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Indiana Floods - June 2008

Purdue Extension Resources
State, Federal, and Other Resources

Links

Other important Information:

Current Update

Disaster Assistance Q & As
Press Release from FEMA and the Indiana Department of Homeland Security

National Weather Service
National maps and updated warnings and forecasts.
(Source: National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration)

Volunteer Rain, Hail, and Snow Reports
The Community Collaborative Rain, Hail and Snow Network is a unique, non-profit, community-based network of volunteers of all ages and backgrounds working together to measure and map precipitation (rain, hail and snow).
(Source: CoCoRaHS)

WaterWatch - Current water resources conditions
Map of real-time streamflow compared to historical streamflow for the day of the year (Indiana)
(Source: U.S. Geological Survey)

INVOAD - Helping Indiana Residents in the Recent Floods
To learn more about volunteering your time, donating goods or needed items, and contributing money click the above link.

Preparation

What to do Before a Flood
Steps to take before a flood occurs.
(Source: FEMA)

Deciding to Stay or to Go
A families' guide to preparing for natural disasters.
(Source: American Red Cross & FEMA)

Disaster Preparedness: Floods
A guide for every stage of flood disasters.
(Source: ACES)

Flood Disaster Supply Kit
A list of needed supplies to have available before flooding begins.
(Source: FEMA)

Floods (English) / Inundaciones (Español)
Facts to remember to protect your personal health and safety.
(Source: CDC)

Planning for Natural Disaster Debris
This guide highlights the need for communities to plan for the cleanup of debris after a major natural disaster. Based on lessons learned from communities that have experienced such disasters, this guide contains information to help communities prepare for and recover more quickly from the increased solid waste generated by a natural disaster.
(Source: EPA)

Septic System Performance in Flooded and Wet Soil Conditions
This publication provides tips on improving septic systems before, during, and after a flood. (Source: Purdue Extension)

Response
Recovery

Home and Family

FEMA Announces Individual Assistance

Molds

Personal and Family Safety

Building Repair

Financial

Food

Pets

Field Crops Resources

Flood Program Update

Purdue Extension/Indiana State Department of Agriculture Flood Recovery and Replanting Advice Teleconference, June 20, 2008

Crop Management Information for Flood-Damaged Field Crops from the Chat 'n Chew Café

Crop Assessment and Replant Considerations

Nutrient Management Considerations

Weed Management and Herbicide Considerations

Insect Management Considerations

Disease Management Considerations

Forages and Cover Crop Considerations

Insurance, Marketing, and Government Assistance

United States Department of Agriculture (USDA)

General Crops Flooding Resource Sites

Farm Machinery, Buildings & Bins

Question:
Is there federal assistance for farmers for building, structures (such as fences) and crop damage?

Answer:
The state of Indiana has low interest loans, for more information click here.

The Farm Service Agency has disaster assistance, for more information click here.

Horticultural Crops

Question:
If a vegetable or melon field is flooded: What is the risk level and what are recommendations depending on type of crop and stage of growth?

Answer:
Risk can be described as follows:
Crop set or present: Very High Risk, Crop is considered adulterated by the FDA and may not be sold for consumption without violating FDA regulation.

Plant emerged, no fruit set: High Risk. The potential presence of microorganisms in the plant as well as in the soil could result in indirect contamination of the crop post flooding.

Planted but not emerged: Still High Risk for reasons given above.

Preplanting: Moderate Risk. The soil contamination may be as high as that achieved with treating with uncomposted manure. A minimum of 120 days between the recession of waters and harvest is needed to reduce this risk.

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Question:
Is it also possible to test the soil? What would you test for? Who would do the tests? What would the results mean? Is this a worthwhile course of action?

Answer:
Testing the soil is not a consistent method for determining the risk of microbial contamination; however, it may be useful for determining the presence of chemical hazards. Soil often contains the microorganisms that we use as indicators of fecal contamination and the numbers are not useful unless you know their relative levels prior to the flood. Trying to rely on a test to assure the soil is not contaminated would be very risky.

Soil testing for chemical hazards should be discussed with local health and agricultural specialists who can make you aware of hazards suspected in your region.

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Question:
Can I spray anything on the soil or on the crop to reduce risk of foodborne illness?

Answer:
No, there are no sprays that would be appropriate for either the soil or the crop to reduce the risk. Any sanitizer would become ineffective based on the level of organic material present. And washing does not eliminate pathogens, so recommendations focus on reducing the risk by discarding affected crops, incorporating, covering and incorporating again next spring. If a field frequently floods, using it solely for agronomic or non-edible ornamental crops is recommended.

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Question:
Does the bacteria enter into the tissue of the plant and then move to other parts of the plant that were not contacted or perhaps were not even present at the time of the flood water?

Answer:
This is a possibility. We have seen evidence in research that microorganisms could be drawn into plant tissues and potentially transferred to produce this way. We cannot prove at this point that this does happen in field conditions; however, the risk that it could is considered great enough that we do not recommend harvesting from plants that have been affected by a flood.

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Question:
Can flooded fields be replanted to veggies - if so when, which veggies, what should be done prior to planting?

Answer:
Fields that have been flooded should be treated as if they had been treated with uncomposted manure. They are considered a very high risk for contamination with microorganisms that can cause foodborne illness as well as potentially harmful chemicals washed in from other areas.

With manure we recommend incorporation and a minimum of 120 days between incorporation and harvest. Even with this amount of time, a risk for fecal contamination could still exist. Much less risk can be achieved via incorporation and planting with a cover, agronomic, or non-edible ornamental crop and incorporating again pre-planting the next season.

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Question:
My buyer requires third party food safety certification; what should I do about flooded fields?

Answer:
Contact the fresh produce safety certification company that you will be working with. They can let you know what practices they specifically recommend and the types of documentation they would expect to see. Often this involves writing out the steps you take to discard flood affected produce, and how you work with the affected fields to reduce the risk of microbial contamination. At this time each audit or certifying company has its own standards and it is best to be certain of what those are before the auditor comes out.

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Question:
My greenhouse was flooded. I grow edible herbs in pots on the benches. The water did not contact the benches. Are the herbs safe?

Answer:
If you can assure absolutely no contact with the flood waters (including splashing) then your risk for direct microbial contamination is not higher than it was before. However, be aware that the greenhouse itself has been contaminated so your risk for indirect contamination of the herbs is greater. Steps should be taken to clean and sanitize the greenhouse with special care given to avoid splashing flood residue onto the produce or inadvertently transferring microbial contamination through hand or glove contact.

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Question:
Pots containing perennial small fruit crops (blueberries, grapes, brambles were flooded. The entire plant was covered. What is the risk level? What if only the soil in the pot was flooded?

Answer:
These plants are at a very high risk for microbial contamination. Fruit from these plants should be discarded this season to reduce your risk. Even if the only the soil was affected there is at least a moderate risk that the contamination could lead to foodborne illness. It would be like side dressing with a manure slurry. A minimum of 120 days from contamination to harvest is needed and a full season is preferable.

As for ornamentals, as long as they are not going to be consumed they are ok to plant in ornamental gardens. Be sure to wash hands well with soap and clean water after handling plant material or potting mix that has been exposed to flood waters.

A question that continues to arise is what growers should do to remove the residue that is left behind on ornamentals:
Horticulturally approved wetting agents or surfactants at the lowest possible rates can be used to try to remove some the flood water residue left on leaves (ie. CapSil). For this situation, The Scott's Company recommends using CapSil at a rate of 100 ppm with water (distilled or RO if possible) and then rinsing the leaves off again with water. This may help take some of the residue, but not all. Plants should be treated on a plant by plant basis to test for phytotoxicity. It is important to remember that no studies have been conducted to see if wetting agents or surfactants are effective for this purpose. Remember to follow labels closely and contact your distributor for questions.

An alternative would be to use some of the approved insecticidal soaps ( Safer soaps, Bonide Insecticidal soap, SMC Premium Quality Leaf Wash, etc.) that we know are safe on plants. These can be applied by back pack or hand sprayer. Again, each plant species needs to be treated on a case by case basis, as phytotoxicity could be different between species.

Treat plants with the insecticidal soap to run off, allow it to sit for a few minutes to dissolve the residue and then apply water with a separate sprayer to rinse the residue off. This may not be feasible except for high value plants due to how labor intensive this could be.

We discourage the use of soaps not approved for use on plants (ie. dish or hand soaps) as this will influence the media pH and will only lead to more problems.

As far as the water molds are concerned, treatment with Subdue Maxx (Mefenoxam) or any of the phosphorous acids (Aliette, Agri-Fos, Vital, Biophos etc) will help prevent infection by Phytophthora, Pythium, etc. Of course, label directions must be followed. If crops or crop areas were under water for any extended period, prophylactic treatment with Subdue, followed by monthly follow-up with say Agri-Fos, should minimize the risk of infection.

Source: Janna Beckerman, Roberto G. Lopez, and Liz Maynard, Purdue Extension

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Question:
Should I do anything more than standard Good Agricultural Practices (GAPS) in the way of crop management or harvest/post-harvest handling?

Answer:
As stated above the crop and field should be treated as if they had been treated with uncomposted manure. In most cases that means discarding the crop, incorporating planting a cover or agronomic crop, incorporating again and using the field the following season. Beyond that careful adherence to Good Agricultural Practices throughout production, harvest and post harvest is very important.

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Question:
Where is the line that demarcates 'legal but risky' from 'illegal'?

Answer:
The FDA focuses on whether there is a probability that a food has become "adulterated." Adulteration is the term used to state that something has happened to the food to cause it to be injurious to health. The FDA clearly states that crops that have come in contact with flood waters are considered to be adulterated. That puts any grower trying to salvage a crop from a flood in the territory of engaging in violating FDA regulations. Legal but very risky behavior is harvesting from plants that had not set prior to or during the flood or from crops planted immediately after the flood.

Lawn and Garden

Livestock & Animals

Extension Resources

State and National Resources

Forestry and Woodland

Emergency Forestry Conservation Reserve Program

Long-Term Recovery

Mitigation

Helping Hoosiers Protect Their Drinking Water
Safe Water for the Future focuses on protecting that what that Indiana citizens use for drinking. This is a comprehensive website dealing with all aspects of water quality and safety.
(Source: Purdue Extension)

Flood Disaster Supply Kit
A list of needed supplies to have available before flooding begins.
(Source: FEMA)

Emergency Financial First Aid Kit
A tool for all citizens. Regardless of our annual income or our financial assets, we all need to have our financial records in order to help maintain stability in the event of an emergency.
(Source: FEMA, Citizen Corps, and Operation Hope)

Additional Flood Resources

Flood Damage in the United States
The flood damage estimates presented in this website are compiled from NWS records and publications, supplemented by reports of other federal and state agencies.

The following are links to flood information and resources from Louisiana, Missouri, North Carolina and North Dakota.

USDA Disaster Assistance
Information provided by Farm Service Agency

Storm and Flood Safety for Kids

FEMA for Kids: Floods
Interactive and educational activities for youth, such as: Fact or Fiction, Disaster Math, and a Flood Story.
(Source: FEMA)

FEMA for Kids: Thunderstorms
Interactive and educational activities for youth, such as: Storm Photos, Lightning Secrets, and Safety Tips.
(Source: FEMA)

Billy, Maria, and the Thunderstorm
A printable coloring book about safety procedures during a thuderstorm.
(Source: NOAA)

Flood Photo Gallery
News Archives

2003

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