The Allegheny County Health Department recommends flood victims take the following precautions when cleaning their homes and refrigerators:

To avoid mold problems in flood-damaged properties owners should:

Dry out wet or damp areas as thoroughly as possible. Drying out a house thoroughly can take weeks, so be patient. Decay will continue until a house is reasonably dry.

Scrub hard, non-porous surfaces with commercial cleaning products or detergent and water, and then disinfect the surfaces with bleach.

Any items made of porous or absorbent materials that have been saturated in floodwaters should be thrown away. This includes cracked or sagging ceilings and walls made of such materials.

Remove and replace wallboard and fiberglass or cellulose insulation up to the point where it absorbed water. Styrofoam insulation may only need to be hosed off.

Remove all wall covering that got wet and throw it out because it can keep walls from drying out. Also remove wallpaper paste, which can promote the growth of mold and mildew.

Remove water trapped behind walls. Check for water by sticking an awl or knife into the wall.

Flood victims should not use gasoline-powered pressure washers in an enclosed space when cleaning flooded basements. These washers can produce lethal amounts of carbon monoxide and should only be used if the engine itself remains outside.

Furnaces affected by flooding can also be a cause of carbon monoxide poisoning and should be checked by a heating professional.

Carbon monoxide poisoning may produce any of the following symptoms: headache, dizziness, nausea, rapid heartbeat, loss of hearing, blurry vision or disorientation. Poisoning may result in respiratory failure, seizure or cardiac arrest.

How to preserve perishable foods without refrigeration and how to tell when food is spoiled and should be discarded:

Use appliance thermometers in refrigerators and freezers. Safe temperatures are a maximum of 40 degrees Farenheit for refrigerators and zero for freezers.

Keep freezer doors shut. A full freezer should keep food safe about two days; a half-full freezer, about one day. You can safely refreeze thawed foods that still contain ice crystals or feel cold to the touch.

Refrigerated items should be safe as long as the power is out no more than 4 to 6 hours.

If the power will be out more than six hours, transfer perishable foods to an insulated cooler filled with ice or frozen gel packs. Keep a thermometer in the cooler and make sure the temperature does not go above 40.