Household Water Disinfection in Hurricane-Affected Communities of Louisiana: Implications for Disaster Preparedness for the General Public

Ram, Pavani K.; Blanton, Elizabeth; Klinghoffer, Debra; Platek, Mary E.; Piper, J. G.; Straif-Bourgeois, Susanne; Bonner, Matthew R.; Mintz, Eric D.

doi:10.2105/ajph.2006.094441

Cited by 20 publications

(34 citation statements)

References 3 publications

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“…In the aftermath of Hurricane Rita in the US state of Louisiana, for example, 13% of respondents to a community survey had consumed water that was not bottled and not boiled, despite a boil water order being in effect. 12 The results from the present study echo those from similar studies in both Australia and the USA. Storms in the Hunter region of New South Wales (NSW), Australia in 2007 caused electricity interruptions to over 200 000 homes and businesses, with some properties having no electricity for more than 1 week.…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 89%

“…Even if the water supply is not interrupted it might be contaminated. In the aftermath of Hurricane Rita in the US state of Louisiana, for example, 13% of respondents to a community survey had consumed water that was not bottled and not boiled, despite a boil water order being in effect 12 …”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Food and water stockpiling are critical to preparation for short‐term isolation. Some disasters, such as cyclones, afford advanced warning and an opportunity to stock‐up; indeed, 61% of the households represented in the survey following Hurricane Rita had done just that 12 . Other causes of short‐term isolation, however, strike without warning.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Some disasters, such as cyclones, afford advanced warning and an opportunity to stock-up; indeed, 61% of the households represented in the survey following Hurricane Rita had done just that. 12 Other causes of short-term isolation, however, strike without warning. Even if people are not physically constrained to their homes, the ability to stockpile after an event is questionable.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Preparedness for short‐term isolation among Queensland residents: Implications for pandemic and disaster planning

Aitken¹,

Leggat²,

Brown³

et al. 2010

Emerg Medicine Australasia

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The majority of Queensland's population consider themselves to have sufficient food supplies to cope with isolation for a period of 3 days. Far fewer would have sufficient reserves if they were isolated for a similar period with an interruption in utility services. The lower level of preparedness among health and community service workers has implications for maintaining the continuity of health services.

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 89%

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Preparedness for short‐term isolation among Queensland residents: Implications for pandemic and disaster planning

Aitken¹,

Leggat²,

Brown³

et al. 2010

Emerg Medicine Australasia

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“…If unsafe actions such as using unboiled water for brushing teeth or preparing/cooking food are considered, non-compliance increases dramatically to 57% and 77% for human error and natural disasters, respectively [13,32]. Our data show high non-compliance for the 'Boil Water' notice (29.3%), and when including other unsafe behaviours, it rises to 48.3%.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 77%

Communication, perception and behaviour during a natural disaster involving a 'Do Not Drink' and a subsequent 'Boil Water' notice: a postal questionnaire study

2010

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BackgroundDuring times of public health emergencies, effective communication between the emergency response agencies and the affected public is important to ensure that people protect themselves from injury or disease. In order to investigate compliance with public health advice during natural disasters, we examined consumer behaviour during two water notices that were issued as a result of serious flooding. During the summer of 2007, 140,000 homes in Gloucestershire, United Kingdom, that are supplied water from Mythe treatment works, lost their drinking water for up to 17 days. Consumers were issued a 'Do Not Drink' notice when the water was restored, which was subsequently replaced with a 'Boil Water' notice. The rare occurrence of two water notices provided a unique opportunity to compare compliance with public health advice. Information source use and other factors that may affect consumer perception and behaviour were also explored.MethodA postal questionnaire was sent to 1,000 randomly selected households. Chi-square, ANOVA, MANOVA and generalised estimating equation (with and without prior factor analysis) were used for quantitative analysis.ResultsIn terms of information sources, we found high use of and clear preference for the local radio throughout the incident, but family/friends/neighbours also proved crucial at the onset. Local newspapers and the water company were associated with clarity of advice and feeling informed, respectively. Older consumers and those in paid employment were particularly unlikely to read the official information leaflets. We also found a high degree of confusion regarding which notice was in place at which time, with correct recall varying between 23.2%-26.7%, and a great number of consumers believed two notices were in place simultaneously. In terms of behaviour, overall non-compliance levels were significantly higher for the 'Do Not Drink' notice (62.9%) compared to the 'Boil Water' notice (48.3%); consumers in paid employment were not likely to comply with advice. Non-compliance with the general advice to boil bowser water was noticeably lower (27.3%).ConclusionHigher non-compliance during the 'Do Not Drink' notice was traced to the public's limited knowledge of water notices and their folk beliefs about the protection offered from boiling water. We suggest that future information dissemination plans reduce reliance on official leaflets and maximise the potential of local media and personal networks. Current public health education programmes are recommended to attend to insufficient and incorrect public knowledge about precautionary actions.

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Communicating Imminent Risk

Lindell

2017

Handbooks of Sociology and Social Research

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Household Water Disinfection in Hurricane-Affected Communities of Louisiana: Implications for Disaster Preparedness for the General Public

Abstract: Few hurricane-affected respondents were aware of boil water orders and of alternate water disinfection techniques. Most had access to chlorine and could have practiced household chlorination if disruption in natural gas and electricity made boiling impossible.

Cited by 20 publications

References 3 publications

Preparedness for short‐term isolation among Queensland residents: Implications for pandemic and disaster planning

Preparedness for short‐term isolation among Queensland residents: Implications for pandemic and disaster planning

Communication, perception and behaviour during a natural disaster involving a 'Do Not Drink' and a subsequent 'Boil Water' notice: a postal questionnaire study

Communicating Imminent Risk

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