debra Klinghoffer³, Mary Platek¹, Susanne Straif-Bourgeois⁴, Matthew R. Bonner¹, and Eric D. Mintz². (1) University of Buffalo, Rm. 273 Farber Hall, Buffalo, NY 14214, 716-829-2975, platek@buffalo.edu, (2) Foodborne and Diarrheal Diseases Branch, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 1600 Clifton Road, MS A-38, Atlanta, GA 30333, (3) Louisiana Office of Public Health, 707-A East Prien Lake Rd., Lake Charles, LA 70601, (4) Infectious Disease Epidemiology Section, Office of Public Health, 1450 L&A Road, Metairie, LA 70001

Background Hurricane Rita struck Texas and Louisiana on September 24 2005, causing extensive property damage and disruption of municipal services. Thousands of residents were placed on orders to boil water. Awareness and compliance may have been hampered by disruptions in electricity and natural gas services.

Methods We conducted a cross-sectional survey to assess awareness of boil water orders and familiarity with household water disinfection techniques other than boiling among residents of randomly selected mobile home communities in southwestern Louisiana.

Results We interviewed 196 respondents from 8 communities, all of which had boil water orders instituted on September 24. Among the 97 respondents who had not evacuated or had returned home while their communities were still under orders to boil water, 30 (31%) were aware of the boil water orders and, of those, 24 (80%) said the orders were active while they were living in their communities. Among these 24, 10 (42%) reported boiling water. Overall, 163 (83%) respondents were aware of at least one method of water disinfection at the household level: boiling (78%), chlorination (27%), filtration (25%), and iodination (4%). Eighty-seven percent of respondents had a container of chlorine bleach at home.

Conclusions A minority of hurricane-affected survey respondents were aware of boil water orders and of household water disinfection techniques other than boiling. Most respondents had access to chlorine at home and, thus, could have practiced household chlorination in the event that boiling was impossible because of disruption in natural gas and electricity services.

Learning Objectives:

• Describe awareness of boil water orders in a hurricane-affected population.
• Identify potential challenges to communicating urgent public health measures after large disasters.
• Describe alternate techniques for emergency household water disinfection when boiling is not possible.

Keywords: Water, Disasters

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

Not Answered