Disaster Relief
| Introduction | 1 |
| Safety Considerations | 1 |
| Safe Work Procedures and Rules | 2-3 |
| Helpful Hints | 4 |
| Mud-Out Procedures Directed by the Blue Cap Leader | 5 |
| Appendices |
| Appendix One: Mud-out Equipment List | 6 | |
| Appendix Two: Hazardous Situations in Mud-Out Work | ……………..7 | |
| Mud-out Manual Introduction Mud-Out is a term referring to the removal of debris from private residences where water has flooded the home. Most everything in the house may be destroyed or left un-useable, depending on the height of the floodwater. The objective of Oklahoma Baptist Volunteers is to get the house cleared of wet debris so it will dry out and be suitable for reconstruction as soon as possible. A typical sequence of events might be as follows: 1- The Oklahoma Baptist Coordinator for Mud-Out work is notified to organize Mud-Out teams. 2- A Blue-Cap team leader and team members are told to report to a central location with their personal gear. 3- All mud-out equipment, transportation and provisions are moved from the central location to the disaster site. 4- Some person with a flooded home makes a request for help to the Baptist Disaster Relief Team. 5- An Assessor evaluates the situation and obtains a signature approval of the home owner to do the work. 6- A Blue Cap Supervisor will pick up an approved work request from the Incident Command Post and arrange with the home-owner to do the work. As part of the Mud-Out team, each member will be expected to follow the leadership of a Blue Cap, who has training and experience in Mud-Out Work. Safety Considerations The Blue Cap has the primary responsibility for making decisions about safety, crew members must be his primary concern. Each member must know their own health situation and physical limitations. Many well-intentioned volunteers have been injured simply because they did not pay attention to their limitations. You must pace yourself and monitor your condition. Fatigue often leads to poor judgments and injuries. Team members will be assigned to work in pairs. This is critical as the blue-cap cannot observe everyone inside a house at any specific time. Hazards – The Blue-Cap as well as each team member must be alert to note potential hazards. These may include rusty nails, sharp objects, insulation dust, mold and mildew, chemicals- both liquid and dry, electric and phone lines, leaking gas, standing water, fire hazards, leaning and weak structures. Safety Equipment – The Blue-Cap must be diligent to enforce the wearing of safety equipment and clothing appropriate to the observed conditions, such as: · Hard hat at all work situations, yellow for team members and blue for the leader. · Goggles when working in blowing dust or falling and possible loose debris · Canister mask under very dusty, moldy or gas conditions · Fiber face respirator, N-95 under short duration work or moderate conditions. · Whistle (for signaling others) · Rubber boots or hard soled shoes or boots (no tennis shoes) · Heavy duty leather gloves, rubber gloves if work is wet |
| Safe Work Procedures and Rules
To assure Safe Working Procedures the Blue-cap team leader must monitor the work conditions and length of exposure of all team members. In some situations a team may be split and rotated. Team members must drink plenty of water to maintain their electrolyte and body fluids. A specific break time will be observed by all team members as often as needed, but some individual members may need more frequent breaks. Effective work may require more frequent breaks under extreme work conditions. Some procedures and rules for work will include the following: 1. Be sure all utilities have been cut off before entering a damaged building, especially in wet areas. Stand on dry area (board or ladder) while turning electrical switch off in wet area. 2. When entering a disaster area, assume the area is contaminated. Graves may have been open; septic and sewer systems overflow. There is also the possibility that LP gas tanks may be loose and leaking. LP gas gathers close to the ground. 3. Normally stepping on a rusty nail would bring the risk of tetanus. In a flood situation, the nail could also carry hepatitis or potentially deadly diseases. Therefore, anyone responding to a flood disaster must have a current tetanus shot and should consider getting hepatitis shots. 4. It is common in disasters to encounter wild and domestic animals. Snakes and insects may be in spaces you would not expect them. Never reach into a space you cannot see into. Be cautious of dogs and cats, especially if they appear abnormal. 5. Examine structures for damage before entering or working – floors, overhead, walls, loose objects that may fall. If there is question about the integrity of a building, stop any work and notify building authorities for approval before continuing. 6. Ventilate closed rooms or buildings before beginning to work. Do not linger in areas where gas fumes are present. Be especially careful about flames or sparks where fumes are detected. 7. Avoid sites where asbestos, gas fumes, leaning trees and other hazards are evident. 8. Gather up all tools and equipment when leaving a work site. Be aware that flood debris that has been removed from a house and stacked along the street for later pick-up presents a hazard for any one especially children. 9. In flooded areas probe ahead for holes or submerged objects. Use a wood pole with a dry handle. Always watch your footing on ladders or other slick or wet areas. 10. Avoid fatigue. Do not work on ladders or scaffolds or operate machinery when tired or on medications that cause drowsiness. 11. Wear proper clothing. In debris areas wear heavy shoes, gloves, hard hats, full length pants and long sleeve shirts. Protect yourself against the sun or cold. Wear properly fitted safety equipment as required or provided. |
12. 13. 14. 15. 16. 17. 18. 19. 20. 21. |
Provide sufficient lighting in work areas – daylight or artificial. Look first into areas before entering. Check for glass, nails, or other sharp and protruding objects. Be aware of where other volunteers are located and be concerned for their safety before throwing something out a window or using equipment. Using rope or cord, drag downed lines away from debris removal sites. Assume fallen electrical lines are live until notified by utility companies that current is off. This includes phone and cable lines that may be shorted against hot electric lines. Continue to use caution because of possible improper use of electric generators in nearby homes. Prevent health hazards by immediately removing decayed food items or chemicals from the house. Only experienced persons should operate power machinery. Follow safety requirements when refueling is taking place. Designate a first aid and equipment coordinator. Make safety and hygiene a priority. Get adequate rest, fluids, and nourishment so you can achieve maximum effectiveness. Personal decontamination as appropriate for each location a. After a days work- clean equipment, tools, shovels, boots, and shoes with a power washer before removing and discarding your Tyvex suit. b. Where appropriate keep clean clothes in a plastic bag on work site. c. Wash exposed areas of body (normally head, arms, feet and face) in bleach solution (2 tablespoons of bleach per one gallon of water). d. Take a shower and dress in clean clothes after a days work. e. Place contaminated clothes in a plastic bag and put them in a designated location to be washed in disinfectant–very important. Lifting should always be done in a way that protects the back from strain or other injury. Remember the buddy system and seek help when needed. To lift safely: ● Bend your knees and squat. ● Keep the load close to your body. ● Keep your back straight. ● Push up with your legs. Experienced Blue-Cap Work leaders with hazardous waste training should be available to direct the Mud-Out work. |
| Helpful Hints
· Wear suitable rain gear, rubber boots and face mask or goggles while spraying or pressure washing. · Use heavy rubber gloves and wear goggles when handling bleach and other disinfectants. · Wear latex gloves with work gloves over them for normal work. · Work within your strengths and limitations, Take at least one 10 minute break each hour or more frequent if necessary. · Use hand sanitizer before consuming anything or wash hands with bleach and water mix. (one tablespoon bleach to one gallon water). · Disinfect tools used each day upon completion of work. At the end of the day, dispose of all used mop heads, sponges and Tyvex suits. · Do not drink water in area until verified safe. · Eat regularly and increase water intake according to heat and workload. Take snacks and water to site. · Rest when you can. Some people can work longer than others. Gauge yourself. Do not be intimidated by what others do if it affects your strength and usefulness. Sleeping may be difficult. Keep the Blue Cap informed. · Dispose of any articles that are punctured (such as gloves and boots). · Do not open refrigerators and freezers at a debris site. Bind doors to keep them shut. · If you are unfamiliar with motorized tools, do not attempt to use them until properly trained. · If basement is flooded allow professionals to pump out water. When done by volunteers this may cause structure to collapse or simply to refill. · Make safety a priority so that you can achieve maximum effectiveness, not only for you and your buddy but also your team. · Dry and spray metal tools with oil each day. |
| Mud-Out Procedures Directed by the Blue Cap Leader 1. Carefully explain to the homeowner what we do when we mud out a home. A release and assessment form, see attachments, has already been completed by an Assessor. 2. Explain to the homeowner the health hazard that may be present if the interior walls have been affected by the water. 3. While team members are getting dressed out and prepared for work the team leader should walk through the house to determine how best to proceed with the work. 4. Allow homeowner to decide which articles are to be salvaged and which are to be thrown away. This is a good time to have a time of prayer with the home owner and team. 5. Do Not allow team members to rush in, be sure that windows and doors are open and fans are going if needed. Use the buddy system and assign only two people to each room. 6. Be sensitive to homeowner’s loss when removing the debris and putting it out on the street curb. Sort debris on the curb into environmental groups i. e. appliances, furniture, canned food items, house-hold chemical and medicines, paint and solvents. 7. When all furniture and appliances are removed, determine how much wall and floor removal is necessary. Leave all hard wood flooring for removal by reconstruction crews. Carefully measure and cut dry walls at least 12 inches above the mold or moisture level. 8. Use a backpack sprayer with a mix of ½ cup bleach per gallon water to treat wet areas where contamination is obvious and drying will be slow. 9. Remove warped wall paneling, moldy drywall and wet insulation. Be careful to pull nails in hall ways and traffic areas to prevent injury and snagging of Tyvex suits. 10. Removal of cabinets is necessary to remove any wet dry wall behind them. Leave cabinets above water line for reconstruction crews. 11. All items in up stair areas should be left for later determination by the owner. 12. Advise owner to let area dry thoroughly before beginning repairs. 13. To sanitize: use one tablespoon bleach to one gallon water. This is recommended for hands or dishes and does not need to be rinsed off again.. 14. Limit power washing to very contaminated areas, do not rewet areas already dry. |
| _____ | Hope in Crisis tracts, Bibles |
| _____ | Equipment owners manual |
| _____ | Fire extinguisher |
| _____ | First aid kit |
| _____ | Pressure Washer, Gas-powered , (minimum 1500 psi) |
| _____ | (4) Water hose,50-foot heavy duty. |
| _____ | Tyvex suits-50 ea. Med, 100 ea. X Lg. 100 ea. XX Lg. 50 ea. XXX Lg. |
| _____ | (2) Sump pumps, small electric, |
| _____ | Generator, 3500-watt with extension cords and floodlights |
| _____ | Fan, 3ft.electric attic exhaust type. |
| _____ | Chainsaw,16-inch with spare bar and chain (chaps, helmet, ear and eye protection, gloves) |
| _____ | Shop vac. heavy duty, wet/dry. |
| _____ | Gas can, 5-gallon. |
| _____ | (2) 2 ½-gallon gas cans |
| _____ | Tool box with basic tools |
| _____ | (2) wrecking bars (6) crow and (6) pry bars) of assorted lengths |
| _____ | Reciprocating saw with spare blades |
| _____ | Circular saw with spare blades |
| _____ | (1) Drill-electric-½-inch with assorted bits |
| _____ | (1) Bolt cutter, (6) Claw hammers |
| _____ | (2) Sledge hammers |
| _____ | (2) pr. dikes, (2) pr. pliers, (2) pr. channel locks. |
| _____ | (1) Ax single bit, (1) Ax double bit. |
| _____ | (2) Hack saws with spare blades |
| _____ | (4) Wheelbarrows |
| _____ | (100) pr. work gloves, part fiber and part leather. |
| _____ | (2) ea. 2 gallon water coolers |
| _____ | (1) 6ft. step ladder, (2) 4 ft. step ladders, (2) 2ft. step ladders |
| _____ | (4) 18-inch traffic cones, (10) rolls orange tape. |
| _____ | (4) Squeegees, heavy duty. |
| _____ | (6) flat face shovels, (1) Pitch fork, (4) large scoop shovels. (6) round faced shovels. |
| _____ | (3) Push brooms, plastic not natural fiber. |
| _____ | (20) pr. Rubber gloves and (20) pr. boots of various sizes. |
| _____ | (2) Boxes of 100 pr gloves- surgical type, powdered. |
| _____ | (20) Hard hats, yellow, and ( I) blue. (10) pr. goggles, clear. |
| _____ | (2) Garden sprayers or back-pack sprayers. |
| _____ | (6) Plastic buckets-five gallon |
| _____ | (6) Bleach, gallon, 5% (store in double lined containers in trailer) |
| _____ | (1) Furniture dolly, (1) Appliance dolly |
| _____ | 300 ea. N-95 fiber face respirators |
| _____ | 20 ea. Canister face mask. With 40 ea. Replacement canisters. |
| _____ | (2) Small portable toilets. |
| 4. | PETROLEUM PRODUCTS IN FLOODED SITUATIONS. Gas and various oils may be present in the house or may have arrived from outside sources. Elevated tanks just outside the house are often a source of oil or gas. Valves are normally stuck and require some care in closing. Some plastic boots and gloves are damaged by petroleum products in flooded conditions. Immediate washing of hands and any affected skin area is necessary after coming in contact with such unknown petroleum waste products. | ||